Match record generation device, match record generation method, and computer program

Abstract

To express good points of a side losing a game when automatically generating an article relating to a match-type game based on game data.SOLUTION: A game description generation device 10 when receiving game data representing a content of a match-type game from a game data distribution system 2, compares scores of one side and of the other side to play based on the received game data and determines whether the one wins or loses the game. When the one loses the game, the game description generation device 10 determines whether or not there is a period when the score of the one is more than the score of the other during the game based on the game data, and when there is the period when the score of the one is more than the score of the other, automatically generates a fight-review article containing such a description that although the one loses the game, there is a period when the one has been leading during the match.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention automatically generates descriptions of a game in a battle format. In particular, even when one of the combatants loses or is losing during the game, it automatically generates descriptions of the game from the perspective focusing on such a side. The present invention relates to a game description generation device, a game description generation method, and a computer program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there are a plurality of technologies for automatically generating articles related to games in a battle format. As a specific example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology related to generating sentences that explain the game results and intermediate states of a sport that competes for scores, such as baseball, in an easy-to-understand manner for people. Also, Patent Document 2 below discloses a technology for acquiring event information such as the actions of players during a game from video content related to a sport (for example, tennis), and generating a summarized article of the content based on the acquired event information. Technologies for generating descriptions of games (for example, baseball) from such videos are also disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 4 below.

[0003] Furthermore, Patent Document 5 below discloses a technology for automatically creating sports commentary based on result data indicating the content of a sport (for example, soccer) provided in real time. Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology for automatically creating a progress game evaluation based on the pitch-by-pitch quick report of high school baseball. Automatic generation of a game evaluation of high school baseball is also disclosed in Non-Patent Document 2 below. Regarding baseball, a technology for generating an inning quick report is disclosed in Patent Document 6 below.

[0004] Also, in professional baseball, Non-Patent Document 3 below discloses a technology for evaluating the performance of a specific player's batting, etc. with an index value and outputting a game evaluation with high objectivity regarding the description of the batting. Similarly, Non-Patent Document 4 below discloses a technology for scoring each batting in a baseball game and creating a summary sentence regarding the batting with a high score. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-92815 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2004 / 012100 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-524084) [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-261754 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-275058 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-173651 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-151864 [Non-Patent Document 1] Kobe Shimbun NEXT, "Game Review Robot Utilizes AI to Automatically Create High School Baseball Game Reviews," [online], [Accessed March 4, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / www.kobe-np.co.jp / info / nextguide / koya2018summer / robot / > [Non-Patent Document 2] Asahi Shimbun DIGITAL, "High School Baseball, Otori's AI Game Commentary," [online], [Accessed March 4, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / www.asahi.com / sports / baseball / ai-news / > [Non-Patent Document 3] J-STAGE, "Journal of the Japan Society for Information and Knowledge, Automatic Generation of Baseball Game Reviews Using WPA," Kentaro Kudo, Kyohei Okawa, Kei Kanazawa, Gen Murai, 2019, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 181-186, [online], [Retrieved March 4, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / www.jstage.jst.go.jp / article / jsik / 29 / 2 / 29_2019_033 / _article / -char / ja / > [Non-Patent Document 4] J-STAGE, "Proposal and Comparison of Template-Based and Neural-Based Methods in Natural Language Processing and Sports Summarization," Yuki Tagawa, Kazutaka Shimada, Vol. 25, No. 4, 2018, pp. 357-391, [online], [Retrieved March 4, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / www.jstage.jst.go.jp / article / jnlp / 25 / 4 / 25_357 / _article / -char / ja / > [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] As mentioned above, while several technologies have existed to generate descriptions of matches in a competitive format, they all primarily focus on the winning side or the side that is currently winning. No technologies have been mentioned that can generate descriptions of matches from the perspective of the losing side or the side that is currently losing.

[0007] For example, Patent Document 1 mentioned above contains the following statements: Paragraph 0052 states, "There are two ways to set extraction conditions: (A) specifying conditions sequentially, and (B) using pre-prepared conditions. Furthermore, the extraction conditions consist of two parts: (a) a part that specifies the length of the generated text, the user's preferred team and players, and (b) a part that specifies the situation to be extracted." Paragraph 0084 states, "Through the above text generation process, explanatory texts that focus on the interesting parts of the game, preferred plays, and preferred players are provided in a way that is easy for readers and listeners to understand." While these statements disclose that explanatory texts focusing on preferred teams and players will be provided if preferred teams and players are specified, they do not mention that explanatory texts focusing on the losing side (the losing side) will be provided.

[0008] Similarly, in the republished publication relating to Patent Document 2 mentioned above, from the third line from the bottom of page 6 to the second line of page 7, it states: "The surface text information generation unit 105 generates surface text information that expresses the content in a summarized sentence based on the summarizing text elements and user information. Furthermore, when generating surface text information, it uses expressions centered on the player of interest based on the user input information. As a result, the surface text information is formed and expressed from the perspective of the specified player or team." While this statement discloses that a sentence expressed from the perspective of the specified player or team is formed, it does not state that a sentence is formed that can reliably express noteworthy points during the match from the perspective of the losing side (the losing side).

[0009] The aforementioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 have a problem in that, while they can generate explanatory texts focusing on a specified team or player, or texts expressed from the perspective of a specified team or player, they only generate texts from a normal perspective if no such team or player is specified. For example, among users who enjoy reading descriptions of competitive matches, there are a certain number who emotionally root for the losing side, and such users are interested in content related to the losing side, but the technologies disclosed in the aforementioned Patent and Non-Patent Documents cannot meet the needs of such users.

[0010] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that, even without user specification, can focus on the losing side of a match or the side that is losing in the middle of a match, and if the losing side or the side that is losing in the middle of a match was leading at any point in the match, automatically generate a description that includes details about the leading position as a noteworthy point for the losing side or the side that is losing. Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that can automatically generate a description of the losing side, or the side that is losing midway through a match, that includes information about the fact that they were leading for most of the match, as a noteworthy point for the losing side.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that can automatically generate a description of the match, including details about the seesaw-like nature of the game, as a noteworthy aspect for the losing side or the side that is losing midway through the match, if the losing side has made several comebacks during the match. Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that, when the match being described includes rules that allow for the scoring of multiple points in a single play, automatically generates a description that includes details about the fact that the losing side, or the side that is losing midway through the match, took a lead by such a large margin during the match that it is impossible to reverse the score in a single play, as a noteworthy point for the losing side or the side that is losing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a match record generation device that obtains match data from an external source indicating the content of a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and generates a record of the match result based on the obtained match data, characterized in that the device comprises: means for determining the outcome of the match based on the match data obtained from an external source; if, as a result of the determination, one party loses the match, means for determining, based on the match data obtained from an external source, whether there was a period during the match when one party's score exceeded the other party's score; and if, as a result of the determination, there was a period when one party's score exceeded the other party's score, means for generating a record that includes content relating to one party leading the other party during the match.

[0013] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized by comprising: means for determining, as a result of the above determination, whether, if there was a period during the match when one team's score exceeded the other team's score, that period exceeded half of the entire match period from the start to the end of the match; and means for generating a description that includes information relating to the fact that one team led the other team for most of the match, if, as a result of the above determination, the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score exceeded half of the entire match period.

[0014] The present invention relates to a match description generation device that obtains match data from an external source indicating the content of a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and generates a description related to the middle of the match based on the obtained match data, characterized in that the device comprises: means for determining the relative magnitudes of the scores of one party and the other party at a point in the middle of the match based on the match data obtained from an external source; if, as a result of the determination, one party's score is lower than the other party's score, means for determining, based on the match data obtained from an external source, whether there was a period up to the point in the middle of the match when one party's score was higher than the other party's score; and if, as a result of the determination, there was a period when one party's score was higher than the other party's score, means for generating a description that includes content relating to one party leading the other party during the match.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized by comprising: means for determining, as a result of the above determination, whether there was a period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score, and whether that period exceeded half of the elapsed time of the match up to the point midway through the match; and means for generating a description that includes information relating to the fact that one team led the other team for most of the period up to the point midway through the match, if, as a result of the above determination, there was a period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score exceeding half of the elapsed time of the match.

[0016] Furthermore, when, as a result of the above determination, there is a period during which one score exceeds the other score, the present invention includes means for determining whether or not such periods are interrupted and exist multiple times, and means for generating a description including content related to a re-reversal or re-exceeding by one party during the game when, as a result of the determination, there are multiple interrupted periods during which one score exceeds the other score.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention includes means for determining whether or not, when, as a result of the determination, there is a period during which one score exceeds the other score, the score difference during that period is greater than the maximum score that can be obtained in one play, and means for generating a description including content related to one party leading the other with a score difference that cannot be reversed in one play during the game when, as a result of the determination, the score difference is greater than the maximum score that can be obtained in one play, wherein the game includes rules that allow multiple scores to be obtained in one play.

[0018] Also, in a game description generation device that acquires game data indicating content related to a game in which one party and the other party play against each other in a scoring format, and generates a description related to the game result based on the acquired game data, when one party loses the game but has a lead during the game, when one party loses the game but has a lead during the game and the period of that lead exceeds half of the entire game period from the start to the end of the game, or when one party loses the game but has a lead during the game and the lead is interrupted and exists multiple times, means for determining whether or not it corresponds to any of these cases based on the game data acquired from the outside, and means for generating a description including content related to the corresponding case when it is determined that it corresponds to any of the cases. [[ID=X]]

[0019] [[ID=X]] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a game description generation device that acquires game data indicating the content of a game in which one party and the other party compete in a scoring format from the outside, and generates a description related to the game in progress based on the acquired game data. When one party is led by the other party at a point during the game but one party had a lead up to that point during the game, when one party is led by the other party at a point during the game but one party had a lead up to that point during the game and the period of that lead exceeds half of the game elapsed period up to that point during the game, or when one party is led by the other party at a point during the game but one party had a lead up to that point during the game and the lead has been interrupted and exists multiple times, a means for determining whether any of these cases apply based on the game data acquired from the outside, and when it is determined that any of the cases apply, a means for generating a description including the content related to the applicable case.

[0020] The present invention relates to a game description generation method in which a game description generation device acquires game data indicating the content of a game in which one party and the other party compete in a scoring format from the outside, and generates a description related to the game result based on the acquired game data. The game description generation device includes a step of determining the win or loss of the game based on the game data acquired from the outside, a step of determining whether there was a period during the game when one party's score exceeded the other party's score based on the game data acquired from the outside when, as a result of the determination, one party lost the game, and a step of generating a description including the content related to one party leading the other party during the game when there was a period during the game when one party's score exceeded the other party's score as a result of the determination.

[0021] The present invention relates to a match description generation method in which a match description generation device acquires match data from an external source that indicates the content of a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and generates a description related to the middle of the match based on the acquired match data, characterized in that the match description generation device performs the following steps: determine the relative magnitudes of the scores of one party and the other party at a point in the middle of the match based on the match data acquired from an external source; if, as a result of the determination, one party's score is lower than the other party's score, determine, based on the match data acquired from an external source, whether there was a period up to the point in the middle of the match when one party's score was higher than the other party's score; and if, as a result of the determination, there was a period when one party's score was higher than the other party's score, generate a description that includes content relating to one party leading the other party during the match.

[0022] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a match description generation method in which a match description generation device acquires match data from an external source that indicates the content of a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and generates a description of the match result based on the acquired match data, characterized in that the match description generation device performs the steps of determining, based on the acquired match data, whether one party lost the match but had a lead during the match, one party lost the match but had a lead during the match and the period of that lead exceeded half of the entire match period from the start to the end of the match, or one party lost the match but had a lead during the match and that lead was interrupted multiple times, and if it is determined that one of the above cases applies, it performs the steps of generating a description that includes the content of the applicable case.

[0023] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a match description generation method in which a match description generation device acquires match data from an external source that indicates the content of a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and generates a description related to the middle of the match based on the acquired match data, characterized in that the match description generation device performs the steps of determining, based on the match data acquired from an external source, whether one party is in the lead of the other party at a point in the match but one party had a lead up to that point in the match, whether one party is in the lead of the other party at a point in the match but one party had a lead up to that point in the match and the duration of that lead exceeds half of the match period up to that point in the match, or whether one party is in the lead of the other party at a point in the match but one party had a lead up to that point in the match and that lead was interrupted multiple times, and if it is determined that one of the above cases applies, it performs the steps of generating a description that includes the content related to the applicable case.

[0024] The present invention relates to a computer program that causes a computer to obtain from an external source match data relating to a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and to execute a process to generate a description of the match result based on the obtained match data, characterized in that the computer is made to perform the following steps: determine whether the match is won or lost based on the match data obtained from an external source; if, as a result of the determination, one party loses the match, determine, based on the match data obtained from an external source, whether there was a period during the match when one party's score was higher than the other party's score; and if, as a result of the determination, there was a period when one party's score was higher than the other party's score, generate a description that includes information relating to one party leading the other party during the match.

[0025] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a computer program that causes a computer to obtain from an external source match data relating to a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and to execute a process to generate a description related to the match in progress based on the obtained match data, characterized in that the computer is made to perform the following steps: determine the relative magnitudes of the scores of one party and the other party at a point in the match based on the match data obtained from an external source; if, as a result of the determination, one party's score is lower than the other party's score, determine, based on the match data obtained from an external source, whether there was a period up to that point in the match when one party's score was higher than the other's score; and if, as a result of the determination, there was a period when one party's score was higher than the other's score, generate a description that includes information relating to one party leading the other during the match.

[0026] Furthermore, the present invention provides a computer program that causes a computer to obtain externally generated match data indicating the content of a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and to generate a description of the match result based on the obtained match data, characterized in that the computer is made to perform the following steps: determine, based on the externally generated match data, whether one party lost the match but had a lead during the match; one party lost the match but had a lead during the match and the duration of that lead exceeded half of the entire match period from the start to the end; or one party lost the match but had a lead during the match and that lead was interrupted multiple times; and, if it is determined that one of the above cases applies, generate a description including the content of the applicable case.

[0027] Furthermore, the present invention provides a computer program that causes a computer to obtain from an external source match data indicating the content of a match in which one party competes in a scoring format, and to execute a process to generate a description related to the match in progress based on the obtained match data, characterized in that the computer is made to perform the following steps: determine, based on the match data obtained from an external source, whether one party is in the lead of the other party at a point in the match but one party had a lead up to that point in the match; one party is in the lead of the other party at a point in the match but one party had a lead up to that point in the match and the duration of that lead has exceeded half of the match period up to that point in the match; or one party is in the lead of the other party at a point in the match but one party had a lead up to that point in the match and that lead has been interrupted multiple times; and, if it is determined that one of the above cases applies, generate a description that includes the content related to that case.

[0028] In this invention, based on match data obtained from an external source, the system determines which of the two competing players lost the match, and also determines whether there was a period during the match when the score of the losing player exceeded that of the other player. If such a period exists, the system automatically generates a description that includes information about the period when one player's score exceeded the other's score, thereby informing the user that the losing player was leading during the match. The scoring format used in this invention applies to matches between individuals or matches between multiple players (for example, matches between pairs or teams).

[0029] Furthermore, in this invention, if there is a period during the game when the score of the losing team exceeds that of the other team, it is determined whether such a period exceeds half of the total duration of the game. If it is detected that this has exceeded half of the total duration of the game, a description including information related to the fact that the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score exceeds half of the total duration of the game is automatically generated, thereby providing the user with information that the losing team led for most of the game. In this invention, the duration of the game refers to the duration of the game when the progress and end time of the game are determined by time. However, if the progress and end time of the game are determined by concepts other than time, such as innings in baseball, or games and sets in tennis, then such concepts (innings, games, sets, etc.) refer to the duration of the game. For example, in the case of baseball, if the game ends after 9 innings, if the number of innings in which one team led exceeds 5, then in this invention, this exceeds half of the total duration of the game.

[0030] In this invention, based on match data obtained from an external source, the system determines which side is losing at a given point in the match, and whether there was a period from the start of the match when that side's score exceeded that of the other side. If such a period exists, the system automatically generates a description that includes information about the time when one side's score was higher than the other's. This allows the system to inform the user that the side currently losing had a lead up to that point in the match. Match-related descriptions are provided at any time, even during the match, and this invention is particularly suitable for providing descriptions that focus on the side currently losing at a given point in the match.

[0031] Furthermore, in this invention, if there is a period during the match when the score of the losing team has exceeded the score of the other team up to that point, it is determined whether such a period has exceeded half of the match duration. If it has exceeded half of the match duration, a description including information about the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score has exceeded half of the match duration is automatically generated, thereby providing the user with information that the losing team has been leading for most of the match up to that point.

[0032] In this invention, if there is a period during the match when the score of one side that is losing or losing midway through the match exceeds the score of the other side, it is determined whether there were multiple periods during which one side's score exceeded the other side's score. If there were multiple periods during which one side's score exceeded the other side's score, a description including information about the fact that there were multiple periods during which one side's score exceeded the other side's score is automatically generated, thereby providing the user with information that one side has come back to win or taken the lead several times during the match.

[0033] In this invention, if the match in question includes rules that allow for multiple points to be scored in a single play, and there is a period during the match when the score of the losing team (or team that is losing midway through the match) exceeds the score of the other team, it is determined whether the score difference at that time exceeds the maximum score that can be scored in a single play. If the score difference exceeds the maximum score that can be scored in a single play, a description is automatically generated that includes information regarding the fact that the score difference when one team was leading during the match exceeded the maximum score that can be scored in a single play. This allows the system to inform the user that at one point one team was leading the other by a score difference that made a comeback impossible in a single play.

