JP2007319528A - Cigarette exchange management device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the convenience of game players exchanging game media for cigarettes and contribute to the service improvement of a game parlor. <P>SOLUTION: A member's card reception part 202 outputs a member ID of a member's card inserted by a game player to an adult information transmitting/receiving part 207. A counting part 203 counts game media inserted by the game player. A determination part 205, when the player exchanges them for cigarettes for the first time, determines whether or not the game player is authenticated as the adult by a cigarette exchanger 30. Further, when the player exchanges them for cigarettes for the second time or later, the determination part 205 determines whether or not the adult information corresponding to the member ID is received in the adult information transmitting/receiving part 207. A permission signal generation part 206, when the game player is authenticated as the adult and the number of game media is not insufficient, generates the permission signal of cigarette exchange. The adult information transmitting/receiving part 207 inquires the presence/absence of an adult flag of the member ID to the exterior and, when the adult flag is on, receives the adult information that the game player is an adult. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cigarette exchange management device and a cigarette exchange management method for managing a cigarette exchange in which a player exchanges valuable value for cigarettes at a game store, and in particular, improves convenience for a player who exchanges game media for cigarettes. In addition, the present invention relates to a cigarette exchange management device and a cigarette exchange management method that can contribute to improvement of services at amusement stores.

  In recent years, vending machines that sell beverages and cigarettes unattended have been installed everywhere, and users can purchase various products without going to a manned store. ing. While vending machines have the advantage of such ease, it is pointed out that even minors who are prohibited from smoking can easily purchase cigarettes and promote smoking by minors. Has been.

  Therefore, for vending machines with limited sales age, such as cigarettes, when the user's age is verified using a card owned by the user and the user has reached the sales age It is considered that only the sales standby state is set (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  From 2008, an adult identification function is actually provided in a cigarette vending machine. Specifically, a user of a vending machine for cigarettes is issued an IC card for adult identification (hereinafter referred to as a “cigarette card”) by applying to a predetermined organization in advance. When the vending machine is used, the cigarette card is passed over the card reader of the vending machine to authenticate the adult and allow the purchase of cigarettes.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-93648

  By the way, in a game store such as a pachinko parlor, for example, a cigarette changer for exchanging game media such as pachinko balls or pachislot medals with cigarettes may be installed. And since it is generally 18 years old or older that entry into a game store is permitted, some players include minors. Therefore, it is considered necessary to add an adult identification function to a cigarette changer at a game store.

  However, players often play in the same game store even if the day changes, and despite having stayed in the game store for a relatively long time, adult authentication is required every time they change cigarettes. Therefore, there is a problem that convenience is impaired. In other words, even if the employee exchanges cigarettes at a prize counter that is confirmed to be an adult, the next time he exchanges cigarettes with a cigarette changer, adult authentication using a cigarette card or the like is required again.

  Also, even if a player who has received adult authentication with a cigarette card or the like in the cigarette exchange machine during the game, when exchanging the game media obtained at the end of the game with cigarettes at the prize counter, Adult authentication is performed again, such as being asked to present. In this way, when cigarettes are exchanged multiple times in the same amusement store, adult authentication using a cigarette card or identification card is performed each time, which reduces the convenience for the player and improves the service for the amusement store. Will be subject to restrictions.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and improves the convenience of a player who exchanges a game medium for cigarettes, and can contribute to improving the service of a game shop and a cigarette exchange management method and cigarette exchange management method The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a cigarette exchange management device for managing cigarette exchange in which a player exchanges valuable value for cigarettes in a game store, and obtains the player identification information of the player Determining means for determining whether or not the player is an adult using the player specifying information acquired by the acquiring means; and as a result of the determination by the determining means, the player is an adult It is characterized by having permission means for permitting cigarette exchange when registered.

  Also, in the present invention according to the above invention, whether the determination means transmits the player identification information acquired by the acquisition means to the outside and is registered as an adult corresponding to the player identification information. It is characterized by inquiring whether or not.

  In the above invention, the present invention further includes storage means for storing information relating to whether or not the player is identified as adult information in association with the player identification information, wherein the determination means is acquired from the storage means by the acquisition means. It is characterized by searching for the specified player information and determining whether or not it is stored as an adult corresponding to the player specification information.

  In addition, according to the present invention, in the above invention, the permission unit includes a detection unit that detects the number of game media owned by a player who wishes to exchange cigarettes, and the number of game media detected by the detection unit is equal to or greater than that of tobacco. The cigarette exchange is permitted when the number of game media is the same.

  According to the present invention, in the above invention, an authentication unit for authenticating that the player is an adult when the determination result by the determination unit is that the player is an adult is not registered, and the authentication unit After the player is authenticated as an adult, the player further includes registration means for registering the player specifying information acquired by the acquisition means in association with being an adult, and the permission means includes the authentication means If the player is authenticated as an adult, the cigarette exchange is permitted.

  Moreover, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the authentication means authenticates an adult using a cigarette card for identifying an adult.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the authentication means authenticates an adult by an input operation to the effect that the player of the game store is an adult.

