JP2016118890A - Voting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a voting apparatus capable of continuing voting processing without requiring a voter to perform troublesome correction operation or the like even when erroneous information is included in a voting card.SOLUTION: A voting apparatus 100 includes: a voting information acquisition section 120a that acquires a piece of voting information from a voting card; and a voting object selection section 120c that, when any erroneous information is included in the written number of voting object, selects the voting object based on the information of the voting object written on the voting card so that the number of the voting object is made proper. The voting is made based on the selected voting object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for voting using a voting card (mark sheet).

  The voting ticket issuing device and the cashless voting terminal device accept a voting card in which voting contents such as a voting target and a voting amount are entered by a voter, and perform voting according to the voting content. This voting ticket issuing device (also referred to as an automatic vending machine) and a cashless voting terminal device are widely used in public competitions such as horse racing, bicycle racing, boat racing, and auto racing.

The voting ticket issuing device is a method for issuing a voting ticket using a mark sheet type voting card. The voter inserts the expected amount of money into the money slot and then purchases the ballot card according to the voting type he wants to purchase (single win, multiple wins, frame wins, horse wins, etc.), venue, race number, frame number Or mark the horse number, amount, etc. and insert it into the card insertion slot of the ticket issuing device. The voting ticket issuing device reads a mark written on the voting card and issues a voting ticket according to the written contents.
Since the mark sheet is entered by the voter, an entry error occurs. Therefore, a voting ticket issuing device has been proposed that saves as much as possible even if there is a mistake in filling in a voting card and does not reduce the ticketing efficiency. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a ticket issuing device that covers an entry error in the amount column of a voting card.

JP-A-6-243320

  In general, if there is an entry mistake in the entry contents of the voting card, the voting apparatus cannot perform voting, and therefore a screen for prompting correction of the voting contents is displayed to allow the voter to make corrections.

  FIG. 13 is an example of a correction screen that prompts correction of voting content. The correction screen of FIG. 13 is a screen instructing to select one set number because a plurality of set numbers are marked even though “single win” is set for each formula. The voter may enter a desired group number using the touch panel keyboard to vote, or may choose to return the voting card that has been entered incorrectly and re-enter it.

  However, even if an unfamiliar correction screen is displayed, it is difficult for the voter to respond quickly and it is difficult to perform the operation while looking at the correction screen. End up. Therefore, dissatisfaction came out from other fans who were waiting later, which was an operational problem. Moreover, since the time per customer service increases, it has also led to a decrease in customer sales.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide a voting apparatus that advances a voting process without causing a troublesome correction operation to the voter even if the voting card is erroneously entered.

  In order to achieve the above object, the voting apparatus is configured to voting if there is an error in the voting content acquisition unit that acquires the voting content entered in the voting card and the number of voting subjects entered in the voting content. A voting target selection unit that selects the voting target based on the content of the voting target entered in the voting card so that the number is appropriate, and a control unit that performs voting based on the selected voting target, Is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a voting apparatus that advances a voting process without causing a troublesome correction operation or the like even if a vote card is erroneously entered.

It is a figure which shows the whole structure of a voting system. It is a figure which shows the front external appearance of a voting apparatus in detail. It is a figure which further expands and shows each operation location of the voting apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the whole voting apparatus. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of a voting system according to a first embodiment. It is the flowchart 1 for demonstrating the procedure of the voting process in 1st Embodiment. It is the flowchart 2 for demonstrating the procedure of the voting process in 1st Embodiment. It is an example of a voting card. It is an example of a voting card marked with a lot of series numbers. It is a table | surface which shows the specific example of the content of a voting card. It is an example of a confirmation screen. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the voting system of 2nd Embodiment. It is the flowchart 1 for demonstrating the procedure of the voting process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart 2 for demonstrating the procedure of the voting process in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the correction screen of the voting content conventionally displayed. It is a figure which shows the hardware structural example of the whole cashless voting terminal device. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a cashless voting terminal device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a voting system 1000 including a voting device 100, a host computer 200, and a network 300 according to the present embodiment. The voting system 1000 is a system that manages voting, odds display and counting, calculation of dividends, payout of hit voting, and the like. The voting system 1000 includes a plurality of voting devices 100. Note that the cashless voting terminal device 400 may be used instead of the voting device 100. The voting device 100 and the cashless voting terminal device 400 may be referred to as a voting device.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the voting system 1000 and the front external appearance of the voting apparatus 100 in detail. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing the operation system arranged in front of the voting apparatus 100 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the voting apparatus 100 includes an operation status display window 101, a voting ticket slot 102, a voting ticket slot 103, a voting card slot 104, a bill slot 105, and a coin slot 106. , A coin discharge port 107, a display 108, and a touch panel 109.

