JP5010973B2 - Information exchange device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information exchange apparatus using wireless communication.

A typical information exchange device by wireless communication is a mobile phone, but various proposals have been made to exchange information other than calls by using the mobile phone. For example, according to the following Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2, a market research system using a mobile phone is proposed. Further, Patent Literature 3 proposes a virtual phrase system using a mobile phone.
JP 2001-282893 A JP 2002-49736 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-23681

However, since the mobile phone line is also charged, these functions are not generalized as functions that can be used as easily as the functions performed inside the mobile phone such as games.

The subject of this invention is providing the information exchange apparatus which can perform information exchange more easily in view of the above. Another object of the present invention is to provide an information exchange apparatus in which a relatively large number of people can easily cooperate.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a first wireless communication means having a telephone function unit for transmitting and receiving and communicating with an external communication device, and a second wireless communication unit different from this. Wireless communication means, an information transmission section for transmitting information to a plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication means, and the second wireless communication means from the plurality of external communication devices regarding the information transmission There is provided an information exchange apparatus comprising: a response processing unit that processes a response; and a distribution unit that distributes a processing result by the response processing unit to a plurality of external communication devices by a second wireless communication unit. As described above, in the present invention, a wireless communication means that is a function mounted on a device having a wireless telephone function such as a mobile phone, but does not generate a charge different from the wireless communication means for the telephone function, allows a plurality of parties to Provided is an information exchange device that can transmit information, process a response, and distribute a processing result, and is useful for a game in which a large number of people participate or a public opinion survey. In addition, the above feature of the present invention that links a wireless communication means different from a paid telephone line and a means for facilitating information exchange is not a passive participation in a survey or the like managed by a large server. Feel free to act as the subject of surveys and conduct calls to many people.

According to a specific feature of the present invention, the information transmission unit transmits a question and a choice of response to the question. As a result, information transmission and response are standardized, information transmission and response are facilitated, and processing can be easily performed, contributing to the generalization of functions. According to another specific feature of the present invention, a response operation unit is provided that makes a response by the second wireless communication means with respect to information transmission from the external communication device. This makes it possible not only to become an information sender, but also to respond to information sent from the outside, and to easily participate not only in information exchange but also in information exchange proposed by others. Can do. More specifically, the response operation unit is configured to select a response option with respect to a question from an external communication device and information transmission of the response option, thereby facilitating a response.

According to another specific feature of the present invention, the display unit is also used for displaying information to be transmitted. This makes it possible to easily confirm information to be exchanged regardless of whether it is an information transmission side or a response side, and information exchange can be freely performed from any standpoint. According to another specific feature of the invention, the processing means for processing the information of the information transmitting unit is shared with the external communication device. Since the processing is standardized by sharing the processing means in this way, a series of processing of information transmission to a plurality of opponents, processing of the response, and distribution of processing results is performed on the information transmission side or the response side. A system that can be freely performed regardless of whether it is present or not is possible. Theoretically exchanging information with the same content as the information exchange according to the present invention is theoretically possible, for example, by repeated communication and transfer using the mail function of a mobile phone. Is extremely difficult to implement and increases communication costs. On the other hand, according to the present invention, information can be exchanged easily and without cost by being mounted on a shared system.