  The present invention also provides a cigarette exchange management method for managing a cigarette exchange in which a player exchanges valuable value for cigarettes at a game store, the obtaining step for obtaining player identification information of the player, and the obtaining step. The determination process for determining whether or not the player is registered using the player identification information acquired in the above step, and the determination result in the determination process indicates that the player is an adult. And a permitting step for permitting tobacco exchange.

  According to the present invention, the player identification information of the player is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the player is registered as an adult using the acquired player identification information. Allow tobacco exchange if the player is registered as an adult. For this reason, once the player is registered as an adult, it will be possible to exchange the cigarette by authenticating the adult with only the player identification information such as a membership card. Convenience can be improved and service of the amusement store can be improved.

  Further, according to the present invention, the acquired player identification information is transmitted to the outside, and it is inquired whether or not it is registered as an adult corresponding to this player identification information. Something can be shared by a plurality of devices in the game store, and the cigarette exchange can be permitted efficiently in the plurality of devices in the game store.

  Further, according to the present invention, information indicating whether or not the player is an adult is stored in association with the player identification information, and the acquired player identification information is searched to correspond to the player identification information. Determine whether or not it is remembered that you are an adult. Therefore, it is possible to grasp whether or not the player is registered as an adult without making an inquiry to the outside, and to respond to an inquiry about whether or not the player is an adult from another device.

  Further, according to the present invention, in order to detect the number of game media owned by a player who wishes to exchange cigarettes, and to allow the exchange of cigarettes when the detected number of game media is equal to or greater than that of cigarettes, If the number of game media itself such as balls and medals, the count result of the game media recorded in the receipt, and the number of stored balls and medals stored at the amusement store are not sufficient for cigarette exchange, It is possible to exchange it.

  Further, according to the present invention, if the player is not registered as an adult as a result of the determination, the player is authenticated as an adult, and acquired after the player is authenticated as an adult. The registered player identification information is registered in association with an adult, and cigarette exchange is permitted when the player is authenticated as an adult. For this reason, for example, if a player who exchanges cigarettes for the first time at an amusement store performs adult authentication using a cigarette card or identification card, for example, the adult authentication is performed only with the player identification information such as a membership card at the next and subsequent cigarette exchanges. Cigarette exchange becomes possible, and it is possible to improve the convenience of the player who exchanges the game medium for cigarettes and contributes to the improvement of the service of the game store.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the adult authentication is performed using the adult identification cigarette card, it is possible to reliably authenticate that the player is an adult even in an unmanned cigarette changer.

  In addition, according to the present invention, since the adult authentication is performed by the input operation to the effect that the player of the game shop employee is an adult, it is ensured that the player is an adult at a manned prize counter or the like. Can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a game shop according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the amusement store shown in the figure, a prize management POS 40, a counter 50, and an island controller 60 are connected to a member management terminal controller (hereinafter abbreviated as “member management T / C”) 10 that manages the members of the amusement store. The premium management POS 40 is connected with a cigarette card reader 41 and a member card reader 42. A plurality of lending machines 61 are connected to the island controller 60, and each lending machine 61 is provided with a gaming machine 62. Further, the gift management POS 40 is connected to the vending machine slave unit 20, and the vending machine slave unit 20 is provided with a cigarette changer 30.

  The member management T / C 10 stores the member ID of a member who has become a member of an amusement store and has received a membership card in association with attribute information such as name and date of birth. In addition, the member management T / C 10 may store the number of game media that the member deposits at the game store, such as a stored ball or a medal for each member. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the member management T / C 10 can store an adult flag indicating whether each member is an adult or not, and the adult authentication is performed in the vending machine 20 or the gift management POS 40. There is an adult flag for those members. In this embodiment, since the member management T / C 10 stores information related to the adult flag, even if a plurality of vending machine slave units 20 and cigarette changers 30 are installed in the amusement store, all the vending machine slave units 20 are provided. The cigarette changer 30 can share information regarding whether or not the player is an adult.

  The vending machine slave 20 accepts a game medium equivalent to tobacco in order to exchange the game medium for cigarettes, confirms that the player is an adult, and then permits the cigarette changer 30 to throw out cigarettes. Is sent out. When the vending machine 20 confirms that the player is an adult, if the membership card is accepted, the membership management T / C 10 or the prize management POS 40 determines whether or not the player has already been registered as an adult. Contact As a result of the inquiry, if the player is not registered as an adult, the vending machine 20 confirms that the adult authentication using a cigarette card or the like has been performed, and manages adult information indicating that the player is an adult as a member. Register in the T / C 10 or the prize management POS 40.

  When the permission signal is sent from the vending machine slave 20, the cigarette changer 30 waits for the player to select a cigarette brand and throws out the cigarette of the brand desired by the player. In addition, when the cigarette card is held over a predetermined position, the cigarette changer 30 reads the cigarette card and notifies the vending machine slave 20 that the player is an adult. In addition, the external appearance and internal structure of the vending machine child machine 20 and the cigarette exchanger 30 will be described in detail later.