  The operation status display window 101 displays, in the voting apparatus 100, whether voting ticket issuance is being accepted or issuance is stopped, and whether voting ticket withdrawal is being accepted or issuance is being suspended.

  The voting ticket slot 102 is a slot for voting tickets to be refunded. The voting ticket discharge port 103 is a discharge port for the issued voting ticket. The voting card insertion / extraction port 104 is an insertion port for a voting application mark card (hereinafter referred to as a voting card), and is also an outlet for a voting card to be returned.

  The bill insertion / discharge port 105 is a bill input port, and is also a discharge port for a bill to be returned or a bill. The coin slot 106 is a coin slot. The coin outlet 107 is an outlet for coins to be returned or changed.

  The display 108 is disposed below the touch panel 109 and displays information such as operation guidance, race guidance, and voting contents of a voting card. The display 108 is a liquid crystal display, for example.

  The touch panel 109 is a transmissive touch panel, and is operated when various inputs and voting contents are corrected. Information displayed on the display 108 can be seen by the purchaser of the betting ticket through the touch panel 109. The voting ticket purchaser can perform a touch operation on the touch panel 109 while viewing the information displayed on the display 108.

  In the voting apparatus 100, the voting ticket slot 102 and the voting ticket outlet 103 may be integrated. Further, the coin insertion port 106 and the coin discharge port 107 may be integrated. Also, the voting card insertion / extraction port 104 may be configured separately, such as a voting card insertion port and a voting card discharge port. Moreover, it is good also considering the banknote insertion discharge port 105 as a different body structure like a banknote insertion port and a banknote discharge port.

  The host computer 200 communicates with the voting device 100 via the network 300, and manages the issuance of voting tickets, the repayment of voting tickets, and the like performed by the voting device 100. The host computer 200 also calculates odds and dividends. The network 300 is, for example, a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the Internet, or a network in which they are mixed.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of the entire voting apparatus 100. The voting apparatus 100 includes a control unit 111, a display 108, an administrator display 112, a touch panel 109, an administrator touch panel 113, a voting card reading unit 114, a bill circulation unit 115, a coin circulation unit 116, a voting ticket printing unit 117, and a refund. A voting ticket reading unit 118, a portable recording medium 119, and the like are provided.

  The control unit 111 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 120, a random access memory (RAM) 121, a hard disk drive (HDD) 122, a communication IF (interface) 123, a graphic processing unit 124, and an input / output IF (interface) 125. , Each connected via a bus 126. The control unit 111 is also an example of a computer.

  The CPU 120 controls the overall operation of the voting device 100. The RAM 121 temporarily stores at least part of an OS (Operating System) program and application programs executed by the CPU 120. The RAM 121 stores various data necessary for processing by the CPU 120 (for example, voting data). The HDD 122 stores the OS and various control programs.

  The communication IF 123 is connected to the network 300 and transmits / receives data (various information, messages, notifications, etc.) to and from the host computer 200, for example.

  Note that the OS program and various control programs executed by the CPU 120 may be stored in, for example, the RAM 121 from an external device (not shown) via the network 300 and the communication IF 123 and executed by the CPU 120. Further, the program may be stored in the portable recording medium 119, stored in the RAM 121, for example, via the portable recording medium interface (not shown) and the input / output IF 125, and executed by the CPU 120.

  The graphic processing unit 124 is connected with a display 108 and an administrator display 112. The manager display 112 is a manager-oriented display provided on the back side of the voting apparatus 100. The graphic processing unit 124 displays various information on the screen of the display 108 and the manager display 112 under the control of the CPU 120.

  Connected to the input / output IF 125 are a touch panel 109, an administrator touch panel 113, a voting card reading unit 114, a bill circulation unit 115, a coin circulation unit 116, a voting ticket printing unit 117, and a withdrawal voting ticket reading unit 118. The input / output IF 125 can be connected to a portable recording medium interface that can write and read information to and from the portable recording medium 119.

  The input / output IF 125 is sent from the touch panel 109, the administrator touch panel 113, the voting card reading unit 114, the bill circulation unit 115, the coin circulation unit 116, the voting ticket printing unit 117, the withdrawal voting ticket reading unit 118, and the portable recording medium interface. The received signal is transmitted to the CPU 120 via the bus 126.