According to another specific feature of the present invention, the processing result by the response processing unit is transmitted to the external server by the first wireless communication means, and the comprehensive processing result obtained by processing the result is transmitted to the external server by the first wireless communication means. The distribution unit distributes the overall processing result received by the control unit to a plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit. In this way, if the aggregation results obtained through the second wireless communication means are gathered to an external server via a telephone line, information exchange beyond the communication area of the second wireless communication means becomes possible, which is extremely useful for wide-area surveys, etc. Useful. In addition, by using the telephone line via the second wireless communication means and distributing the result, the external server can collect information from individual mobile phones directly through the telephone line. In comparison, information exchange is promoted both in terms of efficiency and cost. In addition, first, information is collected for each communication area of the second wireless communication means, and this information is gathered to an external server. As a result, it is easy to control the sample survey method for totaling over a wide area. On the other hand, when an external server accesses an individual mobile phone directly through a telephone line, the mobile phone is constantly moving, and thus enormous information processing is required to perform such centralized control of local bases. Become.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a first wireless communication unit, a second wireless communication unit different from the first wireless communication unit, and information transmission to a plurality of external communication devices are performed by the second wireless communication unit. An information transmission unit and information regarding responses received by the second wireless communication unit from a plurality of external communication devices with respect to the information transmission are transmitted to the external server by the first wireless communication unit, and processing results obtained by processing the information are displayed. A control unit that receives from an external server by a first wireless communication unit, and a distribution unit that distributes a processing result received by the control unit to a plurality of external communication devices by a second wireless communication unit An information exchange device is provided. In this way, the information that has passed through the second wireless communication means is summed up by the first wireless communication means, and the result of the summation from the first wireless communication means is distributed via the second wireless communication means. The features of the invention are not limited to application to mobile phones. That is, as described above, this feature provides an information exchange apparatus that can easily control the local investigation at the site where the area is designated and the sample investigation method of how to summarize the local investigation results over a wide area. This feature is widely applicable to others. As described above, when the information related to the response received by the second wireless communication unit is transmitted to the external server by the first wireless communication unit, the information is not necessarily processed before transmission. Specifically, various implementations such as direct transmission of raw information are possible. In short, the information regarding the response received by the second wireless communication means may be finally transmitted to the external server that processes the information.

According to the specific feature of the present invention, a reception control unit is provided that receives information to be transmitted from the information transmission unit from the external server by the first wireless communication means. Since the response to the information transmission is finally processed by the external server, by configuring in this way, a series of information exchange can be started from the external server, and the communication range of the second wireless communication means is exceeded. It becomes an information exchange device useful for wide-area information exchange such as surveys.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a first wireless communication unit for receiving information to be transmitted to an external communication device from a wide area server, a second wireless communication unit different from the first wireless communication unit, An information transmission unit that transmits information received by the wireless communication unit to the plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit, and the second wireless communication unit receives the information transmission from the plurality of external communication devices. There is provided an information exchange apparatus comprising: a response processing unit that processes a response; and a distribution unit that distributes a processing result to a plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit. As described above, the feature of the present invention that the information transmitting unit receives the information to be transmitted from the external server by the first wireless communication means is not limited to the case where the external server performs the information processing. This is also useful when the information exchange device itself performs. Participation in information exchange is a response to information transmission already performed by someone, so the operation is simple. However, it is not easy to create information transmission for other responses from scratch. In this case, there is an existing template that serves as a framework for the information to be sent by selecting one of the existing menus, and in some cases it is extremely easy to send information. It becomes easy. The above feature makes it possible to receive such existing information or an existing template from an external server, and contributes to facilitating information transmission.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a first wireless communication unit that communicates with an external communication device, a second wireless communication unit different from the first wireless communication unit, and a plurality of second wireless communication units. An information transmitting unit for transmitting information to the external communication device, a response processing unit for processing responses received by the second wireless communication unit from a plurality of external communication devices regarding the information transmission, A distribution unit that distributes the information to the plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit; and a reception control unit that receives the processing unit that processes the information of the information transmission unit from the external server by the first wireless communication unit. An information exchange device is provided. There are various needs for information exchange, but the above feature makes it easy to receive processing means such as software for performing processing necessary for information exchange from an external server. As described above, the feature of the present invention that combines the acquisition of the processing means by the first wireless communication means and the execution of the processing by the processing means by the second wireless communication means is, for example, the Internet Unlike the one that obtains the software used in the Internet, two types of wireless communication means are provided in one information exchange device, and these wireless communication means are used separately for obtaining and executing the processing means. It contributes to diversification and facilitation. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following examples.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first example of the game device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment constitutes a mobile phone system, and includes a first mobile phone 2, a second mobile phone 4, a third mobile phone 6, and a fourth mobile phone 8. These are basically the same configuration. Although only four mobile phones are shown in FIG. 1 for the sake of simplicity, the embodiment of the present invention is a system based on a large number of mobile phones, for example, 100 of the same configuration within a short-range communication area. It is assumed that the system is about a mobile phone.
The first mobile phone 2 has a first control unit 10 composed of a computer that controls the entire mobile phone, and controls the first telephone function unit 14 and the like according to the operation of the first operation unit 12. The function of the first control unit 14 is executed by software stored in the storage unit 16. The storage unit 16 also temporarily stores various data necessary for controlling the entire first mobile phone 2. Further, the first control unit 10 controls the first display unit 18 to perform GUI display in cooperation with the operation of the first operation unit 12 and display the control result.