  The prize management POS 40 is installed at a prize counter of a game store and manages prize exchange of game media. Specifically, the prize management POS 40 calculates the number of exchangeable prizes from the receipt issued by the counter 50 in which the number of game media is recorded, and notifies the employee of the prize counter of the calculated number of prizes. And issue premiums. The prize management POS 40 confirms whether or not the player is already registered as an adult if the membership card reader 42 accepts a membership card when the player desires a cigarette as a prize. Or inquire to the member management T / C10. As a result, if the player is not registered as an adult, the prize management POS 40 confirms that the player is an adult by reading a cigarette card with the cigarette card reader 41 or an operation by an employee, and the player is an adult. Either store adult information to a certain extent or register it in the member management T / C 10.

  When the cigarette card reader 41 is held over, the cigarette card reader 41 reads the cigarette card and notifies the prize management POS 40 that the player is an adult. When the membership card is inserted, the membership card reader 42 reads the membership ID recorded on the membership card and notifies the premium management POS 40 of the membership ID.

  The counter 50 counts game media such as balls and medals inserted by the player, and issues a receipt on which the counting result is recorded. The number of game media may be printed on the receipt, or may be magnetically stored. Further, only the receipt ID is recorded in the receipt, and the counting result may be stored in association with the receipt ID outside that can be referred to by the prize management POS 40.

  The island controller 60 controls and manages a plurality of lending machines 61 installed in an area called “island”. For example, if a member card is accepted by the lending machine 61, the number of stored balls corresponding to the member ID and the number of savings. The number of medals is read from the member management T / C 10 and the lending machine 61 is instructed to lend gaming media up to the number of stored balls and the number of stored medals.

  The lending machine 61 lends game media such as balls and medals according to instructions from the island controller 60. The gaming machine 62 is a device in which a player plays a game using the gaming medium borrowed by the lending process of the lending machine 61.

  Here, the external appearance of the vending machine slave 20 and the cigarette changer 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The vending machine slave 20 has a game medium receiving unit 201 for receiving game media such as balls and medals, and a member card receiving unit 202 for receiving a member card on the front surface. A player who wishes to exchange cigarettes for the game medium inserts the game medium into the game medium receiving unit 201 and inserts the member card into the member card receiving unit 202 if he / she owns the member card.

  If the membership card is accepted by the vending machine 20 and the player has already been registered as an adult, a selection button for cigarettes of brands that can be exchanged according to the number of game media lights on the display unit 302 of the cigarette exchange 30. . On the other hand, when the membership card is not accepted by the vending machine 20 or when the player is not registered as an adult, the cigarette card reading unit 301 of the cigarette changer 30 reads all cigarettes until the cigarette card is read. The selection button remains off and cigarette changes are not allowed.

  When the exchange of cigarettes is permitted by the membership card or the cigarette card, the player can press the selection button of the desired brand on the display unit 302 to obtain the cigarettes to be thrown out to the cigarette dispensing unit 303.

  Next, the internal configuration of the vending machine slave unit 20 and the cigarette changer 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the vending machine 20 includes a game medium receiving unit 201, a member card receiving unit 202, a counting unit 203, a connecting unit 204, a determining unit 205, a permission signal generating unit 206, and an adult information transmitting / receiving unit 207. is doing. The cigarette changer 30 includes a cigarette card reading unit 301, a display unit 302, a cigarette dispensing unit 303, a connection unit 304, and a control unit 305.

  The game medium receiving unit 201 is composed of, for example, a tray that can hold a game medium. The game medium receiving unit 201 receives a game medium brought by the player and sends it to the counting unit 203. At this time, the game medium receiving unit 201 may not send the accepted game medium to the counting unit 203 until the player is authenticated as an adult.

  The membership card accepting unit 202 accepts the membership card inserted by the player and outputs the membership ID recorded on the membership card to the adult information transmitting / receiving unit 207.

  The counting unit 203 counts the game media sent from the game medium receiving unit 201 and notifies the determination unit 205 of the number of game media as a counting result.

  The connection unit 204 is connected to the cigarette switch 30 provided therewith, and receives from the cigarette switch 30 that the player is an adult or transmits a permission signal output from the permission signal generation unit 206.

  The determination unit 205 determines whether or not the player who has inserted the game medium has been authenticated as an adult, and whether or not the number of game media input is sufficient for cigarette exchange, and the determination result is sent to the permission signal generation unit 206. Output. At this time, the determination unit 205 determines whether the adult has been authenticated by a different method depending on the number of tobacco exchanges of the player in the game store. That is, when the player exchanges cigarettes for the first time in the amusement store, the determination unit 205 determines whether or not the adult has been authenticated based on whether or not the fact that the player is an adult is received from the cigarette changer 30 to the connection unit 204. judge. If it is determined that the player has been authenticated as an adult, the determination unit 205 notifies the adult information transmission / reception unit 207 that the player has been authenticated as an adult.

