JP2018175362A - Management system for games and method of managing games - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to provide a player with information such as the location of other players and thereby to improve convenience of the players.SOLUTION: It is possible for an inter-machine card processor 10 and a communication device 110 which is installed near the entrance of a game hall to perform a short-range wireless communication with portable terminal devices 90 carried by players. A management server 100 acquires communication states between the inter-machine card processor 10 or the communication device 110 and the portable terminal devices 90. On the basis of the communication states, the management server 100 manages a location of each player P1 to P3 as player management data 104a, and informs other players of the location of a player.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a game management system and a game management method for managing a game in a game arcade.

  Conventionally, in game arcades such as pachinko parlors, various types of information related to gaming customers are managed in association with identification information for identifying the gaming customers, and various services are provided to the gaming customers. For example, Patent Document 1 manages a number of gaming media in association with a member ID of a gaming customer who has been registered as a member in a gaming shop, and provides a storage service that enables the number of gaming media to be used for gaming and prize exchange even after the next day. Storage management device is disclosed.

  The game player can shift the balls to the balls by registering the balls having the number of game media acquired in the game in the above-described ball storage management device. The balls can be used for playing games or prize exchange only within a predetermined time limit (e.g., until the closing time of the day), but can be used beyond the predetermined time limit by shifting to storage balls. In addition to game balls, medals and the like may be used as game media, but in the present specification, in order to clarify the explanation, balls are referred to as balls and balls regardless of the shape of the game media.

  Further, Patent Document 2 provides a game competition in which game customers compete with each other for the number of game media acquired in the game, and discloses a management system for game arcades where game competition can be performed only by game customers who are willing to participate. .

JP, 2011-217846, A JP 2002-263335 A

  However, in the prior art, it has not been possible to provide the player with information such as the whereabouts of other players. For example, when game players in a friend relationship enter a store together, there are cases where each wants to play a game individually and then wants to wait, but a large number of gaming machines are arranged in the game arcade Above, it is difficult to know where your friends are. In addition, a loud sound is produced in the game arcade, and it is also difficult to contact by telephone or the like.

  In addition, even if a friend is playing a game at the time of entering a store even if they do not enter the store together, there is a demand for wanting to know that there is a friend and its location.

  From these things, it is important to make it possible to provide game customers with information such as whereabouts of other game customers and to improve the convenience of the game customers.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a gaming customer with information such as whereabouts of other gaming customers, and to improve the convenience of the gaming customer.

  In order to solve the problems described above and achieve the object, the present invention is a game management system for managing a game in a game arcade, wherein a plurality of game management systems are arranged in the game arcade and capable of communicating with terminal devices carried by game customers Based on a communication unit, a management unit that manages gaming location information indicating the location of the gaming guest based on a communication state between the communication unit and the terminal device, and the gaming guest based on the gaming location information And a location information notification unit for notifying information relating to the locations of other gaming customers.

  Further, in the present invention according to the above-mentioned invention, the management unit manages the correspondence between the terminal device and the game customer, and the location of the communication device is communicated to the communication unit with the location of the game customer corresponding to the terminal device. It is characterized by using as.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned invention, the communication unit and the terminal device communicate by near field communication, and the management unit is a terminal located within a range in which the near field communication is established from the communication unit. It is characterized in that the management of the above-mentioned customer location information is performed on a device.

  Further, the present invention, in the above invention, is further provided with a gaming machine, which is juxtaposed to a gaming machine for playing a game using gaming media, and performs processing related to the gaming media based on an operation of the gaming customer. A device includes the communication unit.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the location information notification unit causes each of the table devices to output information concerning the location of the other gaming guest.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned invention, at least one of the communication units is disposed in the vicinity of the entrance of the game arcade, and the management unit communicates the communication unit provided in the vicinity of the entrance with the terminal device. And detecting the visit of the player.

  Further, in the present invention according to the above-mentioned invention, the management unit associates and manages the gaming customer and another gaming customer set as a notification target to the gaming customer, and the location information notification unit notifies It is characterized in that information relating to the location of the game player set as the target is selectively notified.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned invention, the location information notification unit causes the terminal device to output information on the location of the other gaming guest via the communication unit.

  Further, the present invention is a game management method for managing a game in a game arcade, wherein a plurality of communication units disposed in the game arcade communicate with a terminal device carried by a game customer, the communication unit, and A management step of managing gaming location information indicating the location of the gaming guest based on a communication state with the terminal device, and relating to the location of another gaming guest to the gaming customer based on the gaming location information And a location information notification step of notifying information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gaming customer with information such as whereabouts of other gaming customers, and to improve the convenience of the gaming customer.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the concept of the game management system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the game arcade. FIG. 3 is a view showing the appearance of the inter-room card processor. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the inter-room card processor. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the storage unit of the inter-room card processing machine. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the mobile terminal device shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the storage unit of the mobile terminal device. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management server shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the storage unit of the management server. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the management server. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of detection of a game customer moving in the game arcade. FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of a configuration in which a communication device capable of communicating with the management server is installed at the entrance of the game arcade. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of trend analysis of a gaming customer using a portable terminal device. FIG. 14 is an explanatory view of a reservation of a game machine using a portable terminal device.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a game management system and a game management method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the present specification, the number of balls is data indicating the gaming media acquired by the gaming customer in the game or the number of the gaming media, and it is possible to provide again for gaming only during the day (time before closing the store) Tell what you can do. The term "reserved balls" refers to game media acquired by a game player in a game or data indicating the number of the game media, and can be used again for the next day or later (time after closing the store). The ball-bearing is available to both a general game player and a member game player, and is used when, for example, the game machine used for the game is changed (so-called platform movement). The balls are normally usable only by member players, and are used when the acquired gaming media are used for the next day or later. A predetermined fee may be charged for use of the balls.

  First, the concept of the game management system according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the concept of the game management system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, in the game arcade, an inter-room card processor 10 is juxtaposed to the gaming machine 20. The inter-table card processing machine 10 is each base device that performs various processes related to game balls such as lending of a game ball and replaying based on the operation of a game customer.

  The inter-room card processor 10 has a near field communication function. It is desirable to use a communication standard capable of performing data transmission (broadcasting) that does not specify the communication destination and data transmission / reception (connection) that specifies the communication destination as this short distance wireless communication. As an example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) is available, and particularly, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) with low power consumption is preferable.

  The inter-table card processing machine 10 communicates with the portable terminal device 90 carried by the game customer by the function of the short distance wireless communication. The mobile terminal device 90 is, for example, a smartphone terminal. The inter-table card processor 10 detects the portable terminal device 90 located in the vicinity of the own device, establishes a connection, acquires identification information from the portable terminal device 90, and transmits it to the management server 100.

  The management server 100 manages the whereabouts of the gaming guest based on the identification information of the portable terminal device 90. Specifically, the installation place of the inter-table card processor 10 which has communicated with the portable terminal device 90 is registered in the gaming customer management data 104a as the location of the gaming customer who carries the portable terminal device 90. Further, the management server 100 manages the group to which the gaming customers belong, and notifies the gaming customers in the group of each other's whereabouts.

