Information processing device, reward deciding method, and reward deciding program

Abstract

The present invention generates motivation to provide an image usable for authenticity determination of a target product.　An information processing device (1) comprises: an image acquisition unit (101) that acquires an image obtained by imaging a prescribed region of an individual piece of a target product; a determination unit (104) that determines whether an identification value of said individual piece generated from the image is included in a second range set within a range of identification values of authentic pieces of the target product; and a compensation decision unit (105) that decides a compensation on the basis of the determination result.

Description

Information Processing Apparatus, Reward Determination Method, and Reward Determination Program

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to authenticity determination using images, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus and the like that enable providing an incentive to provide an image that can be used for authenticity determination.

[0002] Conventionally, damages caused by counterfeits that imitate genuine products have continued to be reported worldwide. Also, the development of technologies to suppress such damages has been underway. As one such technology, for example, there is the authenticity determination system described in Patent Document 1 below. The authenticity determination system acquires an individual identification information image generated by imaging the individual identification information given to a security medium attached to the packaging material of a product to be determined, and determines whether the above product is genuine or not based on whether the feature point information extracted from the acquired individual identification information image matches any of the feature point information stored in advance. A user of this authenticity determination system can photograph an image of a product suspected of being fake and send the photographed image as an individual identification information image to the authenticity determination system to have the authenticity of the product determined.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-53215

[0004] However, when the counterfeit is sophisticated or when the purchaser has no suspicion about the authenticity of the product, etc., there is no incentive to use the authenticity determination system described in Patent Document 1 in the first place. And if the authenticity is not confirmed, problems such as misrecognition of quality due to misidentifying a counterfeit as a genuine product and the prevalence of counterfeits cannot be solved.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention aims to realize an information processing apparatus and the like that enable motivating the acquirer of a target product to provide an image that can be used for authenticity determination of the target product.

[0006] To solve the above problems, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a predetermined area of ​​a target product or an accessory thereof; a determination unit that determines whether the identification value of the individual product generated from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit falls within a second range set within a first range which is the range of the identification value of the target product which is a genuine product; and a reward determination unit that determines a reward to the provider of the image based on the determination result of the determination unit.

[0007] Furthermore, in order to solve the above problems, a reward determination method according to one aspect of the present invention is a reward determination method executed by one or more information processing devices, comprising: an image acquisition step of acquiring an image of a predetermined area of ​​one individual target product or an accessory thereof; a determination step of determining whether the identification value of the individual product generated from the image acquired in the image acquisition step falls within a second range set within a first range which is the range of identification values ​​of the target product which is a genuine product; and a reward determination step of determining a reward to the provider of the image based on the determination result of the determination step.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it becomes possible to motivate those who acquire a product to provide images that can be used to determine the authenticity of the product.

[0009] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a lottery system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a block diagram showing an example of the main components of an information processing device included in the above lottery system. This figure shows an example of setting the range of genuine products and the winning range. This figure shows another example of setting the range of genuine products and the winning range. This is a flowchart showing an example of a range setting method. This is a flowchart showing an example of a reward determination method.

[0010] [System Configuration] The configuration of the lottery system 5 according to this embodiment will be explained based on Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the lottery system 5. The lottery system 5 is a system that provides a service to award rewards by lottery to participants who purchase the target products of the campaign and participate in the campaign. As shown in the figure, the lottery system 5 includes an information processing device 1 that provides the above service and a terminal device 2 owned by the campaign participants. The information processing device 1 may be, for example, a server located on the cloud. Although only one terminal device 2 is shown in Figure 1, the lottery system 5 can be used by each campaign participant using their own terminal device.

[0011] Although Figure 1 shows an example where terminal device 2 is a smartphone, terminal device 2 only needs to have the function of communicating with information processing device 1, and may be a device other than a smartphone. For example, terminal device 2 may be a personal computer, tablet terminal, or game console. Furthermore, as will be explained below, in the lottery system 5, campaign participants need to take a picture of the target product they purchased in order to participate in the lottery. For this reason, it is preferable that terminal device 2 has the function of taking a picture of the target product. If terminal device 2 does not have a shooting function, an image taken with any shooting device can be loaded into terminal device 2 and transmitted to information processing device 1.

