JP2003281439A - Server, game terminal, advertisement request device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a more impressive advertisement in a site opened to a network and to display advertisements narrowed down to participants participating in a game. <P>SOLUTION: A game server 1 classifies and stores advertisement information received from a sponsor 4, in accordance with an assignment condition. The game server receives personal information from the terminal 2 of a person desiring to participate in the game and determines the classification of advertisement information to be transmitted to the terminal device 2 on the basis of the assignment condition and the received personal information. The game server 1 transmits data of the game to the terminal device 2 and transmits advertisement information of the determined classification and displays the advertisement information on a display screen of the terminal device in breaks of the game. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a server, a game terminal, an advertisement requesting device and a program for transmitting and receiving data to and from each other via a communication line to execute a game.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, some attempts have been made to put advertisements on websites on the Internet. A well-known example is to display a banner ad above or below a web page. The banner advertisement is a strip-shaped advertisement graphic, and is set to jump to the advertiser's web page when the user selects (clicks) the banner with a pointing device such as a mouse.

[0003]

Since a typical banner advertisement is often placed in one corner of a web page,
It was often overlooked without the user even being aware of its existence. Some banner advertisements have been designed to attract the user's attention by using flashy graphics and animations, but they are sometimes annoying when reading the text. Further, in the banner advertisement, since the user who browses the web page cannot be specified, it is not possible to provide the advertisement that is narrowed down according to the user's hobby, taste, age and the like.

An object of the present invention is to display more impressive advertisements on a site to be published on a network and to display advertisements that are narrowed down according to the target of viewing the site.

[0005]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In view of the above matters, a server (which is configured to be connectable to a game terminal (for example, the terminal device 2 shown in FIG. 1) via a communication line (for example, the network 3 shown in FIG. 1) For example, in the game server 1 shown in FIG. 1, a predetermined network game (for example, the present embodiment) is performed by performing data communication with a storage unit that stores advertisement information (for example, the advertisement table 166 shown in FIG. 12) and the game terminal. Game execution means (for example, the CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; game control processing shown in FIG. 24) for executing a battle game in the form of (1), and an advertisement means (for transmitting the advertisement information stored in the storage means to the game terminal). CPU 10 and transmission control device 14 shown in FIG. 13; advertisement posting process shown in FIG. 25), data communication by the game executing means, and the advertising means. Said switching means for switching the transmission of advertising information at a predetermined timing (for example, CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; mode switching process shown in FIG. 24) that is characterized in that it comprises a, a.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, a server (for example, a server, which is configured to be connectable to a game terminal (for example, the terminal device 2 shown in FIG. 1) via a communication line (for example, the network 3 shown in FIG. 1). A program for realizing various functions of the game server 1) shown in FIG. 1, which is a function for storing advertisement information in the server (for example, a storage device 15 shown in FIG. 13; stored in a recording medium 16). Advertising table 166) and a function for performing a predetermined network game (for example, a battle game in the present embodiment) by performing data communication with the game terminal (for example, CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; shown in FIG. 24). (Game control processing) and a function for causing the game terminal to transmit the advertisement information (CPU 10 and transmission control device 14 shown in FIG. 13; FIG. 25) A function for switching advertisement transmission processing), data communication by executing the network game, and transmission of the advertisement information at a predetermined timing (for example, CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; mode switching processing shown in FIG. 24). ) And are realized.

Here, the communication line means a communication path through which data can be exchanged. That is, the communication line is meant to include a dedicated line (dedicated cable) for direct connection, a LAN such as Ethernet (registered trademark), a communication network such as a telephone communication network, a cable network, and the Internet. The method means wired or wireless. Also,
The network game is meant to include a type of game in which devices connected via a communication line transmit and receive data to and from each other and develop the game based on the exchanged data. The game terminal is meant to include not only a dedicated game machine for executing game processing but also a personal computer, a small portable terminal such as a PDA or a mobile phone, and the like.

According to the invention of claim 1 or 14, the data related to the game and the data related to the advertisement are switched and transmitted to the game terminal at a predetermined timing. For example, when the server develops a battle game and provides it to each game terminal, by transmitting the advertisement data between the rounds in the battle game and switching the game image to the game terminal to display the advertisement image, A person who views the display screen of the game terminal can see the advertisement as if he or she were watching a TV commercial. Therefore, the advertisement can be surely posted to the listener without being overlooked like a conventionally known banner advertisement posted on the Internet site. Also, if the advertisement data is transmitted at the game interval, the participants who enjoy the game will not feel uncomfortable as if the game was interrupted.
You can post advertisements.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the server according to the first aspect, the storage means stores a plurality of the advertisement information in association with allocation conditions (for example, allocation conditions in the present embodiment). A personal information receiving unit (for example, the CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; FIG. 19) for receiving personal information (for example, personal information in the present embodiment) from the game terminal.
Member registration processing), the personal information received by the personal information receiving means, and the allocation condition, the specifying means for specifying the advertisement information to be transmitted from the advertisement information stored in the storage means. (For example, the CPU shown in FIG.
10; advertisement registration processing shown in FIG. 26 and battle game allocation processing shown in FIG. 21), and the advertising means transmits the advertising information specified by the specifying means to the corresponding game terminal. Is characterized by.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the content of the advertisement information transmitted to the game terminal can be specified according to the personal information received from the game terminal. Therefore, for example, it is assumed that the personal information includes the age, and the advertisement information of the popular toy is distributed to the game terminal corresponding to the personal information having the age value of 12 years or less, so that it is matched with the content of the advertisement and the personal information. It is possible to realize targeted advertisement provision.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the server according to the first aspect, the storage means stores a plurality of the advertisement information in association with allocation conditions (for example, allocation conditions in the present embodiment) ( For example, the advertisement table 166 shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13), and the game executing means each have a plurality of virtual game fields according to the allocation conditions (for example, a battle land developed based on the battle application in the present embodiment). Means for executing the network game (for example, the CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13;
Personal information receiving means (for example, CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; member shown in FIG. 19) having the game control process shown in FIG. 24 and receiving personal information (for example, personal information in the present embodiment) from the game terminal. Registration processing), the personal information received by the personal information receiving means, and the allocation means for allocating the virtual game field corresponding to the game terminal based on the allocation condition (for example, CP shown in FIG. 13).
U10; battle game allocation process shown in FIG. 21), and the advertising means transmits advertising information according to allocation conditions corresponding to the virtual game field to the game terminals allocated to the virtual game field. (For example, as in the present embodiment, an area in the advertisement table 166 from which advertisement information is read is set for each battle application)
It is characterized by

According to the invention of claim 3, the server stores the advertisement information in association with the allocation condition. Also,
A game in a plurality of virtual game fields is executed according to the number of allocation conditions. Further, the virtual game field to be allocated to the game terminal is determined based on the personal information and the allocation condition received from the game terminal. Then, at the timing of transmitting the advertisement, the same advertisement information is transmitted to all game terminals participating in the same virtual game field. Therefore, the advertising information, the personal information (game terminal), and the virtual game hall can be classified for each condition based on the allocation condition. For this reason,
By setting the allocation condition according to the content of the advertisement, it is possible to determine the game terminal to which each advertisement information is delivered according to the content of the advertisement.

The invention according to claim 4 is connectable to an advertisement requesting device for providing advertisement information via a communication line.
Alternatively, in the server described in 3, the receiving unit (for example, the advertisement information and the advertisement target condition) from the advertisement requesting device (for example, the advertisement client 4; the client terminal 4 shown in FIG. 1).
CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; advertisement registration process shown in FIG. 26)
The storage means stores the advertisement information received by the receiving means and the allocation condition in association with each other based on the advertisement target condition received by the receiving means (for example, in FIGS. 12 and 13). The advertisement table 166) is shown. Here, the advertisement target condition means a target condition for which it is desired to inform the content of the advertisement. For example, it includes conditions such as age condition, unmarried / married condition, family structure, and birthplace.

According to the invention described in claim 4, when the server receives the advertisement information and the advertisement target condition from the advertisement requesting terminal, the server determines the allocation condition corresponding to the advertisement information based on the received advertisement target condition. . Further, the advertisement information to be transmitted to the game terminal is specified based on the allocation condition and the personal information. Therefore, the server can transmit the corresponding advertisement information only to the game terminal having the personal information that matches the advertisement target condition. In other words, the advertisement can be distributed to a target according to the content of the advertisement. For example, age 30 or older is designated as the advertisement target condition X, and age 15 is assigned as the allocation condition.
If you set below age (allocation condition A), age between 15 and 25 (allocation condition B), and age above 25 (allocation condition C), advertisement information X corresponding to advertising target condition X Corresponds to allocation condition C. Then, the advertisement can be displayed by limiting the target to the advertisement such as transmitting the advertisement information X to the game terminal having the age value of 25 years or more in the personal information.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the server according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the advertising means displays the advertising information and questionnaire information related to the advertising information on a display screen of the game terminal. Answer receiving means (for example, CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; questionnaire accumulation process shown in FIG. 27) that transmits information to be integrally displayed on the game terminal to the game terminal and receives answer information to the questionnaire information from the game terminal. It is characterized by including.

According to the invention of claim 5, the server transmits information for displaying the questionnaire information together with the advertisement information on the display screen of the game terminal to the game terminal, and at the same time, the server sends the questionnaire. Receive answer information for. Therefore, it is possible to display not only the advertisement but also display a questionnaire and receive and analyze the viewer's liking for the placed advertisement and the opinion about the advertisement content.

Further, if the game terminal side receiving the advertisement information and the questionnaire information can easily answer the questionnaire displayed integrally with the advertisement information by a selection operation using a pointing device or the like, the advertisement displayed can be displayed. It is possible to receive in real time the opinions and impressions about, and to inform the advertiser of the live voice of the viewer.

The invention according to claim 6 is the server according to claim 5, wherein the answer information received by the answer receiving means is accumulated and the accumulation result is disclosed on a predetermined site (for example, FIG. 13). CPU 10 shown in FIG. 2; the public page management function 110 shown in FIG. 2 is provided.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the server accumulates the answers to the advertisement questionnaires and publishes them on the site. For example, if you aggregate the advertisements that have been returned with the most favorable answers among the responses to the questionnaire and post the aggregated results on the public page as "Advertisement ranking" etc., the advertisement will be heard by the listeners of the public page. Not only can it be appealed to the listener, but also the existence of the game executed by the server can be notified to the listener.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the server according to the fourth aspect, the advertising means integrally displays the advertising information and questionnaire information related to the advertising information on a display screen of the game terminal. Answer receiving means for transmitting information for the above to the game terminal and receiving answer information for the questionnaire information from the game terminal (for example,
The CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; the questionnaire storage process shown in FIG. 27) and the reply information received by the reply receiving unit are stored for each corresponding advertisement information, and the storage result is transmitted to the advertisement requesting device. And a response result transmitting unit (for example, the CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; the questionnaire result transmitting process shown in FIG. 28).

According to the invention described in claim 7, the server accumulates the answers to the advertisement questionnaire and transmits the accumulation result to the client of the advertisement. Therefore, it is possible to collect or accumulate the live voice of the listener for the advertisement and provide it to the advertisement client. At this time, if the advertisement information is narrowed down based on the personal information and the advertisement information is distributed to each game terminal, it is possible to provide the advertisement client with reliable information as a material for market research.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the server according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the game executing means associates the game terminal with a character appearing in the network game, and the game is executed. Image receiving means for executing a network game in which a corresponding character operates based on an operation instruction of the terminal and receiving image data transmitted from the game terminal (for example, CPU 10 and transmission control device 14 shown in FIG. 13; FIG. Step S38) of the character setting process shown in FIG. 22 and a generation unit that processes the image data received by the image reception unit and generates a character based on the processed image data (for example, CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; FIG. 22 of the character setting process shown in FIG. 22).