[0034] In this invention, the system simultaneously determines which of several situations applies regarding a situation where one side lost to the other but one side held a lead during the match, and automatically generates a description that includes content relating to whichever case is found to apply. As a result, users who support the losing side can smoothly receive a description of the match results that focuses on the losing side, without having to set up the losing side beforehand. Furthermore, in this invention, even when one side is losing to the other during a match, the system simultaneously determines which of several situations regarding one side having a lead during the match applies, and automatically generates a description that includes the content relating to whichever case is found to apply. Therefore, even when providing descriptions of the match in progress, the system can smoothly provide descriptions of the match in progress that focus on the losing side, making it easier for users who are supporting the losing side to understand the progress of the match when their side is losing, without having to specifically set their preferred side beforehand. [Effects of the Invention]

[0035] In this invention, based on match data acquired from an external source, a description is automatically generated that includes information about the period during the match when the losing side's score exceeded the winning side's score. Therefore, without requiring any prior operation such as specifying one side, a description can be provided that highlights the positive aspects of the losing side's performance during the match. Furthermore, the present invention automatically generates a description that includes information relating to the fact that the score of the losing side exceeded the score of the winning side for more than half of the entire duration of the match. Therefore, it can provide a description that includes information relating to the fact that although the losing side lost the match, they led for most of the match, conveying the nuance that, although one side lost the match, they were dominant for much of the overall match.

[0036] In this invention, based on match data obtained from an external source, a description is automatically generated that includes information about the period during the match when the score of the losing side exceeded that of the opposing side. Therefore, without having to perform any operations beforehand to specify one side, the system can provide a description that highlights the positive aspects of the losing side's performance during the match. Furthermore, this invention automatically generates a description that includes information about the period during which the losing side's score exceeded the opponent's score during the match, exceeding half of the elapsed time from the start of the match to the point midway through. This allows for the provision of a description that includes information about the fact that, although currently losing, the side had been leading for most of the preceding period, conveying the nuance that the losing side had been in a dominant position for much of the time up to that point.

[0037] In this invention, a description is automatically generated that includes information about the fact that during the match, the score of one side that was losing or losing midway through the match exceeded the score of the opposing side (the other side) on multiple occasions. This allows for the provision of a description that includes information about the fact that the losing side, or losing midway through the match, managed to regain the lead or take the lead again during the match, conveying the nuance that even though the match was lost or was losing, it was a seesaw game with several instances where the losing side took the lead.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention automatically generates descriptions that include information about one side losing the match or losing mid-match gaining an insurmountable lead in a single play during the match. This allows for descriptions that include information about one side losing the match or losing mid-match building a lead that could be considered safe at one point during the match, conveying the nuance that the losing side was at one point dominating the game.

[0039] Furthermore, in this invention, the system simultaneously determines, at the same stage, whether the losing side in a match falls into one of several possible scenarios related to having a lead during the match, and automatically generates a description that includes details related to the case where it is determined that the scenario falls into one of those categories. This allows for the smooth generation of match descriptions that meet the needs of users who support the losing side. Furthermore, in this invention, even for the losing side during a match, it simultaneously determines, at the same stage, whether it falls under one of several situations related to having a lead during the match, and automatically generates a description that includes the content related to the situation if it is determined to be applicable. Therefore, even when providing descriptions during a match, it is possible to smoothly provide descriptions that meet the needs of users who are supporting the losing side, etc. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0040] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a match record generation system including a match record generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the main internal components of the match record generation device. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a decision table. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the list of conditions. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the pattern list. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a points table. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps related to the method for generating match descriptions in the first embodiment (Example 1). [Figure 8] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 9] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 10] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 11] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 12] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 13] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 14] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 15] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 16] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 17] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 18] (a) is a chart showing the score for each inning as an example of a baseball game result, and (b) is an example of a game commentary article from Example 1 that was automatically generated for the game result example in (a). [Figure 19] This is a flowchart showing the first half of a series of processing steps related to the method for generating match descriptions of a modified example of Example 1. [Figure 20] This is the second part of the flowchart showing a series of processing steps related to the method for generating match descriptions of a modified example of Example 1. [Figure 21] This is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the list of conditions related to the second embodiment (Example 2). [Figure 22] This is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the pattern list related to Example 2. [Figure 23] This flowchart shows a series of processing steps related to the method for generating match descriptions in the second embodiment (Example 2). [Figure 24] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 25] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 26] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 27] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 28] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 29] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 30] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 31] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 32](a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 33] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 34] (a) is a score chart showing an example of the score situation up to a certain point in a baseball game, and (b) is an example of the progress report for Example 2 that was automatically generated at a certain point in (a). [Figure 35] This is the first part of a flowchart showing a series of processing steps related to the method for generating match descriptions of a modified example of Example 2. [Figure 36] This is the second part of the flowchart showing a series of processing steps related to the method for generating match descriptions of a modified example of Example 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention] [Examples]

[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a match record generation system 1, including a match record generation device 10 according to the first embodiment (Example 1) of the present invention. The match record generation system 1 according to the present invention has a configuration in which a match data distribution system 2 that distributes (transmits) match data and a match record generation device 10 that automatically generates records related to match results are connected to each other via a network. Furthermore, the record data generated by the match record generation device 10 can be provided to user terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, etc. via the communication network.

[0042] In this first embodiment (Example 1), the target for generating descriptions is a baseball game (for example, professional baseball or high school baseball) where one party competes against the other in a scoring format. When a baseball game ends, the game data distribution system 2 transmits the game data to the game description generation device 10, and the game description generation device 10 automatically generates a game report article, including a description of the game result, based on the received game data.

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

[0044] The match data distributed by the match data distribution system 2 includes electronic scorebook data, which is an electronic representation of the contents recorded in a baseball scorebook, as well as data related to the play of the game (such as the movements of each player and the trajectory of the ball) acquired by tracking systems, etc., and data related to records. The electronic scorebook data included in the match data contains information such as the result of each pitch, the score status of each inning of the baseball game, the status of strikes and balls for the pitcher's throws, the batting results of the batters in response to the pitches (fouls, hits, etc.), and the outcome of the game.

[0045] Furthermore, the game data includes pitching data and batting data. Pitching data includes information such as the spin rate of the pitched ball, the magnitude of its movement, the ball's position relative to the strike zone, and the release point. Batting data includes information such as the speed, angle, and distance of the batted ball. In addition, data related to records is read from past electronic scorebook data stored in DB device 2b by server device 2a, including data related to records that may occur in that game (for example, in professional baseball, achieving 2000 hits, 100 wins, etc.) and data related to continuing records (for example, consecutive games played, consecutive times on base, etc.), and this data is then included in the game data to be distributed. As the game data distributed in this way is basically well known (for example, see Patent Document 5 and Non-Patent Document 4 mentioned above), further details will be omitted.

[0046] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main internal configuration of the match report generation device 10, which is the central device of the present invention. The match report generation device 10 in Example 1 is constructed using a general server computer (corresponding to the computer according to the present invention), but it is of course possible to construct the match report generation device 10 by combining multiple server devices, etc., by performing distributed processing, etc. The match report generation device 10 automatically generates match report articles based on match data distributed from the match data distribution system 2 described above, using a proprietary program (AI: artificial intelligence).

[0047] The match record generation device 10 consists of an MPU 10a that performs overall control and various processing, with various devices connected via internal connection lines 10h. These devices include a communication module 10b, RAM 10c, ROM 10d, input interface 10e, output interface 10f, and storage unit 10g.

[0048] The communication module 10b is a communication device equivalent to a network connection module, and is compatible with the required communication standard (e.g., a LAN module). The communication module 10b is connected to the network (including internal, external, or other communication networks) via the required communication equipment (not shown in the diagram; for example, a router), enabling communication with the external match data distribution system 2 (for the match record generation device 10, the match data distribution system 2 is an external system) and user terminals T1, T2, T3, etc. When a baseball game ends, the match data distribution system 2 distributes match data related to that game. This match data is received by the communication module 10b and acquired by the match record generation device 10, and the acquired match data is stored in the RAM 10c or storage unit 10g, etc.

[0049] RAM10c temporarily stores content, files, etc., related to the processing of MPU10a, while ROM10d pre-stores programs, etc., that define the basic processing content of MPU10a. The input interface10e is connected to a keyboard 11, mouse, etc., which receive operation instructions from the administrator of the match record generation device 10. The output interface10f is connected to a display 12 (display output device), which outputs the content related to the processing of MPU10a to the display 12, allowing the administrator of the match record generation device 10 to check the current processing content.

[0050] The memory unit 10g stores programs, tables, and databases. It stores the OS program P1 and the description generation program P2 as programs, the judgment table 13, the points table 16, and the template table 17 as tables, and the description DB 18 (a database for storing generated battle report data) as the database. To install the description generation program P2 into the memory unit 10g, it is possible to store the program on a storage medium such as an optical disc and then install it into the memory unit 10g via that medium.

[0051] The OS program P1 stored in the memory unit 10g defines various processes corresponding to the operating system for the server computer. The MPU 10a performs processing based on these definitions, thereby enabling the match record generation device 10 to perform its various functions as a server computer (server device).

[0052] Figure 3 shows an overview (an example) of the decision table 13 stored in the memory unit 10g. As will be described later, the decision table 13 is used by the MPU 10a to determine what content to include in a baseball (professional baseball, etc.) game report when generating a report based on the provisions of the report generation program P2. In particular, the present invention is characterized by generating a report focusing on the losing side of the game, and in order to include noteworthy events during the game for the losing side, or outstanding performances by players on the losing side, the decision table 13 includes conditions (cases) for determining such cases, and patterns of content to be included when each condition is met.

[0053] The judgment table 13 has judgment conditions 1 to 7 in the leftmost vertical column 13a, patterns A to K indicating the type of content to be recorded in the bottom row 13b, and a grid section 13c enclosed on two sides by the leftmost vertical column 13a and the bottom row 13b, in which circles (○) are placed in the grid locations corresponding to the conditions. In the grid section 13c, if a condition is not met, or if the match or not does not affect the judgment (for example, the grid location in the row for condition 7, excluding pattern J), that grid location is left blank.

[0054] Figure 4 shows the list of conditions 14, which details the specific contents of each case from condition 1 to condition 7, located in the leftmost vertical column 13a of the judgment table 13 described above. The judgment table 13 determines one of the two teams competing in a baseball game (for example, professional baseball) as one team and the other team as the other opponent, and then defines the contents of each condition (each case) with the one team as the central focus.

[0055] Specifically, Condition 1 specifies "if one team wins the match," and Condition 2 specifies "if one team loses the match and either scores zero points or does not have a lead during the match." Condition 3 specifies "when one team loses the game, but there was a period during the game when one team's score was higher than the other team's score"; Condition 4 specifies "when one team loses the game, but there was a period during the game when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and the score difference during that period was greater than 4 points"; Condition 5 specifies "when one team loses the game, but there was a period during the game when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and that period lasted for more than half of the game"; Condition 6 specifies "when one team loses the game, but there was a period during the game when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and that period was interrupted and occurred multiple times"; and Condition 7 specifies "when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated based on the point table exceed a threshold".

[0056] Condition 1, "If one team wins the match," corresponds to generating content equivalent to a conventional general match report, and is a condition that corresponds to generating a match report centered on the winning team. Condition 2, "If one team loses the match and scores zero or does not lead during the match," corresponds to a situation where one team loses the match and that losing team has nothing noteworthy to report in terms of scoring (no redeeming qualities).

[0057] Condition 3, "If one team lost the match, but there was a period during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score," corresponds to a point of interest in the match where the losing team's score was higher than the other team's score (a period when that team was leading).

[0058] Condition 4, "If one team loses the game, but there was a period during the game when one team's score was greater than the other team's score, and the score difference during that period was greater than 4 points," corresponds to a situation where, as a highlight of the game for the losing team, one team was leading the other team at a certain point in time by a score difference greater than the maximum number of runs that can be scored in a single play in baseball (4 points from a grand slam home run).

[0059] Condition 5, "If one team loses the game, but there was a period during the game when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and that period lasted for more than half of the game's innings," corresponds to a situation where, assuming the baseball game was 9 innings (corresponding to the entire duration of the game from start to finish), one team was leading for more than 5 innings (one team led the other team for most of the game).

[0060] Furthermore, if a baseball game goes into extra innings, the entire duration of the game includes all innings, including the extra innings. For example, if the game goes to 13 innings due to extra innings, condition 5 is met if one team was leading for more than 7 innings. Also, if a baseball game is called off due to rain or other reasons and does not proceed to the 9th inning (i.e., the game ends in fewer than 9 innings), the entire duration of the game is calculated from the start of the game up to the innings played. For example, if the game ends in the bottom of the 7th inning due to rain, condition 5 is met if one team was leading for more than 4 innings.

[0061] Condition 6, "If one team lost the match, but there were periods during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and these periods were interrupted and occurred multiple times," corresponds to the fact that, as a highlight of the losing team's match, one team repeatedly came from behind (come back from a losing position multiple times), or one team repeatedly took the lead (was tied or overtaken from a winning position, but regained the lead at least once).

[0062] Condition 7, "If there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points exceed the threshold," is a condition for highlighting and introducing the performance of any player (batter or pitcher) who has performed above a certain level in the game. The determination of whether a player has performed above a certain level is based on the cumulative points awarded according to the prescribed content (point addition calculation formula) stored in Point Table 16 (details will be explained later).

[0063] Figure 5 shows a list of pattern contents 15, which details the specific contents of patterns A to K placed in the bottom row 13b of the judgment table 13 described above. The contents of these patterns A to K define guidelines for the content to be included in the generated match report. Specifically, pattern A defines the guideline of "content related to one team winning the match," and since this pattern A is a guideline to include content related to winning the match, it basically defines content equivalent to that of a conventional general match report.

[0064] Pattern B specifies the guideline "Content related to the fact that one team led during the match, even though one team lost the game." This Pattern B is a guideline for generating descriptions that include content related to the fact that one team led the other team during the match, even though the losing team lost the game. It takes the perspective of the losing side and specifically lists noteworthy aspects of the game for the losing side.

[0065] Pattern C provides a more detailed description of a situation where one team was leading compared to Pattern B, and sets forth the guideline that "one team lost the game, but at one point held a lead during the game that could not be easily caught up to." This Pattern C also serves as a guideline for generating descriptions that include the positive aspects of the losing team, such as the fact that even if a grand slam were hit, the opposing team could not be overtaken by a lead (a lead greater than the maximum number of runs that can be scored in a single play in a baseball game, which is 4) during the game. It focuses on the losing side and specifically describes their lead during the game in terms of the score difference.

[0066] Pattern D also defines the lead situation in more detail than Pattern B, and sets forth the guideline that "one team lost the game, but led the other team for most of the game." This Pattern D also serves as a guideline for including in the game report that, although the losing team lost, one of the positive aspects was that the losing team led the other team for more than half of the nine innings that make up a baseball game (more than five innings) (for most of the game). It focuses on the losing side and explains the lead situation of the losing side during the game based on the length of the lead.

[0067] Pattern E also defines the lead situation in more detail than Pattern B, and sets forth the guideline "content relating to the fact that one team lost the game, but there were multiple comebacks or periods of winning during the game." This Pattern E also serves as a guideline for generating a description that includes content relating to the positive aspects of the losing team, such as the fact that there were multiple comebacks from a trailing position during the game (re-comebacks), or that after being tied or overtaken from a lead, there was at least one instance of regaining the lead (re-taking). It focuses on the perspective of the losing side and provides a concrete explanation of the situation in which that losing side fought a seesaw game.

[0068] Pattern F specifies a situation that combines Patterns C and D described above, and defines the guideline as "one team lost the match, but held a lead during the match that was difficult to catch up by, and that lead lasted for most of the match." Pattern G also specifies a situation that combines Patterns C and E described above, and defines the guideline as "one team lost the match, but held a lead during the match that was difficult to catch up by, and there were multiple instances of comebacks or winning the match during the game."

[0069] Furthermore, Pattern H specifies a situation that combines Patterns D and E as described above, and defines the guideline as "one team lost the game, but led for most of the game, and there were several instances of comebacks or taking the lead during the game." Moreover, Pattern I specifies a situation that combines all three patterns, Patterns C, D and E, as described above, and defines the guideline as "one team lost the game, but held a lead during the game by a score difference that was not easily overcome, and that lead lasted for most of the game, and there were several instances of comebacks or taking the lead during the game."

[0070] Pattern J specifies the guideline "content relating to a player (batter or pitcher) who performed well during a game, even though one team lost." This Pattern J is a guideline for generating descriptions that include the positive aspects of a losing team, such as when a player (batter or pitcher) performed better than other players (batters or pitchers) on that team. It takes the perspective of the losing side, focuses on the batter or pitcher who performed well on that side, and explains the details of their performance.

[0071] Pattern K sets forth the guideline that "the content should involve praising the opposing team (the other team) when one team loses a match." This Pattern K serves as a guideline for including praise for the opposing team (the other team) in match reports, as it can be difficult to mention the losing team from the perspective of the losing side when there is nothing particularly noteworthy about the losing team in that match.

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

[0073] Examples of point conditions included in the batter's table section 15a shown in Figure 6 include: "Add 100 points if the winning run is hit (a player who makes the winning hit) (plus 100 points)", "Add 50 points if the game-winning hit is made (a player who makes the game-winning hit) (plus 50 points)", "Add 30 points if the game is tied (a player who makes the game-tying hit) (plus 30 points)", "Add 50 points if the game-winning hit is made (a player who makes the game-winning hit) (plus 50 points)", "Add 30 points if a home run is hit (a player who hits a home run) (plus 30 points)", "Add 20 points if a triple is hit (plus 20 points)", "Add 10 points if a double is hit (plus 10 points)", and "Add 5 points if a hit is made (plus 5 points)".