[0012] In the example shown in Figure 1, a predetermined area of ​​the target product P (specifically, one side of the cubic target product P) is photographed by the terminal device 2. The terminal device 2 then transmits the image obtained from this photograph to the information processing device 1 via a network. The network is, for example, a mobile phone network or the internet. Alternatively, guidance for photographing the image (such as displaying the area to be photographed on the target product P) and the transmission of the image may be performed via a predetermined application program installed on the terminal device 2 or a predetermined web page.

[0013] The information processing device 1, upon receiving an image of a predetermined area of ​​the target product P, generates an identification value from the image to identify the target product P as a single individual. The information processing device 1 then uses the generated identification value as a lottery number to conduct a lottery. However, in the lottery system 5, no specific identification value is predetermined as the winning number. Specifically, in the lottery system 5, if the generated identification value falls within a predetermined winning range (second range), it is determined to be a win; otherwise, it is determined to be a loss.

[0014] As will be explained in more detail later, if the target product P is a genuine product and not a counterfeit, the identification value generated for the target product P will fall within the range of standard identification values ​​for genuine products (hereinafter referred to as the "range of genuine products" or "first range"). On the other hand, if the target product P is a counterfeit, the identification value generated for the target product P will not fall within the range of genuine products. Therefore, the lottery system 5 sets the winning range within the range of genuine products. For this reason, if the target product P is not a genuine product, it will not be determined to be a winner. In this way, the lottery system 5 makes it possible to avoid rewarding providers of images of counterfeit products with rewards intended for purchasers of genuine products.

[0015] Furthermore, if the generated identification value for the target product P falls outside the winning range, there is a possibility that the target product P is not genuine. Therefore, if the generated identification value falls outside the winning range, the information processing device 1 determines whether or not the identification value falls within the range of genuine products. If this determination determines that it falls within the range of genuine products, then although the result of the lottery for the target product P is a loss, it can be said that the target product P is genuine. On the other hand, if this determination determines that it falls outside the range, it can still be said that the target product P may not be genuine.

[0016] In this way, the information processing device 1 determines from the image of the target product P whether the campaign participant has won or lost, or whether the target product P may not be genuine. Then, as shown in the figure, the information processing device 1 notifies the terminal device 2 based on this determination result. This allows participants to quickly recognize the lottery result and the authenticity of the target product P.

[0017] As described above, the lottery system 5 acquires an image of a predetermined area of ​​a target product P, which is one of the target products. The lottery system 5 then determines whether the identification value generated from the acquired image falls within the winning range set within the range of genuine products, and determines the reward based on the result of that determination.

[0018] According to the above configuration, it is possible to give a chance to earn a reward to the provider of images (who are both purchasers of Target Product P and participants in the campaign) that generate information usable for determining the authenticity of a single Target Product P, which is an identification value of that individual Target Product P. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it is possible to motivate purchasers of Target Product P to provide images that can be used for determining the authenticity of Target Product P.

[0019] Furthermore, with the above configuration, the reward is determined based on whether the generated identification value falls within the winning range set within the range of genuine products. The identification value of counterfeit products will fall outside the range of genuine products and therefore cannot be within the winning range. Thus, with the above configuration, it is possible to avoid giving rewards intended for purchasers of genuine products to providers of images of counterfeit products. In addition, even if the individual shown in the image is a genuine product, the identification value generated from that image is not necessarily included within the winning range, thus increasing the appeal of obtaining rewards. Moreover, with the above configuration, it is expected that the system will give purchasers the impression that sufficient measures have been taken to prevent counterfeiting of the target product P, thereby increasing customer engagement.

[0020] [Configuration of the Information Processing Device] The configuration of the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment will be described based on Figure 2. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the main components of the information processing device 1. As shown in the figure, the information processing device 1 includes a control unit 10 that controls all parts of the information processing device 1, and a storage unit 11 that stores various data used by the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 also includes a communication unit 12 for the information processing device 1 to communicate with other devices, an input unit 13 that receives input to the information processing device 1, and an output unit 14 for the information processing device 1 to output various data. The control unit 10 also includes an image acquisition unit 101, an identification value generation unit 102, an identification value recording unit 103, a determination unit 104, a reward determination unit 105, a reception unit 106, a range setting unit 107, and a notification unit 108. The reception unit 106 and the range setting unit 107 will be explained later in the section "Regarding the range of genuine products and the winning range."