  Further, the communication device 110 having the function of near field communication is disposed at the entrance or lobby of the game arcade. The communication device 110 performs data transmission (broadcast) including the identification information of the own device and the address of the management server 100. When receiving the broadcast from the communication device 110, the mobile terminal device 90 of the gaming guest accesses the management server 100, and transmits the identification information of the communication device 110 and the identification information of the portable terminal device 90. As a result, the management server 100 registers the installation place of the communication device 110 that has performed the broadcast to the portable terminal device 90 in the gaming customer management data 104 a as the location of the gaming customer who carries the portable terminal device 90.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the gaming customer P1 and the gaming customer P2 are playing a game, and the gaming customer P3 is newly visiting a store. The portable terminal device 90 carried by the gaming customer P1 will be referred to as a portable terminal device 90a for the sake of convenience. Similarly, the portable terminal device 90 carried by the gaming customer P2 is referred to as a portable terminal device 90b, and the portable terminal device 90 carried by the gaming customer P3 is referred to as a portable terminal device 90c. Further, for convenience, the gaming machine and the inter-base card processor used by the gaming customer P1 are referred to as a gaming machine 20a and an inter-platform card processing machine 10a. Similarly, the gaming machine and the inter-base card processor used by the gaming customer P2 are referred to as a gaming machine 20b and an inter-platform card processing machine 10b.

  The inter-table card processing machine 10a communicates with the mobile terminal device 90a of the gaming customer P1 and transmits identification information of the mobile terminal device 90a to the management server 100. The management server 100 manages the identification information of the portable terminal device 90a and the gaming customer P1 in association with each other, and determines that the gaming customer P1 is playing in the vicinity of the inter-base card processor 10a, that is, in the "3001 series". Do.

  Similarly, the inter-room card processor 10b communicates with the portable terminal device 90b of the gaming customer P2 and transmits identification information of the portable terminal device 90b to the management server 100. The management server 100 manages the identification information of the portable terminal device 90b and the gaming customer P2 in association with each other, and determines that the gaming customer P2 is playing in the vicinity of the inter-base card processing machine 10b, ie, in the "3002 series". Do.

  Furthermore, the communication device 110 provided at the entrance of the game arcade performs data transmission (broadcast) including the identification information of the own device and the address of the management server 100. The portable terminal device 90c of the gaming guest P3 receives a broadcast from the communication device 110, accesses the management server 100, and transmits the identification information of the communication device 110 and the identification information of the portable terminal device 90c. As a result, the management server 100 determines that the gaming customer P3 has arrived.

  If the gaming customer P3 and the gaming customer P1 belong to the same group, the management server 100 notifies the portable terminal device 90c of the gaming customer P3 of the whereabouts of the gaming customer P1. In FIG. 1, the portable terminal device 90 c performs display output of “game player P1 is in the 3001 series”.

  Further, in FIG. 1, the gaming customer P1 belongs to the same group as the gaming customer P3 and also belongs to another group to which the gaming customer P2 belongs. Therefore, the management server 100 notifies the gaming customer P1 of the whereabouts of the gaming customer P2 and the gaming customer P3. Specifically, the management server 100 notifies the in-base card processor 10a of the locations of the gaming customer P2 and the gaming customer P3, and the in-between card processing machine 10a transmits the gaming terminal P2 and the gaming customer P3 to the portable terminal device 90a. And the portable terminal device 90a performs display output such as "The player P2 is in the 3002's" and "The player P3 has visited". Although illustration is omitted, it is possible to notify the gaming customer P2 that “the gaming customer P1 is in the 3001 series”.

  In this way, communication between the stand-alone card processor 10 and the communication device in the vicinity of the entrance of the game arcade is performed with the portable terminal device carried by the game customer, and the communication is used to manage the whereabouts of the game customer. By making it possible to notify other players, it is possible to improve the convenience of the players.

  Next, the system configuration of the game arcade will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the game arcade. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of gaming machines 20 and an inter-table card processing machine 10 provided corresponding to each gaming machine 20 are installed in the game arcade. The inter-standway card processor 10 is connected via the island controller 30 to a communication line which is a network in the store. The island controller 30, the card management device 40, the member management device 50, the prize management device 60, the settlement machine 80, and the management server 100 are connected to the communication line.

  The gaming machine 20 is a device for playing a game by driving a game ball into a game board surface. A plurality of winning areas (winning openings) are provided on the gaming board surface of the gaming machine 20, and a predetermined number of gaming balls are provided as prize balls based on passage of the gaming balls in the relevant winning area. It has become. In addition, a predetermined number of starting areas (starting openings) are provided on the game board surface, and a predetermined lottery is performed based on passage of the game balls through the starting areas. If the lottery is a big hit, an operation that is advantageous for the game is performed by, for example, improving the probability of passing the game ball to the above-mentioned winning area or other starting area by the operation of a predetermined movable member or the like. The result of the lottery by passing the ball to the starting opening is displayed on the special symbol display device which displays the result of the lottery. The display of the lottery result of the special symbol display device is performed in a mode in which the finalized display is performed after the variable display of the predetermined time. In addition, the game board surface is provided with a decorative symbol display device that variably displays a decorative symbol such as a predetermined number based on the result of the lottery, and when the result of the lottery becomes a big hit, for example (7, 7 , 7) and other similar symbols are displayed for notification. In addition, it is also possible to provide an area that doubles as the starting area and the winning area.

  The prize area is provided with a prize sensor for detecting the passage of the game ball to the prize area, and the prize sensor detects the passage (winning) of the game ball driven into the prize area. It has become. In addition, the control unit of the gaming machine 20 has a prize ball memory for storing the number of gaming balls to be awarded as prize balls for each winning area.

  Therefore, when passage of the shot game ball to a specific winning area is detected by the prize sensor, the gaming machine 20 should be awarded from the memory contents of the prize ball memory and the number of gaming balls having passed the prize area. The number of prize balls can be determined, and the payout process for the determined number of prize balls can be performed. In addition, regardless of whether or not the game ball which has been shot in has passed through the winning area, it is finally discharged from the back of the game board to the outside of the gaming machine. The game balls discharged to the outside of the gaming machine are detected by an out-ball detection device attached to each gaming machine.

  Inter-room card processor 10 performs acceptance of payment, lending of gaming balls, and communication with card management device 40. When receiving the bill inserted by the gaming guest, the inter-tier card processing machine 10 transmits deposit notification data including the amount of the bill to the card management device 40, and the amount is the prepaid value managed by the card management device 40. Add a number according to. Then, if a predetermined ball lending operation is performed, a ball lending request is transmitted to the card management device 40, and the prepaid value managed by the card management device 40 is subtracted, and the number of games corresponding to the subtracted prepaid value Perform the payout process of the balls.

  In addition, when receiving the card insertion, the inter-room card processing device 10 transmits card insertion notification data to the card management device 40. In addition, when receiving the data including the prepaid value, the number of balls, and the number of balls from the card management device 40, the inter-day card processor 10 stores the received prepaid value, the number of balls, and the number of balls. Then, after storing the number of balls held, the inter-room card processing device 10 sends the number-of-balls subtraction request data to the card management device 40, thereby setting the number of balls held by the card management device 40 to zero. clear.

  In addition, when receiving the ball re play operation, the inter-room card processor 10 subtracts a predetermined number from the ball number stored in the own device, and performs payout processing of the number of game balls corresponding to the ball number subtracted. Do. In addition, when receiving the ball replay operation, the inter-tier card processor 10 transmits the ball replay request data to the card management device 40 to subtract a predetermined number from the number of balls managed by the member management device 50. The payout processing of the number of game balls corresponding to the number of stored balls is performed.

  In addition, when the inter-tier card processing device 10 receives a card return operation, it transmits ball-count addition request data including the number of ball-counts managed by the own device to the card management device 40. After the number is added, card ejection notification data is transmitted to the card management device 40 to control ejection of the card.