  On the other hand, in the case where the player exchanges cigarettes for the second time or later, the determination unit 205 determines whether the adult information corresponding to the member ID of the member card received by the member card receiving unit 202 is received by the adult information transmitting / receiving unit 207. It is determined whether the adult has been authenticated or not. Therefore, in this case, adult authentication is possible even if the fact that the player is an adult is not received from the cigarette switch 30.

  Since the determination unit 205 does not necessarily know how many times the player has exchanged cigarettes in the amusement store, the adult information transmission / reception unit 207 first confirms whether or not adult information has been received, If it is not received, it is confirmed whether or not the connection unit 204 has received that it is an adult. In other words, the determination unit 205 checks whether the adult flag is set for the member ID of the member card received by the member card reception unit 202, and determines that the adult has been authenticated if the adult flag is set. On the other hand, if the adult flag is not set, it is confirmed whether or not the cigarette card has been read.

  The permission signal generation unit 206 refers to the determination result output from the determination unit 205, and generates a permission signal indicating that cigarette exchange is permitted if the player is authenticated and the number of game media is insufficient. And output to the connection unit 204. At this time, the permission signal generation unit 206 may generate a permission signal for designating a replaceable brand when the number of game media required differs depending on the brand of tobacco.

  When the membership card accepting unit 202 accepts the membership card, the adult information transmitting / receiving unit 207 determines whether or not the adult flag is set for the member ID recorded on the membership card via the prize management POS 40. Inquire C10. Then, the adult information transmitting / receiving unit 207 receives adult information indicating that the player is an adult if the adult flag is set. Further, when adult information is not received, when the adult information is not received, the adult information transmitting / receiving unit 207 notifies the adult information indicating that the player is an adult together with the member ID when the determining unit 205 is notified that the adult has been authenticated. It transmits to member management T / C10 via POS40.

  Here, for example, a table as shown in FIG. 4 is stored in the member management T / C 10. That is, the member ID recorded on the member card of each member is stored in association with the name, membership date, date of birth, and presence / absence of an adult flag. When the vending machine 20 makes an inquiry as to whether or not the adult flag is set for the member ID, the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is referred to. Adult information indicating that the person is an adult is returned to the vending machine slave 20 via the prize management POS 40. If the adult information is transmitted together with the member ID from the vending machine 20, the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is registered as “present”.

  In addition, since the member's birth date is registered as attribute information in the member management T / C 10 as shown in FIG. 4, adult authentication is possible even if the presence / absence of the adult flag is not stored. In this embodiment, in order to further improve the reliability, the fact that adult authentication using a cigarette card or the like has been performed is held as the presence or absence of an adult flag. For this reason, when the vending machine 20 inquires whether or not the adult flag is set, the member management T / C 10 indicates that both the presence / absence of the adult flag and the age calculated from the date of birth are adults. The adult information may be sent back to the vending machine slave unit 20 only in the case where “V” is indicated. At this time, the members of the amusement shop are limited to 18 years of age or older, so if two years or more have passed since the date of enrollment, the age calculation from the date of birth may be omitted.

  Referring to FIG. 3 again, the cigarette card reading unit 301 of the cigarette changer 30 detects a cigarette card that is a non-contact type IC card, reads the information on the cigarette card, and connects that the player is an adult. Notification to the unit 304.

  The display unit 302 supports a plurality of brands of tobacco samples and has a selection button below each sample. The selection button is turned on under the control of the control unit 305 only when a permission signal is received from the vending machine slave 20, and the cigarette can be exchanged. That is, the player can acquire a desired brand of cigarettes by pressing a selection button that is lit on the display unit 302.

  The cigarette throwing-out part 303 throws out the brand of cigarette corresponding to the selection button which the player pressed down by control of the control part 305.

  When the connection unit 304 is connected to the vending machine slave unit 20 and receives a permission signal from the vending machine slave unit 20 or is notified from the cigarette card reading unit 301 that the player is an adult, the connection unit 304 transmits a notification to that effect. Or

  When the permission signal is received by the connection unit 304, the control unit 305 lights the selection button of the display unit 302 so that the cigarette can be exchanged. At this time, when a brand is specified by the permission signal, the control unit 305 lights only the selectable brand selection button. In addition, when the lit selection button on the display unit 302 is pressed, the control unit 305 instructs the cigarette throwing unit 303 to throw out the brand of cigarette corresponding to the selection button.

  Next, the operation at the time of cigarette replacement by the vending machine slave unit 20 and the cigarette exchanger 30 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the player wishes to exchange cigarettes for the game media, he / she brings the game media and the membership card to the place where the vending machine slave 20 and the cigarette exchange 30 are installed. Then, the player inserts the membership card into the membership card reception unit 202 of the vending machine slave 20. This member card is received by the member card receiving unit 202 (step S101), and the member ID recorded on the member card is transmitted from the adult information transmitting / receiving unit 207 to the member management T / C 10 via the gift management POS 40, and this member card is received. It is inquired whether or not the player who possesses the card is already registered as an adult (step S102). If the player is a non-member who does not have a membership card, the membership card is not accepted, and it is assumed that there is no adult registration at all (No in step S102), and the subsequent processing is executed.