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the server receives the image data transmitted from the game terminal and generates a character based on the received image data. Therefore, the game participant can generate his / her own character and operate it in the virtual game hall.
Therefore, in a type game such as a network game in which a large number of participants share a virtual game space, each participant can exhibit his / her individuality through the character and enjoy his / her own unique way of enjoying.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the server according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the game execution means is at least two types of a network game for normal times and a network game for competitions. Event guide means for executing any of the network games and displaying the date and time when the game executing means executes the network game for the tournament on a predetermined site (for example, CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13; public page management function). 110).

According to the invention of claim 9, the server holds a competition in the network game. In this way, by displaying the tournament guide on the site (public page), it is possible to inform the existence of this game to attract many participants and to present an advertisement to many people.
Therefore, when taking a questionnaire for an advertisement, the answers of more viewers can be collected in real time.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the server according to the ninth aspect, the management means for managing the game terminal and the game record of the network game for the game terminal in association with each other (for example, the CPU 10 shown in FIG. 13). )
And a game record in the competition network game executed by the game executing device, which includes a granting device for granting a predetermined privilege to a game terminal satisfying a predetermined condition.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, the server gives a privilege to the game terminal whose game record satisfies a predetermined condition. By thus granting the privilege, it is expected that a person who desires the privilege will participate in the game, and the number of game participants can be further increased and a great advertising effect can be expected.

The invention according to claim 11 is connected to the server according to any one of claims 1 to 10 (for example, the game server 1 shown in FIG. 1) through a communication line (for example, the network 3 shown in FIG. 1). In a possible game terminal (for example, the terminal device 2 shown in FIG. 1), by performing data communication with the server, the predetermined network game (for example,
The terminal-side game executing means (for example, the CPU 20 shown in FIG. 29; the game process shown in FIG. 32) for executing the battle game in the present embodiment, and the terminal-side game when the advertisement information is received from the server. Display means (for example, CPU 2 shown in FIG. 29) for displaying the advertisement information regardless of the execution of the network game by the execution means.
0; Step S13 in the game process shown in FIG.
6) and are provided.

The invention according to claim 15 is connected to the server according to any one of claims 1 to 10 (for example, the game server 1 shown in FIG. 1) through a communication line (for example, the network 3 shown in FIG. 1). A program for realizing various functions of a possible game terminal (for example, the terminal device 2 shown in FIG. 1), the predetermined network game (for example, by performing data communication with the server to the game terminal). Functions for executing the battle game in the present embodiment (for example, the CPU 20 shown in FIG. 29; FIG. 3)
2), and a function for displaying the advertisement information when the advertisement information is received from the server (for example, CPU 20 shown in FIG. 29; step S136 in the game processing shown in FIG. 32), It is characterized by realizing.

According to the eleventh or fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the game terminal displays the image of the game based on the data transmitted from the server, and the game terminal transmits the image regardless of the execution of the network game. Display ads based on advertising information. Therefore, unlike the case of displaying an advertisement in one corner of the screen like a conventionally known banner advertisement, it is possible to surely make the viewer (game participant) recognize the advertisement.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a game terminal (connectable to the server according to the fifth aspect (for example, the game server 1 shown in FIG. 1)) via a communication line (for example, the network 3 shown in FIG. 1). For example, in the terminal device 2) shown in FIG. 1, a terminal-side game execution means (for example, FIG. 29) that executes the predetermined network game (for example, the battle game in the present embodiment) by performing data communication with the server. CPU 20 shown in FIG. 32; game processing shown in FIG. 32) and display means for displaying the advertisement information when the advertisement information is received from the server regardless of the execution of the network game by the terminal-side game execution means. For example, the CPU 20 shown in FIG. 29; step S136) in the game process shown in FIG. When the information is displayed, the answer information to the questionnaire information can be entered, and when the answer information is entered, the answer sending means that sends the entered answer information to the server (for example, shown in FIG. 29. C
PU20: Step S137 of the game process shown in FIG.
To S139) are included.

According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, the game terminal displays the advertisement based on the advertisement information received from the server, and when the answer to the questionnaire is input, generates the answer information. Send to server. Therefore, the game participants not only look at the advertisement displayed on the screen of the game terminal, but also respond to the displayed advertisement on the spot by inputting their opinions and impressions to the server. Can be sent.

The invention according to claim 13 is an advertisement requesting device connectable to the server according to claim 4 via a communication line, and comprises means for transmitting the advertisement target condition and the advertisement information in association with each other. It is characterized by

The invention described in claim 16 is a program for realizing various functions of an advertisement requesting device connectable to the server according to claim 4 via a communication line, and includes an advertisement target condition and advertisement information. It is characterized by realizing a function for associating and transmitting.

According to the thirteenth or sixteenth aspect of the invention, the advertisement requesting terminal sends the advertisement target condition in association with the advertisement information to the server. Therefore, it is possible to previously specify a person, an age group, or the like as an advertisement target, and to have the server distribute the advertisement information to the game participants who meet the specified advertisement target condition.

[0036]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the game server holds a network battle game (hereinafter, simply referred to as a battle game) on the network, and provides an environment in which general participants from children to adults can easily enjoy the battle game. At that time, an interval (break time) is set between the rounds of the battle game as in reality, and various advertisements are posted during the interval.

A general participant of the battle game enjoys the battle game by causing the character to be operated to fight in the same battle land as the character operated by another general participant to compete for a win or loss. At that time, the general participant determines the action of the character while looking at the image in the battleland based on the data received from the game server via the network, and sends an operation signal to the game server. On the other hand, the game server controls the entire battle game based on the operation signal received from the general participants.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connection form of the game server 1 and each terminal device 2-1 to 3 in this embodiment. According to the figure, the game server 1 and a plurality of terminal devices 2-1 to 2-1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the terminal device 2) are connected via a network 3. Game server 1
Publishes a page that guides the battle game and provides the battle game to the terminal device 2 that has registered as a member. There are various methods of executing the network game, but in the following, the game server 1 controls the battle game and performs the battleland image generation process based on the operation signal received from the terminal device 2, and each terminal device 2 Image data of Battleland is transmitted to. Each terminal device 2 transmits an operation signal to the game server 1 and sequentially receives image data of battle land for each frame (frame) from the game server 1 and displays it on the display screen.

When the game server 1 employs such a configuration that image data is generated and sequentially transmitted, it is preferable to use a communication system that enables high-speed network access. For example, digital subscriber line system (DSL: Digita)
l Subscriber Line), CATV, communication satellite, dedicated line, etc. may be adopted. Digital subscriber line systems include ADSL (Asymmetric DSL) and HDSL (High
speed DSL), SDSL (Single DSL), VDSL (Very hi
gh speed DSL).

Further, the terminal device 2 not only sends a character operation signal to the game server 1, but also sends personal information / questionnaire response data as shown in FIG. The personal information is transmitted from the terminal device 2 at the time of member registration, and the questionnaire response data is data of the answer to the questionnaire displayed integrally with the advertisement, which is transmitted from the terminal device 2 when the advertisement is posted. On the other hand, the game server 1 stores the received personal information and the terminal device 2 in association with each other, and delivers an advertisement corresponding to the personal information to the terminal device 2. For example, different advertisements are delivered according to the age of the general participants who participate in the battle game, or unique advertisements are distributed to general participants who have a specific hobby. Distribute information. Also,
The game server 1 accumulates the answer data to the questionnaire input from the terminal device 2, and provides the accumulated result to the advertiser.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing various functions of the game server 1. In the figure, the general participant means the terminal device 2
Of those who operate, means the person who participates in the battle game. Further, the advertisement client 4 means a person who requests the advertisement to be posted during the interval of the battle game. In addition,
Although the advertisement client 4 can request the advertisement by mail, facsimile, telephone, etc., in the following, the advertisement request is made by the client terminal 4 connected to the game server 1 via the network 3. The case will be described.

The member registration function 100 in FIG. 2 is a function for accepting registration of general participants via the network 3. The game server 1 obliges general participants who newly participate in the game to register as members. At that time, membership registration is performed on the admission page published on the network 3, and input of personal information is urged. Then, the personal information is registered in the personal information table 160. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the member registration function 100. As shown in the figure,
The general participant (terminal device 2) downloads the admission page 120. Then, when the general participant inputs personal information on the admission page 120, the terminal device 2 transmits the personal information to the game server 1. Upon receiving the personal information from the terminal device 2, the game server 1 issues a member ID and registers it in the personal information table 160 in association with the received personal information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an image of the enrollment page 120 displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 2. According to the figure, the membership page 120 displays various items such as name, address, telephone number, gender, age, and hobby, and a blank for inputting predetermined items is displayed to the right of each item. Has been done. The general participant inputs using the input means such as a keyboard and a mouse in the blank area. On the screen (in the window), operate the scroll bar 120a.
When the area displayed in is moved and all the items to be input are input, it is transmitted to the game server 1.

The game server 1 carries out registration authentication processing for those who wish to participate in the battle game. Upon receiving a signal from the terminal device 2 to participate in the battle game, the member verification page is transmitted to the terminal device 2.
The member collation page is a screen for prompting the user to input the member ID and password. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the member collation page 121 displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 2. According to the figure, the member verification page 121 displays a blank portion for inputting the member ID and password. When the applicant desires to input necessary items on the member collation page 121, the terminal device 2 transmits the member ID and the password to the game server 1. On the other hand, the game server 1 collates the received member ID and password with the data in the personal information table 160 to determine whether or not the participant wishing to participate is registered. If you have already registered, let the applicants participate in the battle game.

The battle center allocation function 101 is a function for automatically determining a battle application from a plurality of types of battle applications for a battle game to be played by general participants (terminal device 2). The game server 1 develops a battle game based on a plurality of battle applications at the same time, and determines a battle game to be participated by each general participant according to personal information.
That is, the general participant enjoys the battle game developed based on the battle application assigned by the game server 1, and also sees the advertisement posted in the assigned battle application. At this time, if a different advertisement is set to be displayed for each battle application, an advertisement according to personal information can be posted to general participants. That is, the advertisement can be distributed by narrowing down to the target to be presented.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of the battle center allocation function 101. As shown in the figure, the game server 1
The battle application to be assigned to the general participants is determined based on the assignment condition and personal information set for each battle application. For example, the allocation condition of the first battle application is age (under 14 years old), the allocation condition of the second battle application is age (14 years old and under 17 years old), and the allocation condition of the third battle application is age (17 years old and over 24 years old). (Under the age) and when the allocation condition of the fourth battle application is set to age (24 years or older), the game server 1 refers to the age included in the personal information and determines the allocation condition to which the age of the general participant belongs. Decide on the corresponding battle application. The game server 1 develops a battle game at the same time by each battle application.

The individual battle control function 102 controls the battle game based on the individual battle application, generates image data of each battle land and distributes it to the terminal device 2, and also for advertisement during the interval of the battle game. Is a function of delivering the image data of the above to the terminal device 2.
In addition, the game server 1 has an individual battle control function 102.
Based on the character control function 107 and the advertisement placement function 106. Below, the image data of the battle land which the game server 1 produces | generates by the individual battle control function 102 is called battle image data. Further, the image data displayed on the display screen of the terminal device 2 when the advertisement is posted (during the interval) is referred to as advertisement image data.

The character control function 107 is
It is a function of determining the action of the corresponding character and the position of the character in the battleland based on the operation signal received from the general participant. That is, in the individual battle control function 102, the character control function 10
The entire battle land is controlled based on the action and position of each character determined by 7. On the other hand, the advertisement placement function 106 is a function of reading the advertisement information that matches the allocation condition from the advertisement table 166. Here, the advertisement information includes image data for advertisement, data for displaying a questionnaire integrally with the advertisement, format data when a general participant sends a response to the questionnaire to the game server 1, and a plurality of pieces of data. Advertising ID for identifying the advertisement
And include.

The character control function 107
The advertisement placement function 106 and the advertisement placement function 106 function in their own modes, and the modes are allocated by the interval monitoring function 108. The character control function 107 functions in the battle mode, and the advertisement placement function 106 functions in the advertisement mode. The interval monitoring function 108 is a function for judging the progress of each battle game developed based on the battle application and switching between the battle mode and the advertisement mode.