[0021] The image acquisition unit 101 acquires an image of a predetermined area of ​​one of the target products or an accessory of that product. Hereinafter, one of the target products and an accessory of that product will be referred to as "target product, etc." For example, the image acquisition unit 101 may acquire an image taken by the terminal device 2 via the communication unit 12, as in the example in Figure 1. Alternatively, the image acquisition unit 101 may acquire an image input via the input unit 13. The image acquisition unit 101 may also acquire an image of a wider area including the predetermined area. In this case, the image acquisition unit 101 can crop the portion of the predetermined area from the acquired image.

[0022] The identification value generation unit 102 generates an identification value to identify a single target product from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 101. Even for industrially mass-produced products that appear identical at first glance, there are external differences between individual products. For example, even multiple products printed with the same design may have subtle differences in their appearance. Therefore, the identification value generation unit 102 can generate an identification value that uniquely identifies the target product from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 101. The identification value generated in this way can also be called a digital fingerprint.

[0023] Furthermore, in generating the identification value, an image of a predetermined area on a single unit of the target product may be used, or an image of a predetermined area on an accessory attached to a single unit of the target product may be used. Examples of such accessories include a tag attached to the unit, a sticker or label affixed to the unit, or packaging that wraps the unit (e.g., wrapping paper, wrapping film, or packaging container). Depending on the size of the target product and the accessory, the entire target product or the entire accessory may be designated as the predetermined area. The predetermined area is set in advance before determining the range of genuine products and the winning range. As mentioned above, since there are external differences even in areas that appear identical at first glance, any area on the target product or accessory can be designated as the predetermined area.

[0024] The identification value recording unit 103 records the identification value generated by the identification value generation unit 102. This process is performed each time a new image is acquired and a new identification value is generated from the acquired image. If the image acquisition unit 101 acquires an image that has been acquired in the past, the same identification value as the already recorded identification value will be generated again. In this case, the identification value recording unit 103 does not record the newly generated identification value. This ensures that unique identification values ​​are recorded and accumulated. The destination for recording the identification values ​​is arbitrary. For example, the identification value recording unit 103 may record the identification values ​​in the storage unit 11, or it may record the identification values ​​in an external database or the like from the information processing device 1. As will be described in detail later, the identification values ​​recorded by the identification value recording unit 103 are used to prevent duplicate wins, where a user sends an image of the same target product multiple times and receives multiple winning lottery results.

[0025] The determination unit 104 determines whether the identification value generated from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 101 falls within the winning range set within the range of genuine products. If the identification value generated from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 101 does not fall within the winning range, the determination unit 104 determines whether the identification value falls within the range of genuine products.

[0026] The reward determination unit 105 determines the reward for the image provider (which can also be rephrased as the purchaser of the target product or the participant in the campaign) based on the determination result of the judgment unit 104. Specifically, if the judgment unit 104 determines that the image provider is included in the winning range, the reward determination unit 105 decides to make the reward for the image provider a reward for the winner. On the other hand, if the judgment unit 104 determines that the image provider is not included in the winning range, the reward determination unit 105 decides not to give the image provider a reward.

[0027] The nature of the reward for winning is at the discretion of the unit. The reward determination unit 105 may decide to award rewards such as goods, cash, points that can be used to purchase items, or discount benefits. The reward determination unit 105 may also award rewards to participants who do not win. In this case, the reward determination unit 105 should differentiate the content and amount of the reward depending on whether the judgment result of the judgment unit 104 is within the winning range or outside the winning range.

[0028] Furthermore, the reward determination unit 105 may also reward providers of images of products that may not be genuine, that is, providers whose identification values ​​generated from the provided images are determined to be outside the range of genuine products. For example, the reward determination unit 105 may reward providers of images of products that may not be genuine with coupons or points that can be used to purchase genuine products. This can encourage such providers to purchase genuine products. Alternatively, the reward determination unit 105 may reward providers of images of products that may not be genuine with genuine products themselves. This makes it possible to help customers who have unintentionally purchased counterfeit goods.