The GPS unit 20 obtains information on the latitude, longitude, and altitude, which are absolute position information of the first mobile phone 2, from the satellite or the nearest broadcasting station based on the GPS system and sends the information to the first control unit 10. The absolute position information is displayed on the first display unit together with the map under the control of the first control unit 10, and is provided as navigation information. The first game storage unit 22 stores data relating to games that can be played on the first mobile phone 2. The data regarding these games is standardized and can be identified by ID. The game stored in the first game storage unit 22 is linked not only to the game enjoyed by the first mobile phone 2 alone as described in detail below, but also to many other mobile phones such as the second mobile phone 4. The data for the game to be played is stored. Note that the first game storage unit 22 stores not only a game for entertainment but also data for conducting opinion polls and information exchange as will be described in detail below. Such public opinion surveys and information exchanges are also collectively referred to as “games” in the following description, and are divided into “games”, “public opinion surveys”, “information exchanges”, etc. in a narrow sense as necessary. Therefore, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “game” includes not only “game” in the narrow sense but also “public opinion survey”, “information exchange”, etc. in a broad sense, and the description is common to these. Refer to function.

The first mobile phone 2 can perform wireless communication via a telephone line including a normal call by the first telephone function unit 14 and the first telephone communication unit 24. The first mobile phone 2 is provided with a first short-range communication unit 26 using a wireless LAN or the like separately from the first mobile phone 2 so that wireless communication with other mobile phones existing in the short-range communication area is possible. The first short-range communication unit 26 is based on a standard that is not problematic in terms of laws and regulations, and has a limited communication area but does not incur charges like a telephone line.

The first short-range communication unit 26 transmits the absolute position information acquired by the GPS unit 20 to other mobile phones, in addition to the communication of data for the game described later, It is possible to receive the absolute position information acquired at Thereby, it is possible to display not only one's own position but also the position of a person having another mobile phone on the same map on the first display unit 18, and the relative relationship between the two can be confirmed on the map. Details thereof are described in Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-28393 by the same applicant. In addition, the first mobile phone 2 has a camera unit 28, can store the captured image in the storage unit 16, and transmits the image to another mobile phone by the first telephone communication unit 24. Can do.

The second mobile phone 4, the third mobile phone 6, and the fourth mobile phone 8 have the same configuration as the first mobile phone 2 as described above, and are necessary in FIG. 1 to avoid duplication. Unless otherwise noted, no reference numerals are given and description is omitted. In FIG. 1, the GPS unit, the storage unit, and the camera unit in the second mobile phone 4, the third mobile phone 6, and the fourth mobile phone 8 are not shown. Next, cooperation between the first mobile phone 2 and another mobile phone will be described. The description will be made with the first mobile phone as the center, but other mobile phones such as the second mobile phone 4 can be the center of the function in the same manner.

The second mobile phone 4, the third mobile phone 6, and the fourth mobile phone 8 have the same configuration as the first mobile phone 2 as described above, and are necessary in FIG. Unless indicated, the reference numerals are not given and the description is omitted. In FIG. 1, the first mobile phone 2 is in a normal telephone communication state with the second mobile phone 4 as an example, and wireless communication is performed between the first telephone communication unit 24 and the second telephone communication unit 30. Yes. In FIG. 1, both are shown as communicating directly, but as is well known, the mobile phone is based on infrastructure communication via a communication line. The telephone communication unit 30 communicates with a telephone line via a base station. On the other hand, in FIG. 1, the first mobile phone 2 performs ad hoc communication with the third mobile phone 6 and the fourth mobile phone 8 as an example, and the first short-range communication unit 26 and the third short-range communication unit 32, respectively. And between the first short-range communication unit 26 and the fourth short-range communication unit 34. As described above, the first short-range communication unit 26 can directly communicate with the short-range communication unit of another mobile phone. For example, within the short-range communication range from the first mobile phone 2 The same information can be sent to a large number of mobile phones. On the other hand, regarding reception, information can be individually received from each mobile phone by first-come-first-served basis or time zone assignment.

