JP2002207843A - Internet betting method concerning publicly-managed race - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance convenience of Internet betting by providing a member to access a Web betting homepage with exact odds information and enabling transfer from retrieval of odds to the Internet betting by an easy operation. SOLUTION: The member of Web betting can easily perform the Internet betting simply by accessing a Web betting server 4 by starting odds retrieval software downloaded from a homepage exclusive for download of the Web betting server 4 in a member PC 1, inputting a frame number to be bet and purchase amount within a limit of purchase by referring to a specified race site, a race number and exact odds retrieved by an odds retrieving method and transmitted from the Web betting server 4 and re-inputting a password after he/she is decided as the member by inputting a user name and the password.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention provides an Internet voting service for various public sports to members who have a voting account having a balance available for voting and are registered in a member database. Internet voting methods for public sports.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional Internet voting system for providing an Internet voting service for various public sports is, for example, as shown in FIG.
An Internet server 13 accessible from the member PC 11 via the Internet 12, an Internet voting server (hereinafter referred to as a Web voting server) 14 and an odds server 15 connected to the Internet server 13, a Web voting server 14 and an odds server The system comprises a host computer 16 for managing the server 15, a member database / account database 17 and a voting database 18 connected to the Web voting server 14.

In this conventional Internet voting system, a member of the member PC 11 first accesses an odds search homepage managed by an odds server 15 to obtain desired odds information, and then is managed by the Web voting server 14. It is necessary to access a voting homepage and input a desired voting condition to perform voting, so that acquisition of odds information and Web voting are performed independently.

[0004] In recent years, the winning ceremony in public sports has tended to be diversified by the introduction of "three consecutive wins", and the number of votes per Internet ballot has also tended to increase accordingly. In such a situation, for example, when voting in a three-win series, there is a growing need to narrow down a combination that satisfies a desired condition from a large number of combinations by referring to the odds. It is necessary to efficiently obtain information and perform Web voting.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional Internet voting system, when a large number of votes are made in one Internet voting, the number of times between the odds search home page and the voting home page must be determined in order to refer to the odds. Since it is necessary to make a round trip, the operation for voting is not only complicated, but also due to the time spent for odds search, the scheduled deadline of the voting may be imminent and miss the voting opportunity. Also, if the elapsed time from obtaining the odds information to actually performing the Web voting becomes long, the odds at the time of voting and the odds at the time of obtaining may greatly differ, and in that case, the member of the member PC may be inaccurate. Internet voting will be based on the odds information.

[0006] The present invention improves the convenience of Internet voting by providing accurate odds information to members who have accessed the Internet voting homepage, and enabling the user to shift from odds search to Internet voting with a simple operation. With the goal.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a voting account having a balance available for voting and having a voting account registered in a member database. In providing Internet voting services for various public sports to members who have access to the Internet, in response to a download request specifying the competition type from the member who accessed the download-only homepage for downloading the odds search software used for Internet voting Internet voting that downloads the odds search software of the designated competition type from the download-only homepage to the Internet terminal of the member concerned, and activates the downloaded odds search software, and the Internet voting server manages the Internet terminal. home Page, and searches the member database according to the user name and password input from the Internet terminal to determine whether the user is a member.Only when it is determined that the user is a member, input is performed from the Internet terminal. The odds database and the account database are searched according to the voting object designation information and the odds search method designation information, and the odds information and the betting ticket purchase limit information on the voting object are transmitted to the Internet terminal, and based on the reference to the odds information. It is determined whether or not to accept the voting according to the voting ticket purchase conditions and the voting ticket purchase amount input from the Internet terminal and the re-entered password. To send the voting to complete To.