  In addition, the input / output IF 125 sends control signals sent from the CPU 120 to the corresponding units (the touch panel 109, the administrator touch panel 113, the voting card reading unit 114, the bill recirculation unit 115, the coin recirculation unit 116) via the bus 126. , Voting ticket printing unit 117, refund voting ticket reading unit 118, or portable recording medium interface).

  The voting card reading unit 114 is a unit that reads the contents of the voting written on the voting card by optically detecting the mark written on the voting card. The banknote reflux unit 115 receives banknotes, discriminates the authenticity of banknotes, stores banknotes, returns banknotes, and discharges bills. The coin recirculation unit 116 receives a coin, discriminates the authenticity of the coin, stores the coin, returns the coin, and discharges the change. The voting ticket printing unit 117 prints the voting contents and issues a voting ticket. The withdrawal voting ticket reading unit 118 accepts the voting ticket and reads the contents of the vote.

  In the voting apparatus 100, the control unit 111 may include a module such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a digital signal processor (DSP). In this case, the control unit 111 includes nonvolatile memory (for example, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), flash memory, flash memory type memory card, etc.) and stores module firmware. Firmware can be written in the nonvolatile memory via the portable recording medium 119 or the communication IF 123. As described above, the control unit 111 can update the firmware by rewriting the firmware stored in the nonvolatile memory.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the voting system 1000 according to the first embodiment. The first embodiment is an example in which the voting apparatus 100 mainly performs a voting target selection process when a voting card is incorrectly entered. The second embodiment to be described later is an example in which the host computer 200 mainly performs a voting target selection process at the time of erroneous entry.

  As described above, the voting apparatus 100 includes the display 108, the touch panel 109, the voting card reading unit 114, the voting ticket printing unit 117, the CPU 120, the RAM 121, the HDD 122, the communication IF 123, the graphic processing unit 124, and the input / output IF 125. Each part such as the CPU 120 has already been described with reference to FIGS.

  The CPU 120 includes a voting content acquisition unit 120a, a voting ticket issue unit 120b, and a voting target selection unit 120c as means for performing voting ticket issuance processing when a voting card is incorrectly entered. The voting content acquisition unit 120a, the voting ticket issue unit 120b, and the voting target selection unit 120c are functional units that are executed by software processing of the CPU 120 that has read the control program.

  The voting content acquisition unit 120a acquires the voting content entered on the voting card. The voting card reading unit 114 optically reads the mark written on the voting card, and the voting card reading unit 114 notifies the CPU 120 of data on the mark position of the read voting card. The voting content acquisition unit 120a acquires the voting content based on the notified data of the mark position of the voting card. The acquired voting content is transmitted to the host computer 200 via the communication IF 123 as a voting message.

  When the betting ticket issuing unit 120b receives a ticketing permission from the host computer 200 that has received the voting content, the voting ticket issuing unit 120b instructs the voting ticket printing unit 117 to print the voting ticket with the content corresponding to the voting, and votes the printed voting ticket. The ticket is discharged from the ticket outlet 103.

  The voting target selection unit 120c determines that the voting target is based on the content of the voting target entered in the voting card so that the number of voting targets is appropriate when there is an error in the number of voting targets entered in the voting card. Select. In particular, when the number of voting objects is entered more than the appropriate number on the voting card, the voting object selection unit 120c reduces the number of voting objects to the appropriate number from the voting objects entered on the voting card. The voting target is usually called a “group number”.

  For example, when the formula is a win, only one set number is marked. Therefore, when a plurality of set numbers are marked, the number of votes is erroneously entered. In this case, the voting target selection unit 120c selects (squeezes) one set number from a plurality of marked set numbers.

  Then, when selecting an appropriate number of voting targets, the voting target selection unit 120c selects a voting target by a predetermined process from among the voting targets entered on the voting card. Here, “random selection” and “selection by popularity” will be described as the predetermined processing, but other processing may naturally be used. It is set in advance whether to select “random selection” or “selection by popularity”. The voting target selection unit 120c selects a voting target by a preset “random selection” or “popularity selection” method.

  In the case of “random selection”, the voting target selection unit 120c selects an appropriate number of combination numbers from among a plurality of combination numbers marked based on random numbers. The voting target selection unit 120c selects one set number when the formula is a win.