[0074] Furthermore, examples of additional points included in the pitcher's table section 15b shown in Figure 6 include "additional points calculated by multiplying the number of scoreless innings by 20" and "additional points calculated by multiplying the number of strikeouts by 5."

[0075] The template table 17 stored in the memory unit 10g contains templates corresponding to the various expressions used when generating game commentary articles. It includes diverse expressions related to various parts of speech such as nouns, particles, conjunctions, adverbs, and verbs used in expressing baseball game commentary articles, as well as standardized content corresponding to units such as phrases and clauses. These templates corresponding to diverse expressions are appropriately extracted from expressions frequently used in numerous baseball game commentary articles created by humans in the past.

[0076] Examples of templates for nouns include "game," "team," "score," "lead," "batter," "pitcher," "substitution," "pinch hitter," "home run," "double," "single to left field," "ground out to first base," "center field fly out," "strikeout," "walk," "stolen base," and "timely hit." Examples of templates for particles include "is," "is," "from," "of," "even," "with," and "while."

[0077] Examples of conjunction templates include "here," "and," and "also." Examples of adverb templates include "very," "intense," "high," and "eye-catching." Examples of verb templates include "won," "lost," "came back," "won the lead," "took the lead," "failed to hold," "provided support," and "held back." These various templates are stored in template table 17, organized according to the conditions under which they should be used, and are read out as appropriate by MPU 10a according to the provisions of description generation program P2 and used to generate the description.

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

[0079] Furthermore, the description generation program P2 specifies that for a single baseball game, the MPU 10a generates multiple types (at least three types in this embodiment) of game commentary descriptions. The first is to generate a description corresponding to a game commentary that focuses on the winning team, as in the conventional method (when the description is generated assuming the winning team is one of the teams). The second is to generate a description corresponding to a game commentary that includes content focusing on the losing team, which is a feature of the present invention (when the description is generated assuming the losing team is one of the teams). The third is to generate a description corresponding to a game commentary that includes content focusing on players (batters or pitchers) who made outstanding contributions or achieved records in that game (when, if there is a player who has earned points exceeding a threshold, a description is generated that includes content related to the player's performance according to the points earned, regardless of whether the team to which that player belongs wins or loses).

[0080] The process defined by such a description generation program P2 can be divided into two main stages in the processing flow. The first is the stage in which the MPU 10a analyzes the received match data using the judgment table 13 (see Figure 3) described above to identify the content (pattern) of the description to be generated. The second is the stage in which the text creation engine actually generates a match report article containing the description identified in the first stage, using various information contained in the received match data and the template table 17.

[0081] Let's explain the processing of the description generation program P2 in more detail using a specific example. Suppose the game data distribution system 2 distributes game data for a baseball game between team XXX (batting first) and team YYY (batting second). When the game description generation device 10 receives (acquires) this game data, the MPU 10a of the game description generation device 10 starts the first stage of processing described above, triggered by the receipt of the game data. Once processing starts, in order to generate a game commentary article that includes a description focusing on team XXX, the batting first and one of the opposing teams included in the game data, the MPU 10a first provisionally applies team XXX to the judgment table 13 as one of the teams, and then determines which of the conditions 1 to 7 defined in the judgment table 13 applies to team XXX. In this state, when the MPU 10a assumes that team XXX is one of the teams, it recognizes team YYY, the opposing team, as the other team.

[0082] If, in a given game, the game data indicates that Team XXX's score (final score) is higher than Team YYY's score (final score), and Team XXX won, then MPU10a determines that Team XXX falls under Condition 1 in this game (determined that Team XXX won). Conversely, if the game data indicates that Team XXX's score is lower than Team YYY's score, and Team XXX lost, then MPU10a determines that Team XXX lost. In this case, MPU10a analyzes the acquired game data and compares the scoring situation of Team XXX and Team YYY for each inning in this game to determine whether Team XXX falls under any of Conditions 2 to 6.

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

[0084] Specifically, condition 3, which applies when one team loses a match, is defined as "when one team loses a match, but there was a period during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score." Therefore, the content of condition 3 is included in the content of conditions 4 (when one team loses a match, but there was a period during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and the score difference during that period was greater than 4 points), condition 5 (when one team loses a match, but there was a period during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and that period lasted for more than half of the matches), and condition 6 (when one team loses a match, but there was a period during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and that period was interrupted and occurred multiple times). Thus, there are cases where multiple conditions are met, such as when conditions 3 and 4 are met, when conditions 3 and 5 are met, when conditions 3 and 6 are met, or when conditions 3 to 5 are met.

[0085] Therefore, in the process of determining whether or not one of the conditions applies, if it is determined that the situation does not fall under condition 1 (when one team wins the match), that is, if it is determined that one team lost the match, then the MPU10a determines which of conditions 2 to 6 related to the loss applies. Furthermore, as mentioned above, condition 3 is included in the content of conditions 4 to 6, so if it is determined that the situation falls under condition 3, the MPU10a also determines whether or not one of conditions 4 to 6 applies.

[0086] Next, in order to generate a match report that includes a description focusing on Team YYY, the opposing team to Team XXX, the MPU 10a will, conversely to the above, make Team YYY one of the teams and Team XXX the other team, and determine which of the conditions defined in the judgment table 13 applies. Here, as mentioned above, if we provisionally assume that Team XXX, which went first, is one of the teams, and MPU 10a determines that Team XXX won, then it can be automatically determined that Team YYY lost the match. In this case, MPU 10a will simultaneously determine (detect) which of the conditions 2 to 7 in the judgment table 13, which relate to losing, applies to Team YYY as one of the teams.

[0087] Furthermore, as mentioned above, if we provisionally assume that the first team, Team XXX, is one of the teams, and MPU10a determines that Team XXX has lost, then Team YYY can be automatically determined to have won. In this case, MPU10a determines that Team YYY is one of the teams and meets condition 1 in judgment table 13. Note that in the explanation above, we provisionally assume that the first team, Team XXX, is one of the teams and apply it to judgment table 13 to determine which of the conditions it meets. However, it is of course also possible to proceed by assuming that the second team, Team YYY, is one of the teams (essentially, you just need to assume that one of the opponents is one of the teams, apply it to judgment table 13, and determine the corresponding condition to identify it).

[0088] Furthermore, in order to generate a record of players who performed well in the game, the MPU10a, in addition to the condition identification process of the judgment table 13 based on the wins and losses of the opposing teams as described above, uses the point table 16 shown in Figure 6 to calculate the points for each player (batter) and each pitcher included in the game data, and performs a process to detect whether there are any players (batters or pitchers) whose calculated points exceed a threshold. In this embodiment, two types of thresholds are prepared: a threshold for the winning side and a threshold for the losing side. The threshold for the winning side is 80 points, and the threshold for the losing side is 50 points, which is lower than the threshold for the winning side, and players (batters or pitchers) who have earned points above these thresholds are identified. Note that these threshold point values ​​are merely examples, and it is of course possible to apply other point values ​​to the thresholds. For example, depending on whether you want to narrow down the players to be extracted or extract a wider range of players, it is certainly possible to change the threshold for the winning side to be greater than or less than 80 points. Similarly, it is also possible to change the threshold for the losing side to be greater than or less than 50 points. However, to make it easier to extract players from the losing side, it is preferable to make the threshold for the losing side less than the threshold for the winning side. Furthermore, if multiple players exceed the threshold, a filtering process is performed so that the top two players or the player with the highest score are the ones to be detected.

[0089] The match description generation device 10 processes articles containing descriptions of players whose points exceed the threshold in the above categories in two ways: first, it generates an article when it meets condition 7 in relation to the team's win or loss; and second, it generates an article containing descriptions of players who meet condition 7, regardless of the team's win or loss.

[0090] Furthermore, the MPU10a also detects from the received game data whether or not each player has achieved any record. The types of records that can be detected include records achieved within a single game related to the received game data (e.g., a cycle hit or a no-hitter) and records achieved within a series of games including the game related to the received game data (e.g., 20 consecutive plate appearances reaching base, achieving 1000 hits, 20 consecutive scoreless innings, achieving 1000 strikeouts). Regardless of the team's win or loss, the game record generation device 10 processes the information regarding such record achievements to include it in the generated article.

[0091] Once the above-described process has completed the determination (detection) of whether the conditions (conditions 1 to 7) apply to both opposing teams, and the determination (detection) of whether there are any outstanding players (batters or pitchers) or players (batters or pitchers) who achieved records, the MPU 10a then performs the process of identifying the content (patterns) related to the applicable conditions. In this identification process, the determination table 13 shown in Figure 3 is also used, and based on the provisions of the description generation program P2, the MPU 10a identifies the pattern (one of patterns A to K) corresponding to the applicable conditions for the first team XXX, and also identifies the pattern (one of patterns A to K) corresponding to the applicable conditions for the opposing team YYY, the second team.

[0092] Furthermore, in the process described above, MPU10a determines that players (batters or pitchers) exceeding the threshold meet condition 7. If condition 7 is met and condition 2 is also met, then pattern J is identified as the content of the description based on the specifications of the text creation engine included in the description generation program P2 (see the judgment table in Figure 3).

[0093] Once the first stage of identifying the content described above is complete, the second stage involves MPU10a automatically generating a match report article containing the identified content (patterns A to K) based on the specifications of the text creation engine included in the description generation program P2. The text creation engine of the description generation program P2 specifies various processes so that MPU10a can automatically generate articles as an AI (artificial intelligence) for text creation. This text creation engine automatically generates the content based on the identified patterns using the template table 17.

[0094] Specifically, when generating a description of Team XXX according to a specified pattern, Team XXX is used as the subject item, and numerical and vocabulary information (score, number of innings in which a run was scored, etc.) and scoring situations (home run by player XX, timely hit by player YY, etc.) corresponding to the specified pattern are analyzed and extracted from the received game data using a text generation engine. The extracted items (information) are then appropriately combined with various templates included in template table 17 as subjects, objects, verbs, phrases, clauses, etc., to create expressions, thereby generating a description that matches the specified pattern.

[0095] Furthermore, the match report generated in this embodiment does not consist solely of descriptions corresponding to a specific pattern, but rather includes descriptions corresponding to a specific pattern in part. Therefore, assuming Team XXX is one of the teams, the match report generated by MPU10a will include descriptions focusing on Team XXX, but will also include other overall content and the opponent's scoring situation. The match report generated in this way will convey to the user (reader) the good points of Team XXX during the match, as well as provide an overview of the match and its flow.

[0096] Furthermore, regarding Team YYY, the opponent team of Team XXX, similar to the case of Team XXX described above, MPU10a analyzes and extracts information such as numerical values, phrases, and scoring status corresponding to the identified patterns of Team YYY from the received match data according to the text creation engine's specifications. Using this extracted information and the templates included in template table 17, MPU10a automatically generates an article description corresponding to Team YYY. In parallel, MPU10a also automatically generates descriptions related to the overall content other than Team YYY, thereby automatically generating a match report article that includes descriptions focusing on Team YYY.

[0097] Furthermore, for players who score above a certain threshold or achieve a record, MPU10a generates descriptions corresponding to Pattern J. In accordance with the text creation engine of the description generation program P2, MPU10a analyzes and extracts information about the target players (player names, play details corresponding to scoring above the threshold, records achieved, etc.) from the received match data. Using this extracted information and the templates included in template table 17, MPU10a automatically generates descriptions focusing on players who performed well in the match or achieved records. In this case as well, MPU10a also automatically generates descriptions related to the overall content other than the players highlighted, thereby automatically generating a match report article that includes descriptions related to the players highlighted by MPU10a.

[0098] The order of each entry that makes up the content of the automatically generated game report is in chronological order, just like the content of a baseball game. The MPU 10a generates the game report by combining each entry that was automatically created based on the received game data, in the order of the game's progress in the game data. When the MPU 10a generates a game report, it issues an identification ID that indicates the date and time of the game and the opposing teams, etc. The issued identification code is associated with the data of the generated game report and stored in the entry DB 18 of the storage unit 10g, so that it can be quickly read and provided in response to an external request. The issued identification code may include information indicating the opposing teams and information indicating the date and time of the game, etc., or the information indicating the opposing teams and the date and time of the game may also be stored in the entry DB 18 in association with the identification code, making it easier to search the generated game report data.

[0099] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the match report generation device 10 (MPU10a) to automatically generate a match report article according to the report generation program P2 described above (this shows an example of the processing content of the match report generation method according to the present invention, and this processing content is what the report generation program P2 causes the match report generation device 10 (MPU10a) to execute). Below, the processing content of the match report generation device 10 (MPU10a) by the report generation program P2 will be organized and explained according to this flowchart.

[0100] First, the match record generation device 10 (MPU 10a) determines whether or not it has received and acquired match data distributed from the external match data distribution system 2 upon the end of the match (S1). If match data has not been acquired (S1: NO), it enters a state of waiting for match data to be distributed. If match data has been received (S1: YES), the match record generation device 10 (MPU 10a) determines (detects) whether or not each of the opposing teams falls under any of the conditions 1 to 7 defined in the determination table 13, based on the match data acquired through reception (S2). For example, in the case of team XXX and team YYY as described above, it is simultaneously determined at this stage (S2) whether or not team XXX falls under any of the conditions 1 to 7 as one of the teams, and whether or not team YYY falls under any of the conditions 1 to 7 as one of the teams.

[0101] In this stage (S2), the match record generation device 10 (MPU10a) also calculates the points of each player based on the match data, detects whether any players exceed the threshold, and if any players exceed the threshold, determines that they meet condition 7. In addition, in this stage (S2), the match record generation device 10 (MPU10a) also detects whether any players have achieved any record, and if any players have achieved a record, it determines (identifies) that they meet condition 7. Furthermore, as mentioned above, in this determination process, it is possible that multiple conditions may be met.

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

[0103] Then, the match report generation device 10 (MPU 10a) performs a process to automatically generate a match report based on the acquired match data, using the template table 17, which includes content related to the pattern identified in stage S3 (S4). As described above, a pattern has been identified for each of the opposing teams, so at this stage (S4), at least two types of match reports are generated: one that includes content focusing on the winning team and another that includes content focusing on the losing team. Furthermore, at this stage (S4), if there is a player who exceeds a threshold or a player who achieves a record, and the team lost due to condition 2, a match report is also generated that includes content focusing on the performance or record achievement of such a player, in addition to the match report generated when based on pattern J corresponding to condition 7.

[0104] Finally, the match report generation device 10 (MPU10a) issues an identification code for each of the generated match report articles and stores the data related to the generated match report article in the record DB 18, associating it with the issued identification code (S5). By storing the match report articles (data related to the match report articles) in the record DB 18 in association with the identification codes in this way, the match report articles can be quickly provided in response to requests from external sources.

[0105] Furthermore, various scenarios can be envisioned regarding the specific method of providing the generated game commentary articles, depending on the service content and business policies. For example, if the game commentary generation device 10 provides a game commentary article containing descriptions focusing on a specific baseball team to a website related to that particular baseball team (for example, the website of Team XXX), then even if that baseball team loses the game, the game commentary article containing descriptions focusing on that baseball team will be posted on the website related to that baseball team. In this case, fans of that baseball team can enjoy engaging game commentary articles that show the performance of their favorite baseball team, even in losses, simply by accessing the website related to that baseball team using a communication terminal (see user terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, etc. shown in Figure 1), without having to perform any special operations.

[0106] Furthermore, if the game report generation device 10 provides a website dedicated to a particular player with a game report article that includes a description focusing on that player, then fans of that player can simply access the website related to that player's baseball team using a communication terminal (see user terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, etc. shown in Figure 1) and enjoy a compelling game report article that shows the performance of their favorite baseball team, even in losses, without having to perform any special operations.

[0107] Furthermore, for websites targeting a wide range of baseball fans, the game report generation device 10 provides all generated game report articles, and the website publishes multiple versions of game report articles for each game. This ensures that the website includes game report articles that cater to the diverse preferences of a wide range of baseball fans, thus meeting the needs of users who enjoy baseball from various perspectives. Next, we will show a specific example of a game report article automatically generated by the game report generation device 10 (MPU 10a) using the present invention, based on acquired game data (game data for a baseball game between team XXX, batting first, and team YYY, batting second).

[0108] Figure 8(a) shows the score 20 for each inning, illustrating example 1 of the results of a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Information corresponding to this score 20 is included in the game data. Figure 8(b) shows an example of a game report 30 that was automatically generated for this example of a game result with score 20. As shown in the score 20 in Figure 8(a), Team XXX won the game against Team YYY. Therefore, Team XXX falls under condition 1 (when one team wins the game) as defined in the judgment table 13, and the example game report 30 in Figure 8(b) was automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern A (content related to one team winning the game).

[0109] Specifically, in the example game report 30 shown in Figure 8(b), section 30a, which reads "Team XXX won decisively against Team YYY," mainly corresponds to the description in Pattern A. The underlines in the example game report 30 are added to make the main relevant sections according to the present invention easier to understand, and are not present in the original game report (the same applies to other example articles). In addition, in the example game report 30, sections 30b, which reads "Team XXX took an early lead in the first inning with a two-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first," section 30c, which reads "In the third inning, ○i hit a double to add another run, extending the lead to three," and section 30d, which reads "Team XXX added two more runs in the eighth inning, and in the ninth inning, Fuji○ safely shut down Team YYY's batting lineup to win 5-0," also correspond to descriptions related to Pattern A. As shown above, the example match report 30 in Figure 8(b) includes details about the points that Team XXX won in the match, making it a match report that would be popular with fans of Team XXX.