  The island controller 30 is a relay device for bundling a group of gaming machines 20 and the stand-alone card processor 10 provided on the gaming island.

  The card management device 40 is a device that manages the prepaid value of a card, the number of balls held, etc. as card data. When the card management device 40 receives the card insertion notification data from the inter-standway card processor 10, the card management device 40 associates the card ID of the inserted card with the device ID of the inter-stage card processor 10, and manages the card ID. The prepaid value and the number of balls associated with are transmitted to the inter-day card processor 10. When the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification data is a card ID of a member card, the card management device 40 transmits the card insertion notification data to the member management device 50 and receives it from the member management device 50. The storage ball replay data is transmitted to the stand-alone card processor 10.

  When the card management device 40 receives the ball subtraction request data from the inter-room card processor 10, the card management device 40 clears the number of balls held to zero. In addition, when the card management device 40 receives the ball addition request data from the inter-room card processor 10, the card management device 40 sets the number of balls included in the ball addition request data to the number of balls managed by the card management device 40. to add.

  Further, when the card management device 40 receives the ball lending request data from the inter-room card processor 10, the card management device 40 subtracts the prepaid value associated with the card ID by a predetermined value, and transmits the ball lending permission data to the inter-day card processor 10. Send to Then, when the ball replay request data is received, the ball replay request data is transmitted to the member management device 50, and when the member management device 50 outputs the ball replay data, the ball replay data is displayed between the tables. It transmits to the card processor 10.

  Further, when the card management device 40 receives the card ID from the prize management device 60, the card management device 40 notifies the prize management device 60 of the number of balls possessed by the card ID. Furthermore, when the card ID is received from the checkout machine 80, the prepaid value associated with the card ID is notified to the checkout machine 80.

  The member management device 50 is a management device that manages member management data of a member registered as a member in a game arcade. Specifically, in association with the member card ID issued to the member, the number of balls, the number of points, the personal identification number, the name and the like are managed.

  If the member management device 50 receives the card insertion notification data from the inter-room card processor 10, the member management device 50 displays the ball replay data including the number of balls and the identification number associated with the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification data. It is transmitted to the card processor 10 between the two. In addition, when the member management device 50 receives the ball replay request data from the inter-day card processor 10, the member management device 50 subtracts a predetermined number from the number of balls associated with the card ID indicated in the ball replay request data. The stored-ball replay data including the number of stored balls after subtraction is transmitted to the inter-day card processor 10. Communication between the inter-day card processor 10 and the member management device 50 is performed via the card management device 40.

  Further, when the member management device 50 receives an inquiry about the number of stored balls from the prize management device 60, the member management device 50 notifies the number of stored balls corresponding to the designated card ID to the prize management device 60.

  The prize management device 60 is a terminal device for prize exchange attached to a prize exchange counter in the game arcade, and performs a prize exchange process for exchanging the obtained balls, the number of balls and the number of balls for a prize. The prize management device 60 is connected to a card reader for reading a card ID from a card and a prize dispensing device for dispensing a prize. The prize management device 60 transmits the card ID to the card management device 40 when the card ID is read from the general card or the membership card (or when identification data corresponding to the card ID is read from a portable terminal or the like). Request the number of balls possessed by the card ID. When the number of stored balls is exchanged, the number of stored balls is requested to the member management device 50.

  When the card associated with the prepaid value is inserted, the settlement machine 80 transmits the card ID of this card to the card management device 40, and receives the response data to obtain the prepaid value associated with the card. And pay out money according to the acquired prepaid value.

  As described above, the management server 100 manages the whereabouts of the gaming customer using the communication state between the stand-alone card processing machine 10 or the communication device 110 and the portable terminal device 90 carried by the gaming customer, and the whereabouts of the gaming customer To other players.

  Next, the ball lending process of the gaming system shown in FIG. 2 will be described. When the gaming customer performs a ball lending operation on the inter-room card processor 10, the inter-room card processor 10 transmits ball lending request data to the card management device 40. The ball lending request data includes the card ID of the card inserted in the inter-room card processor 10 and an address or arbitrary identification data for specifying the inter-room card processor 10 that is the transmission source.

  When receiving the ball lending request data, the card management device 40 subtracts a predetermined value from the prepaid value associated with the card ID of the ball lending request data. Then, the card management device 40 transmits the ball lending permission data to the inter-base card processor 10 of the transmission source. The inter-room card processor 10 having received the ball lending permission data performs payout processing of the number of gaming balls corresponding to the subtracted prepaid value.

  Next, the ball re-playing process in the case of re-playing the balls in the gaming system shown in FIG. 2 will be described. When receiving the insertion of a general card or a membership card, the inter-zone card processor 10 transmits card insertion notification data to the card management device 40. The card insertion notification data includes the card ID of the card inserted in the inter-room card processor 10, an address for identifying the inter-room card processor 10 that is the transmission source, or any identification data, and the inter-room card processor And 10 data for specifying a rate.

  When the card management device 40 receives the card insertion notification data from the inter-room card processor 10, the inter-card processing device 10 receives the number of balls at each rate associated with the card ID in the card insertion notification data. Notice.

  The inter-room card processor 10 stores the number of balls received from the card management device 40. Then, the card management device 40 transmits, to the card management device 40, ball ID subtraction request data indicating that the card ID, the data specifying the rate, and the number of balls possessed are cleared to zero. When the card management device 40 receives the ball subtraction request data, it clears the number of balls in each rate specified by the card ID to zero. In addition, when accepting the ball-replaying operation and performing the ball-replay, the inter-room card processing machine 10 subtracts a predetermined number from the stored number of balls-does, and performs payout processing of the corresponding number of game balls. . When performing payout processing, payout processing is carried out by transmitting a payout instruction to the gaming machine for multiples of units (for example, 25 balls) that can be paid out by the gaming machine, and the remaining are paid out from the nozzle unit 18a of the own machine. Perform the payout process.

  When receiving the card return operation, the inter-zone card processing device 10 transmits the ball addition request data to the card management device 40. This ball-addition-request data includes the card ID of the card to be returned, the address for specifying the inter-room card processor 10 that is the transmission source, or any identification data, and the number of balls for each rate. .

  When the card management device 40 receives the ball addition request data, the card management device 40 adds the ball number included in the ball addition request data to the ball number of each rate associated with the card ID. Thereafter, the inter-room card processing device 10 transmits card ejection notification data to the card management device 40 to control ejection of the card.

  Next, the ball re-playing process in the gaming system shown in FIG. 2 will be described. If the inter-base card processor 10 reads a card ID from a membership card or a portable terminal usable as a membership card, it transmits card insertion notification data to the card management device 40. The card insertion notification data includes the card ID of the card inserted in the inter-room card processor 10, an address for identifying the inter-room card processor 10 that is the transmission source, or any identification data, and the inter-room card processor And 10 data for specifying a rate.

  The card management device 40 transmits the card insertion notification data received from the inter-room card processor 10 to the member management device 50. If the member management device 50 receives the card insertion notification data, the number of balls of the rate specified by the card insertion notification data among the personal identification number associated with the card ID in the card insertion notification data and the balls. And, it transmits to the room card processing machine 10 ball storage replay data including the number of possible ball replays. The possible number of ball replays indicates the number of balls that can be played back. The possible number of storage ball replays is a multiple of the number of payout units of gaming balls in the storage ball replay. If an upper limit is set for the ball replay, the maximum value within the range of the number of balls and the upper limit is the number of possible balls replay. In addition, you may use the frequency | count which can carry out ball | bowl replay instead of the possible number of ball | bowl replays as a ball | bowl replay frequency. The number of replays of balls corresponds to a quotient obtained by dividing the number of balls by the number of payout units of game balls in the replay of balls. However, when an upper limit is set for the ball replay, the upper limit limits the number of times the ball replay is performed.