[0029] The notification unit 108 notifies the image provider of the reward determined by the reward determination unit 105. For example, the notification unit 108 may notify campaign participants whether they have won or lost. In addition, if the notification unit 108 determines from the image submitted by a campaign participant that the target product shown in the image may not be genuine, it may notify the participant accordingly.

[0030] As described above, the information processing device 1 includes an image acquisition unit 101 that acquires an image of a predetermined area of ​​the target product, a determination unit 104 that determines whether the identification value generated from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 101 falls within a second range (winning range) set within a first range which is the range of the identification value of the target product that is genuine, and a reward determination unit 105 that determines a reward for the image provider based on the determination result of the determination unit 104. This makes it possible to incentivize purchasers of the target product to provide images that can be used to determine the authenticity of the target product. Other effects are as described with reference to Figure 1.

[0031] Furthermore, as described above, if the determination unit 104 determines that the identification value is not included in the second range, it may also determine whether the identification value is included in the first range. In other words, for an item whose identification value is not included in the second range and which may not be genuine, the determination unit 104 may determine whether the identification value is included in the first range, i.e., perform a genuineness determination. This makes it possible to detect counterfeit products.

[0032] It should be noted that performing authenticity determination is not mandatory in the information processing device 1. If authenticity determination is not performed, the acquired image may be stored in the storage unit 11, etc., along with the provider's identification information. This allows for authenticity determination to be performed using the image when necessary.

[0033] [Preventing Duplicate Winning] As described above, the information processing device 1 is equipped with an identification value recording unit 103 that records an identification value generated from an image acquired by the image acquisition unit 101 each time a new image is acquired. By using the identification value recorded in this way by the identification value recording unit 103, duplicate winning can be prevented. Specifically, the reward determination unit 105 only needs to determine the reward for campaign participants whose identification value generated from the image provided by the participant does not match an identification value already recorded by the identification value recording unit 103.

[0034] According to the above configuration, among the campaign participants, those whose identification values ​​generated from the provided images match the recorded identification values, i.e., participants who submit images of the same individual as previously submitted images, will not be eligible for rewards. This makes it possible to prevent duplicate winners.

[0035] Furthermore, the identification value recording unit 103 may not record all of the generated identification values, but rather record only the identification values ​​that the determination unit 104 has determined to be included in the second range (winning range). In this case as well, the reward determination unit 105 only needs to determine the reward for image providers whose identification values ​​generated from the provided images do not match the identification values ​​already recorded by the identification value recording unit 103. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to prevent duplicate winners.

[0036] Furthermore, a specific configuration to prevent duplicate wins using the identification values ​​recorded by the identification value recording unit 103 is, for example, that the determination unit 104 does not perform a determination for already recorded identification values. Since the determination unit 104 does not perform a determination, it will not be determined that the person has won, thus preventing duplicate wins.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 104 may also perform a determination on recorded identification values, but may determine that recorded identification values ​​are not included in the second range. This can be achieved by making the case where a recorded identification value is the target of the determination an exception. Alternatively, the range setting unit 107 may set the identification values ​​recorded by the identification value recording unit 103 in the second range to be outside the second range. In this way, duplicate winnings can also be prevented by the range setting unit 107 updating the second range.

[0038] Furthermore, for example, the determination unit 104 may also determine recorded identification values ​​in the same way as usual. In this case, recorded identification values ​​will also be determined to fall within the second range, but the reward determination unit 105 can prevent duplicate wins by determining that there is no reward for such identification values.

[0039] [Regarding the range of genuine products and the range of winning products] As described above, the determination unit 104 determines whether the identification value generated from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 101 is included in the range of genuine products (first range) and the range of winning products (second range). The range of genuine products and the range of winning products will be explained below with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of setting the range of genuine products and the range of winning products.

[0040] Here, the identification values ​​generated by the identification value generation unit 102 are generated from the image of the target product, and each of them represents one of the multiple features possessed by the image. Therefore, although there are individual differences in genuine products, they possess common characteristics that indicate they are genuine products, and thus the identification values ​​generated for genuine products fall within a certain range.