Specifically, in the battle mode, the game server 1 judges the operation signal received from the plurality of terminal devices 2 by the character control function 107, and determines the motion of each character and the position in the battle land. decide. Then, when the motions and positions of all the characters are determined, the individual battle control function 102 controls the battle land for each battle application, generates battle image data depicting the inside of the battle land, and distributes the battle image data to each terminal device 2. . On the other hand, the interval monitoring function 108
When the battle mode is switched to the advertisement mode by, the advertisement placement function 106 reads the advertisement information for each battle application and distributes it to each terminal device 2.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an image example of the battle game displayed on the terminal device 2. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the image 130 for a display in a battle mode. According to the figure, on the screen of the terminal device 2, a display area 131 for displaying an image of Battleland in which general participants participate,
A display area 132 for displaying the physical strength parameters of the character controlled by the terminal device 2, a display area 133 for displaying detailed data such as the character's specialty and weaknesses, and a detailed data for the opponent's specialty and weaknesses. A display area 134 for displaying and a display area 135 for displaying the remaining time of the running round are displayed. That is, the terminal device 2
The battle image data received from the game server 1 is displayed in the display area 131, and physical strength parameters and detailed data of each character are displayed on the screen based on various data transmitted from the game server 1. General participants are
While referring to the contents displayed in the display areas 132 to 135, the character is operated by looking at the image of the battle land displayed in the display area 131. When the round in the battle game ends, the battle mode is switched to the advertisement mode, and the advertisement is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 2.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of the display image 140 in the advertisement mode. According to the figure, a display area 141 for displaying an advertisement is displayed on the screen of the terminal device 2.
And a display area 142 for taking a questionnaire is displayed. As shown in (b), in the advertisement mode, by changing to a screen different from the screen in the battle mode, the general participant is given the impression of a TV commercial. In the display area 142 for displaying the questionnaire, sentences such as "I will try to purchase this prize" 142a and "This CM is interesting" 142b are posted so that general participants can select with a pointing device or the like. To do. When any of the posted sentences is selected by a general participant, the terminal device 2 generates questionnaire response data based on the selection input and transmits it to the game server 1. In addition,
The questionnaire response data includes answer data to the questionnaire and an advertisement ID for identifying the advertisement.

The character / operation setting function 103 is a function for allowing a general participant to specify a character to be operated and an operation method. That is, the game server 1 presents a list of ready-made characters to general participants,
Specify the character to be adopted. Further, the method of operating the designated character is determined. Then, the selected character and the operation method are stored in association with the general participant and the terminal device 2. The game server 1
Transmits to the terminal device 2 the data of the character selection page and the operation setting page for allowing the general participant to specify the character and the operation method, and the data for specifying the format of the reply data.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the character selection page 150. According to the figure, on the character selection page 150, individual characters 150-1, 2, 3,
..., images, names, and features are posted. The general participant operates the scroll bar 151 to browse the selectable characters, and selects one from the displayed characters.
Select the character. For example, a character is designated by clicking an image of the character with a pointing device. Then, the terminal device 2 transmits the ID of the designated character to the game server 1.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the operation setting page 200. (A) is an example of a setting input screen 200a for inputting operation settings, and (b) is an example of an operation function panel 200b showing a list of operations. According to (a), "2 (↓)" and "4" are displayed on the setting input screen 200a.
Numeric keys such as (←) are displayed in a line, and a blank for inputting operation contents is displayed to the right of each key display. According to (b), the action function panel 200b displays a plurality of action contents that can be executed by the character, and general participants can view all the action contents by operating the scroll bar. The terminal device 2 has an operation setting page 20.
These two screens (windows) are simultaneously displayed on 0.
The general participant selects one action from the action contents displayed on the action function panel 200b, and inputs the selected action name in the position corresponding to the key display in the setting input screen 200a. For example, in the setting input screen 200a, "2
When "Strike", which is one of the items displayed on the motion function panel 200b, is input in the "(↓)" field, the input of "2" is associated with the character's striking motion.

The terminal device 2 performs an operation in which an operation signal corresponding to each key and an operation name (correctly, an operation ID) are associated with each other, based on an input by a general participant on the setting input screen 200a. Generate data according to the instructed format. Then, when the general participant inputs a transmission instruction, the generated operation data is transmitted to the game server 1.

The method of inputting the action name on the setting input screen 200a may be character input by the keyboard, but the operation may be further simplified. For example, when the general participant positions the cursor at a desired key display position and clicks the operation content displayed on the operation function panel 200b with a pointing device or the like, the terminal device 2 moves the cursor to the selected operation name. It may be set to automatically display in the blank part of the key where is placed.

FIG. 10 shows the character / operation setting function 10.
It is a conceptual diagram of 3. As shown in the figure, the terminal device 2 downloads the character selection page 150 and the operation setting page 200 from the game server 1 and displays them on the display screen. Send to 1. On the other hand, when the game server 1 receives the operation data and the character ID from the terminal device 2, the game server 1 generates a control ID.
Then, the received character ID is stored in the participant table 182 in association with the generated control ID, the terminal identification code of the terminal device 2, and the member ID of the general participant. Also, the received operation data is stored in the operation setting table 181 in association with the generated control ID.

The individual character acceptance function is a function of generating and registering a new character based on image data received from general participants, in addition to the pre-registered ready-made characters. For example, the game server 1 receives photographed image data from a general participant having a digital camera, and generates a personal character based on the received photographed image data. Then, the generated personal character is registered in the memory in association with the member ID of the general participant.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of the personal character acceptance function. As shown in the figure, a general participant downloads the personal character registration page 201, and transmits photographed image data 201a obtained by photographing a person's face to the game server 1. The game server 1 that has received the captured image data attaches (maps) the captured image data to the face portion of the character to generate a personal character, and registers the personal character in the personal character registration table 162 in association with the member ID. Although the generated personal character may be configured to be usable by anyone, in the present embodiment, the personal character corresponding only to the general participant having the member ID stored in the personal character registration table 162 is used. Shall be available.

The advertisement receiving function 105 is a function of registering advertisement information in the advertisement table 166 in response to a request from the advertisement client 4. The advertisement may be received in writing (postal / facsimile, etc.) or verbally (telephone, etc.), but may also be received via the network 3. 12
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of the advertisement reception function 105. As shown in the figure, the advertisement client 4 inputs request data to the advertisement reception page 202. For example, as request data, company name,
Enter the advertisement target, questionnaire content, image data for advertisement, etc. Here, the advertisement target means a target for advertisement content. For example, in the case of an advertisement of a luxury car, the age of 30 or over is designated as the advertisement target, and the advertisement client 4 designates the target of which the advertisement content is to be notified. Further, advertisement objects such as hobbies, sex, and family structure may be set as well as age. Figure 7 shows the contents of the questionnaire
Like the advertisement screen shown in (b), it is a matter to be surveyed by general participants (viewers) such as "I want to buy this product". When the required items are input by the advertisement client 4, the client terminal 4 generates request data based on the input required items and sends the request data to the game server 1.

Upon receiving the request data from the client terminal, the game server 1 generates an advertisement ID, the generated advertisement ID, advertisement image data, data for displaying a questionnaire screen, and the terminal device 2 Format data when the questionnaire response is sent to the game server 1,
The advertisement information including the is generated and stored in the advertisement table 166. As shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 12, the advertisement table 166 has an advertisement storage area read by each battle application. For example, the advertisement information to be posted in the first battle application is the first advertisement storage area 16
The advertisement information stored in 6-1 and posted in the second battle application is stored in the second advertisement storage area 166-2. The advertisement storage area in which the generated advertisement information is stored is determined based on the allocation condition and the advertisement target condition input by the advertisement client 4. For example, when the allocation condition is defined by the age range as in the above example, the allocation condition having the age range to which the age group designated as the advertisement target belongs is determined. Then, the advertisement information is stored in the advertisement storage area corresponding to the determined allocation condition.

When the advertisement client 4 requests the generation of the advertisement image data, the advertisement table 16 is generated by generating the advertisement image data according to the requested advertisement content.
Register at 6. At that time, the image data for advertisement may be generated by a worker's hand, or the game server 1 may automatically generate the image data for advertisement according to a predetermined format.

The questionnaire result providing function 109 is a function for accumulating answer data included in the questionnaire response data received from the general participants and providing it to the advertisement client 4. Specifically, when the game server 1 receives the questionnaire response data from the terminal device 2 in the advertisement mode, the answer data included in the questionnaire response data is accumulated and stored in association with the member ID. Then, when one regular day has passed, the accumulated answer data of the questionnaire (that is, the questionnaire result) is provided to the advertisement client 4. The method of providing the questionnaire result may be a method of printing on paper or the like and sending it to the advertisement client 4 by facsimile or mail, or a method of providing it by e-mail or the like.

Further, the game server 1 may analyze the result of the questionnaire. For example, when an advertisement of "candy" is posted for children under the age of 14, the response to the questionnaire is divided into graphs according to conditions other than age (for example, sex or address (region)). May be generated, or the table may be summarized according to the time period when the answer is received. Then, if necessary, the analysis result is sent to the advertising client 4
Send to. Alternatively, the questionnaire result may be posted on a public page so that anyone can see the trend of the advertisement.

The public page management function 110 is a function for managing pages to be published on the network 3. Specifically, the game server 1 has a top page and an admission page 1
In addition to 20, information pages, battle result disclosure pages, etc. are also disclosed on the network 3. here,
The information page is a page for posting the scheduled date and time of the national battle tournament, an outline of this battle game, introduction of ready-made characters, introduction of battle land (for example, type of tournament venue), and the like. The battle result disclosure page is a page that lists the winners of past battle competitions. The game server 1 updates and manages each page every predetermined period.

The configuration and operation of the game server 1 will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the game server 1. According to the figure, the game server 1 has a CPU 10
, Input device 11, display device 12, and transmission control device 1
4, the printing device 13, the storage device 15, and the recording medium 16
And a RAM 18, and each unit except the recording medium 16 is connected by a bus 19.

The CPU 10 temporarily stores a system program stored in the recording medium 16 and an application program designated from various application programs corresponding to the system in a program development area in the RAM 18. Then, various processes are executed in accordance with the application program stored in the recording medium 16 according to the input instruction or the input data input from the input device 11, the processing result is stored in the RAM 18, and the display device 12 is also provided as necessary. To display. In addition, the processing result stored in the RAM 18 is stored in the designated storage destination in the recording medium 16 according to the instruction input from the input device 11.

The input device 11 is a device that generates a signal based on an input operation by the administrator of the game server 1 and outputs the signal to the CPU 10. It should be noted that the input device 11 is generally an operation panel including a keyboard provided with cursor keys, numeral input keys, various function keys, buttons for designating directions and functions, or a pointing device such as a mouse, a tablet, a digitizer, or a trackball. Or a combination of these may be used.

The display device 12 is a device for displaying image data input or instructed by the CPU 10. The display device 12 includes a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display and a liquid crystal display, but any of them may be used.

The printing device 13 is a device for printing necessary data on paper or the like according to an instruction input from the CPU 10. It should be noted that the printing device 13 includes one using a printing method such as a thermal transfer type, an electrophotographic type, or an electrostatic type, but any printing method may be used. The printing device 13 executes, for example, a process of printing a questionnaire result, a process of printing a personal character, or the like in response to an input instruction from the CPU 10.

The transmission controller 14 is a modem (MODE).
M: MOdulator / DEModulator) or a terminal adapter (TA: Terminal Adapter)
It controls the communication with external devices via communication lines such as telephone lines and ISDN lines. The modem modulates the digital data processed by the CPU 10 into an analog signal in the frequency band of the telephone line and communicates with the external device such as the personal terminal device 2 via the telephone line. It is a device for demodulating an analog signal input via the digital signal into a digital signal. The terminal adapter is a device that converts into an existing interface in order to communicate with an external device such as the terminal device 2 via the ISDN line. In addition, digital subscriber line system and CA
When TV Internet, communication satellite, etc. are adopted, the transmission control device 14 is configured by a dedicated modem or adapter. For example, when using ADSL,
The transmission control device 14 is composed of an ADSL modem. When a communication satellite is used, the transmission control device 14 is composed of a general-purpose modem, an antenna and a dedicated expansion board.