In a second aspect of the present invention, the voting object designation information includes information for designating a venue, a race number, and a winning ceremony.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the odds search method designation information is information for designating one of a search in the arrangement order of group numbers and a refined search by setting conditions.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the information for designating the narrowing-down search by the condition setting is a combination including a designated number for each winning ceremony, and the information from the n-th to the most popular (n, m) Is a natural number), n to m times in high payout order, and N to M times in odds order (N and M are natural numbers and N> M). .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a list of today's events is displayed when accessing the Internet voting homepage.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a current time and a scheduled deadline time in the Internet voting server are displayed side by side on a display screen of the Internet terminal.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, when a plurality of votings are performed, the voting ticket purchase price is set using one of a uniform input and an individual input.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that a user name and a password relating to the user are stored in the Internet terminal at the time of the first access, so that a re-input operation of the user name and the password can be omitted. .

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the number of downloads of the odds search software in the designated period is cumulatively totaled, and an amount corresponding to the cumulative number of downloads is charged to the organizer of the public sport. And

[0016] In the first invention, a member having a voting account having a balance available for voting and having members registered in a member database download odds search software used for Internet voting. When the user accesses the dedicated homepage and makes a download request specifying the sport type, the odds search software of the specified sport type is downloaded from the download-only homepage to the Internet terminal of the member. When the downloaded odds search software is started, the Internet terminal accesses the Internet voting homepage managed by the Internet voting server. If a user name and a password are input from the Internet terminal during this access, it is determined whether or not the user is a member by searching the member database. When the member is determined to be a member, when the voting target designation information and the odds search method designation information are inputted from the Internet terminal, the odds information and the voting ticket purchase limit information on the voting target are searched by the odds database and the account database. Since it is transmitted to the Internet terminal, referring to the odds information and entering the betting ticket purchase conditions and the betting ticket purchase amount from the Internet terminal within the range of the betting ticket purchase limit information and re-entering the password, It is determined whether or not to accept the voting. If the voting is to be accepted, the acceptance number is transmitted to the Internet terminal and the voting is completed. Therefore, the member can perform the Internet voting by a simple operation while referring to the provided accurate odds information only by accessing the Internet voting homepage, and the convenience of the Internet voting is improved. In addition, since there is no need to go back and forth between the odds search homepage and the voting homepage, there is a problem that the time scheduled for the odds search will soon miss the voting opportunity due to the time spent on odds search when performing a large number of votes. Can be prevented.

According to the second aspect, the voting object designation information includes information for designating a venue, a race number, and a winning ceremony. Voting can be performed by specifying a race number and a winning ceremony, and the convenience of members who conduct Internet voting is improved.

According to the third aspect, the odds search method designating information is information for designating one of a search in the arrangement order of group numbers and a refined search by condition setting. It is possible to search for odds in the order of the number, or to search for odds by narrowing down by setting conditions, thereby improving the convenience of members who conduct Internet voting.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the information for designating the refined search by the condition setting includes, for each winning ceremony, a combination including a designated number, m-th to n-th (n, m are natural numbers) in the order of popularity, Since the information specifies one of m-th to n-th payout order and N to M-fold odds order (N and M are natural numbers and N> M), a combination search including a designated number is performed. By selectively performing any one of the popular order search, the payout order search, and the odds order search, it is possible to respond to various odds search requests of members, and the convenience of members who conduct Internet voting is improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when accessing the Internet voting homepage, the list of today's events is displayed. Can be prevented.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the current time and the due date of the Internet voting server are displayed side by side on the display screen of the Internet terminal, so that the current time of the Internet terminal is incorrect. Also, it is possible to prevent the omission of votes due to the deadline by accurately instructing the member of the remaining time until the deadline scheduled time to the member, thereby improving the convenience of members who conduct Internet voting.

According to the seventh aspect, when a plurality of votings are performed, the member can input the purchase amount of the voting ticket uniformly or individually. The performance is improved.

According to the eighth invention, the user name and password relating to the user are stored in the Internet terminal at the time of the first access, and the operation of re-entering the user name and password can be omitted, so that the operation for voting is simplified. And the convenience of members who vote online is improved.