  In the member management T / C 10, for example, a table as shown in FIG. 4 is referred to, and the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is confirmed. If the adult flag is “present” (Yes in step S102), the player Adult information indicating that the person is an adult is returned to the vending machine slave unit 20. At this time, the membership date and the date of birth corresponding to the member ID may also be confirmed to ensure the certainty that the player is an adult.

  The adult information returned from the member management T / C 10 is received by the adult information transmitting / receiving unit 207 of the vending machine slave unit 20, and the determination unit 205 detects that the adult information has been received. Since the adult information is received, the player is authenticated as an adult, and the game medium input by the player is received by the game medium receiving unit 201 (step S103). The game media are counted by the counting unit 203 (step S104), and the number of game media as a counting result is notified to the determining unit 205.

  Then, the determination unit 205 determines whether or not the number of game media has reached the number necessary for cigarette exchange (step S105), and if the number of game media is insufficient (step S105 Yes), the addition of game media is performed. Wait. If the number of game media is not short (No in step S105), the player is authenticated and the game media necessary for cigarette exchange is inserted. A permission signal is generated. The generated permission signal is transmitted from the connection unit 204 to the cigarette switch 30 (step S106).

  The transmitted permission signal is received by the connection unit 304 of the cigarette changer 30, the control unit 305 is notified that the cigarette exchange is permitted, and the control unit 305 turns on the selection button of the display unit 302. When the player presses the desired brand selection button, the control unit 305 issues a cigarette throwing instruction to the cigarette throwing unit 303 and the cigarette throwing unit 303 throws out the cigarette.

  As described above, when the player is already registered as an adult, in other words, when the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is set in the member management T / C 10, the player is a member without using a cigarette card or the like. Adult authentication can be obtained only with the card, and tobacco exchange is possible. In general, the membership card is inserted into the lending machine 61 for the use of savings and medals, and the player does not forget to bring it in compared to other cards such as cigarette cards. Therefore, the convenience of exchanging cigarettes is improved for adult registered players.

  On the other hand, if the adult flag is “None” as a result of the adult flag confirmation in the member management T / C 10 (No in step S102), the adult information is not returned to the vending machine slave unit 20. For this reason, the determination unit 205 confirms whether or not the connection unit 204 has received that the player is an adult, and determines whether or not the player has been authenticated as an adult (step S107). Here, when the player does not hold the cigarette card over the cigarette card reading unit 301 of the cigarette changer 30 and is not authenticated as an adult, for example, a display indicating that cigarette exchange is not permitted is displayed on a display unit (not shown). Error processing is performed (step S113).

  Further, if the player holds the cigarette card over the cigarette card reading unit 301 of the cigarette changer 30, and the fact that the player is an adult is transmitted from the connection unit 304 to the connection unit 204 of the vending machine slave unit 20, the determination is made. The unit 205 determines that the player has been authenticated (step S107 Yes). As a result of the confirmation in the member management T / C 10, if the player is not registered as an adult, a display prompting the player to hold the cigarette card over the cigarette card reading unit 301 is displayed on a display unit (not shown). Also good. The adult authentication here is not limited to using a cigarette card. For example, the employee confirms that the player is an adult, and then performs a predetermined operation on the vending machine 20 or the cigarette changer 30. Things may be used.

  When the player is authenticated by the cigarette card, the game medium inserted by the player is received by the game medium receiving unit 201 (step S108). The game media are counted by the counting unit 203 (step S109), and the number of game media as a counting result is notified to the determination unit 205.

  Then, the determination unit 205 determines whether or not the number of game media has reached the number necessary for cigarette exchange (step S110). If the number of game media is insufficient (step S110 Yes), the addition of game media is completed. Wait. If the number of game media is not short (No at step S110), the player is authenticated and the game media necessary for exchanging cigarettes has been inserted. A permission signal is generated. The generated permission signal is transmitted from the connection unit 204 to the cigarette switch 30 (step S111).

  The transmitted permission signal is received by the connection unit 304 of the cigarette changer 30, the control unit 305 is notified that the cigarette exchange is permitted, and the control unit 305 turns on the selection button of the display unit 302. When the player presses the desired brand selection button, the control unit 305 issues a cigarette throwing instruction to the cigarette throwing unit 303 and the cigarette throwing unit 303 throws out the cigarette.