  The inter-room card processor 10 stores the received ball replay data, and can accept a ball replay operation if the number of possible ball replays indicated by the ball replay data is one or more.

  After storing the ball replay data, the interstage card processing machine 10 requests the player to input a personal identification number when the ball replay operation is first received, and the inputted code number is the ball replay data It is determined whether or not it matches the password indicated in.

  When the personal identification numbers match, the inter-tier card processor 10 transmits the ball replay request data to the card management device 40. The stored ball replay request data includes a card ID of a card inserted in the inter-room card processor 10, an address for specifying the inter-room card processor 10 that is the transmission source, or any identification data, and inter-room card processing And data for specifying the rate of the machine 10.

  The card management device 40 transmits the ball replay request data to the member management device 50. If the member management device 50 receives the stored-ball replay request data, it subtracts a predetermined value from the balance of stored balls of the rate specified by the message from the stored balls associated with the card ID in the stored-ball replay request data. And recalculate the possible number of deposit replays. Then, storage card replay data including the balance after subtraction and the possible number of the reservoir replays is transmitted to the inter-day card processor 10.

  The inter-day card processor 10 updates the stored number of balls, and performs payout processing of the number of gaming balls corresponding to the number of payout units of stored ball replay. In addition, it is determined whether or not the number of possible balls replayed after the update is one or more. If the number of possible balls replay is 0, it is determined that the operation for replaying the balls can not be accepted. If the number of possible balls replayed after the update is one or more, the ball replaying operation can be accepted again. Confirmation of the PIN is not necessary for the second and subsequent ball replays. The confirmation of the password may be performed each time. In addition, although the case where the inter-room card processing machine 10 performs payout processing of gaming balls after the member management device 50 subtracts the balance of the balls is illustrated here, payout processing of the gaming balls is performed based on the reservoir replay request. Once done, the balance of the ball may be deducted. This is because the possible number of stored ball replays is indicated in the stored ball replay data prior to the request for the replay of the stored balls, and a shortage of balance will not be found after the request for the replay of the stored balls is received.

  Next, the transition from balls to balls in the closing process will be described. The card management device 40 confirms the number of balls possessed by the card management data at the time of closing processing, and if there is a record associated with the number of balls greater than zero, the number of balls possessed by the record together with the card ID and rate. The member management device 50 is notified. The member management device 50 adds the number of balls held notified from the card management device 40 to the number of balls specified by the card ID and the rate. Thereafter, the card management device 40 clears the number of held balls to zero.

  Next, the external appearance of the inter-room card processor 10 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 3 is a view showing the appearance of the inter-room card processor 10. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, the external appearance of the inter-base card processor 10 connected to the gaming machine 20 is shown as the inter-platform card processor 10. Further, the gaming machine 20 to be juxtaposed is illustrated by a broken line. Moreover, in FIG. 3, although the stand space card processing machine 10 which receives only a banknote was illustrated, the unit for coin reception can also be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the inter-stage card processor 10 includes a status display unit 11, a bill insertion slot 12a, a display operation unit 13, a card insertion slot 14a, a holding unit 14b, a wireless communication unit 14c, a nozzle unit 18a and a counting unit 18b. Have.

  The status display unit 11 displays the status of the apparatus of the inter-room card processor 10 by lighting or blinking a lamp of a predetermined color. The bill insertion slot 12a is an insertion slot for various bills necessary for lending game balls. The display operation unit 13 is a device that receives an operation button display such as a touch panel liquid crystal display or an input operation by the operation button.

  The card insertion slot 14a is an insertion slot for a card possessed by a player. The holding unit 14b holds the mobile terminal used for member registration, and when the mobile terminal is held by the holding unit 14b, data such as a unique ID (for example, IDm) of the mobile terminal is read from the mobile terminal. The wireless communication unit 14 c is a unit that performs wireless communication. The nozzle unit 18 a is a mechanism that ejects gaming balls to the gaming machine 20. The counting unit 18 b is a mechanism for counting the gaming balls dropped from the lower tray of the gaming machine 20.

  Next, the configuration of the inter-base card processor 10 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the inter-stand-card processor 10 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the inter-stage card processor 10 includes a bill transport unit 12, a display operation unit 13, a reader / writer 14, a holding unit 14b, a wireless communication unit 14c, a communication unit 15, and a storage unit. A controller 16 includes a controller 17, a nozzle unit 18a, and a counting unit 18b.

  The bill conveyance unit 12 is a conveyance unit that conveys the bill inserted into the bill insertion slot 12a to a bill storage unit (not shown) while discriminating the denomination and authenticity of the bill. The display operation unit 13 displays various information such as prepaid value usable for ball lending, the number of balls, the number of balls, and an input / output device such as a touch panel liquid crystal display that accepts various operations such as ball lending operation. It is.

  The reader / writer 14 is a device for reading a card ID from a card inserted into the card insertion slot 14a. The card inserted into the card insertion slot 14a is stored in a card storage portion (not shown) via the reader / writer 14. The holding unit 14 b is an interface unit that reads various information such as a unique ID (for example, IDm) of the portable terminal by near field communication when the portable terminal or the like is held up. In addition, the reader / writer 14 has a function of associating the card stored in the card storage unit with value data such as balls and prepaid value shown in the card data 16b and issuing it as a new card in response to the return operation of the game customer. Also have. However, if the prepaid value shown in the card data 16b is 0 and the number of balls held is less than a predetermined number (minimum holding number), control is performed so as not to return the card even if there is a return operation. This is a control for preventing a loss in a game arcade by discarding a card associated with a small number of balls. The fixed number can be set, for example, to be the value of the card or the lowest price in the game store, but the value obtained by multiplying the number of balls possessed by the loan unit price per ball is not limited to this, but it is not limited to this It can be freely set by the store policy. In addition, when it is controlled not to return the card even if there is a return operation, it is also possible to pay out the stored balls, but a message to the effect that the card can not be returned and to prompt the replay of the balls is performed. May be

  The communication unit 15 is an interface unit for performing data communication with the gaming machine 20 and the island controller 30. The nozzle unit 18a is used to pay out part or all of the game balls when paying out game balls by ball lending or replay. The counting unit 18 b is a unit that counts the game balls.

  The storage unit 16 is a storage device including a hard disk drive, a non-volatile memory, and the like. The storage unit 16 stores the own device state data 16a and the card data 16b.

  The own-apparatus state data 16 a is data indicating the state of the inter-room card processor 10. The own-apparatus state data 16a includes the apparatus ID of the inter-room card processor and the game setting. The device ID of the inter-room card processor is identification data for uniquely identifying the inter-room card processor 10 in the game arcade. The game setting is data indicating a game type and the like set in the inter-room card processor 10. When dealing with game balls of multiple rates in the game arcade, "ball 1" for 4 yen rate game balls, "ball 2" for 2 yen rate game balls, and "ball 3" for 1 yen rate game balls As such, game name is set and managed for each rate. Inter-room card processor 10 selects a rate to be used for a game from these game types, and stores it as a game setting.