According to the ninth invention, the number of downloads of the odds search software within the designated period is cumulatively counted,
Since the amount corresponding to the cumulative number of downloads is charged to the organizer of the public competition, the organizer of the public competition, which is expected to increase profits due to an increase in voting opportunities, will bear the cost of the Internet voting service, , The Internet voting service can be provided to the members, and the Internet voting service providing provider that sells the odds search software can receive a fee according to the actual number of downloads.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the configuration of an Internet voting system used for implementing an Internet voting method relating to a public competition according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the Internet voting system of the present embodiment is a member-registered user (hereinafter, referred to as a member).
(A member), an Internet server 3 accessible from the Internet terminal 1 via the Internet 2, an Internet voting server (Web voting server) 4 connected to the Internet server 3, and a connection to the Web voting server 4. The odds server 5, the Web voting server 4, a host computer 6 for managing the odds server 5, and a member database / account database 7 and a voting database 8 connected to the Web voting server 4.

As the Internet terminal 1, any terminal that can connect to the Internet may be used, such as a personal computer (desktop type, notebook type, etc.), an Internet connection dedicated terminal, a PDA, etc. A mobile terminal can be used. In this embodiment, a desktop personal computer is used as the Internet terminal 1, and the Internet terminal 1 will be referred to as a member PC1 in the following description. Although it is possible in principle to use a mobile phone that can be connected to the Internet as the Internet terminal 1, at present, compared to the amount of information that can be displayed on the display unit of the mobile phone, the Internet voting method according to the present embodiment is used. The amount of information to be read is so large that it is difficult for members to read the information, which is not practical.

Next, various processes constituting the Internet voting method of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The conditions under which the Internet voting service in this embodiment can be used include (1)
A user who has a voting account with a balance (at least 100 yen) that can be used for voting, and (2) is registered in a member database, and a user who satisfies these conditions is referred to as a “member”. I will call it. Therefore, in order for a user who has not registered as a member to use this Internet voting service, it is necessary to perform a predetermined member registration application procedure with the Web voting organizer in advance.

[Software Download Processing] FIG.
5 is a flowchart showing a process of downloading odds search software in the first embodiment. First, in step S1, the Internet voting service provider provides a predetermined server (for example, the Web voting server 4 in FIG. 1).
Launch a download-only homepage using. In the next step S2, when the member PC 1 accesses this download-only homepage, the next step S2
3. In the member's PC1
And displays a download-only homepage on the member PC1. The initial screen of this download-only homepage has a title area,
It consists of an explanatory note, options for competition types (consisting of four selection buttons for boat racing, bicycle racing, horse racing, and auto race search software, and only the last one selected is valid) and a download start button. Note that if access is made from a non-member Internet terminal in step S2, the member ID required at the time of access cannot be input, and therefore, it is refused to proceed to the processing after step S3.

At the next step S4, after one of the competition types (boat racing in the example of FIG. 6) desired to be downloaded is selected from the options on the display screen of the member PC 1, a download start button is clicked at step S5. When the download request is sent out, in the next step S6, the download-only homepage searches the search software file for odds search software of the corresponding sport type based on the download request. The odds search software of the sport type obtained by this search is stored in the next step S7.
Is downloaded to the member PC 1 by the download process described above. During this download, a “display window indicating that downloading is in progress” is displayed on the member PC 1 by executing step S8 as shown in the display screen example of FIG.

When the download is completed, the execution of step S9 causes the member PC 1 to display a "display window indicating the end of download" as shown in the display screen example of FIG.
Is displayed. This display window has a button for selecting whether to continue downloading or ending the download of the odds search software.
By clicking the "Continue" button, it is possible to return to step S4 and download odds search software for another competition type.

Steps S4 to S1 as described above
As a result of repeating the loop from YES of step 0 to step S4,
If the member clicks the "end" button in FIG. 8 when the download of the odds search software for all the required sports is completed, the process proceeds to step S11. It is assumed that the odds search software downloaded to the member PC 1 is installed on the member PC 1 until it is actually used.