[0041] Therefore, for example, a standard identification value for genuine items may be calculated from the identification values ​​generated for multiple genuine items, and a predetermined margin may be added to this standard identification value to set the upper limit of the identification value for genuine items. Alternatively, a predetermined margin may be subtracted from this standard identification value to set the lower limit of the identification value for genuine items. The margin should be determined statistically according to the accuracy required for authenticity determination and the variability of the identification values.

[0042] Figure 3 shows a coordinate plane with the horizontal axis representing the digits of the identification value and the vertical axis representing the value of the identification value. Line L1 drawn on this coordinate plane represents the standard identification value of a genuine product, while lines L21 and L22 represent the upper and lower limits of the identification value of a genuine product, respectively. In other words, the range from line L21 to L22 on the coordinate plane in Figure 3 represents the range of genuine products (the first range).

[0043] When performing authenticity determination based on the range of genuine products set in this way, the range of genuine products shown by the broken lines L21 and L22, that is, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of each digit of the identification value, are stored in advance in the storage unit 11 or the like. Then, the determination unit 104 determines whether the value of each digit of the identification value generated from the image of the target product or the like is included in the range from the broken line L21 to L22. And, for example, when the values of all digits are included in the above range, the determination unit 104 may determine that the identification value is within the range of genuine products, that is, the target product is a genuine product. On the other hand, for example, when the values of at least some digits are outside the above range, the determination unit 104 may determine that the identification value is outside the range of genuine products, that is, the target product may not be a genuine product.

[0044] The winning range can be arbitrarily set within the range of genuine products set as described above. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, based on the standard identification value of the genuine product shown by the broken line L1, a value obtained by adding a predetermined value smaller than the above margin to the identification value is set as the upper limit of the winning range, and a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value smaller than the above margin from the identification value is set as the lower limit of the winning range. In the example of FIG. 3, the upper limit and the lower limit of the winning range set in this way are shown by the broken lines L31 and L32.

[0045] When performing pass / fail determination based on the winning range set in this way, the winning range shown by the broken lines L31 and L32, that is, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of each digit of the identification value, are stored in advance in the storage unit 11 or the like. Then, for example, when all digits of the identification value generated from the image of the target product or the like are included in the range from the broken line L31 to L32, the determination unit 104 may determine that the identification value is within the winning range. On the other hand, for example, when the values of at least some digits are outside the winning range, the determination unit 104 may determine that the identification value is outside the winning range.

[0046] The winning range may be appropriately set by the implementer of the campaign or the like. Since the information processing apparatus 1 includes the reception unit 106 and the range setting unit 107 as shown in FIG. 2, it is possible to easily set a winning range that can grant rewards at a desired granting rate.

[0047] Specifically, the reception unit 106 receives the specification of the awarding rate, which is the ratio of the participants to whom rewards are to be given among the participants who provided images of genuine individual target products or the like in the campaign. Then, the range setting unit 107 sets the winning range such that the ratio of the number of individuals whose identification values are included in the winning range to the number of individuals whose identification values are included in the genuine range among a predetermined number of individual target products is the specified awarding rate. That is, the range setting unit 107 sets the winning range so that (the number of identification values within the winning range) / (the number of identification values within the genuine range) = (the specified awarding rate). Thereby, it becomes possible to award rewards at a desired awarding rate.

[0048] Also, the genuine range and the winning range can be set as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another setting example of the genuine range and the winning range. In the example of FIG. 4, the standard identification value of the genuine product is used as a reference value, and the genuine range and the winning range are set based on the degree of deviation from the reference value. In FIG. 4, the reference value is shown as a straight line. Also, the degree of deviation is the difference between the identification value of the target product to be judged for acceptance or authenticity and the standard identification value of the genuine product (more precisely, the difference in the corresponding digit values of these identification values).