[0110] Figure 9(a) shows the score 21 for each inning (score 21 is information included in the game data) for example 2 of the result of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY. Figure 9(b) shows an example of a game commentary article 31 that was automatically generated for this example of a game result with score 21. As shown in the score 21 in Figure 9(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but there was a time during the game when Team XXX was leading. Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 3 (when one team loses the game, but there was a time during the game when one team's score was higher than the other team's score) as defined in the judgment table 13, and the example of a game commentary article 31 in Figure 9(b) was automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on pattern B (content indicating that one team lost the game, but one team was leading during the game).

[0111] Specifically, in the example game report 31 shown in Figure 9(b), section 31a, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with a two-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first, and added another run in the third inning with a double by ○i, extending their lead to three runs," and section 31b, which states, "In the ninth inning, Team XXX had a chance to tie the game with one out and a runner on second, but ○i grounded out and O○ struck out, failing to get the crucial hit. They suffered a heartbreaking come-from-behind loss," mainly correspond to descriptions of Pattern B. Thus, although Team XXX lost the game, the example game report 31 in Figure 9(b) includes descriptions that explain the good points of Team XXX during the game, such as the fact that they were leading during the game and how their offense performed when they gained that lead, making it a suitable game report for fans of Team XXX.

[0112] Figure 10(a) shows the score 22 for each inning (score 22 is information included in the game data) for example 3 of the result of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY. Figure 10(b) shows an example of a game commentary article 32 that was automatically generated for this example of a game result with score 22. As shown in the score 22 in Figure 10(a), Team XXX lost to Team YYY in this game, but at one point during the game, Team XXX was leading by a score of 5-0. Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 4 defined in judgment table 13 (where one team loses the match, but there was a period during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and the score difference during that period was greater than 4 points), and the example match report 32 in Figure 10(b) was automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern C (where one team lost the match, but at one point held a lead during the match that could not be easily caught up by).

[0113] Specifically, in the example game report 32 shown in Figure 10(b), section 32a, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with a two-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base, and in the third inning, O○ hit his second consecutive three-run home run, putting them ahead 5-0 early in the game," and section 32b, which states, "In the sixth inning, Team XXX's second pitcher, Fuji○, gave up a solo home run to △, allowing the opposing team to take the lead. Subsequent pitchers also gave up runs, resulting in a 5-10 loss. They were unable to capitalize on their early lead and suffered a frustrating defeat," mainly correspond to descriptions of Pattern C. Thus, the example game review article 32 in Figure 10(b) is suitable for fans of Team XXX because, although Team XXX lost the game, it includes descriptions of Team XXX's positive aspects during the game, such as how they built a large lead at one point during the game that the opposing team could not catch up even if they hit a grand slam, and how they performed when they had such a large lead.

[0114] Figure 11(a) shows the score 23 for each inning (score 23 is information included in the game data) for example 4 of the results of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY. Figure 11(b) shows an example of a game commentary article 33 that was automatically generated for this example of a game result with score 23. As shown in the score 23 in Figure 11(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but Team XXX was leading during the game, and that lead lasted for more than half of the entire game (all innings) (Team XXX was leading from the top of the 1st inning to the top of the 9th inning). Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 5 of the judgment table 13 (where one team loses the match, but there was a period during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and that period lasted for more than half of the matches), and the example match report 33 in Figure 11(b) was automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern D (where one team lost the match, but led the other team for most of the match).

[0115] Specifically, in the example game report article 33 shown in Figure 11(b), section 33a, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with a two-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base, and in the third inning, O○ hit his second consecutive two-run home run, putting them in a dominant 4-0 lead early in the game," and section 33b, which states, "In the ninth inning, with a shutout victory seemingly within reach, Iwa○ lost control, walked three batters to load the bases, and gave up a bases-clearing double to Saka○, narrowing the lead to one run before he was taken out of the game. However, Fuji○, who took over, was unable to stop the momentum of Team YYY's batting lineup, giving up a double to Hon○ and a timely hit to ○ki, turning the game around at the last minute, and despite leading for most of the game, they suffered a shocking come-from-behind loss," mainly correspond to descriptions of Pattern D. Thus, as shown in Figure 11(b), example 33 of the match report includes descriptions of Team XXX's strengths during the match, such as the fact that they led for most of the game despite losing, and how their offensive play contributed to that lead. Therefore, it is a suitable match report for fans of Team XXX.

[0116] Figure 12(a) shows the score 24 (score 24 is information included in the game data) for each inning, illustrating example 5 of the results of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY. Figure 12(b) shows an automatically generated example of a game commentary article 34 for this example of a game result with score 24. As shown in the score 24 in Figure 12(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but they managed to take the lead twice during the game (in the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 7th inning). Therefore, Team XXX falls under condition 6 (one team lost the game, but there were periods during the game when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and these periods occurred intermittently) as defined in the judgment table 13. The example of a game commentary article 34 in Figure 12(b) was automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern E (one team lost the game, but there were multiple instances of taking the lead or making comebacks during the game).

[0117] Specifically, in the example game report article 34 shown in Figure 12(b), section 34a, which states, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ gave up consecutive hits to Team YYY's lineup, allowing them to score two runs, but in the very next inning, O○ hit a three-run home run to take the lead," section 34b, which states, "Team XXX, desperate to catch up, managed to take the lead again in the seventh inning with consecutive hits from Ito○ and O○, making the score 6-5," and section 34c, which states, "However, in the ninth inning, Team XXX sent Fuji○ to the mound hoping to hold on for the win, but with two outs, he walked Saka○, and then ○moto hit a go-ahead two-run home run, resulting in a shocking walk-off loss. They were unable to hold onto their lead twice, resulting in a bitter defeat," mainly corresponds to descriptions of Pattern E. As shown above, the example match report 34 in Figure 12(b) includes a description of Team XXX's strengths during the match, such as the fact that they came back multiple times despite losing the game, and the nature of their offensive plays during those comebacks. Therefore, it is a suitable match report for fans of Team XXX. Note that this example is for a case with two comebacks, but a similar match report will be automatically generated if there are multiple lead wins.

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

[0119] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, meets conditions 4 (when one team loses the game, but has built a large lead that cannot be caught up even if the other team hits a grand slam (a single play that can score the maximum number of runs)) and 5 (when one team loses the game, but has been leading for more than half of the total number of innings in the game) as defined in Judgment Table 13. As a result, the example game report 35 in Figure 13(b) is automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on pattern F (regarding the fact that one team lost the game, but has been leading for most of the game by a large margin that cannot be easily caught up).

[0120] Specifically, in the example game report article 35 shown in Figure 13(b), section 35a, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with a two-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base, and in the third inning, O○ hit his second consecutive three-run home run, giving them a large lead of 5-0 early in the game," and section 35b, which states, "In the ninth inning, when a shutout victory seemed within reach, Iwa○ lost control, walked three batters to load the bases, and gave up a bases-clearing double to Saka○, narrowing the lead to two runs before he was taken out of the game. However, Fuji○, who took over, was unable to stop the momentum of Team YYY's batting lineup, giving up a double to Hon○ and a home run to ○ki, and the game was turned around at the last minute, resulting in a shocking come-from-behind loss despite having a dominant lead for most of the game," mainly correspond to descriptions of Pattern F. Thus, the example game review article 35 in Figure 13(b) is suitable for fans of Team XXX because, although Team XXX lost the game, it includes descriptions of Team XXX's strengths during the game, such as the large lead they had at one point during the game that even a grand slam by the opposing team wouldn't have been able to catch up to, the fact that they led for most of the game, and the offensive play that contributed to their lead.

[0121] Figure 14(a) shows the score for each inning 26, illustrating example 7 of the results of a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY, and Figure 14(b) shows an automatically generated example of a game commentary article 36 for this example score 26. As shown in the score 26 in Figure 14(a), Team XXX lost to Team YYY in this game, but Team XXX took the lead twice during the game (in the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 8th inning), and the maximum score difference when Team XXX was initially leading was 5 points (leading 7 to 2).

[0122] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under conditions 4 (when one team loses the game, but has built a large lead that cannot be caught up even if the other team hits a grand slam (a single play that can score the maximum number of runs)) and 6 (when one team loses the game, but has multiple instances of the lead being broken during the game) as defined in Judgment Table 13. As a result, the example game report 36 in Figure 14(b) was automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern G (when one team loses the game, but has built a large lead that cannot be easily caught up, and has had multiple comebacks or comebacks during the game).

[0123] Specifically, in the example game report article 36 shown in Figure 14(b), section 36a states, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ gave up consecutive hits to Team YYY's lineup, allowing them to score two runs, but in the very next inning, O○ hit a three-run home run to take the lead." Section 36b (corresponding to condition 4) states, "In the third inning, ○kawa hit a grand slam, giving Team XXX a large lead of 7-2 early in the game." Section 36c (corresponding to condition 6), which states, "With one out and a runner on second base, O○ hit his second home run of the day, turning the game around once again," and section 36d, which states, "But in the 9th inning, Team XXX sent Fuji○ to the mound hoping to hold on for the win, but with two outs, he walked Saka○, and then ○moto hit a go-ahead two-run home run, resulting in a shocking walk-off loss. They were unable to hold onto their lead twice, resulting in a bitter defeat," mainly correspond to descriptions in pattern G.

[0124] Thus, the example game review article 36 in Figure 14(b) includes descriptions of Team XXX's strengths during the game, such as how they made multiple comebacks during the game despite losing, how they built a large lead that the opposing team couldn't catch up even if they hit a grand slam, and how their offense performed during the comebacks and when they had a large lead. Therefore, it is a suitable game review article for fans of Team XXX.

[0125] Figure 15(a) shows the score for each inning, 27, of an example baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY, and Figure 15(b) shows an automatically generated game commentary, 37, for this example game result, 27. As shown in the score in Figure 15(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but they managed to take the lead twice during the game (in the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 8th inning), and the total number of innings in which they led exceeded the majority of the game (leading from the top of the 3rd to the top of the 7th inning and from the top of the 8th to the top of the 9th inning).

[0126] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, meets conditions 5 (when one team loses the game, but the number of times they were leading during the game exceeded half of the total number of innings) and 6 (when one team loses the game, but there were multiple instances where they were leading during the game) as defined in Judgment Table 13. As a result, the example match report 37 in Figure 15(b) was automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern H (where one team lost the game, but led for most of the game, and there were multiple instances of comebacks or taking the lead during the game).

[0127] Specifically, in the example game report article 37 shown in Figure 15(b), there is a section 37a (description related to conditions 5 and 6) which states, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ gave up consecutive hits to Team YYY's lineup, allowing them to score two runs, but in the very next inning, O○ hit a three-run home run, giving Team XXX the lead." There is also a section 37b (description related to conditions 5 and 6) which states, "However, in the seventh inning, after leading for a long time, the second pitcher Fuji○ and the third pitcher Naka○ gave up three runs in a flurry of hits, allowing Team XXX to take the lead." However, there is also a section 37b (description related to conditions 5 and 6) which states, "But Team XXX Section 37c (related to conditions 5 and 6), which states, "In the 8th inning, with one out and a runner on second base, O○ hit his second home run of the day, turning the game around once again," and section 37d (related to conditions 5 and 6), which states, "But in the 9th inning, Team XXX sent Fuji○ to the mound hoping to hold on for the win, but with two outs, he walked Saka○, and then ○moto hit a go-ahead two-run home run, resulting in a shocking walk-off loss. They were unable to hold onto their lead twice, leaving a bitter taste in everyone's mouth." are the sections that mainly correspond to Pattern H.

[0128] Thus, as shown in Figure 15(b), example 37 of the match report includes descriptions of Team XXX's strengths during the match, such as the fact that they came back multiple times during the game despite losing, that they led for most of the game, and the offensive situation when they came back or took the lead. Therefore, it is a suitable match report for fans of Team XXX.

[0129] Figure 16(a) shows the score for each inning 28, illustrating an example of a baseball game result 9 between Team XXX and Team YYY, and Figure 16(b) shows an automatically generated example of a game commentary article 38 for this example game result 28. As shown in the score 28 in Figure 16(a), Team XXX lost to Team YYY in this game, but Team XXX took the lead twice during the game (in the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 8th inning), and the maximum score difference when Team XXX was initially leading was 5 points (leading 7 to 2). In addition, the total number of innings in which Team XXX was leading exceeded the majority of the game (leading from the top of the 2nd to the top of the 7th inning and from the top of the 8th to the top of the 9th inning).

[0130] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under conditions 4 (one team loses the game, but has built a large lead that cannot be caught up even if the other team hits a grand slam (a single play that can score the maximum number of runs)), 5 (one team loses the game, but has been in the lead for more than half of the total number of innings in the game), and 6 (one team loses the game, but has been in the lead for multiple innings during the game). As a result, the example game report 38 in Figure 16(b) is automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on Pattern I (one team loses the game, but has been in the lead for most of the game, and has been overtaken or won multiple times during the game).

[0131] Specifically, in the example game report article 38 shown in Figure 16(b), there is a section 38a (description related to conditions 5 and 6) which states, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ gave up consecutive hits to Team YYY's lineup, allowing them to score two runs, but in the very next inning, O○ hit a three-run home run to take the lead." There is also a section 38b (description related to condition 4) which states, "In the fifth inning, Ito○ hit a grand slam home run, extending the lead to a one-sided 7-2." However, in the seventh inning, after leading for a long time, the second pitcher Fuji○ and the third pitcher Naka○ gave up six runs in a flurry of hits, allowing Team YYY to take the lead." Sections 38c (descriptions relating to conditions 5 and 6), section 38d (descriptions relating to conditions 5 and 6), which states, "However, in the 8th inning, with one out and a runner on second base, Team XXX's O○ hit his second home run of the day, turning the game around once again," and section 38e (descriptions relating to conditions 4, 5, and 6), which states, "But in the 9th inning, Team XXX sent Fuji○ to the mound hoping to hold on for the win, but with two outs, he walked Saka○, and then ○moto hit a game-winning two-run home run, resulting in a shocking walk-off loss. They were unable to hold onto their lead twice, leaving a bitter taste in everyone's mouth." are the descriptions that mainly correspond to Pattern I.

[0132] Thus, the example game review article 38 in Figure 16(b) is a suitable game review article for fans of Team XXX because, although Team XXX lost the game, it includes descriptions of Team XXX's strengths during the game, such as the multiple comebacks during the game, the large lead they built that the opposing team couldn't catch up even if they hit a grand slam, the fact that they led for most of the game, and the offensive performance when they came back or were leading.

[0133] Figure 17(a) shows the score for each inning 29, illustrating example 10 of the results of a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 17(b) shows an automatically generated example of a game commentary 39 for this example score 29. As shown in the score 29 in Figure 17(a), Team XXX lost to Team YYY in this game. Although Team XXX scored runs during the game, they were never in the lead, and all of Team XXX's runs were due to two home runs by player O.

[0134] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, meets conditions 2 (when one team loses the game and scores zero or has no lead during the game) and 7 (when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated using a certain formula exceed a threshold) as defined in Judgment Table 13. As a result, the example game report 39 in Figure 17(b) was automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on Pattern J (regarding the fact that one team lost the game, but there was a player who performed well on that team during the game).

[0135] Specifically, in the example game report 39 shown in Figure 17(b), section 39a (description related to condition 7), which states, "In a tough game, it was cleanup hitter O〇 who stood out. In his third at-bat in the 6th inning, he hit a solo home run to ignite the counterattack, and in the 8th inning, with a runner on first base due to a walk, he hit his second consecutive home run, contributing 3 RBIs that day," and section 39b (description related to condition 2), which states, "Although the team lost the game 3-8 due to a large number of runs conceded early on, they showed resilience that will be valuable for tomorrow," mainly correspond to descriptions of pattern J. Thus, the example game report 39 in Figure 17(b) shows that although Team XXX lost the game and there were no particularly noteworthy events for the team as a whole, there were players who performed well within Team XXX, so the article includes a description of those players' performances. Therefore, it is a suitable game report for fans who want to know about the performances of players within Team XXX even in a losing game.

[0136] Figure 18(a) shows the score for each inning 40, illustrating an example of a baseball game result 11 between Team XXX and Team YYY, and Figure 18(b) shows an automatically generated example of a game commentary article 41 for this example of a game result 40. As shown in the score 40 of Figure 18(a), in this game, Team XXX was shut out by Team YYY, and there were no particular strengths or outstanding players that could be pointed out from Team XXX's performance.

[0137] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, only meets condition 2 of the criteria defined in Judgment Table 13 (when one team loses the match and scores zero or does not have a lead during the match), and the example match report 41 in Figure 18(b) is automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern K (content related to one team losing the match and praising the opposing team).

[0138] Specifically, in the example game report 41 shown in Figure 18(b), the section 41a (description related to condition 2) which states, "The batting lineup struck out many batters against Team YYY's starting pitcher ○no, who continued to deliver an impressive performance, and was shut out with only three scattered hits without even reaching second base," and the section 41b (description related to condition 2) which states, "Team XXX suffered a crushing 0-10 victory against Team YYY, whose pitching and batting were in perfect harmony," mainly correspond to descriptions of pattern K. Thus, the example game report 41 in Figure 18(b) describes Team XXX as having suffered a crushing defeat in the game, with no noteworthy events in the game, and no players from Team XXX having performed well, so it reluctantly includes descriptions praising the opposing team, making it a game report suitable for fans who appreciate the spirit of fair play, etc.

[0139] As described above, in this invention, even if a team loses a match, if the losing team was leading during the match, or if the lead was so large that it could not be caught up even with the maximum score in a single play, or if the lead lasted for most of the match, or if there were multiple instances of comebacks or winning the match, then a match report including details of these factors will be automatically generated, providing a report that fans of the losing team can also enjoy.