In step S 11, the download completion notification transmitted from the member PC 1 is sent to the Web voting server 4.
Received and recorded in the competition type file and the download journal. In the next step S12, the Web voting server 4 performs a billing process for each Web voting organizer (organic of a public competition) based on the competition type file,
In the next step S13, the Web voting server 4 transmits the billing amount information for each Web voting host. The web voting organizer receiving the bill amount information performs a transfer process of the bill amount, and when the bill amount is deposited in the bank account of the designated bank, a deposit notice is transmitted from the designated bank to the web voting server 4. Therefore, the billing process ends when the Web voting server 4 receives the payment notification.
In the billing process of step S12,
An amount corresponding to the cumulative number of downloads of the odds search software during the designated period (for example, during the holding period) is charged, but may be charged for each download.

By the above-described odds search software download processing, the member once downloads the desired odds search software, and thereafter does not need to download it again, and installs and uses the downloaded odds search software. By doing so, it becomes possible to directly access the Web voting server 4.

[Web Voting Process] FIGS. 3 and 4 show the first embodiment.
It is a flowchart which shows Web voting processing in an embodiment. First, in step S31 in FIG. 3, when the odds search software is activated by the member PC1, the odds search menu shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. The odds search menu includes a title area, a display area for today's event with a scroll bar (displays the names of all racetracks to be held today, the nth day of the event, and the release race number), a history display area with a scroll bar (voting up to now) It is an area that displays the day history and reception number, up to 1000 can be displayed), a user name input area, a password input area (this password input area does not display the actually input password, but instead, The same number of passwords as * are displayed), venue selection pull-down menu, race selection pull-down menu, search target win-type selection pull-down menu.
There are seven types of options: 2 consecutive wins, 2 normal wins, 2 extended wins, 3 consecutive wins, 3 consecutive wins), buttons for specifying odds search conditions, window, server connection button, and odds search start button .

When the "connect button" is clicked in the odds search menu, the member PC 1 accesses the Web voting server 4 in the next step S32. In response to the access in this step S32, in the next step S33, the information regarding today's holding is transmitted from the Web voting server 4 to the member PC 1, and in the next step S34, as shown in the display screen example in FIG. “Today's venue” is displayed on the member PC 1. The display of "Today's venue" prevents a member from erroneously searching for a non-venue.

In the next step S35, a user name and a password are input to the member PC 1 as shown in the display screen example of FIG. 11, and in the next step S36, a desired venue is designated. To specify the venue, first, all venues are displayed by clicking the triangle mark on the right end of the venue window in the display screen example of FIG. 12, and any one of the venues is displayed.
When one venue is designated, the designated venue (Heiwajima in this example) is displayed in the venue window as shown in the display screen example of FIG. In the next step S37, a desired race number and a winning formula are input as in the example of the display screen of FIG. In this example of the display screen, “12 races” and “3 consecutive wins (3 consecutive wins)” are specified. Thus, the designation of the voting object is completed.

In the next step S38, a desired odds search method is designated from the options displayed on the member PC 1 as in the display screen example of FIG. Here, as the odds search method that can be specified, there are five methods including an all-combination search and a narrow-down search by setting conditions, and each search method displays a search result as follows.

A) The odds of all combinations are displayed in ascending order. Example: Single boat triad 1-2-3, 1-2-4, ..., 6
The odds are displayed in the order of -5-4 (120 ways). b) Display the odds of the combination including the designated number. Example: Combination including 3 in single boat race 1-2-3,1
-3-4, ... In this case, the three consecutive races for boat races can be narrowed down from 120 ways to 60 ways, the three consecutive races for bicycle races can be narrowed down from 504 ways to 168 ways, and the three consecutive races for horse races (11 horses) In (stand), it is possible to narrow down from 990 ways to 270 ways.