[0049] Specifically, in the example of FIG. 4, the range where the degree of deviation from the reference value is -a1 or more and a1 or less is set as the winning range, and the range where the degree of deviation from the reference value is -a2 or more and a2 or less is set as the genuine range. Note that a2 > a1. When the winning range and the genuine range are set in this way, the set ranges and the reference value are stored in advance in the storage unit 11 or the like. Then, the determination unit 104 calculates the degree of deviation between the identification value of the target product and the stored reference value. Here, for example, the determination unit 104 may determine that the identification value is within the winning range when the calculated degree of deviation is included in the winning range in all digits. On the other hand, for example, the determination unit 104 may determine that the identification value is outside the winning range when the degree of deviation in at least some digits is outside the winning range. For example, when the degree of deviation of the identification value of the target product from the reference value is as shown by the broken line L in FIG. 4, the determination unit 104 determines that the identification value of this target product is within the winning range.

[0050] It is also possible to set multiple winning ranges within the range of genuine products. In that case, the reward determination unit 105 may determine different rewards depending on which winning range the identification value generated from the image provided by the participant falls into. Furthermore, the reward determination unit 105 may differentiate the rewards according to the degree of deviation described above.

[0051] [Regarding the conditions for reward distribution] As mentioned above, by appropriately setting the range of winners, it becomes possible to distribute rewards at the desired rate. However, if the distribution rate is kept constant, the number of winners will increase in proportion to the number of applicants, and consequently, the amount of rewards to be distributed will also increase. For example, if the distribution rate is 1%, and there are 1,000 participants in the campaign, there will be about 10 winners. On the other hand, if there are 10,000 participants with the same distribution rate, there will be about 100 winners, and the total amount of rewards to be distributed will increase to about 10 times that of the case with 1,000 participants.

[0052] Therefore, the reward determination unit 105 may determine the reward for participants corresponding to the identification values ​​determined by the determination unit 104 to be within the winning range, provided that the total of rewards determined in the past has not reached a predetermined upper limit. This makes it possible to award rewards at a predetermined rate and within a predetermined upper limit, regardless of the number of participants.

[0053] [Flowchart for setting ranges] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a range setting method performed by the information processing device 1 to set the range for genuine products and the winning range.

[0054] In S1, the reception unit 106 receives a designation of the reward rate, which is the percentage of providers who provided images of genuine target products in the target campaign and who are eligible to receive a reward. For example, the reception unit 106 may receive the designation of the reward rate via the input unit 13, or it may receive the designation of the reward rate from another device via the communication unit 12.

[0055] In S2, the image acquisition unit 101 acquires images of multiple target products that have been previously confirmed to be genuine. For example, the image acquisition unit 101 may acquire images of target products manufactured in a factory, taken within that factory. It is not necessary to photograph all of the manufactured target products; it is sufficient to sample and photograph only a portion. The method of acquiring the images is arbitrary. For example, the image acquisition unit 101 may acquire images via the input unit 13 or via the communication unit 12.

[0056] In S3, the identification value generation unit 102 generates identification values ​​for each target product from each image acquired in S2. All identification values ​​generated in S3 are identification values ​​for genuine products. Here, the identification values ​​generated in S3 are identification information that uniquely identifies each individual genuine product. For this reason, the identification values ​​generated in S3 can be recorded in a database or the like and used for product management, etc. However, if you are only setting the range of genuine products and the winning range, it is not necessary to record the identification values ​​generated in S3.

[0057] In S4, the range setting unit 107 sets the range for genuine products. For example, as described above, the range setting unit 107 may calculate a standard identification value for genuine products from the identification values ​​of genuine products generated in S3, add a predetermined margin to the calculated identification value to determine the upper limit of the identification value for genuine products, and subtract a predetermined margin from the calculated identification value to determine the lower limit of the identification value for genuine products. In this case, the range setting unit 107 may, for example, use the average value of the identification values ​​of genuine products as the standard identification value. The range setting unit 107 may then set the range from the upper limit to the lower limit determined in this way as the range for genuine products. Alternatively, as explained with reference to Figure 4, the range setting unit 107 may calculate a reference value from the identification values ​​of genuine products and set the range for genuine products based on the degree of deviation from the calculated reference value. The same applies to S5, which will be described below.