  In the case of “selection by popularity”, the voting target selection unit 120c selects based on the odds information of the race. The voting target selection unit 120c requests odds information from the host computer 200, and selects a group number in order of popularity from among a plurality of marked group numbers based on the acquired odds information. In the case of a win, the voting target selection unit 120c selects one of the most popular combination numbers among the plurality of marked combination numbers.

  Then, the voting target selection unit 120c causes the display 108 to display the selected combination number (voting target) as a confirmation screen. The confirmation screen is created by the graphic processing unit 124. On the confirmation screen, the set number and the approval message that are narrowed down to an appropriate number are displayed. The voting ticket purchaser inputs approval or non-approval on the touch panel 109 for the modified voting content.

  If approved, the set number of the voting content is corrected to an appropriate number, and the corrected voting content is transmitted to the host computer 200 via the communication IF 123 as a voting message. If the voting ticket purchaser does not approve, the voting card is returned.

  The host computer 200 includes a CPU 202, a communication IF 204, an HDD 206, and the like.

  The CPU 202 is a control unit that reads a control program stored in the HDD 206 or the like and comprehensively controls the entire host computer 200 according to the read control program. The communication IF 204 transmits / receives a message to / from the plurality of connected voting devices 100 via the network 300.

  The CPU 202 has a ticket issuing permission unit 202a as a function unit realized by software processing. The ticket issuing permission unit 202a determines whether or not to permit ticketing according to the content of the vote for the received voting message. The CPU 202 transmits a ticket-granting message to the voting device 100 if it is permitted, and if the ticket is not permitted due to the sales deadline of the race or cancellation of the start of the voted horse number, etc. Send.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the voting process performed when the voting card is erroneously entered. FIG. 6A is the first and FIG. 6B is the second. In both FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the operation by the voter in the left column, the processing by the voting device 100 in the center column, and the processing by the host computer 200 in the right column are classified. "S" for processing by the voting apparatus 100, and "T" for processing by the host computer 200 are shown at the beginning of each number.

  Cash input is performed by the voter (step R10). The voter inserts cash into the bill input / output port 105 and the coin input port 106. The voting device 100 performs a cash count on the inserted cash (step S10).

  A voter inserts a voting card into the voting card insertion / exit port 104 (step R12). The voting device 100 reads the voting card by the voting card reading unit 114 (step S12). The voting card reading unit 114 notifies the CPU 120 of the read data.

  Here, the voting card will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is an example of a voting card. In the upper part of the voting card, a place name block Ca for designating (marking) a place name to be purchased from a list of venues, a race number block Cb for designating a race to be purchased, and a type of ticket to be purchased (for example, Formula-specific block Cc is provided for designating a single-winning type, a double-winning type, a frame series type, or the like. In the lower part of the voting card, a group number block Cd for designating a group number to be purchased, an amount block Ce and a unit block Cf for designating a purchase amount and a unit, respectively, a voting card type (for example, a normal voting card, A type identification code Cg for identifying a box voting card or the like is provided. A timing mark Ch for specifying the position of the mark column is provided at the bottom of the voting card.

  Returning to the flow of FIG. 6A, the vote content acquisition unit 120a of the CPU 120 determines whether or not each block of “field / race / expression / amount” can be read based on the read data (step S14). Here, “readable” refers to a case where it is determined that each block of “place / race / formula / amount” is properly marked without any blank or duplicate entry.

  If the vote content acquisition unit 120a determines that each item of “place / race / expression / amount” is not readable (NO in step S14), it displays a correction screen on the display 108 (step S16). A block name that is not readable is displayed on the correction screen, and the voter is prompted to input, for example, “place name”. The voter performs a correction operation on the touch panel 109 based on the instruction on the correction screen (step R14).

  If the voting content acquisition unit 120a determines that each block of “place / race / expression / amount” is readable (step S14 YES), the voting content acquisition unit 120a determines the mark of the combination number.

  The vote content acquisition unit 120a determines whether the set number is blank (step S18). If the vote content acquisition unit 120a determines that the set number is blank (step S18 YES), the CPU 120 returns the vote card (step S20).

If the CPU 120 determines that the amount of money is insufficient by comparing the contents of the vote and the amount of money that has been inserted, the CPU 120 displays that the amount is insufficient and prompts additional input.
If the vote content acquisition unit 120a determines that the set number is not blank (NO in step S18), it determines whether the number of set numbers is large (step S22). A large number of set numbers is a case where there are a large number of marked set numbers for each formula or amount. As described above, in the case of a single win, if there are two or more set numbers, it is determined that the number of set numbers is large, and in the case of multiple wins, it is determined according to the amount and conditions.