[0140] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described content, and various modifications can be envisioned. First, the matches to be generated as described are not limited to baseball matches, but any match in which one party competes in a scoring format can be described based on match data that shows the content of that match. Specifically, matches of various sports such as soccer, rugby, basketball, American football, volleyball, softball, ice hockey, tennis, table tennis, badminton, handball, beach volleyball, curling, futsal, hockey, polo, lacrosse, indiaca, cricket, water polo, etc. can also be the subject of the present invention. These matches include matches between teams (soccer, basketball, etc.), matches between multiple people (doubles matches in tennis, table tennis, badminton, etc.), and matches between individuals (singles matches in tennis, table tennis, badminton, etc.).

[0141] Furthermore, when the various sports mentioned above are included as targets for description generation in the present invention, the numerical value of the score difference (a score difference greater than the maximum score obtainable in a single play) in condition 4 (when one team loses the game, but one team had a lead of more than 4 points during the game) in the judgment table 13 shown in Figure 3 may differ from that of baseball (however, softball is the same as baseball).

[0142] For example, in rugby, the maximum points that can be scored in a single play is 5 points for a try, so the point difference for condition 4 in rugby must be greater than 5 points. In basketball, the maximum points that can be scored in a single play is 3 points for a goal from outside the 3-point line, so the point difference for condition 4 in basketball must be greater than 3 points. In American football, the maximum points that can be scored in a single play is 6 points for a touchdown, so the point difference for condition 4 in American football must be greater than 6 points.

[0143] Furthermore, when considering the various sports mentioned above as targets for generating the descriptions of this invention, the meaning of "number" in condition 5 (when one team loses the game, but the number of times they were leading during the game exceeded half of the total number of innings) in the judgment table 13 shown in Figure 3 differs from that of baseball (however, softball is the same as baseball). Since the purpose of this condition 5 is to determine whether or not a team was leading for most of the game, for sports that do not use the concept of innings, the judgment will be made appropriately based on the purpose of condition 5.

[0144] For example, in sports where the duration of a match is determined by time, condition 5 would be judged by whether the period of time a team was leading during the match exceeded half of the total match time (total duration). Also, in sports where the number of rounds is not used but a similar term is used (for example, a tennis set or a curling end), the same judgment as for rounds would be made to determine whether condition 5 is met.

[0145] Furthermore, when considering the various sports mentioned above as targets for generating descriptions of the present invention, the meaning of the phrase "when there were multiple instances where the lead was interrupted" in condition 6 (when one team lost the game, but there were multiple instances where the lead was interrupted during the game) in the judgment table 13 shown in Figure 3 (especially the meaning related to "innings") differs from that of baseball, similar to condition 5 mentioned above (however, softball is the same as baseball). Since the purpose of this condition 6 is to determine whether or not a team lost the game but had come back or taken the lead multiple times, for sports that do not use the concept of innings, the judgment will be made appropriately based on the purpose of condition 6.

[0146] For example, in sports where the duration of a match is determined by time, condition 6 will be judged based on whether there were multiple periods during the match when one team was leading (when one team's score was higher than the other's), with no breaks in time. Also, in sports that do not use the term "innings" but use terms with a similar meaning (for example, sets in tennis or ends in curling), the determination of whether condition 6 is met will be made in the same way as for innings in baseball.

[0147] Furthermore, among the conditions 1 to 7 used in the judgment table 13 shown in Figure 3, conditions 2 to 6, which relate to the case where one team loses the match, may be omitted depending on the specifications of the service being provided, rather than all of them being used. In other words, conditions 4 to 6 all specify more detailed information about condition 3 (where one team loses the match but had a lead during the match), so when performing automatic generation of descriptions with simplified specifications, it is conceivable to omit one or all of these conditions 4 to 6.

[0148] Rather than omitting all of conditions 4 through 6, depending on the specifications of the service provided and the type of sports match to be automatically generated, it is conceivable that only condition 4 may be omitted, conditions 4 and 5 may be omitted, conditions 4 and 6 may be omitted, only condition 5 may be omitted, conditions 5 and 6 may be omitted, or only condition 6 may be omitted. Furthermore, if the focus is on teams and individual player performance is not considered important, condition 7 may also be omitted.

[0149] Furthermore, in the process described above, at stage S2 of the flowchart shown in Figure 7, the decision table 13 shown in Figure 3 was used to determine at the same stage (simultaneously) which of conditions 1 to 7 applied. However, it is also possible to make the determination of each condition step by step, in accordance with the provisions of the modified description generation program P2.

[0150] The flowcharts of the modified examples shown in Figures 19 and 20 illustrate an example of the processing procedure when each condition is judged step by step (showing an example of the processing content of the match description generation method according to the present invention). The processing of such modified examples is defined in the modified description generation program P2 and executed by the MPU 10a based on that definition.

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

[0152] When match data is received (S10:YES), the MPU10a identifies one of the opposing teams in the match related to the match data as one of the teams, and determines whether condition 1 applies to that team, that is, whether one of the teams won the match, based on the received match data (S11). In this modified example, as in the flowchart of Figure 7 described above, a baseball game is used as the subject, and the team that bats first in this baseball game is identified as one of the teams.

[0153] If one team does not win the match, that is, if one team loses the match (S11:NO), the MPU10a determines, based on the received match data, whether there was a period during the match when one team's score exceeded the other team's score, that is, whether one team had a lead during the match (S12). Note that the processing at this stage S12 determines whether or not it meets condition 3 in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 4).

[0154] If one team holds a lead during the match (S12: YES), the MPU10a determines, based on the received match data, whether the period during which the team held a lead exceeded half of the total match duration (S13). The processing in S13 determines whether the condition in the judgment table 13 (see Figure 4) is met.

[0155] If one team was in the lead for more than half of the entire match (from start to finish) (S13: YES), that is, if one team meets condition 5 (see Figure 4), MPU10a automatically generates a match report that includes a description of the fact that one team lost the match but led the other team for most of the match (S24). The description of the above content included in the match report generated in this way corresponds to pattern D in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 5). This automatic generation is also performed using the template table 17 based on the acquired match data (the same applies hereafter). Once the match report is automatically generated, the process proceeds to step S17 of the flowchart in Figure 20 (the latter half of the flowchart), where MPU10a issues an identification code for the generated match report and stores the data related to the generated match report in the record DB 18, associating it with the issued identification code.

[0156] Returning to step S13 of the flowchart in Figure 19, if the period during which one team was leading did not exceed half of the total duration of the match (S13: NO), the process proceeds to step S14 of the flowchart in Figure 20, where MPU10a determines whether there were multiple interruptions in the period during which one team was leading, that is, whether one team regained the lead or took the lead again during the match. Note that the processing in step S14 determines whether the condition in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 4) is met.

[0157] If there are multiple instances where one team has been in the lead (S14: YES), MPU10a automatically generates a match report (S25) that includes a description of the fact that one team lost the match but either regained the lead or took the lead again during the match. The description of the above content included in the match report generated in this way corresponds to pattern E in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 5). After the match report is automatically generated, the process proceeds to stage S17, as in the case of stage S24 described above, and the data related to the generated match report is stored in the description DB 18.

[0158] Furthermore, if, at the S14 stage described above, there were no periods in which one team was leading (S14:NO), then the MPU10a determines, based on the received match data, whether or not one team was leading by a margin of more than 4 points (a margin of 5 points or more) during the match (S15). Note that the processing at this S15 stage determines whether or not the condition in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 4) is met.

[0159] If one team was leading by more than 4 points (S15: YES), MPU10a automatically generates a match report (S26) that includes a description of how, although one team lost the match, it had been leading the other team by a point margin that could not be easily caught up to (a one-sided point margin that could not be reversed in a single play). The description of the above content included in the match report generated in this way corresponds to pattern C in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 5). After the match report is automatically generated, the process proceeds to stage S17, as in the cases of stages S24 and S25 described above, and the data related to the generated match report is stored in the record DB 18.

[0160] Furthermore, if, at the S15 stage described above, one team is not leading by more than 4 points (S15:NO), then the S15:NO stage is reached via the S11:NO (when one team loses), S12:YES (when one team had a lead during the match), S13:NO (when one team was in the lead for less than half of the entire match), and S14:NO (when one team was in the lead for an extended period). Therefore, MPU10a determines that the S11:NO and S12:YES conditions apply (one team lost the match but was in the lead during the match), and automatically generates a match report article that includes descriptions corresponding to the determined situation (S16).

[0161] Furthermore, if the S15 stage is NO, considering the circumstances described above, it ultimately means that only condition 3 (see Figure 4) in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 is met. Also, the description of the above content included in the battle report generated in the S16 stage corresponds to pattern B (see Figure 5) in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3. When the battle report is automatically generated, the process proceeds to the S17 stage, similar to the S24, S25, etc. stages described above, and the data related to the generated battle report is stored in the description DB 18.

[0162] Furthermore, returning to stage S12 in Figure 19 mentioned above, if neither team had a lead during the game (S12: NO), the process proceeds to stage S21. MPU 10a calculates points for each player who participated in the game for one team based on the received game data, using the point table 16 in Figure 6, and determines whether there are any players (batters or pitchers) whose points exceed a threshold (for example, the threshold of 50 points for the losing team). Note that the processing in stage S21 determines whether or not the condition 7 (see Figure 4) in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 is met.

[0163] If any player's calculated points exceed a threshold (S21: YES), MPU10a automatically generates a match report (S22) that includes a description of the player's performance (the content of the play corresponding to the calculated points) (a description of the player who performed well on the losing team). The content of the match report generated in this way corresponds to pattern J (see Figure 5) in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3. After the match report is automatically generated, the process proceeds to stage S17, as in stages S24, 25, etc., described above, and the data related to the generated match report is stored in the record DB 18.

[0164] Furthermore, if, at stage S21, no player's calculated points exceeded the threshold (S21:NO), MPU10a determines that, since the stage "S21:NO" was reached after "S11:NO (when one team loses)" and "S12:NO (when neither team had a lead during the match)," one team lost the match without showing any redeeming qualities, and no players on that team performed well during the match (determining that only condition 2 in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 4) is met). MPU10a then automatically generates a match report that includes content praising the winning team (opposing team) (S23). The content of the match report generated in this way corresponds to pattern K in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 5). After the battle report is automatically generated, the process proceeds to stage S17, similar to stages S24 and S25 mentioned above, where the data related to the generated battle report is stored in DB18.

[0165] Finally, returning to step S11 of the flowchart in Figure 19, if one team wins (S11: YES), condition 1 is met, and as before, MPU10a automatically generates a battle report that includes a description of the victory of one team (S20). After the battle report is automatically generated, the process proceeds to step S17, as in the cases of steps S24, 25, etc. described above, and the data related to the generated battle report is stored in the DB18.

[0166] The modified examples described in the flowcharts shown in Figures 19 and 20 are merely examples, and any of the paragraphs related to the decision-making process, such as S12, 13, 14, 15, and 21, can be omitted as appropriate, depending on the specifications of the service being provided, similar to the case using the decision table 13 described above. Note that the modified flowcharts shown in Figures 19 and 20 differ from the flowchart shown in Figure 7 in that they do not generate battle commentary articles corresponding to patterns F to I in the decision table 13 in Figure 3 (because the modified flowcharts shown in Figures 19 and 20 do not make decisions that satisfy three or more conditions).

[0167] Furthermore, in sports matches where one team competes against another in a scoring format, if the match is a tournament or knockout competition, the match data distributed from the match data distribution system 2 shown in Figure 1 also includes information indicating whether the match is a tournament or knockout competition. Therefore, the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a) can also determine whether the match is a tournament or knockout competition and perform the description generation process accordingly. In other words, if the match is a tournament or knockout competition, the outcome of the match is the most important factor, rather than the content of the match or the players who performed well. Therefore, condition 1 in the judgment table 13 in Figure 3 (see Figure 4) and the judgment at stage S11 in the flowchart in Figure 19 (determining whether one team lost the match) are given importance in the automatic description generation process.

[0168] Specifically, the match report generation device 10 (MPU 10a), based on the match data received, determines (detects) that the match is a tournament or knockout competition, and then determines whether one side won or lost based on the match data (processing according to condition 1 shown in Figure 4 or the stage S11 described above). If it determines that one side (for example, one team) won the match, the MPU 10a automatically generates a match report based on the match data, which includes at the beginning a statement that one side won the match (one side defeated the other side). If it determines that one side lost the match, the MPU 10a automatically generates a match report based on the match data, which includes at the beginning a statement that the other side won the match (the other side defeated one side). This method of generation makes it possible to provide a match report that is easy to understand, especially regarding "who won," which is important in tournament and knockout competitions.

[0169] Furthermore, it is possible to include descriptions of players who have achieved records in the game report. For example, by adding a rule to the point table 16 (see Figure 6) corresponding to condition 7 shown in Figure 4 (when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated from the rules exceed the threshold), which also associates the points of players (batters or pitchers) who have achieved records with those exceeding the threshold, it is possible to automatically generate game report articles that include descriptions of players who have achieved records.

[0170] The records that can be achieved include those achieved in a single game (e.g., a cycle, a no-hitter, a perfect game) and those achieved in conjunction with past performance (e.g., 20 consecutive plate appearances reaching base, 1000 hits, achieving 100 wins). All of these records can be identified from the game data that is streamed.

[0171] Records achieved in a single game can be identified from the game data provided, based on the play details of each batter or pitcher. By using the points table 16, which includes the points for achieving the record mentioned above, the above condition 7 (or stage S21 in the flowchart) is satisfied. For example, based on pattern J (a situation where one team lost the game, but a player (batter or pitcher) on that team performed well during the game), the MPU 10a automatically generates a game report that includes a description of the record achievement (a description indicating the player who achieved the record and the record achieved).

[0172] Similarly, for records achieved in conjunction with past performance, information indicating that such records are about to be achieved is included in the distributed game data. By combining the team and player (batter or pitcher)'s performance in relation to the imminent achievement of such records with the aforementioned information on the imminent achievement of records, MPU10a determines whether the record has been achieved. If it determines that the record has been achieved, condition 7 is met. If the team to which the player who met condition 7 belongs loses, MPU10a will automatically generate a game report article based on pattern J, which will include a description of past record achievements (the player who achieved the record and a description indicating the achieved record).

[0173] Furthermore, it is certainly possible to include descriptions of the aforementioned records (records achieved in a single match, or records achieved in conjunction with past performance) in the match report regardless of the outcome, separate from condition 7. In particular, records related to the team (for example, achieving 1000 wins as a team) may be included in the match report regardless of the outcome. It is also possible to implement a system that automatically generates a match report containing a description of any record achieved, regardless of points or thresholds, simply based on the record achievement itself, without using point table 16.

[0174] Furthermore, the descriptions automatically generated by the present invention can be included not only in match reports but also in match summaries, headlines, short articles, etc. When included in a summary, the MPU10a will automatically generate a match summary that includes the descriptions according to the present invention. Since the overall amount of text in a summary is less than that in a match report, the descriptions according to the present invention will also be shorter and more concise than when included in a match report. A template will be extracted from the template table 17 (see Figure 2) and automatically generated.

[0175] Furthermore, if the headline of the match includes a description automatically generated by the present invention, the headline itself will have less text than the summary described above, and will use headline-specific expressions such as nominalization. Therefore, the description of the present invention will also be shorter than when included in the summary described above, and a template with a strong title will be extracted from template table 17 (see Figure 2) and automatically generated.

[0176] Furthermore, if the short article of the match includes a description automatically generated by the present invention, the description according to the present invention will be automatically generated according to the length of the short article. If the length of the short article falls within the range between a match report and a summary, the description according to the present invention will be automatically generated using a suitable template, with a length that falls within that range (shorter than a match report but longer than a summary). Also, if the length of the short article falls within the range between a summary and a headline, the description according to the present invention will be automatically generated using a suitable template, with a length that falls within that range (shorter than a summary but longer than a headline). It should be noted that the various modifications of Example 1 described above can be used in combination as appropriate. [Examples]

[0177] A match description generation system including a match description generation device according to the second embodiment (Example 2) of the present invention automatically generates a match description as a progress article relating to the match at a point in the middle of the match. In the first embodiment (Example 1) described above, a match report article conveying the result and content of the match was automatically generated based on match data transmitted from the match data distribution system after the match had finished. In Example 2, however, the match description generation device receives and acquires match data, including information about the match in progress, transmitted from the match data distribution system at a point in the middle of the match. Based on the acquired match data, the match description generation device automatically generates a description explaining the situation up to that point in the match (a description relating to the match in progress).

[0178] In Example 2, the target game, in which one party competes against the other in a scoring format, is, for example, a baseball game. Based on the game data corresponding to a natural break point in the baseball game (for example, the end of the bottom of the 3rd inning, which marks 1 / 3 of the game; the end of the top of the 4th inning, which marks 1 / 2 of the game; the end of the bottom of the 7th inning, which marks 2 / 3 of the game, etc., points in the game that can be expressed as fractions), the game record generation device automatically generates progress articles up to that point. The generation time (generation period) for progress articles at natural break points in the game is predetermined and set by the game record generation device, but this generation time for progress articles may be changed as appropriate according to user requests or specifications.

[0179] There are mainly two ways in which a match data distribution system can transmit match data. The first method is in which the match data distribution system transmits match data, including updated (difference) information, sequentially at intervals. The second method is in which the match data distribution system transmits match data, including information from the start of the match up to a point in the middle of the match, as it progresses. Which of these two methods is used will depend on the specifications of the match data distribution system, but the present invention can accommodate either method.

[0180] An example of the first method described above is that when the first inning of a baseball game is completed, the game data distribution system transmits the game data for the first inning at the end of the first inning, and similarly thereafter, the game data for the second inning is transmitted at the end of the second inning, and so on, transmitting updated (differential) game data as it is received. Since each game data transmitted in this first method does not contain duplicate content, the game record generation device, which is the recipient of the game data, will sequentially store and accumulate the received game data, and based on the accumulated game data, will generate progress reports at predetermined points in the game (such as the end of the bottom of the third inning as described above).