  The card data 16b is data relating to a card being used by a game player. The card data 16 b includes a card ID, prepaid value, balls, balls, the number of possible ball replays, and the like. With regard to balls and balls, data exists for each game type (rate). The card ID is a card ID read by the reader / writer 14. When a card is transported from the card storage unit (not shown) to the card insertion slot 14a and the card is ejected, the card data 16b is updated by the card ID read by the reader / writer 14 during the transport. Also, when a card is transported from the card insertion slot 14a to a card storage unit (not shown), the card data 16b is updated by the card ID read by the reader / writer 14 during the transport.

  The control unit 17 is a control unit that controls the entire inter-room card processor 10, and includes a data management unit 17a, a count processing unit 17b, and a gaming terminal processing unit 17c.

  When the card is inserted, the data management unit 17a transmits card insertion notification data including the device ID of the own device state data 16a and the card ID of the card data 16b to the card management device 40. In addition, when the data management unit 17a receives data including value data (at least one of prepaid value, number of balls held and number of balls stored) from the card management device 40, the data management unit 17a updates the card data 16b with the received value data. . The data management unit 17a controls the display operation unit 13 to appropriately display the prepaid value, the number of balls held, and the number of balls stored in the card data 16b.

  In addition, when a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 12a, the data management unit 17a transmits deposit notification data including the amount of the inserted bill, the card ID and the inter-room card processor ID to the card management device 40.

  Further, the data management unit 17a transmits, to the card management device 40, ball lending request data including a card ID and an apparatus ID when a ball lending operation is performed by a game player. When the ball lending permission data is received as a response to the ball lending request data, the data management unit 17a performs payout processing of a predetermined number of gaming balls.

  In addition, when a game player performs a game replay operation, the data management unit 17a subtracts a predetermined number from the number of balls shown in the card data 16b, and performs payout processing of the corresponding number of game balls. Do.

  In addition, when the number of possible balls replayed indicated by the card data 16b is one or more, the data management unit 17a can display the ball replaying button on the display operation unit 13 and can accept the ball replaying operation. I assume. The data management unit 17a transmits, to the member management device 50, a ball replay request data including a card ID and an inter-room card processor ID when the game player performs a ball replay operation. When the ball replay data is received as a response to the ball replay request data, the number of balls stored in the card data 16b is updated, and the payout process of the number of payout units of the ball replay is performed. In addition, at the time of the first storage ball replay operation, the input of the personal identification number is required, and the ball replay request data is transmitted on the condition that it matches the personal identification number indicated in the card data 16b.

  In addition, when a card return operation is performed by a game player, the data management unit 17a transmits ball addition data including ball ID, device ID, and the number of balls to the card management device 40, and transmits the card data 16b. After clearing the number of held balls to zero, card ejection notification data is sent to the card management device 40, and the card is ejected.

  When gaming balls are inserted into the counting unit 18b, the counting processing unit 17b causes the counting unit 18b to count the gaming balls and adds the counting result to the number of balls held in the card data 16b.

  When the wireless communication unit 14c wirelessly communicates with the portable terminal device 90 of the gaming customer, the gaming terminal processing unit 17c acquires identification information from the portable terminal device 90, and manages it along with the device ID of its own device status data 16a. A process of transmitting to the server 100 is performed.

  In addition, when receiving the notification concerning the whereabouts of the other gaming customers from the management server 100, the gaming customer terminal processing unit 17c displays the whereabouts of the other gaming customers on the display operation unit 13, and the wireless communication unit 14c. The notification regarding the whereabouts of another gaming guest is transmitted to the portable terminal device 90 using.

  Next, an example of data stored in the storage unit 16 of the inter-room card processor 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view for explaining an example of data stored in the storage unit 16 of the inter-room card processor 10. As shown in FIG.

  The own apparatus state data 16a shown in FIG. 5A indicates that the ID of the inter-room card processor 10 is "3001" and "ball 1" is set as the game type of the inter-room card processor 10. ing.

  The card data 16 b shown in FIG. 5B indicates a state in which the ID of the card inserted in the inter-base-card processor 10 is “2002”. Here, the upper one digit of the card ID indicates the type of the card, the first upper digit "1" card is a general card, the upper first digit "2" card is a membership card. Further, the card data 16 b indicates that the prepaid value is “2000 degrees”. Here, with the frequency of prepaid value, one frequency is equivalent to 1 yen. In the card data 16b, the number of balls held by ball 1 is "375 balls", the number of balls held by ball 2 is "500 balls", and the number of balls held by ball 3 is "2000 balls". It shows.

  Further, in the card data 16b, the secret code number for the ball replay is "7777", the number of possible replays of the ball is "250 balls", and the number of balls of the ball 1 is "250 balls". The number of balls stored in is “1000 balls”, and the number of balls stored in balls 3 is “4000 balls”. In addition, although the structure which stores the number of balls which can be re-played as possible number of re-plays was shown here, you may store the number of times of possible re-play as a re-play frequency. Although not shown, the card management device 40 also stores ON / OFF of a “lock” flag indicating validity / invalidity of the card in addition to balls, balls, prepaid value in association with the card ID. When a card theft is detected, it is turned on by employee operation. These data are also included and stored in the card data 16b. Furthermore, this "lock" flag can be set according to the function ("use of balls", "embedded", etc.). It can also be used to prevent accidental operation.

  Next, the configuration of the mobile terminal device 90 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of mobile terminal apparatus 90 shown in FIG. The mobile terminal device 90 may be a dedicated device, but may be a mobile phone terminal, a smartphone, a PDA, a tablet personal computer, or the like. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the mobile terminal device 90 includes a display unit 91, an input unit 92, a wireless communication unit 93a and a wireless communication unit 93b, a storage unit 95, and a control unit 96.

  The display unit 91 is an output interface such as a liquid crystal panel. The input unit 92 is an input interface such as a key or a touch panel used for an input operation by a game player. The display unit 91 and the input unit 92 may be integrated as a touch panel display.

  The wireless communication unit 93a is a communication interface for wirelessly communicating with an arbitrary server via a predetermined network such as the Internet. The wireless communication unit 93 b is a communication interface corresponding to the wireless communication unit 14 c of the inter-base-card processor 10.

  The storage unit 95 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a non-volatile memory, and stores the terminal management data 95a and the gaming guest data 95b. The terminal management data 95a is data used to manage the mobile terminal device 90, such as a terminal ID for uniquely identifying the own device in wireless communication by the wireless communication unit 93b.

  The game customer data 95 b is data relating to a game customer who is a user of the mobile terminal device 90. The gaming customer data 95 b includes registered names of gaming customers, belonging groups, group members, and the like.

  The control unit 96 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. The control unit 96 has a wireless communication processing unit 96a, a gaming guest data setting unit 96b, and a gaming guest data notification unit 96c. In practice, programs corresponding to these functional units are stored in a ROM or non-volatile memory (not shown), and these programs are loaded on a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executed to execute the wireless communication processing unit 96a. The game customer data setting unit 96b and the game customer data notification unit 96c execute the corresponding processes.

  The wireless communication processing unit 96a is a processing unit that performs processing related to wireless communication by the wireless communication unit 93a and the wireless communication unit 93b. Communication by the wireless communication unit 93a is used for connection to an arbitrary server via a predetermined network such as the Internet. Communication by the wireless communication unit 93 b is used for communication with the inter-stand-card processor 10 and the communication device 110.