C) In order of popularity, m pieces (n, m) from the n-th
Is the natural number). Example: Display of 1st to 20th most popular (corresponding to 1st to 20th most popular) d) Display m odds from the nth to the highest payout order. Example: Display of 30 from the 120th popular (corresponding to the 1st to 30th payouts) e) N times to M times in the order of the high payout rate (N and M are natural numbers and N
> M) odds are displayed. At this time, by specifying only the upper limit M or the lower limit N, it is possible to specify a range of M times or less and N times or more. Example: 10 times or less, 30 times to 40 times, 300 times or more In the case of all the combinations of the above a), it is only necessary to click the “order of group number” selection button in the display screen example of FIG. In the case of, it is necessary to input a desired numerical value in the numerical value input box on the right side after clicking the corresponding selection button.

After the above-mentioned designation of the odds search method is completed, a search start command is issued by clicking the "search button" in the example of the display screen of FIG. 14 in step S39. The Web voting server 4 searches the member database / account database 7 according to the user name and the password input in S35 to determine whether or not the member is a member. In this determination, if it is determined to be a non-member, the process is terminated after transmitting a connection rejection message in the next step S41, and if it is determined to be a member, the process proceeds to step S42.

In step S42, the Web voting server 4
The odds database (not shown) of the odds server 5 and the member database / account database 7 according to the above-mentioned venue, race number, winning ceremony and odds search method.
To extract the designated odds and the voting ticket purchase limit of the member at the time of the odds search. The odds and the betting ticket purchase limit extracted by this search are transmitted from the Web voting server 4 to the member PC 1 in the next step S43. After the execution of this step S43, the process proceeds to FIG.
The flow proceeds to step S44 and subsequent steps in the flowchart of FIG. By re-searching under the same search conditions,
You can get the latest odds. Even if the balance of the voting account of the member is 0 yen, it is only possible to search for odds by executing steps S31 to S43.

In the flowchart of FIG. 4, the display screen of the member PC 1 is switched from the odds search menu to an odds display page as shown in the display screen example of FIG. The odds display page includes a title area,
Odds processing time display area, user information display area, purchase limit display area, reception number display area, odds content display area (displays venue name, race number, winning formula abbreviation), scheduled deadline / current time display area , Return button to search menu, common amount check box, common amount input box, odds selection check box, search odds display area (odds less than 1000 times are displayed to one decimal place, odds more than 1000 times are up to 4 digits) Display), individual amount input box (if you select common amount, the specified common amount will be automatically displayed), scroll bar, selection content display area, amount correction input box (when correcting the amount once entered) Or when no amount is entered in the individual amount input box), A, Search odds popularity sort button (used when sorting the odds in the search odds display area in order of popularity), search odds payout sort button (when sorting the odds in the search odds display area in order of high payout) Use), a voting start button will be displayed. In addition, by providing an “ascending button” and a “descending button” in addition to the above, the retrieved odds may be sorted in ascending / descending order.

In step S44 in FIG. 4, the odds and the betting ticket purchase limit are displayed on the odds display page as in the display screen example of FIG. 15, and the scheduled deadline time and the current time are displayed side by side. The current time is automatically updated on the screen. It is assumed that the current time and the scheduled deadline in the Web voting server 4 are used as the current time and the scheduled deadline.
Even if the current time of the first clock is incorrect, the member can accurately recognize how much time remains until the deadline for voting for the race, and the current time passes the scheduled deadline time. Voting is prevented from being accepted. In addition, the “odds of 15:20” displayed in the odds processing time display area of the example of the display screen in FIG. 15 clearly indicates at what point the current odds are. Further, the display of the voting ticket purchase limit prevents the omission of voting tickets due to a shortage of funds.

In the next step S45, when the member who refers to the odds selects a group number to be voted (purchased) and puts a check mark in the odds selection check box in the display screen example of FIG. 16, the display screen of FIG. The selected set numbers are listed in the selected content display area of the example. In this case, it is possible to select a group number simply by putting a check mark without actually inputting the group number, thereby simplifying the input operation. In order to cancel the check mark once added, the user clicks again. In the next step S46, when the purchase amount for the set number selected in step S45 is entered by the member into the individual amount input box, the display is displayed as in the display screen example of FIG. In the input of the purchase amount, in addition to the individual amount input as shown in the figure, a check mark and an amount X00 yen (X is a natural number) are input using the amount common check box and the common amount input box in the display screen example of FIG. By inputting, a purchase form of “X00 yen common to all set numbers” is also possible.