  FIG. 8 is an example of a voting card marked with a large number of sets. FIG. 8 shows an example in which three combination numbers are marked where one combination number is to be marked because each formula is a single win.

  If the vote content acquisition unit 120a determines that the number of sets is not large (appropriate) (NO in step S22), the vote content acquisition unit 120a transmits a vote message based on the vote content to the host computer 200 via the network 300 via the communication IF 123 (step S24). .

  The host computer 200 receives the voting message, and the ticketing permission unit 202a determines ticketing permission. If ticketing is permitted by the ticketing permission unit 202a, the host computer 200 transmits a ticketing permission message to the voting device 100 via the communication IF 204 (step T10).

  The CPU 120 of the voting device 100 determines whether a ticketing permission message has been received (step S26). When CPU 120 determines that it has not received a ticket-granting message (NO in step S26), it loops step S26. When CPU 120 determines that it has received the ticket-granting message (YES in step S26), voting ticket issuing unit 120b instructs voting ticket printing unit 117 to print and issues a voting ticket (step S28).

  On the other hand, if the vote content acquisition unit 120a determines that the number of group numbers is large (YES in step S22), the process proceeds to the flowchart 2 in FIG. 6B.

  The voting target selection unit 120c determines whether the setting is “random selection” (step S40). When determining that the setting is “random selection” (YES in step S40), the voting target selection unit 120c selects an appropriate number of assembly numbers from among the excessively marked assembly numbers so that the number of assembly numbers is appropriate. Are randomly selected (step S42).

  On the other hand, when determining that the setting is not “random selection” (NO in step S40), the voting target selection unit 120c performs “selection by popularity”. The voting target selection unit 120c transmits an odds data acquisition request message to the host computer 200 (step S44).

  The host computer 200 transmits a telegram of corresponding odds data (step T12). The voting target selection unit 120c determines whether or not a telegram of odds data has been received (step S46), and loops step S46 until it is received. If it is determined that the voting target selection unit 120c has received the message of odds data (YES in step S46), the voting target selection unit 120c selects the group numbers from the marked group numbers in the order of popularity (step S48).

  FIG. 9 is a table showing an example of each voting data based on the voting cards No1 to No5. Table P1 is voting data based on the inserted voting card itself, and No. 1 and No. 4 voting cards are erroneously entered, and two or more combination numbers that should be one win are listed. No1 is the voting content of the voting card shown in FIG. Table P2 is the voting data after the combination number erroneously entered in No1 and No4 has been corrected by, for example, random selection by the voting target selection unit 120c.

The voting target selection unit 120c displays a confirmation screen after the random selection or the popularity order selection (step S50). Since both the random selection and the popularity order selection are the combination numbers selected by the voting apparatus 100, if the voting ticket is issued unilaterally without receiving approval from the voter, there is a possibility that the voter's intention may not be met. It is.
FIG. 10 is an example of a confirmation screen to be displayed. FIG. 10 is a confirmation screen displayed in the case of the erroneous entry shown in FIG. The screen Q1 is a confirmation screen at the time of setting random selection, and is a case where the set number “1” is selected by random selection. The automatic purchase button d1 is an approval button. When the entrusted purchase button d1 is touched, a betting ticket is issued with the group number “1”. The card return button d2 is a button for instructing the return of the voting card, and is touched when the voter does not approve the random selection.

  A screen Q2 in FIG. 10 is a confirmation screen at the time of popularity order selection setting. The screen Q2 is a confirmation screen when the popularity order selection is set, and is a case where the group number “2” is selected by the popularity order selection. The entrusted purchase button d1 is an approval button, and when it is touched, a betting ticket is issued with the group number “2”. The card return button d2 is a button for instructing the return of the voting card.

  Return / confirmation operation is performed by the voter who has seen the confirmation screen (step R16). The voting target selection unit 120c determines whether a return operation has been performed by touching the card return button d2 (step S52). If it is determined that the return operation has been performed (YES in step S52), the voting card is returned (step S52). S54), the process is terminated.

  When determining that the return operation has not been performed (step S52 NO), the CPU 120 determines whether a confirmation operation has been performed by touching the automatic purchase button d1 (step S56). When CPU 120 determines that the confirmation operation has not been performed (NO in step S56), it returns to step S52.