  When communication is performed by the wireless communication unit 93b, the wireless communication processing unit 96a uses the terminal ID indicated in the terminal management data 95a as identification information of the own device. For example, when the wireless communication unit 93 b communicates with the inter-room card processor 10, the inter-room card processor 10 is notified of the terminal ID.

  When the wireless communication processing unit 96 a receives a broadcast from the communication device 110, the wireless communication processing unit 96 a accesses the management server 100 and transmits the device ID that is identification information of the communication device 110 and the terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90. At this time, the wireless communication unit 93 b is used to receive a broadcast from the communication apparatus 110, and the wireless communication unit 93 a is used to access the management server 100.

  The game customer data setting unit 96 b is a processing unit that sets data related to a game customer who is a user of the mobile terminal device 90. The game player can set the registered name and the belonging group by the operation input to the input unit 92. The registered name is a name used for notifying of the whereabouts with other game players in the game arcade, and can be set arbitrarily. The belonging group is used to control which player and whereabouts notification is to be made. When the gaming customer is set to belong to a certain group, it is possible to receive notification of the whereabouts of other gaming customers who belong to the group, and the other gaming customers who belong to the group have their own whereabouts. Be notified.

  The gaming customer data setting unit 96 b stores the registered name and the belonging group inputted by the gaming customer in the gaming customer data 95 b and transmits the same to the management server 100. Further, another gaming guest of the belonging group is received from the management server 100 as a member of the group, and is stored in the gaming customer data 95b. The game customer can appropriately display the members stored in the game customer data 95b on the display unit 91, and confirm which game customer has participated in the group to which he / she belongs.

  When the gaming customer data notification unit 96 c receives a notification relating to the location of another gaming guest from the management server 100 via the stand-by card processing machine 10 or the like, it displays the location of the other gaming guest on the display unit 91. Thus, the notification to the game player is performed.

  In addition, the gaming guest data notification unit 96c can inquire the management server 100 about the whereabouts of other gaming customers based on the operation of the gaming customer, and can output the answered whereabouts.

  Next, an example of data stored in the storage unit 95 of the mobile terminal device 90 shown in FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the storage unit 95 of the portable terminal device 90.

  The terminal management data 95a in FIG. 7A indicates a state in which the terminal ID is “Tm1”. Further, the gaming customer data 95b in FIG. 7B indicates that the registered name is "P1" and the belonging group is "G1" and "G3". Furthermore, the gaming players participating in the group “G1” are “P1”, “P2” and “P4”, and the gaming customers participating in the group “G3” are “P1” and “P3” Is shown.

  Next, the configuration of the management server 100 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management server 100 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the management server 100 includes a display unit 101, an input unit 102, a communication unit 103, a storage unit 104, and a control unit 105.

  The display unit 101 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display device. The input unit 102 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The communication unit 43 is an interface unit for communicating with the inter-base card processor 10 via the communication line in the game arcade and for communicating with the portable terminal device 90.

  The storage unit 45 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a non-volatile memory, and stores gaming guest management data 104a and group management data 104b. The gaming customer management data 104 a is data in which the terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90, the registered name of the gaming customer, the belonging group, and the location are associated. The group management data 104b is data in which a gaming customer is associated with a group as a member.

  The control unit 105 is a control unit that controls the entire management server 100, and includes a gaming customer management unit 105a, a gaming location management unit 105b, and a gaming location notification unit 105c. In practice, programs corresponding to these functional units are stored in a ROM or non-volatile memory (not shown), and these programs are loaded onto a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executed to thereby control the game customer management unit 105a. The game location management unit 105b and the game location notification unit 105c execute the corresponding processes.

  The gaming customer management unit 105a receives the registered name and the participating group from the portable terminal device 90, associates the group name with the terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90, registers it in the gaming customer management data 104a, and updates the group management data 104b. I do.

  In addition, when there is a change in the members of the group due to new registration or deletion of a game customer, participation in a group or withdrawal, etc., the gaming customer management unit 105a changes to a member participating in the corresponding group. Inform members of.

  The gaming customer location management unit 105 b is a processing unit that manages the whereabouts of gaming customers based on the communication state between the stand-alone card processing device 10 or the communication device 110 and the portable terminal device 90. More specifically, the gaming customer location management unit 105 b is configured to transmit the short-distance wireless communication with the portable terminal device 90 from the special-purpose card processing device 10 to the special-purpose card processing device 10. The ID and the terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90 are received. Then, the location corresponding to the terminal ID of the gaming customer management data 104a is updated to the device ID of the inter-base card processor 10. As a result, it is indicated that the gaming player corresponding to the terminal ID is playing a game using the inter-base card processing machine 10 specified by the device ID.

  In addition, when the gaming customer location management unit 105 b receives an access from the portable terminal device 90 and receives the device ID of the communication device 110 and the terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90, the gaming customer location management unit 105 b corresponds to the terminal ID of the gaming customer management data 104 a. The location is updated according to the communication device 110. For example, when the device ID of the communication device 110 provided at the entrance of the game arcade is received, the location is updated to “visit”. Note that, for example, when the device ID of the communication device 110 provided in the lobby is received, the location corresponding to the communication device 110 can be set as appropriate, such as updating the location to “Lobby”.

  When the location of the gaming customer management data 104a is updated, the gaming location information notifying unit 105c specifies a group to which the gaming customer whose location is updated belongs, and notifies a gaming customer belonging to the group. It is. For example, when the game customer P1 belonging to the group G1 and the group G3 visits, it is another game customer belonging to the group G1 and the group G3 and the game where the whereabouts at that time are known The customer is notified of the whereabouts of the gaming customer P1.

  Further, when the gaming guest location notifying unit 105 c receives an inquiry about the location of another gaming guest from the portable terminal device 90, the gaming location management unit 104 c refers to the gaming customer management data 104 a to identify the location and inquires the specified location. The mobile terminal device 90 of At this time, the location may be answered only for the members participating in the group to which the portable terminal 90 of the inquiry source belongs.

  Any method can be used to notify the gaming customers of whereabouts of other gaming customers. For example, notification to a gaming customer whose device ID of the inter-room card processing device 10 is indicated as the location can be made by notification to the inter-room card processing device 10.

  Further, if direct communication with the portable terminal device 90 is possible, the notification may be sent directly to the portable terminal device 90. For example, it is possible to directly notify the portable terminal device 90 until the session started by receiving the access from the portable terminal device 90 is ended.

  Next, an example of data stored in the storage unit 104 of the management server 100 illustrated in FIG. 8 will be described. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for describing an example of data stored in the storage unit 104 of the management server 100.

  The gaming customer management data 104a shown in FIG. 9A shows a state in which the registered name "P1", the belonging group "G1, G3" and the location "3001" are associated with the terminal ID "Tm1". Further, a state is shown in which the registered name “P2”, the belonging group “G1”, and the location “3002” are associated with the terminal ID “Tm2”. Further, the terminal ID “Tm3” is associated with the registered name “P3”, the belonging group “G1, G2, G3” and the location “visit”. Further, the terminal ID “Tm4” is associated with the registered name “P4”, the belonging group “G1, G5”, and the location “not detected”. The location “not detected” is a state in which a visit to a game arcade on the day is not detected, and all locations are reset to “undetected” when the game store is closed.

  The group management data 104b shown in FIG. 9 (b) indicates that the gaming customers "P1, P2, P4" are participating as a member in the group "G1". Similarly, a state is shown in which gaming customers “P2, P5, P6” are participating as a member in the group “G2”. Then, a state is shown in which the gaming customers "P1, P3" are participating as a member in the group "G3".