Needless to say, the first telephone communication unit 24 of the first mobile phone 2 makes a call to the third mobile phone 6 or the fourth mobile phone, thereby calling the third mobile phone 6 or the fourth mobile phone communication unit. Wireless phone connection is possible. On the other hand, the first short-range communication unit 26 can transmit information to the second short-range communication unit of the second mobile phone 4 simultaneously with transmission to the short-range communication unit of the third mobile phone 6 and the fourth mobile phone 8. In addition, it is possible to perform individual consultation of information from the second short-range communication unit. The relationship between the first mobile phone 2 and another mobile phone has been described above as an example, but the second mobile phone 4, the third mobile phone 6, and the fourth mobile phone have similar functions. Needless to say. With the above function, the first mobile phone 2, the second mobile phone 4, the third mobile phone 6, and the fourth mobile phone 8 can perform a normal two-party call between them by the telephone communication unit. At the same time, a group game can be enjoyed by cooperation of a large number of mobile phones by the short-range communication unit. In addition, public opinion surveys can be conducted in cooperation with many mobile phones.

FIG. 2 is an external front view of the first mobile phone 2 that is foldable, and shows an example of a game displayed on the first display unit 18 formed of an LCD together with its main configuration. Is. The first mobile phone 2 can make a normal phone call with the power key 52, the call key 54, the microphone 56 and the earphone 58, and can also make a videophone by projecting his / her face with the camera unit 28. The first operation unit 12 performs GUI by operating the display of the first display unit 18 mainly with the ten key 60 and the cross key 62. The menu key 64 is operated when a menu is displayed for the GUI.

In the first display unit 18 of FIG. 2, for example, a questionnaire game played by 100 people in cooperation with each mobile phone is displayed. In the question area 64, the third question “You” is displayed. Is the question "Doggy or Cat?" In response to this question, the owner of the first mobile phone 2 checks the “dog group” check box by operating the first operation unit 12. Such a question can be sent from any of the 100 mobile phones participating in the game to all other mobile phones by the short-range communication unit, but here it was sent from the first mobile phone 2 The explanation will proceed as a thing. In the following description, transmitting a game from the short-range communication unit to another mobile phone in this way is referred to as “advocacy” of the game, and adding to the game in response to this is referred to as “participation”. Further, the sender of the game is referred to as “advocate”. Further, the game premised on such a large number of participations is hereinafter referred to as a “100-player game” as a representative. In response to the proposal from the first mobile phone 2, each participant individually transmits a response to the first mobile phone 2 by the short-range communication unit. The total area 66 of the first display unit 18 displays totals of responses from all participants. The information of the total result is also transmitted to all participants. Therefore, all the participants can display the same information displayed on the first display unit 18 on the display unit of each mobile phone.

The data display in the total area 66 can be switched between the “real time display” mode and the “condition display” mode. The “real-time display” mode is a mode in which answers gathered from each participant are aggregated in real time at an intermediate stage and transmitted to each participant in real time. As a result, the participant can know the movements of the other participants and can determine his / her answer with reference to this. This is suitable when the question is a popularity vote. On the other hand, the “condition display” mode is used when a certain condition is satisfied (for example, when the total number of responses reaches half of all participants, or for example, one of “dog group” and “cat group” is the other). This is a mode in which the results are sent after being counted, for example, every time a certain amount of time has passed or when a certain amount of time has passed, etc. This is suitable, for example, when reading the movements of other participants from limited information and determining their answers. When the “condition display” mode is set, the total graph of “dog group” and “cat group” in the total area 66 is not updated unless the condition is satisfied, and the display made when the condition is satisfied last time is displayed. Continue as it is. Alternatively, when the “condition display” mode is set, the total graph of “dog group” and “cat group” in the total area 66 is displayed only for a predetermined time when the condition is satisfied, Only the total number of responses may be displayed in the time zone.