The storage device 15 has a recording medium 16 in which programs, data and the like are stored in advance. The recording medium 16 is composed of a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium or a semiconductor memory. The recording medium 16 is fixedly provided in the storage device 15 or detachably mounted. In addition, the recording medium 16 is a personal information table 16
0, character table 161, individual character registration table 162, action table 163, event table 164, allocation condition table 165, advertisement table 16
6, a questionnaire storage table 167, and a program for implementing the various functions described with reference to FIG.

The personal information table 160 is data in a table format in which personal information received from the terminal device 2 is associated with a member ID. FIG. 14 shows the personal information table 160.
It is a figure which shows an example of the storage format of. According to the figure, in the personal information table 160 of the recording medium 16, the member ID, password, name, address, telephone number, sex, age, hobby,
Stores the family structure, etc.

The character table 161 is data in which various kinds of information of ready-made characters to be made to appear in the battle game are compiled in a table format. For example, in the character table 161, image information, property information, special skill information, etc. of each character are stored in association with the character ID. Further, the personal character registration table 162 stores various information of personal characters generated by general participants in a table format. For example, image information of each individual character (including image data received from general participants), property information, special skill information, etc. are stored in association with the member ID.

The action table 163 is data in a table format in which data required for each character to perform an action is associated with an action ID for each action. Specifically, the motion table 163 stores data for causing each character to execute the motion content displayed on the motion function panel 200b shown in FIG. 9B in association with the motion ID. For example, the motion data for causing the character to jump and the motion ID for distinguishing the motion of the jump from other motions are stored in association with each other.

The event table 164 is data in which the date and time, characteristics, prizes, etc. of the competition to be held are arranged in a table format. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the storage format of the event table 164. The recording medium 16 stores, as an event table 164, the event dates, event times, event names, prizes, main sponsor names, and the like in association with each other. According to the figure, the tournament name "XX bicycle cup" will be held from 20:00 on Sunday, April 16th. The prize for the winner is "Mountain Bike" and the main sponsor name is "○○ Bicycle". Event table 1
In 64, the scheduled tournament name is stored in association with the date and time of the event.

The allocation condition table 165 stores, in the advertisement table 166, when the CPU 10 of the game server 1 allocates the battle application based on the personal information of the general participants or the advertisement information received from the client terminal 4. This is the data to be read at that time. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the storage format of the allocation condition table 165. According to the figure, in the allocation condition table 165, the allocation conditions of the battle application, the address (or file name) 165-1 of each battle application, and the battle application ID 165-2 for identifying the individual battle application. Are stored in association with each other.

Advertising information is stored in the advertising table 166. However, in the advertisement table 166, as shown in FIG. 12, an advertisement storage area corresponding to each battle application is provided. For example, in the first advertisement storage area,
The advertisement information to be posted during the interval of the battle application is stored, and the advertisement information to be posted during the interval of the second battle application is stored in the second advertisement storage area .... Then, when the CPU 10 executes the process of the battle game based on each battle application,
The advertisement information is read from the advertisement storage area corresponding to the battle application to be executed. FIG. 17 shows the advertisement table 1
It is a figure which shows an example of the storage format of the 1st advertisement storage area 166a in 66. According to the figure, m pieces of advertisement information are stored in the first advertisement storage area 166a in association with the advertisement ID. Further, the first advertisement storage area 166a is provided with a battle application ID for distinguishing it from other advertisement storage areas.

The questionnaire storage table 167 is data in a table format in which the response data included in the questionnaire response data received from the terminal device 2 is associated with the member ID, and is stored in the recording medium 16 divided for each advertisement. It
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a questionnaire storage table 167 for confectionery advertisements. According to the figure, in the questionnaire storage table 167, the advertisement ID, the name of the advertisement client 4, the advertisement content, the advertisement target, various data such as the address of the advertisement client 4, the telephone number, etc. The accumulated answer data is stored in association with the member ID of the general participant who sent the answer data. As described above, in the questionnaire storage table 167, detailed data of the advertisement client 4, reply data to the questionnaire, and member IDs of the general participants who have sent the answers are stored in association with each other, and analysis regarding the answers to the questionnaire is performed. And make it easy to analyze.

Further, the recording medium 16 includes, in addition to each table and data, a battle application 168 (consisting of a first battle application, a second battle application, ...) For the CPU 10 to execute each battle game. 2, a member registration program 169 for realizing the member registration function 100 shown in FIG. 2, a registration judgment program 170 for judging whether or not a general participant is registered, and a battle game allocation for realizing the battle center allocation function 101. To realize the program 171, the character setting program 172 for realizing the character / operation setting function 103 and the individual character registration function 104, the mode switching program 173 for realizing the interval monitoring function 108, and the advertisement posting function 106. Advertising program 74, an advertisement registration program 175 for realizing the advertisement receiving function 105, a questionnaire accumulation program 176 for realizing the questionnaire result providing function 109, and a questionnaire result for transmitting the accumulated questionnaire results to the advertisement client 4. Transmission program 17
7 and are stored. Each program is stored in the recording medium 16 in the form of a program code that can be read by the CPU 10, and can also be transmitted to an external device in the form of a program code via a transmission medium such as a network line.

Note that some or all of the programs, data, etc. stored in the recording medium 16 are transmitted from another device to the transmission control device 14 via a transmission medium such as a network line.
It may be received by. For example, the game server 1 may be connected to a predetermined external device via the network 3, the program data may be received from the external device at any time, and the program data stored in the recording medium 16 may be updated at any time. Alternatively, the recording medium 16 may be the recording medium 16 of the host terminal device 2 that manages the plurality of game servers 1. Further, each program / data may be installed from another device connected via the network 3.

A RAM (Random Access Memory) 18 is
The CPU 10 has a program development area which is developed when the program is processed by the CPU 10, a work area which temporarily stores input instructions and input data, and various processing results. Also, RA
The M18 has a battle processing area for executing game processing for each battle application. That is, when four battle applications can be executed, four battle processing areas are held. According to FIG. 12, each processing area is held in the RAM 18 such as the first battle processing area 180a, the second battle processing area 180b, .... Then, at least the operation setting table 181 and the participant table 182 are stored in each battle processing area.

As shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 10, the operation setting table 181 is the operation data (motion table 16) received from the terminal device 2 at the time of the operation setting of the character.
3 is data in a table format in which operation IDs stored in 3 and combination data of operation signals) and control IDs generated at the time of operation setting are associated with each other. That is, CP
Upon receiving the operation data from the terminal device 2, the U10 generates a control ID and additionally stores it in the operation setting table 181 in the RAM 18 in association with the received operation data.

As shown in the conceptual diagram of FIG. 10, the participant table 182 includes the character ID received from the terminal device 2 when the character is selected, the terminal identification code of the terminal device 2, and the member ID of the general participant. , And the generated control ID in the table format. That is, when the character ID is received from the terminal device 2 at the time of character selection, the CPU 10 associates a predetermined item with the character ID, and the participant table 182 in the RAM 18 is associated.
It is additionally stored in.

The operation setting table 181 and the participant table 182 are stored in the CPU 1 during execution of the battle game.
0 is a table to be read. That is, when the CPU 10 is executing the battle game, each table is referred to when determining which operation of which character the operation signal received from the terminal device 2 indicates. In addition,
For general participants who only want to watch the battle game, without creating a control ID, participant table 1
Only the terminal identification code and the member ID of the terminal device 2 are stored in 82.

C of the game server 1 in this embodiment
The PU 10 develops a battle game in accordance with an operation signal received from the terminal device 2 to generate image data, and also executes processing for displaying an advertisement during an interval of the battle game. In detail, registration determination processing, member registration processing, battle game allocation processing, character selection processing, mode switching processing, advertisement placement processing, advertisement registration processing, questionnaire accumulation processing, questionnaire result transmission processing, etc. are executed.
Various processes will be described below.

The member registration process is a process corresponding to the member registration function 100 described with reference to FIG.
Is a process of registering the personal information input from the terminal device 2 in the personal information table 160 in association with the member ID.
Note that the CPU 10 executes the member registration program 1
69, the transmission control device 14, the storage device 15, the RA
It is realized by controlling M18.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart for explaining the member registration process. According to the figure, when the CPU 10 receives a signal requesting page data of the admission page 120 from the terminal device 2, the CPU 10 instructs the transmission control device 14 to enter the admission page 120.
And outputs the page data to the corresponding terminal device 2 (step S1). Next, when the personal information is received from the terminal device 2 (step S2), the presence / absence of input of essential items is determined (step S3). If the essential items are not included, an error screen is transmitted to the corresponding terminal device 2 (step S4), and the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, when the essential items are included, the member ID is issued (step S5), and the personal information received in step S2 is associated with the issued member ID to make the personal information table 160.
(Step S6). When the registration is completed, the registration completion page is transmitted (step S7), and after the elapse of a certain time, the page data of the top page is further transmitted (step S8), and this processing is terminated.

The registration determination process is a process of determining whether the member ID and password received from the terminal device 2 are correct. Specifically, when the member ID and the password are received from the terminal device 2 that has accessed the top page of this battle game, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the registration is performed. This processing is performed by the CPU 10 based on the registration determination program 170.
Is a process realized by controlling the transmission control device 14, the storage device 15, and the RAM 18.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart for explaining the registration judgment processing. According to the figure, when the CPU 10 receives a signal requesting page data of the member verification page 121 from the terminal device 2, the CPU 10 outputs the page data of the member verification page 121 to the transmission control device 14 and outputs the corresponding terminal device 2.
To be transmitted (step S10). Next, the terminal device 2
When the member ID and the password are received from (step S11), the personal information matching the received member ID is retrieved from the personal information table 160 (step S1).
2) The presence / absence of personal information having a member ID that matches the received member ID is determined (step S13). If there is no matching member ID, an error screen is transmitted to the corresponding terminal device 2 and the top page data is further transmitted after a certain time has elapsed (step S14).
This process ends.

On the other hand, in step S13, if the personal information matching the received member ID exists in the personal information table 160, the personal information is read out, and the password included in the personal information and step S11 are read.
Compare with the password received at (step S1
5) Determine whether the two passwords are the same (step S)
16). If both passwords do not match, an error screen is sent to the corresponding terminal device 2 and
After the elapse of a certain period of time, the top page data is further transmitted (step S14), and this processing ends. Step S1
If both passwords match in step 6, the process proceeds to the battle game allocation process (step S17), and this process ends.

The battle game allocation process is a process for determining a battle application to be allocated to the terminal device 2, and is a process corresponding to the battle center allocation function 101 shown in FIG. In the battle game allocation process, R
Generate a participant table 182 to be stored in AM18,
Store in the storage area corresponding to the assigned battle application. Note that the battle game allocation process is executed only for the terminal device 2 determined to have been registered by the registration determination process. The CPU 10 also controls the transmission control device 14 and the storage device 1 based on the battle game allocation program 171.
5. This process is realized by controlling the RAM 18.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart for explaining the battle game allocation process. According to the figure, the CPU 10 of the game server 1 reads the allocation condition table 165,
The personal information corresponding to the member ID input in the registration determination process is compared (step S20). Allocation conditions that match the items included in the personal information are determined, and the battle application is determined (step S21). Then, the battle processing area corresponding to the determined battle application is selected from the RAM 18 (step S22), and the terminal identification code of the terminal device 2 and the member ID determined by the registration determination processing are used as the participant table 182 in the battle processing area. (Step S23). Furthermore, for the terminal device 2,
Data of a participation presence / absence selection screen for allowing a general participant to select presence / absence of participation in a battle is transmitted (step S24), and the presence or absence of battle participation is determined by the general participant (step S25).
When receiving the signal to participate in the battle from the terminal device 2, the terminal device 2 is set to the participation mode, data of various setting pages is transmitted to the terminal device 2 (step S26), and the present process is ended. On the other hand, when the signal not to participate in the battle is received, the terminal device 2 is set to the watching mode, the process is shifted to the process stage based on the battle application (step S27), and the process is finished. Here, the watching mode is a mode in which image data and the like generated by the assigned battle application are transmitted, but operation signals received from the terminal device 2 are not accepted.