  Next, the processing procedure of the management server 100 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the management server 100. First, the gaming customer location management unit 105b acquires the communication status between the stand-in card processing machine 10 or the communication device 110 and the portable terminal device 90 (step S101), and the acquired terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90 manages gaming customers. It is determined whether it is registered in the data 104a (step S102). Then, if the terminal ID of the acquired portable terminal device 90 has not been registered in the gaming customer management data 104a (step S102; No), the processing ends.

  If the acquired terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90 has already been registered in the gaming customer management data 104a (step S102; Yes), the gaming customer location management unit 105b updates the location of the gaming customer in the gaming customer management data 104a ( Step S103).

  After step S103, the gaming machine location notification unit 105c determines whether there is another gaming customer who should be notified of the updated gaming room location (step S104). Specifically, it is determined whether there is any other gaming member who is a member of the group to which the gaming guest whose location has been updated belongs and whose location is known at that time. When there is no other gaming guest who should notify the updated location of the gaming customer (Step S104; No), the gaming customer location notifying unit 105c ends the processing as it is.

  When there is another gaming customer who should notify the location of the updated gaming customer (step S104; Yes), the gaming customer location notifying unit 105c notifies the other gaming customer of the updated location of the gaming customer. (Step S105), the process ends.

  Next, detection of a game player moving in the game arcade will be described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view of detection of a game customer moving in the game arcade. As described above, if the gaming customer is playing a game, the short-distance wireless communication with the inter-stage card processing device 10 being used is established, and the installation location of the inter-day card processing device 10 is made the gaming customer's location. be able to.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, if the gaming customer P is moving in the gaming shop, communication with the specific inter-stage card processing machine 10 is not continuously performed, but in the vicinity at each time of movement. The inter-place card processing machine 10 located can detect the portable terminal device 90 carried by the gaming customer P and acquire the terminal ID.

  Therefore, the movement history of the portable terminal device 90, that is, the movement history of the gaming customer P can be managed by obtaining the history of the device ID of the inter-room card processor 10 which has acquired the same terminal ID. Further, if this movement history is used as the location of the gaming customer, it becomes possible to notify other gaming customers where in the gaming shop the gaming customer P is moving.

  Next, a variation of the communication device will be described. In the above description, the communication device 110 only performs broadcast including identification information of the own device, and the portable terminal device 90 that has received the broadcast from the communication device 110 accesses the management server 100 to locate the portable terminal device 90. Was in control.

  As described above, if the communication device 111 capable of communicating with the management server 100 is installed instead of the communication device 110 that performs only broadcasting, the location of the gaming customer can be managed without directly communicating the portable terminal device 90 with the management server 100. can do.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which the communication device 111 capable of communicating with the management server 100 is installed at the entrance of the game arcade. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the gaming customer P1 and the gaming customer P2 are playing a game, and the gaming customer P3 is newly visiting a store.

  The inter-table card processing machine 10a communicates with the mobile terminal device 90a of the gaming customer P1 and transmits identification information of the mobile terminal device 90a to the management server 100. The management server 100 manages the identification information of the portable terminal device 90a and the gaming customer P1 in association with each other, and determines that the gaming customer P1 is playing in the vicinity of the inter-base card processor 10a, that is, in the "3001 series". Do.

  Similarly, the inter-room card processor 10b communicates with the portable terminal device 90b of the gaming customer P2 and transmits identification information of the portable terminal device 90b to the management server 100. The management server 100 manages the identification information of the portable terminal device 90b and the gaming customer P2 in association with each other, and determines that the gaming customer P2 is playing in the vicinity of the inter-base card processing machine 10b, ie, in the "3002 series". Do.

  Further, the communication device 111 provided at the entrance of the game arcade communicates with the portable terminal device 90c of the gaming customer P3 and transmits identification information of the portable terminal device 90c to the management server 100. The management server 100 manages the identification information of the mobile terminal device 90c in association with the gaming guest P3, and determines that the gaming customer P3 is located near the communication device 111, that is, the gaming customer P3 has arrived.

  Thereafter, as in the case of FIG. 1, the notification of the location is performed based on the group to which each of the gaming customers P1 to P3 belongs. In FIG. 12, the mobile terminal device 90 c performs display output of “game player P1 is in the 3001 series”. In addition, the portable terminal device 90a performs display output such as "game player P2 is in the 3002's" and "game player P3 has visited".

  Next, a further application example of the mobile terminal device 90 will be described. The management server 100 can receive access from outside the gaming house, and can be used for information transmission such as information and advertisements related to the gaming machine 20.

  Furthermore, the management server 100 manages the browsing history from the portable terminal device 90 and the visit history to the game store to analyze the trends of the gaming customers, and the information transmission of the management server 100 corresponds to the trends of the gaming customers It can be evaluated whether it is affecting.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory view of the trend analysis of the gaming customer using the portable terminal device 90. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, the gaming customer P4 accesses the management server 100 from outside the gaming shop before visiting the store and browses information such as information about the gaming machine 20 and advertisements (S1).

  When the management server 100 receives access from the outside of the game arcade, the management server 100 associates the terminal ID of the mobile terminal 90 with the browsed information and manages it as a browsing history (S2).

  Thereafter, when the gaming customer P4 comes to the store (S3) and plays a game using the inter-base card processor 10 and the gaming machine 20, the inter-base card processor 10 communicates with the portable terminal device 90 (S4), The terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90 acquired at the time of communication is transmitted to the management server 100 as a detection result (S5).

  The management server 100 analyzes the trend of the gaming customer P4 using the browsing history and the detection result of the terminal (S6). By this analysis, the number of game customers who have received the information provision from the management server 100 actually visits, and the correlation between the information of the provided gaming machine 20 and the gaming machine 20 actually used is evaluated. can do.

  In addition, information related to the game such as the amount of money used for ball lending and the number of acquired game balls may be further acquired, and the result of the game may also be analyzed.

  It is also possible to notify various information from the management server 100 to the portable terminal device 90, and to evaluate the degree to which the gaming customer who has received the provision of information passively visits.

  Next, reservation of the gaming machine 20 using the portable terminal device 90 will be described. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a reservation of the gaming machine 20 using the portable terminal device 90. As shown in FIG. The game player P5 can access the management server 100 using the mobile terminal device 90 before opening the game arcade, and can make a reservation by designating the desired game machine 20 (S11).

  When the store opening time comes, the management server 100 transmits a securement instruction to the inter-zone card processor 10 provided adjacent to the gaming machine 20 that has accepted the reservation (S12). The inter-room card processing machine 10 having received the securing instruction causes the gaming machine 20 to pay out a predetermined number of gaming balls (S13).

  Since the game balls paid out are stored in the upper tray of the gaming machine 20, other gaming customers can visually confirm that the gaming machine 20 is reserved. Thereafter, the gaming customer P5 visits the store (step S14), and can play a game with the gaming machine 20 reserved for itself.

  It should be noted that if the gaming customer P5 does not visit within the predetermined time limit from the opening time, the gaming balls on the upper tray of the gaming machine 20 are collected, and it becomes possible for other gaming customers to play games.

  Here, if the gaming customer P5 is registered as a member and has a ball, it is preferable to subtract the number of balls paid out when securing the gaming machine 20 from the ball. And, when collecting the game balls without the game customer P5 coming to the store, the balls are kept subtracted. In this manner, it is possible to reserve reservation for the gaming machine 20 with a deposit as a deposit, and to collect the amount of the deposit if the store is not visited, it is possible to motivate the reserved player P5 to visit the store. .