The display mode described above is not as meaningful as which one is set when the question is a simple questionnaire survey. However, if it is a tournament-style game rule that the minority of the final count can win and move on to the next question, you can see other participants 'movements in real time or from other participants' information The choice of reading movement increases the fun of the game. If the rule allows you to change the answer as many times as you like until the deadline, the display mode setting will greatly affect the game. For example, if “Cat” is a minority in the intermediate count, if you want to win the game, you can switch from “Dog” to “Cat”, but other participants think about the same, so next time There is a possibility that the “cat group” may be reversed to the majority group. How to read these other people's movements is similar to reading stock prices, you can see other participants' movements in real time, or the progress of other than milestones and milestones is obstructed. The game will change depending on whether you have to read the As an intermediate between the above two modes, it is possible to produce a game that intentionally delays information by setting a predetermined delay in the total display in the “real-time display” mode.

Note that the game can be “monitored participation” in which not only the player participates in the answer but also monitors the counting result from the side. In this case, the “real time display” mode and the “condition display” mode can be arbitrarily switched according to the interest of the monitor. On the other hand, in the case of “player participation”, the degree of grasping the movement of other participants affects the movement of changing the answer.

FIG. 3 shows another example of the game (referred to as “local game”) displayed on the first display unit 18 of the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the configuration of one of the mobile phones in FIG. 1 (for example, the fourth mobile phone 8) is fixedly installed at a sightseeing spot or the like. In the case of the second embodiment, the fourth mobile phone 8 advocates information exchange regarding the sightseeing spot to all the visitors who have entered the short-range communication area, receives information from the participants, and aggregates the information. The main function is to provide data. The fourth mobile phone 8 may be manually operated by a local administrator, but it is possible to automatically propose information exchange at all times and to automate information exchange with participants. The fourth operation unit, the fourth display unit, and the camera unit as a telephone may be omitted, and the external shape may not be the shape of a normal mobile phone. Furthermore, since it is fixed, the GPS unit and the like may be omitted.

FIG. 3 shows the display of the first position display unit 18 when the owner of the first mobile phone 2 visits the place in the second embodiment as described above. An attribute input field 74 is provided. If the visitor thinks that there is no problem in privacy, the cross key 62 is operated to check one of the check boxes in the attribute input column 74 provided for each address area, gender, and age. These visitor attribute data are mainly used as a reference for sightseeing spot management. The question area 72 is further provided with a popular spot voting column 76, and the number of the most favorite tourist spot among the assigned spot spot numbers on the map of the sightseeing spot is input by the numeric keypad 60 or the like. A map 80 of the sightseeing spot is displayed in the information providing area 78 of the first position display unit 18, and a sightseeing spot number 82 is assigned on the map 80. The number input to the popular spot vote column 76 is performed based on either the map 80 or the tourist spot number 82. In the example of FIG. 3, “3” is selected from the sightseeing spot numbers from “1” to “4”, and is input to the popular spot vote column 76.

The popular spot numbers transmitted by each participant are counted by the fourth mobile phone, and the result is represented by the number size of the popular spot number 82 corresponding to the number of votes. In the example of FIG. 3, the size of the popular spot “2” is the largest, so the size is displayed the largest. The number of votes of the popular spot “3” is the smallest, so the size is the smallest. Yes. The information providing area 78 further displays a winning number 84 as a result of a lottery for the last three digits of the participant number issued to the participant in association with the IP address of the question area information input provider. Yes. If the participant number corresponds to the display of the winning number 84, the participant can receive an electronic coupon that can be used in the tourist spot by operating the coupon issue request button 86. Although not shown in FIG. 3, if the participant is interested, the total result of the visitor attribute data input in the question area 72 can be received. The second embodiment described above is a simple example in which the game content includes information collection necessary for the local side and provision of tourist information as an incentive for cooperation. It is also possible to further improve the game characteristics by contriving content such as battles.

FIG. 4 shows an example of another game displayed on the first display unit 18 of the third embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, it is limited to the mobile phones in the communication area of the short-range communication unit. The rules are unified and ruled, and the results of the aggregation are gathered via the Internet via the telephone communication department. By further collecting the results, it is possible to investigate a wide area beyond the near field communication range. (As such, a game involving a wide area server is referred to as a “wide area game”.) FIG. 4 illustrates a case where a street sample survey of supporting political parties is performed in the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, as an example, the first mobile phone 2 under the control of the wide area server becomes an advocate and transmits the proposal for the wide area survey within the short-range communication area. Specifically, the owner of the first mobile phone 2 is a support party investigator, goes to a park or station, for example, for a street survey, and makes a “game proposal” to call for people to cooperate in the street survey. . The first display unit 18 of FIG. 4 is a display on the first mobile phone that is the advocate, but the same display is displayed on the display unit of the mobile phone of the participant such as the second mobile phone. The question area 92 of the display section is provided with a supporting party check box 92 and an attribute input field 96 for survey participants. The survey participant operates the cross key 62 and the like to check one of the supporting party check boxes 92, and if there is no problem in privacy, check the attribute input field 96 provided for each gender and age. Check one of the boxes.