The above member registration processing, registration determination processing, and battle game allocation processing are performed by the game server 1 for all terminal devices 2 that have accessed the top page of this battle game.
Is a process executed by the CPU 10. On the other hand, after allocating the battle application to each terminal device 2 by the battle game allocation process, the CPU 10 performs various data communication with the terminal device 2 for each battle application 168. Each battle application 168 includes a program for executing game control processing for executing a battle game, a character setting program 172,
Mode switching program 173, advertising program 17
A program for causing the game server 1 to function based on the processing results of various programs such as 4.
The process described below is performed by the battle application 168.
This is a process executed by the CPU 10 every time.

The character setting process is a process for associating the terminal identification code of the terminal device 2 participating in the battle game and the member ID of the general participant with the character appearing in the game space. Further, in the character setting process, a process of generating an individual character is executed in response to a request from general participants. The CPU 10 realizes the character setting process by controlling the transmission control device 14, the storage device 15, and the RAM 18 based on the character setting program 172 stored in the recording medium 16.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart for explaining the character setting process. According to the figure, the CPU 10
The page data of various setting pages is transmitted to the terminal device 2 (step S30). The setting pages are selection screens as shown in FIG. 23, and are for the general participant to select whether to use a ready-made character, to use a personal character registered in advance, or to newly generate a personal character. Is a screen of. The CPU 10 determines the signal received from the terminal device 2 (step S31), and when the instruction to use the ready-made character is received (step S31).
32), the data of the character selection page 150 as shown in FIG. 8 is transmitted to the terminal device 2 (step S).
33). When the character ID is received from the terminal device 2 (step S34), the process proceeds to step S41.

Further, the CPU 10 issues an instruction to use the personal character registered in step S31 to the terminal device 2
If it is received from (step S35), the character ID of the individual character corresponding to the member ID is read from the individual character registration table 162 (step S3).
6) and the process proceeds to step S41. Also, the CPU 10
Is received from the terminal device 2 in step S31 (step S3).
7), a personal character is generated based on the captured image data received from the terminal device 2 (step S38). Then, the character ID is generated (step S39), the character ID is determined, and the generated character ID and the various pieces of character information are registered in the personal character registration table 162 in association with the member ID (step S4).
0), the process proceeds to step S41.

After determining the character ID, the CPU 10 transmits the page data of the operation setting page 200 as shown in FIG. 9 to the terminal device 2 (step S4).
1). Then, when receiving the operation data in which the correspondence between the operation signal and the operation function is attached from the terminal device 2 (step S42), the CPU 10 generates a control ID (step S43). Then, the received operation data and the generated control ID are stored in the operation setting table 181 in association with each other, and the character I is stored in the participant table 182 corresponding to the terminal identification code of the terminal device 2.
The D and control IDs are stored (step S44), the process proceeds to the processing stage based on the corresponding battle application (step S45), and this process is terminated.

The mode switching process is a process for switching between the battle mode and the advertisement mode in each battle game. That is, this is a process for displaying an advertisement between each round in the battle game. The CPU 10 stores the storage device 15 and the RAM 1 based on the mode switching program 173 stored in the recording medium 16.
The mode switching process is realized by controlling the control unit 8. In the following, assuming that the total number of battle rounds is n, s advertisements are posted per one interval.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart for explaining the mode switching process. According to the figure, C of the game server 1
The PU 10 first sets the variable i to 1 (step S5
0), the battle mode is set (step S51). Then, the game control process of the i-th round is executed (step S52). That is, the CPU 10 performs an operation input from each terminal device 2 based on each terminal identification code, character ID, control ID stored in the participant table 182 storage area in the RAM 18, and the character table 161 and control table. It is determined which character the signal corresponds to and which motion the signal corresponds to. Then, the action of each character and the position in the game space are determined, image data is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 2.

Further, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the i-th round has ended (step S53), and if it has not ended, the process returns to step S52. When the i-th round is completed, the CPU 10 determines whether i is n + 1 or more (step S54). When i ≧ n + 1, the image data of the end of the game is generated and transmitted to the terminal device 2 (step S55). In step S54, i <n
In the case of +1, the battle mode is changed to the advertisement mode (step S56), and the advertisement is displayed. At that time, CP
U10 sets the variable k to 1 (step S57). Then, the advertisement placement process is executed to place one advertisement (step S58). Next, it is determined whether or not k = s (step S59), and if k ≠ s, 1 is added to k (step S60), the process returns to step S58, and the advertising process is executed again. On the other hand, if k = s, 1 is added to i (step S61), the process returns to step S51, and i ≧ n + 1
Repeat until the condition of is satisfied.

The advertisement placement process is a process of placing an advertisement during the interval of the battle game, that is, in the advertisement mode, and is executed by the CPU 10 based on the advertisement placement program 174 stored in the recording medium 16. As shown in FIG. 17, an advertisement listing process when m pieces of advertisement information are stored in the advertisement storage area 166a of the advertisement table 166 will be described as an example. The variable j used below is a variable indicating the order in which the advertisement information in the advertisement table 166 is stored, and the value is stored in the RAM 18.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart for explaining the advertisement placement process. According to the figure, the CPU 10 first
It is determined whether or not the variable j> m (step S70). j>
If m, j is set to 1 (step S71). If j ≦ m, the jth advertisement information in the advertisement table 166 is transmitted (step S72). At this time, when the advertisement information stored in the advertisement storage area is moving image data, the advertisement image data of each frame included in the advertisement information is sequentially transmitted to each terminal device 2, and all the frames are transmitted. The image data for advertisement of is transmitted. Then, 1 is added to j (step S
73) This process ends.

The above is the processing executed by the CPU 10 based on each battle application. The CPU 10
Sets a battle game based on each battle application at any time, but sets the battle game to start in accordance with the competition holding date and time stored in the event table 164. For example, the end time of the battle game to be executed is predicted (calculated), and if the end time exceeds the date and time of the event displayed in the event table 164, the battle game is set not to start. By the time the tournament starts, the name and time of the upcoming tournament will be posted and advertisements will be displayed.

Further, the CPU 10 executes not only the processing relating to the battle game but also the processing of registering new advertisement information in the advertisement table 166 in response to the advertisement placement request from the advertisement client 4, that is, the advertisement registration processing. . This advertisement registration processing corresponds to the advertisement reception function 105 described with reference to FIG. 2, and the CPU 10 uses the advertisement registration program 175 stored in the recording medium 16 based on the transmission control device 14, the storage device 15, and the RAM 18. It is realized by controlling the etc.

FIG. 26 is a flow chart for explaining the advertisement registration processing. In the figure, the CPU 10 outputs the page data of the advertisement reception page 202 to the transmission control device 14 in response to a request from the terminal device 2 and causes it to be transmitted to the terminal device 2 (step S80). Then, when the request data including necessary items such as the company name and the advertisement target is received from the terminal device 2 operated by the advertisement client 4 (step S8).
1) The advertisement ID is generated (step S82). Also,
The allocation condition table 165 is read to specify the allocation condition that applies to the requested condition, and the battle application ID corresponding to the specified allocation condition is read (step S83). Then, the advertisement information is generated from the received image data for advertisement and the data for taking the questionnaire, and is stored in the advertisement storage area corresponding to the battle application ID in association with the generated advertisement ID (step S84). Further, the CPU 10 generates the questionnaire accumulation table 167 as shown in FIG. 18 based on the received request data (step S85). That is, the data in which the details such as the advertisement ID, the name of the client, the advertisement target, and the advertisement content are summarized in a table format is generated. And
The generated questionnaire accumulation table 167 is stored in the recording medium 16 and this processing is ended.

The questionnaire accumulation process is a process of accumulating the answer data of the questionnaire received from the terminal device 2 in the advertisement mode in the questionnaire accumulation table 167. The questionnaire accumulation process is a process executed when the advertisement mode is entered in the mode switching process. Also,
The CPU 10 realizes this processing by controlling the transmission control device 14, the storage device 15, and the RAM 18 based on the questionnaire accumulation program 176 stored in the recording medium 16.

FIG. 27 is a flow chart for explaining the questionnaire accumulation process. In the figure, the CPU 10
When the advertisement mode is set in the mode switching process (step S90), the reception of the questionnaire response data is awaited (steps S91 and S95). When the questionnaire response data is received (step S91), the advertisement ID included in the received questionnaire response data is determined (step S9).
2). In addition, the terminal identification code of the terminal device 2 of the transmission source is determined, and the participant table 182 stored in the RAM 18 is stored.
And the member ID is determined (step S93). The corresponding questionnaire storage table 167 is read from the recording medium 16. Then, the response data included in the received questionnaire response data and the member ID are stored in association with each other in the questionnaire storage table 167 read out (step S94). Further, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the battle game is in the advertisement mode (step S95), returns to step S91 if it is the advertisement mode, and ends this processing if the battle mode is switched.

The questionnaire result transmission process is a process of transmitting the questionnaire result data accumulated in the questionnaire accumulation process to the advertisement client 4. The CPU 10 uses the questionnaire result transmission program 17 stored in the recording medium 16.
7, the transmission control device 14, the storage device 15, the RAM
This process is realized by controlling 18. The following process is a process performed for each requested advertisement.

FIG. 28 is a flow chart for explaining the questionnaire result transmission process. In the figure, the CPU 10
Executes advertisement registration processing (step S100), registers advertisement information of the requested advertisement in the advertisement table 166, generates a questionnaire accumulation table 167, and stores it in the recording medium 16. Further, the CPU 10 records the registration date and time of the advertisement information (step S101). When the registration date and time of the advertisement information is recorded, the questionnaire accumulation process is executed (step S102). That is, the processing of recording the response data received from the terminal device 2 in the questionnaire storage table 167 in association with the member ID is executed. Then, it is determined whether or not a certain date and time has elapsed from the registration date and time of the advertisement information (step S103). If the certain time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S102 and the questionnaire accumulation process is executed. On the other hand, when a certain date and time has passed in step S103, the questionnaire results are summarized, and when the questionnaire result data is generated, the questionnaire result data is transmitted to the corresponding client terminal 4 (step S104), and this processing is ended.

As a method of providing the data accumulated by the questionnaire accumulation process to the advertisement client 4, for example, the questionnaire result may be transmitted to the advertisement client 4 by e-mail, or the questionnaire result is announced. It may be disclosed on a dedicated page. Alternatively, the questionnaire result may be printed by the printing device 13 and sent by mail or facsimile.

Note that the method of providing the questionnaire results accumulated by the questionnaire accumulation process to the advertisement client 4 is limited to the method of collectively transmitting the questionnaire results within a certain period to the client terminal 4 as described above. do not have to. For example, the questionnaire results may be published on a dedicated page, or the questionnaire results may be printed by the printing device 13 and sent by mail or facsimile. When the questionnaire results are published on the network 3, they may be published in a ranking format such as “Popular CM of the month”. At that time, the CPU 10 reads the questionnaire accumulation table 167 of each advertisement to calculate the questionnaire collection rate, calculates the number of popular responses, and makes a relative comparison. An advertisement with a high questionnaire collection rate is displayed as a commercial with a high degree of attention (good or bad), and an advertisement with a high number of popular responses is displayed as a highly popular CM (or product). More specifically, the CPU 10 generates public page data related to the analysis result and makes it available for download by an external device.