  In addition, since the player has been authenticated by a cigarette card or the like, the member ID and the adult information are managed by the adult information transmission / reception unit 207 so that adult authentication can be performed without a cigarette card at the next and subsequent cigarette exchanges. It is transmitted to the member management T / C 10 via the POS 40. Then, in the member management T / C 10, an adult flag corresponding to this member ID is set, and it is registered that the player is an adult (step S112). For this reason, at the next and subsequent cigarette exchanges, adult authentication is performed using only the membership card, and cigarette exchange is possible. Therefore, if adult authentication using a cigarette card or the like is executed only at the first cigarette exchange in the game store, the player can exchange cigarettes using only the membership card at the second and subsequent cigarette exchanges. In addition, since it is registered in the member management T / C 10 that the player is an adult, even if the first and second and subsequent cigarette exchanges are performed at different cigarette changers 30 and gift counters in the game shop, Adult authentication using a cigarette card or the like is not necessary, and it is only necessary to confirm that the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is set in the member management T / C 10.

  If an adult is registered in the member management T / C 10 at the time of the first exchange, then adult authentication cannot be made permanently using only a membership card. For example, adult registration can be performed only for a predetermined period such as daily or weekly. It may be effective. That is, when a predetermined period has elapsed, the adult flag of the member management T / C 10 may be changed from “present” to “not present”. In addition to the period, when the number of cigarette replacements reaches a predetermined number, the adult flag may be changed from “Yes” to “None”. May be set.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a cigarette is exchanged for the first time, the adult authentication of the player is performed by a cigarette card or the like, and the player is assigned to the member ID of the player in the member management T / C. In association with being an adult, at the second and subsequent cigarette exchanges, the adult authentication of the player is performed using only the membership card, and cigarette exchange is possible. This makes it possible to authenticate adults with a membership card that you will never forget to bring to the amusement store, and you will no longer be able to perform adult authentication with a cigarette card every time you change cigarettes. The convenience of the player can be improved and the service of the game store can be improved.

(Embodiment 2)
The features of Embodiment 2 of the present invention are that the player receives the adult authentication at the prize counter and exchanges cigarettes, and the prize management POS also stores that the player is an adult.

  Since the schematic configuration of the amusement store according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment (FIG. 1), description thereof is omitted. In the present embodiment, a case will be described in which cigarette exchange is performed at a prize counter where the prize management POS 40 is installed.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the prize management POS 40 according to the present embodiment. The prize management POS 40 shown in the figure includes a receipt reception unit 401, a game medium number detection unit 402, an input operation unit 403, a search unit 404, a control unit 405, an adult information registration unit 406, an adult information storage unit 407, and a display unit 408. have.

  The receipt accepting unit 401 accepts a receipt brought by the player and reads, for example, a barcode printed on the receipt. The receipt is issued by the counter 50, and the number of game media counted by the player is recorded, or the receipt ID associated with the number of game media is recorded.

  The game medium number detection unit 402 detects the number of game media counted by the player using the counter 50 from the receipt received by the receipt reception unit 401 and notifies the control unit 405 of the number of game media.

  The input operation unit 403 can be operated by the employee of the giveaway counter and inputs that the player who brought the receipt is an adult.

  When the member card is inserted into the member card reader 42, the search unit 404 searches the adult information storage unit 407 for the member ID recorded on the member card, and determines whether or not the player is registered as an adult. Confirm. Then, when it is confirmed that the player is an adult, the search unit 404 notifies the control unit 405 to that effect.

  The control unit 405 determines whether or not the player who brought the receipt has been authenticated, and determines whether or not to allow tobacco exchange. And control part 405 displays that on display part 408, when permitting tobacco exchange. At this time, the control unit 405 determines whether or not adult authentication is performed by a different method depending on the number of tobacco exchanges of the player in the game store. That is, when the player exchanges cigarettes for the first time in the amusement store, the control unit 405 inputs that the cigarette card is held over the cigarette card reader 41 or the input operation unit 403 indicates that the player is an adult. It is determined whether or not the adult has been authenticated.

  On the other hand, when the player exchanges cigarettes for the second time or later, the control unit 405 determines whether or not the adult is authenticated based on whether or not the search unit 404 confirms that the player is an adult. Therefore, in this case, adult authentication is possible without presenting a cigarette card or input by an employee. When the adult authentication is performed by the search by the search unit 404, the control unit 405 causes the display unit 408 to display that the player is an adult.

  Note that the control unit 405 does not know how many times the player has exchanged cigarettes in the game store, so the search unit 404 does not know how many times the player has inserted the member card into the member card reader 42. If it is not notified that the player is an adult, it waits for notification that the adult is authenticated from the cigarette card reader 41 or the input operation unit 403.

  The adult information registration unit 406 receives adult information from the cigarette card reader 41 or the input operation unit 403 and notifies the adult information that the player is an adult when the control unit 405 permits the cigarette exchange. Register in the adult information storage unit 407. In other words, the adult information registration unit 406 registers that a player who is not registered as an adult is authenticated for the first time, that the player is an adult.

  The adult information storage unit 407 stores adult information indicating whether each member of the amusement store is an adult. Specifically, the adult information storage unit 407 stores a member ID of a game shop member and an adult flag indicating whether each member is an adult in association with each other. Therefore, the adult information storage unit 407 stores the adult flag “Yes” for the member ID of the member who has been authenticated. Further, the adult information storage unit 407 may simultaneously store all or part of the member attribute information stored in the member management T / C 10.