The data input by the participant is transmitted to the first short-range communication unit 26 of the first mobile phone 2, aggregated by the first mobile control unit 10, and then transmitted from the first telephone function unit 14 to the wide area server. . The wide area server supervises each investigator, and receives the same short-range aggregation result from the investigator who travels to each street on the mobile phone line. The researcher's business trip location may be limited to the same city or the same prefecture, or a sample survey may be requested from investigators scattered throughout the country. Such investigators are not limited to those who have a fixed contract with the wide area server administrator, but may be recruited locally at each survey. The wide area server aggregates data from each investigator and creates wide area statistical data. This wide-area statistical data is analyzed by the wide-area server itself and distributed to each investigator via a mobile phone line. Each researcher who has received this information transfers the wide area statistical data to the nearby participants by the short-range communication unit. Through the above, all the participants, as well as each investigator, can share the wide-area statistical data, and know the survey results that they participated.

In the wide-area statistical data column 98 in the first display unit 18 of FIG. 4, the wide-area survey participants are summed up by age and gender, and are displayed as a population parameter 100. In addition, as a statistical result, a supporting political party distribution graph 102 by gender and a supporting political party distribution graph 104 by age are displayed. As described above, according to the features of the present invention, in surveys such as supporting party surveys and cabinet support rates, sampling surveys can be performed more efficiently than individual surveys by telephone, and by selecting and arranging a short-range communication area, Flexible and reliable polling is possible. Even in such a wide-area type, it is possible to prepare a program with high game characteristics that is not limited to a simple investigation depending on the content.

FIG. 5 and the subsequent flowcharts are flowcharts showing the operation of the first mobile control unit 10 in the first mobile phone 2 of FIG. 1, but are also commonly applied to other mobile phones below the second mobile phone 4. . The flowchart shown in FIG. 5 and below is configured to be compatible with any of the first to third embodiments described above, but is basically described in accordance with the first embodiment and appropriately described. Also, comments are made on the functions in the second and third embodiments. FIG. 5 is a game menu flow for entering the game. The flow starts by operating the menu key 64 of FIG. When the flow starts, first, in step S2, it is checked whether or not there is a person who has another mobile phone in the near field communication area. If even one person is in the near field communication range, the process proceeds to step S4, and all possible near field persons are monitored. This monitor is a process in which individual information is exchanged with a mobile phone of each person within communication range for a predetermined time in accordance with a predetermined traffic control process such as first-come-first-served basis.

When the monitoring time in step S4 elapses, the process proceeds to step S6, and it is checked whether or not the number of people in the detected range is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (for example, 50). If there are more than a predetermined number of persons within the range, the process proceeds to step S8, where the number of detected persons within the range is accumulated, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, it is checked whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of accumulation of the number of people in the range, and if not, the process returns to step S2. Hereinafter, step S2 to step S10 are repeated until a predetermined time elapses unless a short-range person is not detected in step S2 or a predetermined number or more of persons are not detected in step S6. During this time, the number of people in the range is accumulated every time step S8 is reached. When it is detected in step S10 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S12, and it is checked whether or not the average number of people in the stored range is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If this average value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a predetermined number or more of communication range persons are stably present. Therefore, it is assumed that a game or survey assuming a large number is possible, and the process proceeds to step S14. Games classified as “100-player games” are displayed in the menu. This display can be added so as to be mixed with the normal game menu, or only “100-player games” may be classified and displayed as a menu.