Further, when transmitting the questionnaire results to the advertisement client 4, various analyzes may be performed on the accumulated answer data, and the results may be transmitted to the advertisement client 4. For example, when the advertisement target is designated by age, analysis is performed according to conditions other than age, such as sex, address, and family structure. At that time, the CPU 10 reads the member ID stored in the questionnaire storage table 167 in association with the response data, and further reads the personal information corresponding to the member ID. Then, analysis such as taking statistics is performed based on various information stored in the personal information.

Further, the CPU 10 carries out a process of managing a page for posting event information such as a tournament of a battle game. Specifically, the CPU 10 uses the event table 1
Generate page data based on the information stored in 64,
Make the external device ready for download. At that time, C
The PU 10 updates the content of the public page stored in the event table 164 according to the presence / absence of execution of the competition and the passage of time. That is, the process of sequentially updating the information of the upcoming tournament is executed. The information such as the tournament name, the sponsor name, and the prizes stored in the event table 164 may be updated by the administrator of the game server 1, or the difference upload may be performed according to the data received from the external device. You may allow it.

The protocol for data communication between the game server 1, the terminal device 2 and the client terminal 4 is as follows:
It is advisable to adopt the TCP / IP protocol, that is, the communication protocol for realizing the Internet. However, it goes without saying that the communication based on a dedicated communication protocol may be performed using a dedicated network line whether wired or wireless. Alternatively, the communication method may be switched according to the content of data transmitted / received to / from the terminal device 2. For example, the top page and membership page 120,
Regarding the public page and the like, data is transferred from the game server 1 to the terminal device 2 based on the TCP / IP protocol. On the other hand, for the data generated by each battle application, switch to execute data transfer based on a dedicated communication protocol using a dedicated network line, and set it so that a large amount of data can be transmitted and received at high speed and flexibility. May be.

The configuration and operation of the terminal device 2 will be described.
FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 2. According to the figure, the terminal device 2 includes a CPU 20 and an input device 2
1, a display device 22, an imaging device 23, a transmission control device 24, a RAM 27, a storage device 25, and a recording medium 26.
And a recording medium 26. Each unit except the recording medium 26 is connected by a bus 28.

The CPU 20 temporarily stores the system program stored in the recording medium 26 and the application program designated from the various application programs corresponding to the system in the program development area in the RAM 27. Then, according to an input instruction or input data input from the input device 21, various processes are executed according to the application program stored in the recording medium 26, the processing results are stored in the RAM 27, and the display device 22 is also provided as necessary. To display. Further, the processing result stored in the RAM 27 is saved in the specified save destination in the recording medium 26 in accordance with the instruction input from the input device 21.

The input device 21 is a device for generating a signal based on an input operation of a general participant and outputting it to the CPU 20. It should be noted that the input device 21 is generally an operation panel including a keyboard provided with cursor keys, numeral input keys, various function keys, buttons for instructing directions and functions, or a pointing device such as a mouse, a tablet, a digitizer, or a trackball. Or may be configured by a combination thereof.

The display device 22 is a device for displaying image data instructed by the CPU 20 on the screen. The display device 22 includes a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display and a liquid crystal display, but any of them may be used.

The image pickup device 23 has a function of converting the optical information incident on the lens by a CCD (semiconductor element) into an electric signal to generate image data, and transmits the generated image data to the CPU 20. The imaging device 23 may be integrated in the housing of the terminal device 2, or may have a housing independent of the terminal device 2. When the imaging device 23 has a housing independent of the terminal device 2, the image data generated by using the connecting means for connecting to the main body of the terminal device 2 is transmitted to the CPU 20. In addition, as a connection means, a dedicated cable or a PC
There are card adapters, PC card readers, CF card readers, and the like, and those adapted to the type and standard of the CCD camera and the terminal device 2 are adopted.

The transmission controller 24 is a modem (MODE).
M: MOdulator / DEModulator) or a terminal adapter (TA: Terminal Adapter)
It controls the communication with external devices via communication lines such as telephone lines and ISDN lines. The modem modulates the digital data processed by the CPU 20 into an analog signal in the frequency band of the telephone line and communicates with the telephone line in order to communicate with an external device such as a personal terminal device via the telephone line. It is a device that demodulates an analog signal input via the digital signal. The terminal adapter is a device that converts into an existing interface in order to communicate with an external device such as the personal terminal device 2 via the ISDN line. When the digital subscriber line system, CATV Internet, communication satellite, etc. are adopted, the transmission control device 24 is configured by a dedicated modem or adapter. For example, when ADSL is adopted, the transmission control device 24 is composed of an ADSL modem. When a communication satellite is adopted, the transmission control device 24 is configured by a general-purpose modem, an antenna for receiving a data signal from the satellite, a dedicated expansion board, and the like.

The storage device 25 has a recording medium 26 in which programs, data, etc. which can be read by the CPU 20 are recorded in advance. The recording medium 26 is composed of a magnetic or optical recording medium 26 or a semiconductor memory. Has been done.
The recording medium 26 includes a portable medium such as a CD-ROM and an FD and a fixed medium such as a hard disk.
Also, the programs and data recorded on the recording medium 26 are
A part or all of it may be configured to be received from another device via a transmission medium such as a network line from the transmission control device 24 and stored. For example, necessary programs and data may be appropriately received from the game server 1, and the CPU 20 may execute various processes according to the received programs and data.

The recording medium 26 also includes a public page display program 260, a game display program 261, a data transfer program 261, and a game processing program 2.
63 and 63 are stored. Here, the public page display program 260 is a program used when the terminal device 2 receives page data from the game server 1 and displays a page on the display screen. For example, when the game server 1 publishes various pages on the Internet, the terminal device 2 uses the HTT as the public page display program 260.
A web browser for accessing the game server 1 by the P protocol to receive a file, decoding the hypertext described in HTML and displaying it on the display device 22 is stored. In addition, the game display program 26
1 is a program for displaying an image as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B on the display device 22 in accordance with the data received from the game server 1 during the execution of the battle game.

The data transfer program 261 is a program for realizing data transmission / reception with the game server 1 via the network 3. For example, when the game server 1 publishes various pages on the Internet, it stores a program for realizing data communication with the game server 1 via the network 3 according to the TCP / IP protocol. The game processing program 263 is a program for executing communication with the game server 1 during execution of a battle game, and the input device 2.
The program includes a program for transmitting a signal input from 1 to the game server 1 in a predetermined format.
Each program stored in the recording medium 26 is a CP
It is stored in the form of program code readable by U20.

The game display program 261 and the game processing program 263 recorded in the recording medium 26 register personal information in the game server 1 and then the game server 1
It may be downloaded from the CD-RO.
The format may be such that the recording medium 26 such as M is installed in the hard disk. Alternatively, the program code may be received from an external device via a transmission medium such as a network line and executed by the CPU 20.
Alternatively, the program code may be transmitted to an external device via a network line or a dedicated cable.

The RAM 27 has a program development area developed when the CPU 20 processes a program, a work area for temporarily storing input instructions and input data, and various processing results. In the RAM 27, the CPU 20 performs data transfer processing and game processing based on the public page display program 260, the game display program 261, the data transfer program 261, and the game processing program 263.
It has a battle game processing area 270 for realizing image data transmission processing.

The CPU 20 of the terminal device 2 causes the display device 22 to display the image data received from the game server 1, and sends a signal input from the input device 21 to the game server 1 via the transmission control device 24. Executes processing such as sending. Specifically, the CPU 20 downloads various pages published by the game server 1, displays them on the display screen, and transmits an input signal from a general participant to the game server 1 (data transmission process). A process of transmitting input captured image data to the game server 1 (image data transmission process), an image is displayed on the display screen based on the data received from the game server 1 during execution of the battle game, and A process of transmitting an input instruction to the game server 1 (game process) or the like is executed.

The data transmission process is a process performed by the terminal device 2 when the game server 1 executes the member registration process (FIG. 19), the registration determination process (FIG. 20), and the character setting process (FIG. 22). is there. The CPU 20 realizes the data transmission process by controlling the transmission control device 24, the recording medium 26, and the RAM 27 based on the public page display program 260 and the data transfer program 261 stored in the recording medium 26.

FIG. 30 is a flow chart for explaining the data transmission process. According to the figure, the transmission control device 24 of the terminal device 2 receives the page data from the game server 1 (step S110). In addition, in the page data,
In addition to text data and image data to be displayed on the display screen, format data or programs for transmitting various inputs from the input device 21 are included. Then, the CPU 20 generates display image data to be displayed on the display screen based on the received data, and displays it on the display device 22 (step S111). In addition, data for transmission is generated according to the input signal from the input device 21 (step S112). At that time, the game server 1
The data for transmission is generated according to the format specified by. Further, the CPU 20 waits for a transmission instruction input from the input device 21 (step S113), and if not instructed, waits for a data transmission instruction in step S112. On the other hand, when the transmission instruction is input, the generated transmission data is output to the transmission control device 24 to be transmitted to the game server 1 (step S114), and this processing is ended.

The image data transmission process is a process performed by the terminal device 2 when the game server 1 executes the process for generating an individual character (FIG. 22). Image data transmission processing is realized by controlling the transmission control device 24, the recording medium 26, and the RAM 27 based on the public page display program 260 and the data transfer program 261 stored in the recording medium 26.

FIG. 31 is a flow chart for explaining the image data transmission processing. According to the figure, the transmission control device 2
4 is a personal character registration page 2 from the game server 1
The data of 01 is received (step S120). CPU
Based on the received data, the 20 outputs the personal character registration page 201 to the display device 22 for display (step S121), and waits for the input of image data from the imaging device 23 (step S122). Then, it is determined whether or not a transmission instruction is input from the input device 21 (step S123), and when the transmission instruction is not input (that is, when cancel is selected), this processing is ended. On the other hand, when the transmission instruction is input, the image data in a predetermined format is output to the transmission control device 24 to be transmitted to the game server 1 (step S124), and this processing is ended.

The game process is a process performed by the terminal device 2 when the game server 1 executes the game control process, the mode switching process (FIG. 24), and the advertisement placement process (FIG. 25). The CPU 20 controls the game display program 261 and the game processing program 2 stored in the recording medium 26.
63, the transmission control device 24, the recording medium 26, the RA
The game process is realized by controlling M27.

It should be noted that the CPU 20 is based on the game data received from the game server 1 and shown in FIGS.
Display image data generation processing for displaying an image as shown in is executed. For example, in battle mode,
From the game server 1, battle image data depicting a battle land, remaining time data, physical strength parameters, and the like are received. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7A, the CPU 20 displays the battle image data in the display area 131, displays the remaining time in the display area 135 in a predetermined font and size, and displays the physical strength display bar 132 in the physical strength parameter. The display image data is generated so as to be displayed at the position based on the value of. In the advertisement mode, the game server 1
The image data for advertisement and the data for displaying the questionnaire are received from. Therefore, the CPU 20 is
As shown in (b), the advertisement image data is displayed in the upper part of the screen, and the questionnaire is displayed in the lower part of the screen.
Image data for display is generated.

FIG. 32 is a flow chart for explaining the game processing. According to the figure, the transmission control device 24 of the terminal device 2 receives the game data from the game server 1 (step S130). In addition to the data for generating the display image data, the game data includes data for determining the battle mode and the advertisement mode, a signal input from the input device 21 as an operation signal, or
The questionnaire response data includes format data or a program to be transmitted to the game server 1. Also, in the advertisement mode, an advertisement ID for identifying the advertisement to be displayed is included. The terminal device 2 determines the mode based on the data included in the game data (step S131). In the battle mode, display image data for executing the battle game is generated based on the data included in the game data and is displayed on the display device 22 (step S132). And
Waiting for input from the input device 21 (step S13
3) If there is no input, this process ends. On the other hand, if there is an input, an operation signal is generated (step S13).
4) The data is output to the transmission control device 24 and transmitted to the game server 1 (step S135), and this processing ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S131 that the mode is the advertisement mode, display image data for displaying the advertisement is generated based on the data included in the game data and is displayed on the display device 22 (step S13
6). Then, it waits for an input instruction from the input device 21 (step S137), and when there is no input, this processing ends. If there is an input, questionnaire response data with an advertisement ID is generated (step S138), output to the transmission control device 24 and transmitted to the game server 1 (step S139), and this processing ends.