[0181] Furthermore, various patterns are possible for the interval between sending match data using the first method. In addition to sending data every inning as described above, it is also possible to send data at longer intervals than one inning, such as every two innings or every three innings, or conversely, at shorter intervals than one inning, such as every out, every batter, or every pitch.

[0182] The second method described above involves transmitting game data, including the content from the start of the game up to a certain point in the game, at multiple points during the game. For example, when transmitting game data every inning, the game data for the first inning of a baseball game is transmitted at the end of the first inning, the game data transmitted at the end of the second inning includes the content from the start of the game up to the end of the second inning, the game data transmitted at the end of the third inning includes the content from the start of the game up to the end of the third inning, and so on, until the game data transmitted at the end of the fourth through ninth innings includes the content from the start of the game up to the end of the fourth through ninth innings (the same applies in the case of extra innings). In this second method, upon receiving the game data, the game record generation device can automatically generate progress reports of the game as of the time of receipt, based on the game data acquired through that reception.

[0183] In Embodiment 2 of the present invention, a progress report can be generated based on either of the two methods of sending match data described above. In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a match report can also be generated based on multiple accumulated match data by accumulating and storing match data using the first method described above. Furthermore, if match data is sent using the second method, a match report will be generated based on the match data transmitted upon the end of the match.

[0184] The hardware configuration and processing details in Embodiment 2 of the present invention are basically the same as those in Embodiment 1 described above. Therefore, the same reference numerals will be used in the following description of Embodiment 2 for components that are the same as those in Embodiment 1. Examples of differences in Embodiment 2 compared to Embodiment 1 include the contents of conditions 1 to 7 and patterns A to K in the judgment table 13 (see Figure 3). These contents are suitable for generating entries during the match. However, the grid configuration of the judgment table 13 itself (the grid (matrix) configuration shown in Figure 3) is the same in Embodiment 2.

[0185] Figure 21 shows a list of conditions 54, which details the specific contents of conditions 1 to 7 of Example 2, located in the leftmost vertical column 13a of the judgment table 13. Condition 1 of Example 2 specifies the content "when one team is leading the other team at some point during the game." In Example 2 as well, the judgment table 13 determines one of the two competing teams in a baseball game as one team (for example, the team that bats first is provisionally designated as one team), and the other team is designated as the other team, and then defines the content of each condition with that one team as the central focus.

[0186] Condition 2 stipulates that "at a point during the match, one team's score falls below the other team's score, and up to that point, one team's score was zero or one team did not have a lead." Similarly, Condition 3 stipulates that "at a point during the match, one team's score falls below the other team's score, but up to that point, one team's score had been higher than the other team's at some point," Condition 4 stipulates that "at a point during the match, one team's score falls below the other team's score, but up to that point, one team's score had been higher than the other team's at some point, and the score difference during that period was greater than 4 points," and Condition 5 stipulates that "at a point during the match, one team's score falls below the other team's score, Condition 6 stipulates "if there has been a period up to that point in time in which one team's score has exceeded that of the other team, and that period has exceeded half of the number of games played up to that point," Condition 7 stipulates "if, at some point during the game, one team's score falls below that of the other team, but there has been a period up to that point in time in which one team's score has exceeded that of the other team, and that period has been interrupted and occurred multiple times," and Condition 7 stipulates "if, at some point during the game, there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated based on the point table exceed the threshold."

[0187] Condition 1 in Example 2, "When one team is leading the other team at a certain point in the match," means "When one team's score is higher than the other team's score," and the article reporting the progress of the match up to that point also uses a condition that corresponds to a situation where one team is winning against the other team.

[0188] Condition 2 of Example 2, "If, at some point during the match, one team's score falls below the other team's score, and up to that point one team had zero points or no lead," means "If, at some point during the match, one team is losing to the other team, and up to that point one team had no points or no lead." This condition corresponds to a situation where one team is losing during the match and, up to that point, that losing team hasn't done anything particularly noteworthy (hasn't shown any strengths).

[0189] Condition 3 of Example 2, "At a point during the match, one team's score falls below the other team's score, but there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's," means "At a point during the match, one team is losing to the other team, but there was a period up to that point when one team was leading the other team." This corresponds to the fact that, for the team that is trailing at a point during the match, there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's score (a period when they were leading).

[0190] Condition 4 of Example 2, "At a point during the game, one team's score falls below the other team's score, but there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and the score difference during that period was greater than 4 points," means "At a point during the game, one team is losing to the other team, but there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and the score difference during that period was greater than 4 points." This corresponds to the situation where, for the team that is trailing at a point during the game, one of the highlights of the game up to that point was that the team had a period when they were leading by a score difference greater than the maximum score that can be scored in a single play in baseball (4 points from a grand slam home run).

[0191] Condition 5 of Example 2, "At a point during the game, one team's score falls below the other team's score, but up to that point, one team's score had been higher than the other team's score at a certain point, and that period of time exceeded half of the number of games played up to that point," means "At a point during the game, one team is losing to the other team, but up to that point, one team's score had been higher than the other team's score at a certain point, and the period (number of times) of that lead exceeded half of the game's duration (the period up to the point during the game)." This corresponds to the fact that, for the team that is trailing at a point during the game, the highlight of the game up to that point was that one team had been leading for the majority of the period up to that point.

[0192] Condition 6 of Example 2, "At a point during the match, one team's score falls below the other team's score, but there have been periods up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's, and these periods were interrupted and occurred multiple times," means "At a point during the match, one team is losing to the other team, but there have been periods up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's, and these periods were not continuous and were interrupted and occurred multiple times." For the team that is trailing at a point during the match, the highlights of the match up to that point include the team repeatedly coming from behind (multiple comebacks from a losing position) or the team repeatedly taking the lead (at least once after being tied or overtaken from a winning position).

[0193] Condition 7, "If, up to a certain point in the game, there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated based on the point table exceed a threshold," is a condition for highlighting and introducing the performance of any player (batter or pitcher) who has performed above a certain level up to a certain point in the game. The determination of whether a player has performed above a certain level is the same as in Example 1 (First Embodiment).

[0194] Figure 22 shows a list of pattern contents 55 that describes the specific contents of patterns A to K of Example 2, which are located in the bottom row 13b of the judgment table 13. Each of patterns A to K in Example 2, like in Example 1, defines guidelines for the content to be included in the generated progress articles. However, since Example 2 automatically generates progress articles during a match, the contents of each of patterns A to K in Example 2 are tailored to the automatic generation of progress articles during a match. Specifically, pattern A in Example 2 defines the guideline "content related to one team leading the match," and this pattern A is a guideline to include content related to one team winning against the other team at a certain point in the match.

[0195] Pattern B in Example 2 specifies the guideline "Content relating to a situation where one team is losing midway through the game, but had been leading the other team up to that point." This Pattern B is a guideline for including in the progress report a description of the positive aspects of the trailing team up to that point, specifically mentioning the fact that they had been leading the game up to that point. It takes the perspective of the team that is trailing and specifically lists noteworthy points of the trailing team from the stage before that point.

[0196] Pattern C in Example 2 provides a more detailed description of a situation where one team was leading up to a certain point in the game, compared to Pattern B in Example 2. It sets forth the guideline that "one team is losing at a certain point in the game, but there was a period when they were leading by a margin that could not be easily caught up to." This Pattern C in Example 2 also provides guidance for including in the progress report a description of the good points up to that point for the losing team, such as the fact that even if the other team hit a grand slam (the maximum number of runs that can be scored in a single play in baseball), the losing team was leading the other team by a margin (more than 4 points) that the opposing team could not easily overtake. It focuses on the losing side in the game and explains the situation of the losing side when they were leading, based on the length of that lead.

[0197] Pattern D in Example 2 also defines the lead situation in more detail than Pattern B in Example 2, and sets forth the guideline that "one team is losing at a point in the game, but has been leading the other team for most of the time up to that point." Pattern D in Example 2 also provides guidance to include in the progress report that, although one team is currently losing the game (to the other team), as a positive development for that losing team up to that point, one team has been leading for more than half of the number of innings from the start of the game to the point in the game (for example, if the point in the game is the end of the 7th inning, this would mean that the team has been leading for more than 3 innings). It focuses on the losing side in the game and specifically explains the length of time that losing side had been leading during the game.

[0198] Pattern E in Example 2 also defines the lead situation in more detail than Pattern B in Example 2 above, and sets forth the guideline "Content relating to the fact that one team is losing at a point in the middle of the game, but has come back to win or regained the lead during the game." This Pattern E in Example 2 also serves as a guideline to include in the progress report content that, although one team is currently losing the game (against the other team), the losing team has done well up to that point, such as having come back from being behind multiple times up to a point in the middle of the game, or having been tied or overtaken from a lead but regaining the lead at least once up to a point in the middle of the game. It focuses on the losing side in the middle of the game and specifically describes the situation in which the losing side is fighting hard in a seesaw game.

[0199] Pattern F in Example 2 specifies a situation that combines Patterns C and D of Example 2 described above, and defines the guideline as "one team is losing at some point in the game, but up to that point one team had a lead that could not be easily caught up by a large margin, and that lead lasted for most of the time up to that point in the game."

[0200] Furthermore, Pattern G in Example 2 specifies a situation that combines Patterns C and E of Example 2 described above, and defines the following guideline: "One team is losing at some point during the match, but up to that point, one team had a lead in the match by a score difference that could not be easily caught up, and up to that point, one team had come back or taken the lead multiple times."

[0201] Furthermore, Pattern H in Example 2 specifies a situation that combines Patterns D and E of Example 2 described above, and defines the following guideline: "One team is losing at some point during the match, but for most of the period from the start of the match to the point in the match, one team has been in the lead, and up to that point, one team has come back or taken the lead multiple times."

[0202] Furthermore, Pattern I of Example 2 specifies a situation that combines the three patterns described above: Pattern C, Pattern D, and Pattern E of Example 2. It defines the following guidelines: "One team is losing at some point during the match, but up to that point, one team has been leading by a score difference that cannot be easily caught up to, and that lead has lasted for most of the period from the start of the match until midway through, and up to that point, one team has come back or taken the lead multiple times."

[0203] Furthermore, Pattern J in Example 2 specifies the guideline "Content related to the fact that, although one team is losing at some point during the game, there was a player (batter or pitcher) who performed well up to that point." This Pattern J in Example 2 is a guideline for including in the progress report when, although one team is trailing during the game, there was a player (batter or pitcher) who performed above a certain level as a positive aspect of that team up to that point. It takes the perspective of the losing team and focuses on the batter or pitcher who performed well as a noteworthy point for the losing team.

[0204] Finally, Pattern K in Example 2 sets forth the guideline that "one team is losing at some point during the match, and the content relates to praising the opposing team (the other team)." This Pattern K in Example 2 is a guideline for including in the progress report that the opposing team (the other team) did well, as it is difficult to mention the losing team from the perspective of the losing team when one team is trailing up to a certain point in the match and there has been nothing particularly noteworthy about that team up to that point, or when no players on that team have performed well.

[0205] The description generation program P2 in Example 2 basically performs the same processing as in Example 1, but the timing of the processing is predetermined by the administrator of the game description generation device 10, allowing for the generation of progress articles during the game (for example, at the end of the 3rd inning, the end of the 5th inning, the end of the 7th inning, etc.). The processing related to setting these progress article generation timings is also possible through the programming of the description generation program P2, and the timings, once set, can be changed as needed by the administrator.

[0206] Figure 23 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the match description generation method by the match description generation device 10 (MPU10a) based on the description generation program P2 of Example 2 (this shows an example of the processing content of the match description generation method according to the present invention, and this processing content is what the description generation program P2 causes the match description generation device 10 (MPU10a) to execute). In this flowchart of Figure 23, the content of each process corresponds to the description generation at a point in the middle of the match, and the flow of processing is basically the same as the flowchart shown in Figure 7, but it differs from the flowchart shown in Figure 7 of Example 1 in that the processing at the S31 stage is intervened.

[0207] Specifically, at stage S30, it is determined whether or not the match data distributed from the external match data distribution system 2 has been received and acquired (corresponding to stage S1 in the flowchart of Figure 7). If match data is not received (S30: NO), the match description generation device 10 enters a state of waiting to receive (acquire) match data. If match data is received (S30: YES), the description generation program P2 of Example 2 specifies that the MPU 10a will determine whether or not the most recent content of the match data acquired through that reception corresponds to a predetermined point in time for generating progress articles (for example, the end of the bottom of the 3rd inning, the end of the top of the 5th inning, or the end of the bottom of the 7th inning, etc., such as a convenient point in time such as the end of the top of an inning or the end of the bottom of an inning) (whether or not it includes information about the time of article generation) (S31).

[0208] If the match data received does not correspond to a pre-set convenient point in the match (the point at which the progress report is generated) as the most recent content (S31: NO), the process will return to the initial S30 stage. If the method of transmitting the match data is the first method described above (a method in which the updated match data is transmitted sequentially), even if the S31 stage is NO, the match record generation device 10 (MPU 10a) will store and accumulate the acquired match data in the memory unit 10g or RAM 10c, etc. If the method of transmitting the match data is the second method described above (a method in which match data including the most recent content from the start of the match is transmitted), there is no need to store the acquired match data when the S31 stage is NO, but it may be stored as a backup.

[0209] On the other hand, if the acquired match data corresponds to a pre-set convenient point in the middle of the match (the point at which the progress report is generated) as the most recent content (S31: YES), then the match record generation device 10 (MPU 10a) will perform the processing from S32 to S35 as shown in the flowchart in Figure 23. When performing the processing from S32 to S35, if the match data is transmitted using the first method described above, the processing from S32 to S35 will be performed based on multiple match data sets that combine the most recently acquired match data and the stored match data. On the other hand, if the match data is transmitted using the second method, the processing from S32 to S35 will be performed based on the most recently acquired match data.

[0210] The processing in stages S32 to S35 is basically the same as the processing in stages S2 to S5 shown in the flowchart of Figure 7, but the processing content is for generating entries according to the point in the middle of the match. That is, in stage S32, the match entry generation device 10 (MPU 10a) determines whether each of the opposing teams falls under any of the conditions 1 to 7 defined in the judgment table 13, based on the match data (match data in progress) received. In this stage S32, the conditions 1 to 7 defined in the judgment table are those shown in the list of conditions 54 in Figure 21 mentioned above.

[0211] To explain the specific details of the processing in stage S32 using a baseball game between Team XXX (batting first) and Team YYY (batting second), similar to the case in Example 1, the MPU 10a of the game record generation device 10 basically does the same as in Example 1, provisionally identifying Team XXX, the batting first and one of the opposing teams included in the game data, as one of the teams and applying it to the judgment table 13. It then determines whether Team XXX falls under any of the conditions 1 to 7 defined in the judgment table 13, and identifies Team YYY, the opposing team, as the other team.

[0212] Then, at this S32 stage, the match record generation device 10 (MPU10) determines the relative scores of team XXX and team YYY based on the match data. If team XXX's score is higher than team YYY's score, it determines that team XXX falls under condition 1 of Example 2. Also, if team XXX's score is lower than team YYY's score at any point in the match, it means that team XXX has lost to team YYY at that point. In this case, the match record generation device 10 (MPU10) analyzes the match data, compares the scores of both teams in each inning, and determines whether team XXX falls under any of conditions 2 to 7.

[0213] Furthermore, at this S32 stage, as in the case of Example 1, if it is determined that condition 3 is met, the MPU 10a will make a further determination as to whether it falls under any of conditions 4 to 6. Also at this S32 stage, as in the case of Example 1, the MPU 10a generates a match report article that includes descriptions focusing on team YYY, and in order to do so, it makes a condition determination when team YYY is one of the teams, and also calculates the points of each player up to that point and compares them with the threshold to make a determination as to whether condition 7 is met and whether records, etc. have been achieved.

[0214] Then, in S33, the match record generation device 10 (MPU10a) identifies a pattern of content (Patterns A to K of Example 2 shown in the pattern content list 55 in Figure 22) from the judgment table 13 according to the conditions determined in S32.

[0215] Then, the match record generation device 10 (MPU 10a) automatically generates progress articles containing descriptions corresponding to the patterns identified in S33, using the template table 17 (S34). It issues an identification code for each of the automatically generated progress articles and stores the data related to the generated progress articles in the record DB 18, associating it with the issued identification code (S35). As with the first example, multiple types of progress articles are generated and stored in this way, such as those when team XXX is identified as one of the teams, and those when team YYY is identified as one of the teams. Furthermore, it is preferable to include information indicating the point in the match the progress article is located at in the identification code issued for the generated progress article, or to store information indicating the point in the match the progress article is located at in association with the identification code in the record DB 18, in order to make it easier to search the data of the generated progress articles.

[0216] As described above, the progress articles generated in Example 2 can be provided through various services, similar to Example 1. However, since Example 2 generates progress articles at a point in the middle of the game, it is particularly suitable for services that provide live updates on the game's progress. Even when providing descriptions of the game's situation (progress articles), it is possible to convey content that mentions the positive aspects of the losing team up to that point, from the perspective of fans who are supporting the losing team. Below, we will show a specific example of a progress article automatically generated using the present invention according to Example 2 (an example of an article about a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY).

[0217] Figure 24(a) shows the score for each inning, 60, as an example of the score situation at the end of the 7th inning in a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 24(b) shows an automatically generated example of a progress report 70 for the score situation at the end of the 7th inning in the same game. As shown in the score 60 in Figure 24(a), at the end of the 7th inning, Team XXX is leading Team YYY 3-0. Team XXX meets condition 1 of Example 2 (see Figure 21, when one team is winning the game at some point) as defined in the judgment table 13. The example of the game report 70 in Figure 8(b) is automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern A of Example 2 (see Figure 22, content related to one team winning the game at some point).