  When CPU 120 determines that a confirmation operation has been performed (YES in step S56), CPU 120 transmits a voting message of voting contents based on the set number reduced to an appropriate number to host computer 200 (step S58). For example, the voting data shown in Table P2 of FIG. 9 is transmitted to the host computer 200 as a voting message.

  The host computer 200 receives the voting message, and the ticketing permission unit 202a determines ticketing permission. If ticketing is permitted by the ticketing permission unit 202a, the host computer 200 transmits a ticketing permission message to the voting device 100 via the communication IF 204 (step T14).

  The CPU 120 of the voting device 100 determines whether a ticketing permission message has been received (step S60). When CPU 120 determines that it has not received a ticket-granting message (NO in step S60), it loops step S60. When CPU 120 determines that it has received a ticket-granting message (YES in step S60), voting ticket issuing unit 120b instructs voting ticket printing unit 117 to print and issues a voting ticket (step S62).

  According to the first embodiment described above, if there is an error in the voting target (group number) of the voting card, the voting device 100 automatically selects an appropriate number of voting targets. The voting time per customer can be significantly shortened compared to letting the voter perform correction work on the spot.

  As the expected voting time per customer, according to the conventional method, cash insertion (2.5 seconds) + voting card insertion (2.5 seconds) + voting content correction (10 seconds) + voting ticket issuance (5 Seconds) ⇒ Total 20 seconds is calculated. According to the first embodiment, cash insertion (2.5 seconds) + voting card insertion (2.5 seconds) + voting content computer automatic selection (2 seconds) + voting ticket issuance (5 seconds) ⇒total 12 seconds Is calculated.

  Thus, by performing the voting target selection process according to the first embodiment, the voting time is shortened from 20 seconds to 12 seconds, and it is expected that the customer service time is reduced by about 40%.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment is an example in which the host computer 200 mainly performs voting target selection processing at the time of erroneous entry. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram illustrating a configuration of the voting system 1000 according to the second embodiment. The difference in configuration between the voting system 1000 of the second embodiment and the voting system 1000 of the first embodiment is that the voting target selection unit provided in the CPU 120 of the voting apparatus 100 is provided in the CPU 202 of the host computer 200. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The voting target selection unit 620c determines that the voting target is based on the content of the voting target entered in the voting card so that the voting target number is appropriate when the number of voting targets entered in the voting card is incorrect. Is to select. The voting target selection unit 620c has the same function as the voting target selection unit 120c in the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of the voting ticket issuing process performed when the voting card is erroneously entered in the second embodiment. FIG. 12A is the first and FIG. 12B is the second. The same processing as the flowchart of the first embodiment described in FIG. 6 will be described briefly, and differences will be described in detail.

  Steps R100, R102, and R104 by the voter are the same as steps R10, R12, and R14. Steps S100 to S110 performed by the host computer 200 are the same as steps S10 to S20.

  If the vote content acquisition unit 120a determines that the set number is not blank (step S108 NO), the CPU 520 transmits a vote message as shown in Table P1 of FIG. 9 to the host computer 200 (step S112).

  The CPU 602 of the host computer 200 determines whether the number of set numbers is large (step T100). When CPU 602 determines that the number of sets is not large, that is, the number of sets is an appropriate number (step T100 NO), next, ticket issuing permission unit 202a determines ticket issuing permission. If ticketing is permitted by the ticketing permission unit 202a, the CPU 602 transmits a ticketing permission message to the voting device 100 via the communication IF 204 (step T102).

  The CPU 520 of the voting device 100 determines whether a ticketing permission message has been received (step S114). When CPU 520 determines that it has not received the ticketing permission message (NO in step S114), it loops step S114. When CPU 520 determines that a ticket-granting message has been received (YES in step S114), betting ticket issuing unit 120b issues a betting ticket (step S116).

  If the CPU 212 determines that the number of group numbers is large (YES in step T100), the voting target selection unit 620c proceeds to FIG. 12B and determines whether the setting is “random selection” (step T104).

  If the voting target selection unit 620c determines that the setting is “random selection” (step T104 YES), the voting target selection unit 620c selects an appropriate number of combination numbers from among the excessively marked combination numbers so that the number of combination numbers is appropriate. A random selection is made (step T106).