The structure and operation of the client terminal 4 operated by the advertisement client 4 will be described. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the client terminal 4. According to the figure, the client terminal 4 includes a CPU 40, an input device 41, and a display device 4.
2, an image pickup device 43, a transmission control device 44, a storage device 45, a recording medium 46, and a RAM 47.
Each unit except the recording medium 46 is connected by a bus 48.
Since the function of each device constituting the client terminal 4 is almost the same as the function of each device constituting the terminal device 2, detailed description thereof will be omitted here, and a difference from the function or operation in the terminal device 2 will be omitted. That is, the functions and operations peculiar to the client terminal 4 will be described.

The recording medium 46 of the client terminal 4 has
At least a public page display program 460 and a data transfer program 461 are included. Here, the public page display program 460 is a program used when the client terminal 4 receives page data from the game server 1 and displays a page on the display screen. For example, when the game server 1 publishes various pages on the Internet, as the public page display program 460,
The client terminal 4 accesses the game server 1 by the HTTP protocol to receive the file, stores a web browser for decoding the hypertext described in HTML and displaying it on the display device 42. The data transfer program 461 is a program for realizing data transmission / reception with the game server 1 via the network 3. For example, if the game server 1 publishes various pages on the Internet, TCP / IP
A program for realizing data communication with the game server 1 via the network 3 according to the protocol is stored.

The RAM 47 has a program development area which is expanded when the CPU 40 processes various programs, a work area which temporarily stores input instructions and input data, and various processing results, and the CPU 40 stores data in the data transfer program 461. Generates data based on the game server 1
It has a data generation area for executing the process of transferring to.

FIG. 34 is a flow chart for explaining the process (advertisement request process) executed when the client terminal 4 requests the advertisement publication. The advertisement request process is performed by the CPU 4
0 executes the process based on the public page display program 460 and the data transfer program 461, and can be realized by controlling the respective devices shown in FIG. 33.

According to the figure, the transmission control device 44 receives the page data of the advertisement acceptance page 202 from the game server 1 (step S140). This ad acceptance page 2
The 02 page data includes text data and image data for displaying the page on the display screen, as well as format data or a program for transmitting the data to the game server 1. When the CPU 40 displays the advertisement reception page 202 on the display screen, the CPU 40 waits for an input from the input device 41. Then, the input device 41
When a signal is input from, the data for transmission is generated in the format specified by the game server 1 according to the input signal (step S141). Furthermore, the imaging device 4
When the image data is input (step S142), the image data is converted into a predetermined format (step S143), and the advertisement image data is generated. Then, the presence or absence of the input of the transmission instruction from the input device 41 is awaited (step S144), and when the transmission instruction is not input (that is, when the cancel is selected), this processing is ended. On the other hand, when the transmission instruction is input, the request data including the data for transmission and the image data for advertisement is generated, output to the transmission control device 44, and transmitted to the game server 1 (step S14).
5) Then, this process ends.

As described above, in this embodiment, advertisements are posted at intervals between network games.
At that time, it was decided to change the type of advertisement distributed according to the personal information of the general participants who participate in the network game. Therefore, it is possible to place the advertisement targeted at the target person. Also, like a conventional banner advertisement,
Instead of displaying the advertisement on the part, the advertisement image is displayed on the entire display area (window) by switching to the screen for developing the network game. Therefore, a general participant who enjoys the game sees the advertisement posted on the site as if he or she watches a TV commercial, and does not overlook the advertisement unless he / she takes his eyes off the display screen. In other words, it is possible to more reliably appeal the advertisement that suits the interests of each individual to the general participants. Further, since the advertisement screen is displayed during the interval, it is possible to display the advertisement without making the general participants feel uncomfortable or dissatisfied as if the game was interrupted.

Further, the questionnaire is displayed integrally with the advertisement during the interval, and the questionnaire can be easily answered by a pointing device or the like. In this way, by posting the advertisement between the battle games, general participants can see the advertisement while operating the operation device such as the keyboard and the mouse. That is, if the questionnaire is displayed together with the advertisement, it is possible to easily send the answer as long as there is an intention to answer the questionnaire. Therefore, the response rate of the questionnaire is higher than that of the conventional questionnaire method that depends on mail or electronic mail, and it is possible to obtain a real-time impression and opinion immediately after seeing the advertisement.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the general participant can see the advertisement displayed between the battle games in a state where he / she can always operate with the operating device such as the keyboard and the mouse held in hand. Therefore, as shown in this embodiment, by displaying the questionnaire integrally with the advertisement and setting the answer so that it can be easily selected, the general participant can easily answer the question if he / she wants to answer the questionnaire. Obtainable. Therefore, the response rate to the questionnaire is higher than that of the conventional questionnaire method that depends on mail or electronic mail, and the real-time impressions and opinions immediately after the advertisement is posted (broadcast) can be obtained.

The method of applying the present invention (that is, the server, the game terminal, the advertisement requesting device, and the program) and the detailed parts of the present embodiment are not limited to the contents described above, but can be changed as appropriate. Is. Hereinafter, some modified examples will be described.

(Modification 1) In this embodiment, the game server 1 controls all battle games according to the operation signal received from the terminal device 2, and generates battle image data to each terminal device 2. Although the example of delivering has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of the game server 1 generating battle image data, each terminal device 2 may individually generate battle image data of battle land. Specifically, the game server 1 controls the entire battle land according to an operation signal received from each terminal device 2. That is, the game server 1 manages the operation setting table 181, the participant table 182, and the like as shown in FIG. 13, and determines the positions and motions of all characters based on the operation signals transmitted from each terminal. Further, when control data summarizing the entire situation of the battle land, the state of each character, etc. is generated, it is distributed to each terminal device 2. On the other hand, each terminal device 2 that has received the control data generates battle image data based on the received control data,
Display image data as shown in FIG. 7A for display on the display screen is generated and displayed.

As described above, if each terminal device 2 is set to generate the battle image data of the battle land independently, even if a communication system having a relatively low data transfer speed is adopted, the terminal device 2 can be quickly operated. Images of battle games can be generated and displayed to develop the game. Alternatively, the battle image data may be generated from the viewpoint of the character controlled by each terminal device 2.

(Modification 2) In this embodiment, one game server 1 executes battle game processing based on a plurality of battle applications in parallel to generate image data of each battle land. Although explained, it is not necessary to limit to this. That is, the battle game shown in the present embodiment may be realized by a server system in which a plurality of devices share the functions shown in FIG. For example, a dedicated game processing server that individually executes game processing based on each battle application to generate image data of each battleland, a management server that exclusively performs processing such as member registration and advertisement reception, ... For example, the present battle game may be realized by a server system including a plurality of server devices each exhibiting a unique function.

FIG. 35 shows a plurality of server devices 501-50.
It is a figure which shows an example of the connection form of the server system 500 which consists of 3. According to the figure, the management server 501 and the game processing servers 502, 503, ... Are connected to the terminal devices 2-1 to 2-1 through the network 3. Here, of the functions shown in FIG. 2, the management server 501 has a member registration function 100, a battle center allocation function 101, a character / operation setting function 103, and an individual character registration function 10.
4, advertisement acceptance function 105, questionnaire result provision function 10
9. It has a public page management function 110 and the like. That is, the management server 501 registers personal information, associates general participants with characters and operation settings, registers advertisement information, and determines a server terminal to be allocated based on personal information of general participants. Perform processing to on the other hand,
The game processing servers 502, 503, ... Read various data and tables generated by the management server 501, and execute battle game control, image processing, advertisement placement processing, etc. based on each battle application. In this way, by systematizing the game server 1 and allowing each function to be shared by a plurality of devices, the processing load of one device can be reduced.

(Modification 3) The participation fee may be obliged to be paid to a general participant who has participated in the battle game provided by the game server 1 in the present embodiment. For example,
When registering as a member, you may be required to enter a credit card number as an indispensable item, and collect a uniform participation fee or a participation fee according to a value such as the participation time of the battle game or the number of battles. For example, when collecting a uniform participation fee for each battle, just before the battle starts, the participation fee is displayed and the participation fee is displayed to confirm the willingness to pay, and designated by general participants. Make sure to withdraw a prescribed amount from the courses of the financial institution. Or
When determining the participation fee according to the length of time that the general participant participates in the battle game, the CPU of the game server
However, the time when the general participant participated in the battle is stored in the participant table 182 in association with the member ID, and the participation time is calculated from the time when the general participant finished the battle game and the participation time to calculate the amount. You may decide and withdraw from a predetermined course.

The method of withdrawing a predetermined amount of money from a course instructed by a financial institution may be performed manually by the administrator of the game server.
You may set up so that a predetermined amount of money may be automatically deducted in cooperation with. The automatic withdrawal method is, for example, as follows. First, when the game server receives a signal indicating that the terminal device 2 participating in the battle game logs out, the participant table 182 is searched for a member ID corresponding to the terminal identification code of the terminal device 2. Then, the area corresponding to the member ID in the participant table 182 is deleted, the personal information corresponding to the member ID retrieved from the personal information table 160 is read, and the name and the credit card number are read. And
Name and credit card number read out, withdrawal amount (participation fee), course of transfer destination (that is, course of administrator of game server 1) number, game server 1
The billing data in which the administrator name is input is generated and transmitted to the debit device of the financial institution A. The withdrawal device of the financial institution A withdraws the specified withdrawal amount from the area corresponding to the credit number included in the received billing data in the database in which the deposit balance is stored, and transfers it to the specified course. Run.

Further, when a charging system is provided for participating in the battle game, it is possible to provide the general participant who won the battle tournament held with the privilege of making the participation fee free several times. Alternatively, the participation fee may be discounted to general participants who have answered the questionnaire a predetermined number of times or more.

Also in the advertisement registration process, the advertisement listing fee is displayed on the advertisement reception page 202 to the advertisement client 4,
Further, the payment method may be selected, the financial institution name, the course number, and the like may be urged to charge. Note that the advertisement listing fee may be the amount according to the time for posting one advertisement, or may be determined according to the advertisement frequency. For example, in the mode switching process shown in FIG. 24 and the advertisement placement process shown in FIG. 25, the method of placing the advertisement information stored in the advertisement storage area in the advertisement table 166 one by one has been described. However, the predetermined advertisement information may be displayed on the screen every predetermined number of times, and the advertisement information may be set to be displayed on the screen more than other advertisements. If you make such a setting, you will be charged an extra fee according to the frequency of posting.

(Modification 4) In the present embodiment, the case where the advertisement is displayed at the interval of the battle game has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the battle game. For example, an advertisement may be posted at intervals such as a racing game, a sports game, and a shooting game. Alternatively,
It is also possible to set a certain interval to post an advertisement in a game in which a normal interval does not exist, such as a role playing game. Further, it is not necessary to limit it to the game. For example, an advertisement is posted within a certain time interval for a page that publishes news on the network 3 in real time. At that time, the news page may be set to a membership system, and the page data may be set to be delivered only to the person (or the terminal device 2) who has registered the personal information.

(Fifth Modification) In the present embodiment, the battle application to be entered is allocated based on the registered personal information, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, without registering the personal information in the memory or the recording medium, an input screen for the personal information may be displayed each time a general participant tries to participate in the battle game, and the input of necessary items may be prompted. Alternatively, the genre of the advertisement may be presented to the general participants regardless of the personal information, and the genre of the advertisement may be selected. Then, the advertisement of the designated genre is delivered.