  If the result of the search by the search unit 404 is confirmed that the player is an adult under the control of the control unit 405, the display unit 408 displays that fact. For this reason, the employee of the prize counter confirming the display unit 408 can grasp that the player is authenticated as an adult without requesting the player to present a cigarette card or identification card. In addition, when the control unit 405 permits the cigarette exchange, the display unit 408 displays that fact and notifies the employee.

  Next, the operation at the time of exchanging cigarettes by the prize management POS 40 configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  When the player wishes to exchange tobacco for the game medium, the game medium counts the game medium with the counter 50 and brings the issued receipt to the prize counter in which the prize management POS 40 is installed. When the receipt is handed over to the employee, the receipt is received by the receipt receiving unit 401 of the gift management POS 40 (step S201), and the barcode printed on the receipt is read. Then, the game medium number detection unit 402 detects the number of game media recorded in the receipt or associated with the receipt ID (step S202), and notifies the control unit 405.

  Further, the player inserts the membership card into the membership card reader 42, and when the membership card reader 42 accepts the membership card (step S203), the membership ID recorded on the membership card is transmitted to the search unit 404. Then, the adult information storage unit 407 is searched by the search unit 404, and it is confirmed whether or not the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is “present” (step S204). If the player is a non-member who does not have a membership card, the membership card is not accepted, and it is assumed that there is always no adult registration (No in step S204), and the subsequent processing is executed.

  As a result of the search by the search unit 404, if the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is “Yes” (Yes in step S204), the search unit 404 notifies the control unit 405 to that effect, and the player is authenticated as an adult. It will be. Then, the control unit 405 displays on the display unit 408 that the number of game media notified from the game medium number detection unit 402 and that the cigarette exchange is permitted (step S205). Even when the player wishes to exchange cigarettes, the employee can hand over the cigarettes corresponding to the number of game media to the player without asking for a cigarette card or identification card.

  Thus, when the player is already registered as an adult, in other words, when the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is set in the adult information storage unit 407, the player presents a cigarette card or identification card. Without having to do so, you can receive adult authentication using only a membership card and exchange cigarettes. In general, the membership card is inserted into the membership card reader 42 of the prize counter for storing balls and medals for depositing game media acquired at the game to the amusement store. Can receive adult authentication using a membership card, and the convenience of exchanging cigarettes is improved for players registered as adults.

  On the other hand, if the adult flag is “none” as a result of the search by the search unit 404 (No in step S204), only the member ID is notified to the control unit 405, and the player is registered as an adult under the control of the control unit 405. Is displayed on the display unit 408 (step S206). The employee who has confirmed this display requests the player to present a cigarette card and identification card, and performs adult authentication (step S207). That is, when it is confirmed that the person is an adult, the adult is authenticated by operating the input operation unit 403 and performing a predetermined input (step S207 Yes). Further, when the player holds the cigarette card over the cigarette card reader 41, the player is similarly authenticated as an adult. Here, when the player does not present a cigarette card or identification card and is not confirmed to be an adult, the control unit 405 displays on the display unit 408, for example, that tobacco exchange is not permitted. Error processing is performed (step S210).

  If the player presents the cigarette card or identification card and the control unit 405 notifies the control unit 405 that the player is an adult from the input operation unit 403 or the cigarette card reader 41, the control unit 405 It is determined that the adult has been authenticated (step S207 Yes).

  When the player is authenticated by a cigarette card or an identification card, the display unit 408 indicates that the number of game media notified from the game medium number detection unit 402 and the cigarette exchange are permitted by the control of the control unit 405. (Step S208), the employee who confirms the display does not ask for a cigarette card or identification card even if the player wishes to exchange cigarettes, and the cigarette corresponding to the number of game media is displayed. Can be handed to the player.

  In addition, since the player has been authenticated by a cigarette card or ID card, the adult information registration unit 406 can perform adult authentication without a cigarette card or ID card at the next and subsequent cigarette exchanges. The adult information indicating that the player is an adult is registered in the adult information storage unit 407 (step S209). That is, in the adult information storage unit 407, an adult flag corresponding to the member ID of the member card inserted into the member card reader 42 is set. For this reason, at the next and subsequent cigarette exchanges, adult authentication is performed using only the membership card, and cigarette exchange is possible. Therefore, if adult authentication using a cigarette card or the like is executed only at the first cigarette exchange in the game store, the player can exchange cigarettes using only the membership card at the second and subsequent cigarette exchanges. In addition, since it is registered in the prize management POS 40 that the player is an adult, even if the second and subsequent cigarette exchanges are performed at the tobacco exchange 30 in the amusement store, the player is an adult from the tobacco exchange 30 to the prize management POS 40. In the second and subsequent times, adult authentication using a cigarette card or the like is unnecessary, and it is only necessary to confirm that the adult flag corresponding to the member ID is set in the adult information storage unit 407. .