[0218] Specifically, in the example progress report 70 shown in Figure 24(b), section 70a, which states, "Team XXX is leading Team YYY at the end of the 7th inning," mainly corresponds to the description in Pattern A of Example 2. Also, in the example progress report 70, sections 70b, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the 1st inning with a 2-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first," and section 70c, which states, "In the 3rd inning, ○i hit a double to add another run, extending the lead to 3 runs," also correspond to the descriptions in Pattern A of Example 2. Thus, the example game report 70 in Figure 24(b) includes content that mentions points about Team XXX being in the lead during the game, making it a suitable game progress report for fans of Team XXX.

[0219] Figure 25(a) shows the score for each inning, 61, illustrating the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in Example 2 of a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 25(b) shows an automatically generated progress report example 71 for the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in Example 2 of the same game. As shown in the score 61 in Figure 25(a), at the end of the 7th inning, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 3-4, but Team XXX had been leading up to the end of the 7th inning (Team XXX was leading the game until the top of the 3rd inning).

[0220] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 3 of Example 2 in the judgment table 13 (see Figure 21, where one team is losing at some point during the match, but there was a period up to that point when the other team was leading), and the progress report example 71 in Figure 25(b) was automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on pattern B of Example 2 (see Figure 22, where one team is trailing at some point during the match, but there is information indicating that the other team was leading up to that point).

[0221] Specifically, in the example game report 71 shown in Figure 25(b), section 71a, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the 1st inning with a 2-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base, and added another run in the 3rd inning with a double by ○i, extending their lead to 3 runs," and section 71b, which states, "In the 7th inning, Team XXX had a chance to tie the game with one out and a runner on second base, but ○i grounded out and O○ struck out, and they couldn't get the hit to tie the game," mainly correspond to Pattern B of Example 2. Thus, the example progress report 71 in Figure 25(b) describes Team XXX as being behind at a certain point in the game, but it includes descriptions of Team XXX's good points during the game, such as the fact that one team had a lead up to that point in the game and the offensive performance related to that lead, making it a suitable progress report for fans of Team XXX.

[0222] Figure 26(a) shows the score for each inning 62, illustrating the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in Example 3 of a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 26(b) shows an automatically generated progress report 72 for the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in Example 3 of the same game. As shown in the score 62 of Figure 26(a), in this game, Team XXX is trailing Team YYY 5-8 at the end of the 7th inning, but up until the end of the 7th inning, Team XXX had a lead of 5-0 at one point (until the end of the top of the 4th inning).

[0223] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 4 of Example 2 as defined in Judgment Table 13 (see Figure 21, where one team is losing at some point during the match, but up to that point, one team had a lead of more than 4 points), and the example match report 72 in Figure 26(b) was automatically generated to include a description of Team XXX based on pattern C of Example 2 (see Figure 22, where one team is trailing at some point during the match, but at one point had a lead that could not be easily caught up to).

[0224] Specifically, in the example progress report 72 shown in Figure 26(b), section 72a, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the 1st inning with a 2-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base, and in the 3rd inning, O○ hit his second consecutive 3-run home run, putting them ahead 5-0 early in the game," and section 72b, which states, "In the 6th inning, the second pitcher, Fuji○, gave up a solo home run to △, allowing the opposing team to take the lead. In the 7th inning, they gave up two more runs, falling behind 5-8, but we are hoping for a comeback from Team XXX in the later innings," mainly correspond to descriptions in Pattern C. Thus, the example match report 72 in Figure 26(b) describes Team XXX as being behind midway through the game, but up until that point, one team had built a large lead that even a grand slam home run from the opposing team wouldn't have been able to catch up with. The article also includes descriptions of how Team XXX had built such a large lead, and the expectation of a comeback by Team XXX in the later stages of the game. Therefore, it is a suitable match report for fans of Team XXX.

[0225] Figure 27(a) shows the score for each inning, example 4, of the score situation at the end of the 7th inning in a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY, and Figure 27(b) shows an automatically generated progress report example 73 for the score situation example 4 at the end of the 7th inning of the same game. As shown in the score 63 in Figure 27(a), in this game, Team XXX is trailing Team YYY 3-4 at the end of the 7th inning, but Team XXX had been leading Team YYY from the top of the 1st inning to the end of the top of the 6th inning, and the period (number of innings) during which they were leading has exceeded half of the total period up to the point in the game (7 innings of game progress).

[0226] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 5 of Example 2 in the judgment table 13 (see Figure 21, where one team is losing at some point during the game, but the number of times Team XXX has been leading during the game has exceeded half of the total number of times from the start of the game to the middle of the game), and the progress report example 73 in Figure 27(b) was automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on pattern D of Example 2 (see Figure 22, where one team is trailing at some point during the game, but has been leading for most of the time up to that point).

[0227] Specifically, in the progress report example 73 shown in Figure 27(b), section 73a, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the 1st inning with a 2-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base, and in the 3rd inning, O○ hit his second consecutive solo home run, putting them ahead 3-0 early in the game," and section 73b, which states, "However, in the 6th inning, Iwa○ lost control, walked three batters to load the bases, and gave up a bases-clearing double to Saka○, narrowing the lead to one run before he was taken out of the game. However, Fuji○, who took over, was unable to stop the momentum of Team YYY's batting lineup, giving up a double to Hon○ and a timely hit to ○ki, turning the game around, but a counterattack from Team XXX is awaited from here," mainly corresponds to the description in Pattern D of Example 2. Thus, the example progress report 73 in Figure 27(b) is suitable for fans of Team XXX because it includes descriptions of Team XXX's strengths during the match and hopes for future developments, such as the fact that Team XXX was leading for most of the match up to that point, how they had taken that lead, and expectations for a comeback by Team XXX in the final stages of the match.

[0228] Figure 28(a) shows the score for each inning, 64, illustrating the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in Example 5 of a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 28(b) shows an automatically generated progress report, 74, for the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in Example 5 of the same game. As shown in the score 64 of Figure 28(a), in this game, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 6-7 at the end of the 7th inning, but up to that point, Team XXX has come back to win twice (in the top of the 2nd and top of the 6th innings).

[0229] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 6 of Example 2 in the judgment table 13 (see Figure 21, where one team is losing at some point during the game, but has had multiple instances of taking the lead up to that point), and the progress report example 74 in Figure 28(b) is automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on pattern E of Example 2 (see Figure 22, where one team is trailing during the game, but has had multiple comebacks or come back to win up to that point).

[0230] Specifically, in the progress report example 74 shown in Figure 28(b), section 74a, which states, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ gave up consecutive hits to Team YYY's lineup, allowing them to score two runs, but in the very next inning, O○ hit a three-run home run to take the lead," section 34b, which states, "Team XXX, desperate to catch up, managed to take the lead again in the sixth inning with consecutive hits from Ito○ and O○ to make it 6-5," and section 74c, which states, "In the seventh inning, Fuji○, who had taken the mound early, walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed a go-ahead two-run home run to ○moto, giving Team YYY the lead once again, but we are hoping for another comeback from Team XXX in the eighth inning and beyond," mainly corresponds to the descriptions in Pattern E of Example 2. Thus, case study 74 in Figure 28(b) describes how Team XXX was trailing during the game, but managed to come back and win multiple times before that point. The case also includes details about those comebacks and a description of the desired future developments, making it a suitable case study for fans of Team XXX.

[0231] Figure 29(a) shows the score for each inning, 65, illustrating the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in Example 6 of a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 29(b) shows an automatically generated progress report, 75, for the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in Example 6 of the same game. As shown in the score 65 of Figure 29(a), in this game, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 5-6 at the end of the 7th inning. However, up to that point, Team XXX had been leading, and the period during which they were leading (number of innings from the top of the 1st to the top of the 7th inning) exceeded half of the total period up to that point in the game (all innings from the start of the game to the 7th inning). Furthermore, the maximum score difference during Team XXX's lead was 5 points (leading 5-0).

[0232] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under conditions 4 of Example 2 (see Figure 21, where one team is losing at some point during the game, but up to that point, that team had a lead of more than 4 points) and condition 5 of Example 2 (where one team is losing at some point during the game, but the number of times Team XXX has been leading during the game has exceeded half of the total number of times up to that point) as defined in Judgment Table 13. As a result, Example 75 of the progress report in Figure 29(b) has been automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on Pattern F of Example 2 (see Figure 22, where one team is trailing during the game, but has taken a lead during the game by a point margin that cannot be easily caught up, and that lead lasted for most of the period up to that point).

[0233] Specifically, in the progress report example 75 shown in Figure 29(b), section 75a, which states, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the 1st inning with a 2-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base, and in the 3rd inning, O○ hit his second consecutive 3-run home run, giving them a large lead of 5-0 early in the game," and section 75b, which states, "However, in the 7th inning, Iwa○ lost control, walked three batters to load the bases, and gave up a bases-clearing double to Saka○, narrowing the lead to two runs before he was taken out of the game. However, Fuji○, who took over, was unable to stop the momentum of Team YYY's batting lineup, giving up a double to Hon○ and a home run to ○ki, turning the game around, but we can still hope for a comeback from Team XXX in the later innings," mainly corresponds to the description in Pattern D of Example 2. Thus, the example progress report 75 in Figure 29(b) describes how Team XXX was trailing during the game, but up to that point, they had built a large lead that even a grand slam home run from the opposing team wouldn't have been able to catch up to. It also mentions that they had been leading for most of the game up to that point, and describes the offensive situation regarding the lead, including details that express the desired future development for Team XXX. Therefore, it is a progress report that is suitable for fans of Team XXX.

[0234] Figure 30(a) shows the score for each inning, 66, illustrating the score situation at the end of the 7th inning in a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 30(b) shows an automatically generated progress report, 76, for the score situation at the end of the 7th inning in the same game. As shown in the score 66 in Figure 30(a), at the end of the 7th inning, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 9-10. However, up to that point, Team XXX had taken the lead twice (in the top of the 2nd and 6th innings), and the maximum lead Team XXX had at the beginning was 5 runs (leading 7-2).

[0235] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 4 of Example 2 (see Figure 21, where one team is losing at some point during the game, but up to that point, one team had a lead of more than 4 points) and condition 6 of Example 2 (see Figure 21, where one team is losing at some point during the game, but up to that point, the lead was interrupted multiple times during the game). As a result, the progress report example 76 in Figure 30(b) is automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on Pattern G of Example 2 (see Figure 22, where one team is trailing at some point during the game, but up to that point, Team XXX had a lead of more than 4 points that could not be easily caught up to, and there were multiple instances of comebacks or taking the lead).

[0236] Specifically, in the example progress report 76 shown in Figure 30(b), section 76a states, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ gave up consecutive hits to Team YYY's lineup, allowing them to score two runs, but in the very next inning, O○ hit a three-run home run to take the lead." Section 76b (corresponding to condition 4) states, "In the third inning, ○kawa hit a grand slam, giving Team XXX a large lead of 7-2 early in the game." However, in the sixth inning, Section 76c (corresponding to condition 6), which states, "With one out and a runner on second base, O○ hit his second home run of the day, turning the game around once again," and section 76d, which states, "However, in the 7th inning, Team XXX's relief pitcher Fuji○ walked Saka○ with two outs, and then ○moto hit a go-ahead two-run home run, putting Team YYY back in the lead. Further comebacks for Team XXX are expected in the late stages of the 8th and 9th innings," mainly correspond to descriptions that fit pattern G.

[0237] Thus, the example match report 76 in Figure 30(b) describes Team XXX as being behind the opposing team (Team YYY) midway through the game, but includes descriptions of how Team XXX had come back to win multiple times up to that point, how Team XXX had built a large lead that the opposing team could not catch up even if they hit a grand slam, the nature of the offense during the comebacks and when they had a large lead, and expectations for future comebacks by Team XXX, making it a suitable match report for fans of Team XXX.

[0238] Figure 31(a) shows the score for each inning, 67, illustrating the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 31(b) shows an automatically generated progress report, 77, for the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in the same game. As shown in the score 67 in Figure 31(a), in this game, Team XXX is trailing Team YYY 6-8 at the end of the 7th inning, but Team XXX has taken the lead twice up to that point (in the top of the 2nd and 5th innings), and the total number of innings in which Team XXX was leading exceeded the majority of the innings up to that point (leading from the top of the 2nd to the top of the 4th inning, and from the top of the 5th to the top of the 7th inning).

[0239] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under condition 5 of Example 2 (see Figure 21, when one team is losing at some point in the game, but the number of times Team XXX has been leading during the game has exceeded half of the total number of innings up to that point) and condition 6 of Example 2 (see Figure 21, when one team is losing at some point in the game, but there have been multiple instances where the lead was interrupted up to that point) as defined in Judgment Table 13. As a result, Example 77 of the progress report in Figure 31(b) is automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on Pattern H of Example 2 (see Figure 22, when one team is trailing at some point in the game, but Team XXX has been leading for most of the time up to that point (from the top of the 2nd inning to the top of the 4th inning, and from the top of the 5th inning to the top of the 7th inning), and details regarding the fact that there were multiple comebacks or takeaways during the game (comebacks in the top of the 2nd and 5th innings)).

[0240] Specifically, in the example game report 77 shown in Figure 31(b), there is a section 77a (description related to conditions 5 and 6) which states, "In the 1st inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ gave up consecutive hits to Team YYY's lineup, allowing them to score two runs, but in the very next 2nd inning, O○ hit a three-run home run, giving Team XXX the lead." There is also a section 77b (description related to conditions 5 and 6) which states, "However, in the 4th inning, Iwa○ gave up three runs in a flurry of hits, allowing Team YYY to take the lead." However, in the very next 5th inning, Team XXX... Section 77c (description related to conditions 5 and 6), which states, "With one out and a runner on second base, O〇 hit his second home run of the day, turning the game around once again," and section 77d (description related to conditions 5 and 6), which states, "However, in the 7th inning, Team XXX's relief pitcher Fuji〇 walked Saka〇 with two outs, and then gave up a go-ahead two-run home run to ○moto, losing the lead again. We expect Team XXX to make another comeback towards the end of the game," mainly correspond to the descriptions in Pattern H of Example 2.

[0241] Thus, the example match report 77 in Figure 31(b) is a suitable match report for fans of Team XXX because it includes descriptions of Team XXX's performance, such as the fact that they were trailing the opposing team (Team YYY) at a certain point in the match, but that they had come back to win multiple times up to that point, that they had been leading for most of the match up to that point, the nature of their offense when they came back or took the lead, and expectations for future comebacks by Team XXX.

[0242] Figure 32(a) shows the score for each inning, 68, illustrating the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY, and Figure 32(b) shows an automatically generated progress report, 78, for the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in the same game. As shown in the score 68 in Figure 32(a), at the end of the 7th inning, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 9-10. However, up to that point, Team XXX had taken the lead twice (in the top of the 2nd and 6th innings), the maximum score difference when Team XXX was initially leading was 5 points (Team XXX led 7-2 from the top of the 4th to the top of the 5th inning), and the total number of innings in which Team XXX was leading exceeded the majority of the period from the start of the game to the end of the 7th inning (leading from the top of the 2nd to the top of the 5th inning, and from the top of the 6th to the top of the 7th inning).

[0243] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under conditions 4 of Example 2 (see Figure 21, when one team is losing at some point during the game, but up to that point, that team had a lead of more than 4 points), conditions 5 of Example 2 (see Figure 21, when one team is losing at some point during the game, but up to that point, Team XXX had a lead more than half of the total number of times up to that point), and conditions 6 (see Figure 21, when one team is losing at some point during the game, but up to that point, there were multiple instances where the lead was interrupted) of the Judgment Table 13. As a result, the progress report example 78 in Figure 32(b) is automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on Pattern I of Example 2 (see Figure 22, when one team is trailing at some point during the game, but up to that point, Team XXX had a lead of a score that could not be easily caught up by, and that lead lasted for most of the period from the start of the game up to that point, and there were multiple instances of comebacks or taking the lead).

[0244] Specifically, in the example progress report 78 shown in Figure 32(b), there is a section 78a (description related to conditions 5 and 6) which states, "In the 1st inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ gave up consecutive hits to Team YYY's lineup, allowing them to score two runs first, but in the very next inning, O○ hit a three-run home run to take the lead." and a section 78b (description related to condition 4) which states, "In the 4th inning, Ito○ hit a grand slam home run to extend the lead to a one-sided 7-2 score." However, in the 5th inning, Team XXX's second pitcher ○nami gave up six runs in a flurry of hits, allowing Team YYY to take the lead. Sections 78c (related to conditions 5 and 6), 78d (related to conditions 5 and 6), and 78e (related to conditions 4, 5, and 6), which state, "However, in the 6th inning, with one out and a runner on second base, O○ hit his second home run of the day, turning the game around again," and "But in the 7th inning, relief pitcher Fuji○ walked Saka○ with two outs, and then ○moto hit a go-ahead two-run home run, causing the team to lose the lead once more. We look forward to a comeback by Team XXX in the later innings," mainly correspond to descriptions in Pattern I.

[0245] Thus, the example of the progress report 78 in Figure 32(b) describes Team XXX as being behind the opposing team (Team YYY) midway through the game, but includes descriptions of how Team XXX had come back to win multiple times up to that point, how they had built a large lead that the opposing team could not catch up even if they hit a grand slam, how they led for most of the time from the start of the game until the bottom of the 7th inning, how their offense performed when they came back or took the lead, and expectations for future comebacks by Team XXX. Therefore, it is a suitable game report for fans of Team XXX.