In the next step S47, it is determined whether or not the total is within the voting ticket purchase limit by comparing the total purchase price with the voting ticket purchase limit. If the voting ticket purchase limit has been exceeded in this determination, a message indicating that fact is displayed, and the process returns to step S46 to set the purchase price such that the total purchase amount falls within the voting ticket purchase limit. Correction (re-entry) is prompted, and if the total purchase price is within the voting ticket purchase limit, the process proceeds to step S48.

In step S48, the voting conditions are confirmed by the member. Here, if the voting conditions need to be changed, the member clicks the "correction button" in the voting confirmation window of the display screen example of FIG. Is repeated, and if the current voting conditions are acceptable, the member clicks the “OK button” in the vote confirmation window of the display screen example of FIG. 18 and then displays the display screen example of FIG. When the voting start button is clicked, the process proceeds to the next step S49.

In step S49, the Web voting server 4
A request for retransmission of a password for member confirmation is issued, and the member PC 1 receiving this retransmission request sends the password to the member PC 1 shown in FIG.
"Password transmission window" is displayed. In the password transmission window, since the input password is held, the next step S5
If the member clicks the "send button in the password sending window" at 0, the password will be sent again. In the above case, the password is stored. Alternatively, the password may not be stored in the password transmission window, and the password may be re-input.

In the next step S51, the Web voting server 4 checks the password. In this password check, the entered password is retransmitted, so that it is normally OK and the process proceeds to step S52. However, a communication failure occurs or the password is re-entered. If the user makes a mistake when inputting, the result is NG. In this case, the process returns to step S49 and thereafter to prompt the user to input a correct password again.

In step S52, in which the process proceeds when it is confirmed that the password is correct, the Web voting server 4 receives the voting and updates the member database / account database 7 and the voting database 8. In the next step S53, the reception number is transmitted from the Web voting server 4 to the member PC1, and the reception number is displayed on the member PC1 in the next step S54 as shown in the display screen example of FIG. The reception number is used when the member makes an inquiry, and is represented by, for example, a nine-digit number managed on a daily basis.

In the next step S55, it is determined whether or not to continue voting. This determination is NO if the “voting end button” in the voting acceptance completion window of the display screen example in FIG. 20 is clicked, and the current voting is ended. At the end of the voting, the voting history (voting date history and reception number) is automatically recorded in the member PC 1. In this case, the voting history is recorded in order from the latest one to a maximum of 1000 cases. By recording only the voting history in the member PC 1 and recording the detailed voting data in the Web voting server 4 in this manner, falsification of the voting content is prevented.

On the other hand, when the “voting continuation button” in the voting acceptance completion window in the example of the display screen of FIG. 20 is clicked, the processing is started from step S31 of FIG. 3 (when voting of a different competition type is continued). Or step S36 in FIG.
Thereafter, the process proceeds to the next step (when voting in different venues of the same competition type is continued), and the same voting process as above is repeated. In this case, which form of voting is to be continued is determined by selectively clicking the same sport type button / different sport type button provided in a voting continuation window (not shown).

[Payment / Payment Process to / from Voting Account] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a deposit / withdrawal process to / from the voting account of the member in the first embodiment. This depositing / dispensing process is executed by a bank computer in the case of depositing / dispensing at a normal window or the like. Will be. When depositing and withdrawing is actually performed, there is a restriction on a period in which deposit and withdrawal can be performed by an account lock process described later. First, in step S61 of FIG. 21, it is checked whether or not there is a deposit / withdrawal to / from the member's voting account (for example, a designated bank account). If there is no money, step S62 is skipped. Then, the next step S63
Now, the account balance is displayed. By displaying the account balance, the member can check the account balance of the voting account.