  If an adult is registered in the adult information storage unit 407 at the time of the first exchange, then the adult authentication is not permanently possible only with the membership card, but the adult registration is performed only for a predetermined period such as daily or weekly. It may be effective. That is, when a predetermined period elapses, the adult flag in the adult information storage unit 407 may be changed from “present” to “not present”. In addition to the period, when the number of cigarette replacements reaches a predetermined number, the adult flag may be changed from “Yes” to “None”. May be set.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, at the time of exchanging cigarettes for the first time, the adult authentication of the player is performed with a cigarette card or the like, and the player is identified as the adult member ID in the prize management POS. There is a correspondence, and at the second and subsequent cigarette exchanges, the adult authentication of the player is performed only with the membership card, and cigarette exchange is possible. For this reason, when exchanging cigarettes at the gift counter, adult authentication using a membership card inserted in the card reader in advance for storing balls or storing medals is possible, and adult authentication using a cigarette card is performed each time a cigarette is exchanged. As a result, the convenience of the player who exchanges the game medium for cigarettes can be improved and the service of the game store can be improved.

  In the first embodiment, the vending machine slave 20 and the cigarette changer 30 are configured as separate units, but they may be integrated. In each of the above embodiments, the member management T / C 10 and the prize management POS 40 store the presence / absence of the adult flag as adult information. However, instead of the adult flag, the number of tobacco exchanges for each member ID is stored. It is also good.

  Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the cigarette exchange is executed by the game medium itself or a receipt in which the count result of the game medium is recorded. However, a valuable value equivalent to the exchanged cigarette is collected from the player. If possible, for example, collect game media for cigarette exchange from player's savings or medal accounts, or collect valuable value for cigarette exchange from value media available at game stores such as electronic money and prepaid cards You may do it. Even when cigarettes are exchanged by these payment methods, according to the present invention, if adult authentication is performed using a cigarette card or identification card at the time of the first exchange, adult authentication can be performed using only the membership card for the second and subsequent exchanges. It is possible and tobacco exchange is allowed.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to the case where the convenience of a player who exchanges game media for cigarettes is improved and the service of the game store is improved.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the game store which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the vending machine subunit | mobile_unit and cigarette exchanger which concern on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the vending machine subunit | mobile_unit and cigarette switch which concern on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the table which memorize | stores the adult information which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vending machine slave according to the first embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the prize management POS which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a free gift management POS according to the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 201 Game media reception part 202 Member card reception part 203 Counting part 204,304 Connection part 205 Judgment part 206 Authorization signal generation part 207 Adult information transmission / reception part 301 Cigarette card reading part 302 Display part 303 Cigarette throwing part 305,405 Control part 401 Receipt acceptance unit 402 Game media number detection unit 403 Input operation unit 404 Search unit 406 Adult information registration unit 407 Adult information storage unit 408 Display unit

Claims (8)

A cigarette exchange management device for managing cigarette exchange in which a player exchanges valuable value for cigarettes at an amusement store,
An acquisition means for acquiring player specific information of the player;
Determining means for determining whether or not the player is an adult using the player specifying information acquired by the acquiring means;
A cigarette exchange management device comprising: permission means for permitting cigarette exchange when the player is registered as an adult as a result of the judgment by the judgment means. The determination means includes
2. The cigarette according to claim 1, wherein the player specifying information acquired by the acquiring means is transmitted to the outside, and an inquiry is made as to whether or not an adult is registered corresponding to the player specifying information. Exchange management device. Storage means for associating and storing information on whether or not the player identification information is an adult,
The determination means includes
The player specifying information acquired by the acquiring means is searched from the storage means, and it is determined whether or not it is stored as an adult corresponding to the player specifying information. The cigarette change management device according to 1. The permission means includes
Including detection means for detecting the number of game media owned by a player who wishes to exchange cigarettes,
2. The cigarette exchange management device according to claim 1, wherein cigarette exchange is permitted when the number of game media detected by the detection means is equal to or greater than that of cigarettes. As a result of the determination by the determination means, an authentication means for authenticating that the player is an adult when it is unregistered that the player is an adult;
A registration means for registering the player identification information in association with the player identification information acquired by the acquisition means after the player is authenticated by the authentication means as an adult;
The permission means includes
The cigarette exchange management device according to claim 1, wherein cigarette exchange is permitted when the authentication means authenticates the player as an adult. The authentication means includes
6. The cigarette exchange management device according to claim 5, wherein adult authentication is performed using a cigarette card for identifying adults. The authentication means includes
6. The cigarette exchange management device according to claim 5, wherein adult authentication is performed by an input operation to the effect that the player of the game shop is an adult. A tobacco exchange management method for managing a tobacco exchange in which a player exchanges valuable value for tobacco at an amusement store,
An acquisition step of acquiring player specific information of the player;
A determination step of determining whether or not the player is an adult using the player identification information acquired in the acquisition step;
And a permitting step for permitting cigarette exchange when the player is registered as an adult as a result of the determination in the determination step.

Images