  On the other hand, when determining that the setting is not “random selection” (NO in step T104), the voting target selection unit 620c performs “popularity selection”. The voting target selection unit 620c acquires odds data (step T108). Based on the odds data, the voting target selection unit 620c selects a set number from the marked set numbers in order of popularity (step T110).

  The CPU 212 transmits a modified voting message based on the combination number selected by the voting target selection unit 620c to the voting device 100 (step T112). The corrected voting message is voting data as shown in Table P1 of FIG.

  CPU 520 determines whether a voting message has been received (step S120), and if it determines that it has not been received (step S120 NO), loops step S120. When CPU 520 determines that the modified voting message has been received (YES in step S120), it displays a confirmation screen and prompts the voter to approve the modified content. Steps S122 to S128, which are confirmation procedures performed by the voter, and R106, which is a return confirmation operation performed by the voter, are the same as steps S50 to S56 and R16, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  When CPU 520 determines that the confirmation operation has been performed by the voter (YES in step S128), CPU 520 transmits the corrected voting message to host computer 200 (step S130).

  Note that the CPU 520 may transmit, to the host computer 200, a message only indicating that the correction has been approved, instead of the entire corrected voting message.

  If ticketing is permitted by the ticketing permission unit 202a, the CPU 602 transmits a ticketing permission message to the voting device 100 via the communication IF 204 (step T114).

  The CPU 520 of the voting device 100 determines whether a ticket-granting message has been received (step S132). When CPU 520 determines that it has not received a ticket-granting message (NO in step S132), it loops over step S132. When CPU 520 determines that the ticket-granting message has been received (YES in step S132), betting ticket issuing unit 120b issues a betting ticket (step S134).

  Also according to the second embodiment described above, as in the first embodiment, when there is an error in the voting target (group number) of the voting card, the host computer 200 automatically selects an appropriate number of voting targets. Therefore, the voting time per customer service can be greatly shortened as compared with the conventional case where the voter performs correction work on the spot. Also in the second embodiment, by performing the voting target selection process, the voting time is reduced from 20 seconds to 12 seconds, and it is expected that the customer service time is reduced by about 40%.

  Although the voting target selection unit has been described as a software process by the CPU that has read the control program in both the first and second embodiments, a part or all of the voting target selection unit is configured by hardware. Also good.

[Third Embodiment]
The third embodiment is an example in which the first and second embodiments are based on the cashless voting terminal device in the present embodiment in contrast to the voting device 100.

  The voting device 100 uses cash to issue voting tickets and performs voting, whereas the cashless voting terminal device 400 is a device that performs voting with a membership card charged with cash by a deposit settlement machine. When voting is performed by the cashless voting terminal device 400, a voting ticket is not issued, and a receipt printed with the voted contents is issued. The voting itself is performed by exchanging data.

  The deposit settlement machine is a device that performs purchase of a voting ticket with cash, refund of a target voting ticket, settlement of a target repayment or balance with a member card, and charge of cash to the member card.

  In FIG. 14, the cashless voting terminal device 400 includes an IC card reader 410, a voting card insertion / discharge port 404, a display 408, a touch panel 409, and a receipt discharge port 403. The IC card reader 410 reads information stored in the membership card and corresponds to a depositing unit. The voting card insertion / discharge port 404 is used to input and discharge a voting card filled with voting contents, and corresponds to a voting input unit.

  The display 408 displays a selection screen for voting reservation data and priority conditions to be selected by a fan, and displays information such as operation guidance, race guidance, and voting contents of a voting card. The display 408 is, for example, a liquid crystal display. A touch panel 409 is disposed on the top of the display 408.

  The touch panel 409 is operated by the fan when performing various inputs or voting content correction. The touch panel 409 is a transmissive type, and information displayed on the display 408 passes through the touch panel 409 and can be viewed from the fan. The fan can perform a touch operation on the touch panel 409 while viewing information displayed on the display 408. The touch panel 409 is for the fan to view the display 408 and select the voting content and priority conditions. The display 408 and the touch panel 409 constitute display selection means.

  15, the cashless voting terminal apparatus 400 includes a control unit 411, a display 408, a touch panel 409, an IC card reader 410, a voting card reading unit 414, and a receipt printer 417.

The control unit 411 is referred to as a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as “CPU”).
) 420, a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as “RAM”) 421, a compact flash (registered trademark) (hereinafter referred to as “CF”) 422, a communication interface 423, a graphic processing unit 424, and an input / output interface 425. Each is connected through a bus 426. The control unit 411 is also an example of a computer. The CF 422 is not limited to this and may be a hard disk drive (HDD) or the like.