[Voting Account Locking Process] FIG.
It is a flow chart which shows account lock processing of a member's voting account in an embodiment. Here, "account lock" is a method for enabling web voting without taking security from a member, and depositing and withdrawing of a voting account is prohibited between the start and end of web voting. Will be. Specifically, if the member deposits money by the day before the first day of the event, the voting account is locked, and the withdrawal becomes possible after the next business day on the last day of the event. This account lock processing is executed by the Web voting server 4 and the bank computer.

First, in step S71 of FIG.
(b) The voting server 4 requests the bank computer for an account lock of the voting account and an account balance. In the next step S72, the Web voting server 4 receives the account balance of the voting account locked in response to the request from the bank computer, and based on the account balance, the next step S72.
At 73, the Web voting server 4 updates the member database / account database 7. Then, the next step S74
In the web voting server 4, the member database /
The update completion of the account database 7 is confirmed.

[Update process of voting account] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the update process of the voting account of the member in the first embodiment. The voting account update process reflects the voting result (hit or miss) in the account balance, and the Web voting server 4 and the host computer 6
Performed by First, step S81 in FIG.
Then, when the race voting data is transmitted from the Web voting server 4 to the host computer 6, the next step S82
Then, the host computer 6 receives the race-specific voting data. In the next step S83, it is checked whether or not there is untransmitted data in the Web voting server 4, and YE in steps S81 to S82 to S83 is performed until there is no untransmitted data.
The voting data for each race is transmitted and received by repeating the loop of S to step S81, and when there is no untransmitted data,
The process proceeds to step S84.

In step S84, every time the refund is determined, the host computer 6 transmits the refund data to the Web voting server 4. In the next step S85, We
(b) Based on the reimbursement data received by the voting server 4, a hit search for the race-specific voting data is performed, and if there is a hit, the voting account of the member is increased according to the voting amount and odds. For example, the member database / account database 7 is updated so that the voting account of the member is reduced according to the voting amount.

Updating of such a member database / account database 7 is repeated until step S86 becomes YES and step S87 becomes NO, in other words,
This process is repeated until the hit search of all the votes of all the members is completed for all the races on that day. When the hit search of all the votes of all the members is completed, the account balance data of all the members and the unlock request are sent in step S88. Send to bank computer. In the next step S89, the bank computer updates the account balance of the voting account based on the account balance data and the lock release request.
At 90, the bank computer unlocks the account lock for the voting account.

As described above, according to the Internet voting method for public sports of the present embodiment, a member who has a voting account having a balance available for voting and is registered in the member database, Using the odds search software downloaded from the download-only homepage by specifying the competition type, the W
By simply accessing the EB voting website, you can perform Internet voting by simple operation while referring to the exact odds information provided by the designated stadium, race number, and search method, improving the convenience of Internet voting. I do. Also, since there is no need to go back and forth between the odds search homepage and the voting homepage, there is also a problem in that when voting a large number of votes, due to the time spent searching for odds, the scheduled deadline of the relevant voting approaches and misses the voting opportunity. Does not occur.

Further, when accessing the Web voting homepage, a list of today's events is displayed, so that it is possible to prevent a loss of time in the event that a member accidentally searches for a site that is not held on the day. In addition, since the current time and the scheduled deadline in the Web voting server 4 are displayed side by side on the display screen of the member PC 1, even if the current time of the member PC 1 is incorrect, the member is not left until the scheduled deadline. The time can be accurately taught to prevent omission of voting due to the deadline, and the convenience of members who conduct Internet voting is improved.

When searching for odds, a venue, a race number, and a winning ceremony can be specified.
Voting can be performed by specifying a race number and a winning ceremony, and the convenience of members who conduct Internet voting is improved. In addition, in the odds search method, in addition to searching in the arrangement order of group numbers, narrowing down by four types of condition setting for each winning ceremony, a combination search with a designated number, a popularity search, a payout search, and an odds search. Since a search is also possible, it is possible to respond to various odds search requests of members, and the convenience of members who conduct Internet voting is improved.