[0246] Figure 33(a) shows the score for each inning, example 10 of the score situation at the end of the 7th inning in a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY, and Figure 33(b) shows an automatically generated progress report example 79 for the score situation at the end of the 7th inning of the same game. As shown in the score 69 in Figure 33(a), at the end of the 7th inning, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 3 to 8. Up to that point, Team XXX has scored runs but has never been in the lead, and all of Team XXX's runs were due to two home runs by player O.

[0247] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, falls under Condition 2 of Example 2 (see Figure 22; when one team is trailing and has scored zero or has no lead during the game) and Condition 7 of Example 2 (same as Condition 7 of Example 1; when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated from a certain formula exceed a threshold) as defined in Judgment Table 13. As a result, Example 79 of the progress report in Figure 33(b) was automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on Pattern J of Example 2 (one team is trailing at some point during the game, but up to that point, there was a player who performed well on that team).

[0248] Specifically, in the progress report example 79 shown in Figure 33(b), section 79a (description related to condition 7), which states, "In the midst of a tough game, cleanup hitter O〇 is showing great spirit. In his third at-bat in the 6th inning, he hit a solo home run to ignite a counterattack, and in the 7th inning, with a runner on first base due to a walk, he hit his second consecutive home run, contributing 3 RBIs that day," and section 79b (description related to condition 2), which states, "Although the team is trailing 3-8 due to a large number of runs conceded early in the game, we are hoping for a strong performance from the batting lineup of team XXX in the later innings, following in the footsteps of cleanup hitter O〇," mainly correspond to the descriptions in Pattern J of Example 2. Thus, in the example of the progress report 79 in Figure 33(b), Team XXX was trailing the opposing team (Team YYY) midway through the match, and there was nothing particularly noteworthy. However, there were players who performed well within Team XXX, so the report includes descriptions of those players' performances and also expresses hope for a future comeback from Team XXX. Therefore, even while losing, this report is suitable for fans who want to know about the performances of players who performed well within Team XXX.

[0249] Figure 34(a) shows the score for each inning 80, illustrating the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning in an example 11 of a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY. Figure 34(b) shows an automatically generated example of a progress report 81 for the scoring situation at the end of the 7th inning of the same game 11. As shown in the score 80 of Figure 34(a), at the end of the 7th inning, Team XXX is trailing Team YYY 0-10 in a shutout, and there is nothing particularly noteworthy about Team XXX's performance or outstanding players in this game.

[0250] Therefore, one of the teams, Team XXX, only falls under condition 2 of Example 2 in the judgment table 13 (see Figure 22; when one team is trailing and has scored zero or has no lead during the match), and the progress report example 81 in Figure 34(b) is automatically generated to include a description for Team XXX based on pattern K of Example 2 (see Figure 22; when one team is trailing midway through the match and the content involves praising the opposing team).

[0251] Specifically, in the example progress report 81 shown in Figure 34(b), the following passages mainly correspond to Pattern K: "At the 7th inning, Team XXX's batting lineup had struck out numerous times against Team YYY's starting pitcher ○no, who continued to pitch brilliantly, and was held to just 3 scattered hits without even reaching second base," (81a, description related to Condition 2), and "We hope that Team XXX will somehow fight back in the later innings to strike back." (81b, description related to Condition 2). Thus, the example game report 81 in Figure 34(b) is a progress report that includes praise for the opposing team, as Team XXX had suffered a crushing defeat midway through the game, and there were no noteworthy events up to that point, nor were there any outstanding players within Team XXX. It also includes statements expressing hope for Team XXX to fight back in the future.

[0252] As described above, in the second embodiment (Example 2) of the present invention, even if a team is losing during a match, if the losing team had been leading up to that point, or if the lead was so large that it could not be caught up even with the maximum score in a single play, or if the lead lasted for most of the period up to that point, or if there were multiple instances of comebacks, then a progress report including descriptions of these details will be automatically generated, thus providing a report that fans of the losing team can also enjoy.

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

[0254] Furthermore, the processing content related to the flowchart of the modified example of Embodiment 1 shown in Figures 19 and 20 can basically be applied to Embodiment 2 as well. However, when applied, the processing at each stage is changed to generate progress reports at a point in the middle of the match, and, similar to the flowchart shown in Figure 23, processing equivalent to the S31 stage in the flowchart shown in Figure 23 (determining whether the acquired match data corresponds to the point in time when progress reports are generated (a convenient point in the middle of the match)) is inserted between the S10 and S11 stages in Figure 19. Below, the processing flow in one of the modified examples of Embodiment 2 corresponding to the flowcharts in Figures 19 and 20 will be explained according to the flowcharts shown in Figures 35 and 36.

[0255] First, as shown in the flowchart in Figure 35, in this modified example of Embodiment 2, at some point during the game, the game record generation device 10 (MPU 10a) determines whether or not it has received and acquired game data transmitted from the external game data distribution system 2 (S40). If it has not been acquired (S40: NO), it waits for reception, and if it has been acquired (S40: YES), it determines whether or not the most recent information contained in the acquired game data corresponds to a convenient point in time for generating the progress article (such as the end of the 3rd inning or the end of the 7th inning) (i.e., whether or not it includes information at the time of article generation) (S41).

[0256] If the most recent information included in the acquired match data does not correspond to the time the progress article was generated (S41:NO), the process will return to the initial S40 stage. The way the match description generation device 10 responds when the external match data distribution system 2 transmits match data using either the first or second method is the same as that explained in the flowchart of Figure 23.

[0257] On the other hand, if the most recent information included in the acquired match data corresponds to the time the progress article was generated (S41:YES), the match description generation device 10 (MPU10a) provisionally identifies the team that batted first as one of the teams, and compares the scores of one team and the other team at the point in the match based on the acquired match data to determine whether the former's score is higher than the latter's score (whether one team is leading the other team) (S42). If it is determined that one team's score is higher than the other team's score at the point in the match (S42:YES), the match description generation device 10 determines that the team in question meets condition 1 of Example 2, and the MPU10a automatically generates a progress article using a template based on the match data, which includes a description indicating that one team is winning (leading) at that point (S50). After that, the process proceeds to step S48 in the flowchart of Figure 36, where the data related to the generated progress article is stored in the description DB18.

[0258] If the match record generation device 10 (MPU10a) determines that one team's score is lower than the other team's score (one team is trailing) (S42: NO), it determines, based on the acquired match data, whether there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's score (S43). If the match record generation device 10 (MPU10a) determines that there was a period up to the middle of the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score (S43: YES), it determines whether that period lasted for more than half of the match duration (S44).

[0259] When the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score exceeded half of the game elapsed time up to a point during the game (S44: YES), that is, when one team met the condition 5 of Example 2, the game description generation device 10 (MPU10a) includes a description based on the fact that one team was losing at a point during the game but led the other team for most of the time up to that point in the game, and automatically generates a progress article using a template based on the game data (S54). After generating the progress article in step S54, in the same manner as above, in step S48 of the flowchart in FIG. 36, the data related to the generated progress article is stored.

[0260] Also, when the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score did not exceed half of the game elapsed time (S44: NO), as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 36, the game description generation device 10 (MPU10a) determines based on the game data whether the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score was interrupted and existed multiple times up to a point during the game (S45). When the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score was interrupted and existed multiple times (S45: YES), the game description generation device 10 (MPU10a) automatically generates a progress article using a template based on the game data, including a description based on the fact that there was a re-reversal or re-overtaking by one team up to a point during the game. After generating the progress article in this step S55, in the same manner as above, it proceeds to step S48 for storage processing.

[0261] Furthermore, if there were no multiple instances where the score of one team exceeded the score of the other team at intermittent times (S45: NO), the MPU10a determines based on the game data whether one team had led the other team by a point difference greater than 4 points (the maximum number of points that can be obtained in one play, i.e., a point difference of 5 points or more) up to the point in the game (S46). If one team had led the other team by a point difference greater than 4 points (S46: YES), the MPU10a automatically generates a progress article containing a description based on the content related to leading the other team by a point difference that is not easily caught up with for a while, using a template based on the game data (S56). After generating the progress article at this stage of S56, the process proceeds to the stage of S48 for storage processing as described above.

[0262] Moreover, if one team had not led by a point difference greater than 4 points (S46: NO), based on the process so far, one team was led by the other team at the point in the game, but if one team had led the other team at some point up to that point, the MPU10a automatically generates a progress article containing a description according to the content related to such a case, using a template based on the game data (S47). After generating the progress article at this stage of S47, the process proceeds to the stage of S48 for storage processing as described above.

[0263] Also, at the stage of S43 in the flowchart of FIG. 35, if one team had not led up to the point in the game (S43: NO), the MPU10a calculates points for each player of one team based on the game data and determines whether there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points exceed a threshold value (e.g., 50 points) (S51). If there is a player whose calculated points exceed the threshold value (S51: YES), the MPU10a automatically generates a progress article containing a description representing the active content of the player who exceeded the threshold value (a description related to the content of the player who was active in the team that was losing the game) (S52). After generating the progress article at this stage of S52, the process proceeds to the stage of S48 for storage processing as described above.

[0264] Furthermore, if no player exceeded the threshold for the calculated points (S51: NO), MPU10a determines that, up to a certain point in the match, one team had not shown any significant improvement and was trailing the other team, and no players on that team had performed well. In this case, MPU10a automatically generates a progress report (S53) that includes a description praising the other team that is in the lead. After generating the progress report at this S53 stage, the process proceeds to S48 for memory processing, as described above.

[0265] As described above, one modification of Example 2 is the processing flow shown in the flowcharts in Figures 35 and 36. Furthermore, the decision processing at each stage S43, 44, 45, 46, and 51 can be omitted as appropriate, depending on the specifications of the service to be provided, similar to the case where the decision table 13 described above is used. In addition, in the above explanation, the team that went first was identified as one of the teams and the processing was carried out accordingly. However, if the team that went first is winning at some point during the match, the team that went second is identified as one of the teams and the processing is carried out according to the flowcharts in Figures 35 and 36. If the team that went first is losing at some point during the match, the team that went second will be winning, and in that case, the processing according to stage S50 is carried out for the team that went second, and a progress report stating that the team that went second is winning at some point during the match is automatically generated.

[0266] Furthermore, a unique modification of the second embodiment (Example 2) is to vary the scope and generation timing of the progress reports. For example, in addition to targeting the period from the start of the game to a point in the middle of the game, depending on the content and specifications of the service provided, the invention of Example 2 may also be applied to target the period from a certain point in the middle of the game to a subsequent point in the middle of the game. That is, Example 2 can be applied not only to creating progress reports of a baseball game from the start of the game to the end of the 5th inning, or from the start of the game to the end of the 7th inning, but also to generating the first progress report from the start of the game to the end of the 3rd inning, the second progress report from the top of the 4th inning to the end of the 6th inning, and the third progress report from the top of the 7th inning to the end of the 8th inning, etc.

[0267] In such modified cases, the second progress report generated covering the period (range) from the top of the 4th inning to the end of the bottom of the 6th inning, and the third progress report generated covering the period (range) from the top of the 7th inning to the end of the bottom of the 8th inning, do not include the period from the start of the game. However, even when the period from the start of the game is not included, the invention according to Example 2 can generate progress reports that include descriptions corresponding to the target period.

[0268] In this modified example, the description generation program P2 of Example 2 allows setting multiple points in time for generating progress articles. When a set point arrives, it is determined, for example, at stage S31 in the flowchart of Figure 23 or at stage S41 in the flowchart of Figure 35, whether the acquired match data includes the content of that set point. If this determination determines that the match data includes the content of the set point, the processing from stage S32 in the flowchart of Figure 23 or from stage S42 in the flowchart of Figure 35 is executed for each period (range) to be generated, and progress articles for the range to be generated are automatically generated and saved (recorded).

[0269] In this modified example, condition 5 is determined by whether the duration (number of innings) of one team's lead exceeded half of the period being generated (for example, the range from the top of the 4th inning to the bottom of the 6th inning). Furthermore, this modified example can also be applied to sports matches where the game is decided by time, and it is possible to generate progress articles for each range (period), such as from the start of the game until 20 minutes have passed, or from 20 minutes to 45 minutes have passed.

[0270] Furthermore, as shown in the modified example above, generating progress reports at multiple points during a game could be done by setting the generation points for the game report generation device 10. However, instead of the administrator setting the points, the report generation program P2 could pre-define multiple generation points as defaults within its programming. In this case, for short intervals, such as in a baseball game, it would be possible to program a rule to generate a progress report after each inning (bottom of the inning) ends. In games other than baseball, where the duration of the game is determined by time, it is possible to generate progress reports at intervals of 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, etc., according to the rules of the report generation program P2 (in this case, the game data would also be transmitted at the same time intervals). In Example 2, the various modified examples of Example 2 described above may be combined as appropriate. [Industrial applicability]

[0271] The present invention automatically generates match reports or progress reports that focus on the losing side in the match or the side that is losing during the match, and is therefore suitable for applications such as providing services that convey information that fans of the losing side or the side that is losing want to know. [Explanation of symbols]

[0272] 1. Match Record Generation System 2. Match data distribution system 10 Match Record Generator 13 Decision Table 14, 54 List of conditions List of Patterns 15 and 55 16 Point Table 17 Template Tables 18. Listed DB (Database) Examples of battle commentary articles: 30-39, 41 Examples of progress reports for chapters 70-79 and 81. P1 OS Program P2 Description Generation Program

Claims

1. In a match record generation device that obtains match data from an external source, which includes information about the match results and the players' performance in a scoring match in which multiple players from each side participate, and generates multiple types of match record entries based on the obtained match data, A means for generating a description of whether one of the competing parties won or lost the match, based on match data obtained from an external source. A calculation means that calculates the points of players who participated in a match from a point table that defines point values ​​according to the content of play, based on match data obtained from an external source. A detection means that determines whether the points calculated by the calculation means exceed a threshold, thereby detecting a player whose play meets the conditions defined as exceeding a threshold. When the detection means detects a player, the means generates a description of the content relating to the detected player. A match record generation device characterized by comprising the following features.

2. In a match record generation device that obtains match data from an external source showing the content of the match and the players' actions during a scoring match in which multiple players from each side participate, and generates multiple types of entries related to the match based on the obtained match data, A means for generating a description of whether one of the competing teams is leading or trailing, based on match data obtained from an external source. A calculation means that calculates the points of players who participated in a match from a point table that defines point values ​​according to the content of play, based on match data obtained from an external source. A detection means that determines whether the points calculated by the calculation means exceed a threshold, thereby detecting a player whose play meets the conditions defined as exceeding a threshold. When the detection means detects a player, the means generates a description of the content relating to the detected player. A match record generation device characterized by comprising the following features.

3. The match record generation device according to Claim 1, wherein the threshold for the losing side of the match is lower than the threshold for the winning side of the match.

4. The match description generation device according to claim 2, wherein the threshold value for the side that is trailing at the point of the match is lower than the threshold value for the side that is leading.

5. The match data includes data relating to records, The match record generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the detection means detects a player who has achieved a record based on match data acquired from an external source.

6. In a match record generation method, a match record generation device acquires from an external source match data that shows the content related to the match result and the players' performance in a scoring match in which multiple players from each side participate, and generates multiple types of match record descriptions based on the acquired match data, The aforementioned match record generation device is A step of generating a description of whether one of the competing parties won or lost the match, based on match data obtained from an external source. Based on match data obtained from an external source, the system calculates the points of the players who participated in the match from a point table that defines point values ​​according to the nature of their play. The process involves determining whether the calculated points exceed a threshold, thereby detecting players whose play meets the specified conditions for exceeding the threshold, and If a player is detected, the process involves generating a description of the detected player. A method for generating match descriptions, characterized by performing the following actions.

7. In a match record generation method, a match record generation device acquires match data from an external source that shows the content of the match in progress and the play of the players in a scoring match in which multiple players from each side participate, and generates multiple types of records related to the match in progress based on the acquired match data, The aforementioned match record generation device is A step of generating a description of whether one of the competing teams is leading or trailing, based on match data obtained from an external source. Based on match data obtained from an external source, the system calculates the points of the players who participated in the match from a point table that defines point values ​​according to the nature of their play. The process involves determining whether the calculated points exceed a threshold, thereby detecting players whose play meets the specified conditions for exceeding the threshold, and If a player is detected, the process involves generating a description of the detected player. A method for generating match descriptions, characterized by performing the following actions.

8. In a computer program that causes a computer to obtain external match data showing the content of the match results and the players' performance in a scoring match in which multiple players from each side participate, and to execute a process to generate multiple types of descriptions related to the match results based on the obtained match data, To the aforementioned computer, A step of generating a description of whether one of the competing parties won or lost the match, based on match data obtained from an external source. Based on match data obtained from an external source, the system calculates the points of the players who participated in the match from a point table that defines point values ​​according to the nature of their play. The process involves determining whether the calculated points exceed a threshold, thereby detecting players whose play meets the specified conditions for exceeding the threshold, and If a player is detected, the process involves generating a description of the detected player. A computer program characterized by causing the execution of a program.

9. In a computer program that causes a computer to obtain external match data showing the content of a match in which multiple players from each side participate in a scoring format, as well as the content of the players' play during the match, and then executes a process to generate multiple types of entries related to the content of the match based on the obtained match data, To the aforementioned computer, A step of generating a description of whether one of the competing teams is leading or trailing, based on match data obtained from an external source. Based on match data obtained from an external source, the system calculates the points of the players who participated in the match from a point table that defines point values ​​according to the nature of their play. The process involves determining whether the calculated points exceed a threshold, thereby detecting players whose play meets the specified conditions for exceeding the threshold, and If a player is detected, the process involves generating a description of the detected player. A computer program characterized by causing the execution of a program.

Images