  The CPU 420 controls the overall operation of the cashless voting terminal device 400. The RAM 421 temporarily stores at least a part of an operating system (hereinafter referred to as “OS”) program and application program executed by the CPU 420.

  A display 408 is connected to the graphic processing unit 424. The graphic processing unit 424 displays various information on the screen of the display 408 under the control of the CPU 420. A touch panel 409, an IC card reader 410, a voting card reading unit 414, and a receipt printer 417 are connected to the input / output interface 425.

  The input / output interface 425 transmits signals sent from the touch panel 409, the voting card reading unit 414, and the receipt printer 417 to the CPU 420 via the bus 426. The input / output interface 425 transmits the control signal sent from the CPU 420 to the corresponding units (touch panel 409, IC card reader 410, voting card reading unit 414, receipt printer 417) via the bus 426.

  The IC card reader 410 reads information including the member ID of the member card, the balance and the like. The voting card reading unit 414 is a unit that reads voting contents from a voting card. The receipt printer 417 is a printer that prints voting contents.

  In the cashless voting terminal device 400, the control unit 411 may include a module such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). In this case, the control unit 411 includes a nonvolatile memory, a flash memory, a flash memory type memory card, and the like, and stores module firmware. As described above, the control unit 411 can also update the firmware by rewriting the firmware stored in the nonvolatile memory.

  As for the voting process in the cashless voting terminal device, in the processes of FIGS. 6A, 6B, 12A, and 12B, an electronic transaction is performed using a membership card instead of inserting cash. In addition, instead of issuing voting tickets, electronic transactions are performed. Then issue a receipt. Only this part is changed, and the rest is the same as that of the voting apparatus 100.

  Note that the voting device described in this embodiment is an example, and includes a cashless voting terminal device capable of voting cashlessly using a manned / unmanned cash machine / issuing machine or a membership card. It is. Also included are sales machines and ticketing machines using lottery tickets (voting cards). Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to all devices capable of voting using a voting card or an application form.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments may be appropriately combined. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined. Of course, various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

100 voting device 120 520 CPU
120a Vote content acquisition unit 120b Voting ticket issue unit 120c Voting target selection unit 123 Communication IF
124 Graphic processing unit 125 Input / output IF
126 Bus 200 Host computer 202 602 CPU
202a Ticketing permission unit 620c Voting target selection unit 204 Communication IF
300 Network 400 Cashless Voting Terminal Device 1000 Voting System

Claims (8)

A voting content acquisition unit for acquiring the voting content entered on the voting card;
Voting that selects the voting target based on the voting target content entered in the voting card so that the number of voting targets is appropriate when there is an error in the number of voting targets entered in the voting content An object selection unit,
A voting apparatus that performs voting based on the selected voting target. 2. The voting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a voting ticket issuing unit that issues a voting ticket based on the selected voting target. The voting object selection unit narrows down the voting object to an appropriate number from among the voting objects entered in the voting card when the number of voting objects is entered more than the appropriate number in the voting card. The voting device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein 4. The voting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the voting object selection unit randomly selects the voting object from voting objects entered in the voting card. The voting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the voting object selection unit selects the voting object based on the order of popularity from the voting objects entered in the voting card. In the voting method in the voting device,
A voting content acquisition step for acquiring the voting content entered on the voting card;
Voting that selects the voting target based on the voting target content entered in the voting card so that the number of voting targets is appropriate when there is an error in the number of voting targets entered in the voting content An object selection step;
A voting method comprising voting based on the selected voting object, and voting. In a program that causes a computer to execute a voting method,
A voting content acquisition step for acquiring the voting content entered on the voting card;
Voting that selects the voting target based on the voting target content entered in the voting card so that the number of voting targets is appropriate when there is an error in the number of voting targets entered in the voting content An object selection step;
A voting step for voting based on the selected voting object. In a voting system comprising a voting device and a host computer connected to the voting device and controlling the voting device,
The voting device is:
A voting content acquisition unit for acquiring the voting content entered on the voting card;
A communication unit that transmits the content of the vote to the host computer,
In response to instructions from the host computer, vote
The host computer
A voting target selection unit that selects the voting target so that the voting target becomes an appropriate number from among the voting targets entered in the voting card when the number of voting targets is entered more than the appropriate number in the voting card; ,
A voting system comprising: a communication unit that transmits the selected voting object to the voting device.