[0058] In S5, the range setting unit 107 sets the winning range so that the ratio of individuals whose identification values ​​fall within the winning range to the number of individuals whose identification values ​​fall within the range of genuine products (the range set in S4) is equal to the assignment rate received in S1. This completes the process shown in Figure 5. For example, suppose the assignment rate is set to 1% in S1, and images of 10,000 target products are acquired in S2. In this case, in S5, the range setting unit 107 should set the winning range so that it includes 100 of the identification values ​​generated in S3.

[0059] Furthermore, the range of genuine products and the winning range set as described above can be used not only for the individual products of the target product shown in each image acquired in S2, but also for the lottery and authenticity determination of products manufactured in the past or after those individual products. However, if the appearance of genuine products changes significantly due to changes in the manufacturing equipment of the target product (e.g., printing press) or changes in the design of the target product, it is desirable to perform the process shown in Figure 5 again to reset the range of genuine products and the winning range.

[0060] [Flowchart of Reward Determination Method] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the process by which the information processing device 1 determines the reward to be given to campaign participants, in other words, the reward determination method by the information processing device 1. The following process is performed in response to the terminal device 2 transmitting an image of the target product to the information processing device 1, as in the example in Figure 1.

[0061] In step S11 (image acquisition step), the image acquisition unit 101 acquires an image of a predetermined area of ​​the target product. The image acquired in S11 is an image taken by a campaign participant and transmitted by the terminal device 2. Subsequently, in S12, the identification value generation unit 102 generates an identification value for a single target product from the image acquired in S11.

[0062] In S13, the identification value recording unit 103 determines whether the identification value generated in S12 matches any of the previously recorded identification values. If it is determined that it does not match any of them (YES in S13), the process proceeds to S14; if it is determined that it matches any of them (NO in S13), the process proceeds to S19.

[0063] In S19, which follows from S13, the notification unit 108 notifies the terminal device 2 that a lottery has already been held for the target product shown in the transmitted image. It is also possible to record the previously generated identification values ​​in association with the results of the lottery using those identification values, in which case the notification unit 108 may also notify the terminal device 2 of the past lottery results. After S19, the process shown in Figure 6 is completed.

[0064] In S14, the identification value recording unit 103 records the identification value generated in S12. Note that the processing in S14 can be performed at any timing after the determination of YES in S13, and is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0065] In S15 (determination step), the determination unit 104 determines whether the identification value generated in S12 is included in the winning range (second range) set within the range of genuine products (first range). If the determination in S15 is YES, the process proceeds to S17; if the determination in S15 is NO, the process proceeds to S16.

[0066] In S16, the determination unit 104 determines whether the identification value generated in S12 falls within the range of genuine products (first range). In other words, the authenticity of the target product is determined in S16. After S16, the process proceeds to S17.

[0067] In S17, the reward determination unit 105 determines whether the total of rewards determined in the past has reached a predetermined upper limit. After S17, the process proceeds to S18. If a reward is not to be given to a participant whose identification value is outside the winning range, the process may proceed from S16 to S19. In that case, S19 may notify the participant that they have not been selected and the result of the authenticity determination.

[0068] In S18 (reward determination step), the reward determination unit 105 determines the reward based on the determination result in S15. However, if the reward determination unit 105 determined in S17 that the total reward has reached a predetermined upper limit, it decides not to give the participant any reward. In other words, in S18, the reward determination unit 105 determines the reward for the participant on the condition that it was not determined in S17 that the total reward has reached a predetermined upper limit.

[0069] In this case, if the campaign has no results other than winning or losing, and rewards are to be given only to winners, then determining the reward in S18 is equivalent to determining whether the campaign is successful or not, that is, whether or not a participant has won. In other words, in this case, it can be said that the reward determination unit 105 in S18 is determining whether the campaign is successful or not.

[0070] In S19, the notification unit 108 notifies the terminal device 2 of the reward determined in S18. For example, the notification unit 108 may also notify whether the participant has been selected or not. If the reward determined in S18 is a reward that can be transmitted to the terminal device 2 (for example, image data, etc.), the notification unit 108 may transmit the reward to the terminal device 2 in S19.