  With respect to gaming customers who are not registered as members, it may be configured not to accept a reservation, or may be configured to collect a deposit at the start of a game.

  Also, when securing the gaming machine 20, the operation of the inter-room card processing machine 10 is locked to prohibit use by other gaming customers, and the inter-base card processing machine 10 performs the portable terminal device 90 having the same terminal ID as the time of reservation. When it detects, it is good also as composition which unlocks. Furthermore, the face image and the pass code of the game customer may be registered, and the game customer may be authenticated by the face image and the pass code to release the lock.

  In addition, the reserved gaming guest may transmit his / her registered face image or pass code to another gaming guest to enable transfer of the reservation. In the case where a reservation is transferred, it is desirable that collection of deposits does not occur, but it is desirable to be able to transfer the game balls for the deposit from the transferee to the transferor. The transfer from the transferee to the transferee can be realized, for example, by dividing the balls of the transferee by the amount of the deposit and adding the divided balls to the balls of the transferee.

  If the gaming machine 20 desired by the gaming customer is already reserved, the tendency of the gaming machine favored by the gaming customer is estimated from the history of past gaming, etc., and another gaming machine 20 is selected based on the estimation result. It may be configured to be presented as a recommendation.

  Also, as another example of use of the portable terminal device 90, when the ball has not reached the predetermined value at the end of the game and the card can not be issued, the number of balls having the predetermined value or less is transmitted to the portable terminal device 90. It may be held, and may be paid out when the portable terminal device 90 is flipped over to another inter-room card processor 10. Balls equal to or less than a predetermined value are usually paid out to the upper tray of the gaming machine 20 at the end of the game, but when the gaming balls left for which the gaming customers have been paid out and left, the other gaming customers It can not be determined whether or not 20 is secured. If the portable terminal device 90 can hold the balls having a predetermined size or less, it is possible to prevent the game balls from being left.

  Also, as another usage example of the portable terminal device 90, it is possible to set how much the game customer should disclose to other game customers about his / her attribute (sex, age, photo), and the game is performed based on the published attribute. It may be possible to search for customers. Such search results can be used for soliciting groups, transferring balls, etc. It should be noted that the player who has received the solicitation or transfer application can select whether to accept or reject, and can change the disclosure level of the attribute as appropriate.

  As described above, in the gaming management system according to the embodiment, communication is performed between the plurality of interstage card processing machines 10 arranged in the gaming arcade, the communication device near the entrance of the gaming arcade, and the portable terminal device carried by the gaming guest. The convenience of the gaming customer can be improved by managing the whereabouts of the gaming customer using the communication and making it possible to notify information about the whereabouts of the gaming customer to other gaming customers.

  In addition, communication between the stand-alone card processor 10 and the communication device 110 and the portable terminal device 90 is performed by near field communication such as BLE, and the installation place of the stand-alone card processor 10 and the communication device 110 is made the location of the gaming customer Thus, the whereabouts of the player can be easily obtained.

  Although the detailed description of the form of the card, which is a medium for correlating the number of game media, is omitted in the above-described embodiment, such cards include a magnetic card, an IC card, and the like. Further, for convenience of explanation, the “card” is described as an example, but the present invention can be applied to the case where a chip, a stick, a portable terminal or the like is used other than such a card.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, although the case of using game balls as game media has been described as an example, the present invention is also applicable to the case of using a medal for a slot machine.

  Further, the present invention may be applied to an enclosed type game machine using a game ball enclosed in a game machine. In the enclosed type game machine, the number of game balls that can be ejected onto the game board is managed as the number of possible games, and in the case of ball lending or replay, etc., the actual game balls will be paid out. Instead, the number of possible games will be added.

  Further, each configuration shown in the drawings is functionally schematic, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the drawings. That is, the form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to the illustrated one, and all or a part thereof is functionally or physically dispersed or integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage conditions, etc. It can be configured.

  For example, the function of the management server 100 may be provided to the card management device 40 or the member management device 50. Alternatively, the management server 100 may be provided outside the game arcade to manage a plurality of game arcades.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the configuration has been described by way of example where the player ID is identified using the terminal ID of the portable terminal device 90. However, the player card is identified using a member card to realize the same function. The terminal ID and the membership card may be used in combination.

  As described above, the game management system and the game management method according to the present invention can provide information such as the whereabouts of other game customers to a game customer, and is suitable for improving the convenience of the game customers.

10, 10a, 10b inter-table card processor 11 status display unit 12 bill conveyance unit 12a bill insertion slot 13 display operation unit 14 reader / writer 14a card insertion slot 14b holding unit 14c wireless communication unit 15, 103 communication unit 16, 95, 104 Memory unit 16a Own device status data 16b Card data 17, 96, 105 Control unit 17a Data management unit 17b Count processing unit 17c Player terminal processing unit 18a Nozzle unit 18b Counting unit 20, 20a, 20b Game machine 30 Island controller 40 Card management Apparatus 50 member management apparatus 60 prize management apparatus 80 settlement machine 90, 90a, 90b, 90c portable terminal apparatus 91, 101 display section 92, 102 input section 93a, 93b wireless communication section 95a terminal management data 95b game customer data 96a wireless communication processing Part 96 b game customer data setting unit 96 c game customer data notification unit 100 management server 104 a game customer management data 104 b group management data 105 a game customer management unit 105 b game customer location management unit 105 c game customer location notification unit 110, 111 communication device P1 to P5 game Customer

Claims (9)

A game management system for managing games in a game arcade,
A plurality of communication units disposed in the gaming shop and capable of communicating with a terminal device carried by a game customer;
A management unit configured to manage gaming location information indicating the location of the gaming guest based on a communication state between the communication unit and the terminal device;
And a location information notification unit for notifying the gaming guest of information related to the location of another gaming guest based on the gaming guest location information.   The management unit manages a correspondence between the terminal device and a gaming guest, and uses an installation place of the communication unit as a location of a gaming customer corresponding to a terminal device that has communicated with the communication unit. Game management system described in.   The communication unit and the terminal device communicate with each other by near field communication, and the management unit targets the terminal device located within a range where the near field communication is established from the communication unit. The game management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein management is performed. The game machine further includes: a base unit that is provided in a game machine that plays a game using a game medium, and performs a process related to the game medium based on an operation of the game customer;
The game management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the base devices has the communication unit.   5. The game management system according to claim 4, wherein the location information notification unit causes each of the table devices to output information related to the location of the other gaming guest.   At least one of the communication units is disposed in the vicinity of the entrance of the gaming shop, and the management unit is configured to visit the gaming guest based on the communication state between the communication unit provided in the vicinity of the entrance and the terminal device. The game management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which detects. The management unit associates and manages the gaming customers and other gaming customers set as notification targets for the gaming customers,
The game management system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the location information notification unit selectively notifies information related to the location of the gaming guest set as a notification target.   The game management according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the location information notification unit causes the terminal device to output information related to the location of the other gaming guest via the communication unit. system. A game management method for managing a game in a game shop,
A communication step in which a plurality of communication units arranged in the gaming shop communicate with a terminal device carried by a gaming guest;
A management step of managing gaming customer location information indicating the location of the gaming customer based on the communication state between the communication unit and the terminal device;
A location information notification step of notifying the gaming customer of information relating to the location of another gaming customer based on the gaming customer location information.

Images