In the case of performing a plurality of voting, the member can input the purchase amount of the voting ticket uniformly or individually, thereby improving the convenience of the member who performs Internet voting. . In addition, the member's user name and password are stored in the member PC 1 at the first access,
Since the re-input operation of the user name and the password after the next time can be omitted, the operation for voting is simplified, and the convenience of the member who performs the Internet voting is improved.

Since the account balance of the member's voting account is increased or decreased in accordance with the voting result, the account balance in the event of an increase during voting can be used for the next voting. The convenience of the member who performs is improved.

In addition, the amount according to the cumulative number of downloads of the odds search software within the designated period is set to the We
b. Since the fee is charged to the voting organizer (the organizer of the public sport), the organizer of the public sport, which is expected to increase profits due to an increase in voting opportunities, will bear the cost of the Internet voting service, and will be able to give members free of charge. An Internet voting service can be provided, and an Internet voting service provider that sells odds search software can receive compensation according to the actual number of downloads.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a configuration of an Internet voting system used for implementing an Internet voting method relating to a public competition according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of downloading odds search software according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing Internet voting processing in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during a download process of odds search software according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during a download process of odds search software according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during a download process of odds search software according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during a download process of odds search software according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen during an Internet voting process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a deposit / withdrawal process for a member's voting account in the first embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing account lock processing of a voting account of a member according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a process of updating a member's voting account in the first embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a system diagram showing a configuration of an Internet voting system used for implementing a conventional Internet voting method for a public competition.

[Description of Signs] 1 Internet terminal (member personal computer; member PC) 2 Internet 3 Internet server 4 Internet voting server (Web voting server) 5 Odds server 6 Host computer 7 Member database / account database 8 Voting database

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Claims (9)

[Claims] Claims: 1. To provide an Internet voting service for various public sports to members who have a voting account with a balance available for voting and are registered in a member database, are used for Internet voting. In response to a download request from a member accessing the download-only homepage for downloading odds search software, the odds search software for the specified sport type is downloaded from the download-only homepage to the Internet terminal of the member in response to the download request specifying the sport type. In response to the start of the downloaded odds search software, the Internet terminal accesses the Internet voting homepage managed by the Internet voting server, and the user name input from the Internet terminal And the member database is searched according to the password to determine whether the member is a member. Only when the member is determined to be a member, the odds database according to the voting target designation information and the odds search method designation information input from the Internet terminal. And search the account database to transmit the odds information and the voting ticket purchase limit information on the voting object to the Internet terminal. It is determined whether or not to accept the voting according to the purchase price and the re-entered password, and when accepting the voting, transmitting the acceptance number to the Internet terminal to complete the voting. Internet voting method for public sports. 2. The Internet voting method according to claim 1, wherein the voting target specifying information includes information for specifying a venue, a race number, and a winning ceremony. 3. The public sport according to claim 1, wherein the odds search method designation information is information for designating one of a search in an arrangement order of group numbers and a refined search by setting conditions. Internet voting method about. 4. The information for designating a narrowing-down search by the condition setting includes, for each winning ceremony, a combination including a designated number, m-th (n, m are natural numbers) in the order of popularity, and n in the order of high payout. 4. The information for designating any one of m-th and N-to-M-times (N and M are natural numbers and N> M) searches in odds order. Internet voting method for public sports described in paragraph 1. 5. The Internet voting method according to claim 1, wherein a list of today's events is displayed when accessing the Internet voting homepage. 6. The present invention is characterized in that a current time and a scheduled deadline in the Internet voting server are displayed side by side on a display screen of the Internet terminal.
An Internet voting method for a public sport according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The public sports competition according to claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of votes are given, a voting ticket purchase price is set using one of a uniform input and an individual input. Internet voting method. 8. The user according to claim 1, wherein a user name and a password relating to the user are stored in the Internet terminal at the time of the first access, and a re-input operation of the user name and the password can be omitted. Internet voting method for public sports described in paragraph 1. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the number of downloads of the odds search software in the designated period is cumulatively counted, and an amount corresponding to the cumulative number of downloads is charged to the organizer of the public sport. Internet voting method for public sports according to any one of the above.