[0071] Furthermore, if the notification unit 108 determined in S16 that the product purchased by the participant is not within the range of genuine products, it may notify the participant that the product purchased may not be genuine. On the other hand, if the product was determined in S16 to be within the range of genuine products, the notification unit 108 may notify the participant that although the product was not selected, it has been confirmed that the product purchased by the participant is genuine.

[0072] As described above, the reward determination method according to this embodiment includes an image acquisition step of acquiring an image of a predetermined area of ​​the target product, a determination step of determining whether the individual identification value generated from the image acquired in the image acquisition step falls within a winning range (second range) set within a first range which is the range of identification values ​​of the target product that is genuine, and a reward determination step of determining a reward for the provider of the image based on the determination result of the determination step. Thus, it becomes possible to incentivize the person who acquires the target product to provide an image that can be used to determine the authenticity of the target product.

[0073] [Modifications] The entity executing each process described in the above-described embodiment is arbitrary and is not limited to the above-described example. In other words, the functions of the information processing device 1 can be realized by multiple information processing devices (which can also be called processors) that can communicate with each other. For example, each process described in the flowcharts of Figures 5 and 6 can be divided and executed by multiple information processing devices. In other words, the entity executing the range setting method and the reward determination method in the above-described embodiment may be one information processing device (for example, information processing device 1) or multiple information processing devices.

[0074] Furthermore, although the above-described embodiment explained an example in which the information processing device 1 is used for a campaign lottery, the information processing device 1 can also be used for lotteries other than campaigns (for example, raffles, etc.).

[0075] [Example of implementation by software] The functions of the information processing device 1 are programs that cause the computer to function as the information processing device 1, and these can be implemented by programs (range setting program / reward determination program) that cause the computer to function as each control block (especially each part included in the control unit 10) of the information processing device 1.

[0076] In this case, the information processing device 1 includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., memory) as hardware for executing the above program. By executing the above program using this control device and storage device, each of the functions described in the above embodiment is realized.

[0077] The above program may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media, rather than temporarily. This recording media may or may not be provided by the information processing device 1. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the information processing device 1 via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0078] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of each of the above control blocks can also be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which logic circuits functioning as each of the above control blocks are formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, it is also possible to realize the functions of each of the above control blocks by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0079] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0080] 1 Information Processing Device 103 Identification Value Recording Unit 104 Determination Unit 105 Reward Determination Unit 106 Reception Unit 107 Range Setting Unit

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a predetermined area of ​​a single target product or an accessory thereof; a determination unit that determines whether the identification value of the individual product generated from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit falls within a second range set within a first range which is the range of identification values ​​of the target product that is a genuine product; and a reward determination unit that determines a reward to the provider of the image based on the determination result of the determination unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines whether the identification value is included in the first range when it determines that the identification value is not included in the second range.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an identification value recording unit that performs a process of recording the identification value generated from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit each time a new image is acquired, wherein the reward determination unit determines a reward for providers of the image whose identification value generated from the provided image does not match an identification value already recorded by the identification value recording unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an identification value recording unit that records identification values ​​that the determination unit has determined to be included in the second range, wherein the reward determination unit determines a reward for providers of the images whose identification values ​​generated from the provided images do not match the identification values ​​already recorded by the identification value recording unit.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reward determination unit determines a reward for a provider corresponding to the identification value that the determination unit has determined to be included in the second range, provided that the total of rewards determined in the past has not reached a predetermined upper limit.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: a receiving unit that receives a designation of a reward rate, which is the proportion of providers who have provided images of genuine individual units of the target product to be eligible for rewards; and a range setting unit that sets a second range such that the proportion of individuals whose identification values ​​fall within the second range relative to the number of individuals whose identification values ​​fall within the first range is equal to the reward rate.

7. A reward determination method performed by one or more information processing devices, comprising: an image acquisition step of acquiring an image of a predetermined area of ​​one individual target product or an accessory thereof; a determination step of determining whether the identification value of the individual product generated from the image acquired in the image acquisition step falls within a second range set within a first range which is the range of identification values ​​of the target product that is a genuine product; and a reward determination step of determining a reward to the provider of the image based on the determination result of the determination step.

8. A reward determination program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition unit, the determination unit, and the reward determination unit are the computer.

Images