(Modification 6) In addition, in the present embodiment, it has been described that a plurality of battle applications are prepared and different advertisements are posted for each battle application, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, all the general participants who participate in the battle game may enjoy the battle game based on the same battle application. However, in this case, the game server needs to determine the type of advertisement information to be distributed during the interval for each terminal device. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, each advertisement information is classified into four genres based on the allocation condition and stored in each advertisement storage area. Further, each terminal device 2 (terminal identification code) and the advertisement storage area are stored in association with each other based on the personal information of the general participants and the allocation conditions. Then, in the advertisement mode, the advertisement storage area corresponding to each terminal device 2 is determined based on the stored correspondence relationship, and the advertisement information to be distributed is determined.

(Variation 7) In this embodiment, the case where the general participant operates the character and sends the operation signal to the game server 1 has been described as an example. Automatic control service may be provided. By providing the character automatic control service in this way, it does not give a confusing impression to general participants who do not understand the development and rules of the battle game and general participants who are not familiar with the operation method specific to network games. You can understand the battle game.

As a method for automatically controlling the character,
For example, an automatic control program that defines patterns of movements such as forward movement and special skill, the body orientation of the character, the timing and conditions for executing each movement, and the like is generated for each character. Then, for a general participant who desires automatic control, a flag of automatic control is attached to the corresponding part of the participant table 182. During the process of the battle game, the automatic control program is read to determine the motion and position of the character to which the automatic control flag is attached.

(Modification 8) In the present embodiment, the case where the terminal device 2 transmits a sequential operation signal to the game server 1 has been described as an example. A program may be assembled and transmitted to the game server 1, and the character may be set to operate in accordance with this pseudo program. For example, the operation function panel 200b as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. Here, each operation displayed in the operation function panel 200b is a unit time Δ.
It means the operation to be executed at t. For example, when the general participant selects "advance" in the operation function panel 200b, the game server 1 advances the corresponding character for a time Δt. Or, the general participants in turn “progress”
When "forward", "right", "hit", "left", "kick" ... Is selected, the game server 1 causes the corresponding character to perform the action in the designated order during the time Δt × 6.

(Variation 9) In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is explained that the advertisement information is classified according to four allocation conditions based on age and the battle application to be allocated is determined. There is no need to limit it. For example, categorizing according to the combination of age and family structure
Complexity is achieved by combining multiple conditions such as deciding allocation, deciding classification / assignment based on combination of age, gender, address, etc., deciding classification / assignment based on combination of income and hobbies, etc. Of course, the allocation condition for differentiating may be set.

(Modification 10) In the present embodiment,
It has been described that the competition is held according to the contents stored in the event table 164. At that time, the number of wins, the ranking, etc. for each character participating in the battle game competition may be stored in the participant table 182 in association with the member ID, and the prize may be transmitted to the winner. For example, at the end of the tournament, the CPU 10 determines the winner of the tournament, and reads the address, name, and telephone number corresponding to the member ID of the winner from the personal information table. And CPU1
0 causes the printing device 13 to print the prize, the tournament name, the winner's address, the name, and the telephone number stored in the event table 164. The administrator of the game server 1
Love the printed content and send the prize to the winner. In this way, by granting benefits to the winner of the tournament,
Enhancing the enthusiasm of the participants who participate in the game,
You can develop more interesting games.

It goes without saying that the characters appearing in Battleland may be commercialized. For example, the image data of the desired character may be distributed in exchange for payment of the fee, or may be printed and mailed to the general participant who desires the ready-made character or individual character appearing in Battleland. Alternatively, image data representing a popular character may be generated in Battleland, and the image data may be distributed as a wallpaper for a computer desktop for a fee.

In the present embodiment, the case where a personal computer as shown in FIG. 1 is used as the terminal device 2 has been described as an example, but a PDA (Personal Digital (Data)) is used.
Of course, it may be realized by Assistants) or mobile phones.

[0164]

The server according to the present invention (game server 1)
Transmits advertisement information to the game terminal (terminal device 2) at a predetermined timing in the game. At that time, if the advertisement information is transmitted to the game terminal at intervals of the game and the advertisement is switched to the image of the game to display the advertisement, the viewer who enjoys the game on the game terminal can make an advertisement as if he / she is watching a TV commercial. Can be seen. Further, if the advertisement is displayed during the interval, the advertisement can be surely recognized without giving the game participant the discomfort that the game is interrupted. In addition, the server identifies the advertisement information to be transmitted to the game terminal based on the personal information received from the game terminal and the advertisement target condition desired by the advertisement client. Therefore, the advertisement information can be transmitted by narrowing down the target to show the advertisement.

Further, the game terminal according to the present invention displays the advertisement when it receives the advertisement information from the server regardless of the execution of the game. In addition, when the questionnaire information is received from the server together with the advertisement information, the questionnaire is displayed together with the advertisement, and when the participant (operator of the game terminal) inputs an answer to the questionnaire, Generate answer information and send it to the server. Therefore, the game participants can send not only the displayed advertisement but also the answers to the questionnaire and the opinions and impressions.

Further, the advertisement requesting apparatus (requester terminal) according to the present invention can send the advertisement information of the advertisement desired to be posted to the server and specify the advertisement target condition. Therefore, the advertisement can be presented to the target who seems to be most interested in the advertisement. Further, even in the case of investigating the answers to the questionnaire, since the questionnaire is given only to the layer of high interest, more accurate and highly reliable questionnaire results can be analyzed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a connection form of a game server and each terminal device.

FIG. 2 is a functional diagram of a game server.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a member registration function.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a membership page.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a member verification page.

FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a battle center allocation function.

FIG. 7A is an image example of a battle mode. (B) is
Image example of advertisement mode.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a character selection page.

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example of a setting input screen.
FIG. 6B is a diagram showing an example of an operation function control panel.

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram of a character / operation setting function.

FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of a personal character registration function.

FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of an advertisement reception function.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a game server.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a storage format of a personal information table.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a storage format of an event table.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a storage format of an allocation condition table.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a storage format of an advertisement storage area.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a storage format of a questionnaire storage table.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of member registration processing.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of member determination processing.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart of battle game allocation processing.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a character setting process.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of various setting pages.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart of mode switching processing.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of advertisement placement processing.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart of advertisement registration processing.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of questionnaire accumulation processing.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart of a questionnaire result transmission process.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a terminal device.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of a data transmission process.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart of image data transmission processing.

FIG. 32 is a flowchart of game processing.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a client terminal.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart of advertisement request processing.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a server system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 game server 10 CPU 11 Input device 12 Display 13 Printer 14 Transmission control device 15 Memory device 16 recording media 160 personal information table 161 character table 162 personal character registration table 163 motion table 164 event table 165 Allocation condition table 166 Advertising table 167 Questionnaire accumulation table 168 Battle Application 169 Member Registration Program 170 Registration judgment program 171 Battle Game Allocation Program 172 Character setting program 173 Mode switching program 174 Advertising Program 175 Advertising Registration Program 176 Questionnaire Accumulation Program 177 Questionnaire Result Transmission Program 18 RAM 180 battle processing area 181 Operation setting table 182 Participant table 19 bus 2 terminal devices 20 CPU 21 Input device 22 Display 23 Imaging device 24 Transmission control device 25 storage 26 recording media 260 public page display program 261 game display program 262 Data Transfer Program 263 Game Processing Program 27 RAM 270 battle game processing area 28 buses 4 Client terminal 40 CPU 41 Input device 42 display device 43 Imaging device 44 Transmission control device 45 storage device 46 recording media 460 Public page display program 461 data transfer program 47 RAM 470 data generation area 48 buses

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Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A server configured to be connectable to a game terminal via a communication line, a storage means for storing advertisement information, and a game execution means for performing a predetermined network game by performing data communication with the game terminal. An advertising means for transmitting the advertising information stored in the storage means to the game terminal; a switching means for switching between data communication by the game executing means and transmission of the advertising information by the advertising means at a predetermined timing. A server comprising: 2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a plurality of the advertisement information in association with an allocation condition, and a personal information receiving unit that receives personal information from the game terminal, the personal information receiving unit. The advertisement means further comprises: specifying means for specifying the advertisement information to be transmitted from the advertisement information stored in the storage means based on the personal information received by the information receiving means and the allocation condition. Transmits the advertisement information specified by the specifying means to a corresponding game terminal. 3. The server according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores a plurality of the advertisement information in association with an allocation condition, and the game execution unit includes a plurality of virtual game fields corresponding to the allocation condition. A personal information receiving means for receiving personal information from the game terminal, the personal information received by the personal information receiving means, and the allocation condition. Allocation means for allocating a virtual game field corresponding to the terminal, and the advertising means transmits advertisement information according to the allocation condition corresponding to the virtual game field to the game terminal allocated to the virtual game field. A server characterized by: 4. The server according to claim 2, which is connectable to an advertisement requesting device that provides advertisement information via a communication line, and a receiving means for receiving the advertisement information and the advertisement target condition from the advertisement requesting device. The server is characterized in that the storage unit stores the advertisement information received by the receiving unit and the allocation condition in association with each other based on the advertisement target condition received by the receiving unit. 5. The server according to claim 1, wherein the advertising unit integrally displays the advertising information and questionnaire information related to the advertising information on a display screen of the game terminal. Server for transmitting the information for transmitting to the game terminal and receiving the response information for the questionnaire information from the game terminal. 6. The server according to claim 5, wherein answer information received by the answer receiving means is accumulated,
A server comprising a publishing means for publishing the accumulation result on a predetermined site. 7. The server according to claim 4, wherein the advertising means displays information for integrally displaying the advertising information and questionnaire information related to the advertising information on a display screen of the game terminal. An answer receiving unit that transmits the answer information to the questionnaire information from the game terminal and the answer information received by the answer receiving unit is accumulated for each corresponding advertisement information, and the accumulated result is the advertisement. A response result transmitting means for transmitting the information to the advertisement requesting device that has transmitted the information, and a server. 8. The server according to claim 1, wherein the game executing means associates the game terminal with a character appearing in the network game, and based on an operation instruction of the game terminal. An image receiving means for executing a network game in which a corresponding character operates, receiving image data transmitted from the game terminal, and processing the image data received by the image receiving means, and the processed image data A generating means for generating a character based on, and a server. 9. The server according to claim 1, wherein the game executing means is one of at least two types of network games, a network game for normal times and a network game for competitions. The server is provided with an event guide means for executing the above, and publishing the date and time when the game executing means executes the network game for the tournament on a predetermined site. 10. The server according to claim 9, wherein the game terminal, management means for managing the game record of the network game for the game terminal in association with each other, and the competition network executed by the game execution means. A server, wherein the game record in the game includes: a granting unit that grants a predetermined privilege to a game terminal satisfying a predetermined condition. 11. A game terminal connectable to the server according to any one of claims 1 to 10 via a communication line, wherein terminal-side game execution for executing the predetermined network game by performing data communication with the server. Means for displaying the advertisement information regardless of whether the terminal-side game execution means executes the network game when the advertisement information is received from the server. . 12. A game terminal connectable to the server according to claim 5 via a communication line, a terminal-side game execution means for executing the predetermined network game by performing data communication with the server, and the server. When the advertisement information is received from the display means for displaying the advertisement information, and when the display means displays the questionnaire information, regardless of the execution of the network game by the terminal-side game execution means, A game terminal, characterized in that it is capable of inputting reply information to the questionnaire information, and, when the reply information is inputted, a reply transmitting means for transmitting the inputted reply information to the server. 13. An advertisement requesting device connectable to the server according to claim 4 via a communication line, comprising means for transmitting the advertisement target condition and the advertisement information in association with each other. Requesting device. 14. A function for storing advertisement information in a server connectable to a game terminal via a communication line, and data communication with the game terminal for executing a predetermined network game. A function for transmitting the advertisement information to the game terminal, a data communication for executing the network game, and a function for switching the transmission of the advertisement information at a predetermined timing. Program for. 15. A function for causing a game terminal connectable to the server according to claim 1 through a communication line to execute the predetermined network game by performing data communication with the server. A program for realizing the function of displaying the advertisement information when the advertisement information is received from the server. 16. A program for realizing a function of causing an advertisement requesting device connectable to the server according to claim 4 via a communication line to transmit an advertisement target condition and advertisement information in association with each other.