Next, in step S16, it is checked whether or not there is a “100-player game” being executed. If so, the process proceeds to step S18 to display a list of the “100-player game” being executed. This display is specifically an indication of whether to change the color or mark the game being executed from among the games listed in step S14. This indicates that someone in the vicinity has already advocated and can participate in games that are different in color or marked. When this menu is displayed, an operation for designating and participating in a game becomes possible, and it is checked in step S20 whether the operation has been performed. If it is not detected that such a participation selection operation has been performed within a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S22. On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S16 that there is a “100-player game” being executed, the process proceeds directly to step S22. In step S22, it is checked whether or not there is an operation for newly proposing a game that is not currently proposed from the “100-player game” menu displayed in step S14. If the operation cannot be detected, the process proceeds to step S24, and it is checked whether there is an operation for terminating the display of the game menu.

When the game menu end operation is not detected in step S24, the process returns to step S2, and thereafter, step S2 to step S24 are repeated unless a predetermined condition is satisfied. Note that the predetermined conditions are that no near-field persons are detected in step S2, that a predetermined number or more of persons are not detected in step S6, and the average number of in-range persons accumulated in step S12 is a predetermined value or more. Is detected, a game join selection operation is detected in step S20, a game start proposal operation is detected in step S22, and a game menu end operation is detected in step S24. It is. On the other hand, if a game menu end operation is detected in step S24, the process proceeds to step S26, and after the game data update process is performed, the flow ends. Details of the game data update process in step S26 will be described later. Further, when the participation selection operation for the game in progress is detected in step S20, the process proceeds to step S28, and the process proceeds to the game participation process. Details of the game participation process in step S28 will be described later. Further, when a game start proposal operation is detected in step S22, the process proceeds to step S30, and the process proceeds to a game proposal process. Details of the game proposal process in step S30 will be described later.

It should be noted that if no near-field persons are detected in step S2, or if no more than a predetermined number of persons are detected in step S6, or that the average number of in-range persons accumulated in step S12 is not detected. In either case, the process proceeds to step S32, and the “100-player game” menu is not displayed in the game menu display. This makes it impossible to select the “100-player game” and prevents the user from being confused by displaying a game menu that cannot be executed. Next, in step S, it is checked whether or not an operation for selecting one of the normal games displayed in step S32 has been performed. If operation is detected, it will progress to the normal game process of step S36. In this normal game process, a conventional normal game is executed. On the other hand, if no game selection operation is detected in step S34, the process goes to step S24, and if no game menu end operation is detected, the process returns to step S2. In this case, it is not detected in step S2 that no near-field persons are detected, in step S6 no more than a predetermined number of in-area persons are detected, or that the average number of in-range persons accumulated in step S12 is not more than a predetermined value. Then, step S32 is reached again, and step S32 to step S34 are repeated via any of these. As described above, steps S34 to S2 are performed.
By configuring so that it is possible to shift to 4, when returning to step S2 and a near-field person is detected, depending on conditions, the process proceeds to step S14 to enter the menu display loop of “100-player game”. Is also possible. As described above, the flow of FIG. 5 is displayed between the “100-player game” menu display in step S14 and the “100-player game” menu non-display in step S32 in accordance with a change in conditions during the repetition of the loop. Switch automatically.

In the case of the “local game” in the second embodiment of FIG. 3, the configuration of the mobile phone fixed in the local area always includes the local game regardless of whether or not there is a person within short range communication range. Proposals are automatically transmitted. In order to cope with this, when the person in the near field communication area detected in step S2 of the flow of FIG. 5 can be identified as the local fixed mobile phone, the process directly proceeds to step S18. As a result, if you are in a range where short-distance communication with a local mobile phone is possible, even if it is only you, you will be shown that a "local game" is in progress and participate in this. It becomes possible to do.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the game participation process in step S28 of FIG. When the flow starts, first, the remaining time of the game is displayed in step S42. This tells you the progress of the game you are going to join. Next, in step S44, it is checked whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of the game. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S46, and it is checked whether or not an operation for participating in the player is performed within the predetermined time. If this operation is not detected within a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S48, and the participation in the monitor for the selected game is confirmed. Next, in step S50, it is checked whether or not an operation for selecting “condition display” has been performed within a predetermined time. If this operation is not detected within a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S52 to determine the “real time display” mode, and the process shifts to the hundred-person game process in step S53. Details of the 100-player game process will be described later. In this way, after proceeding to step S46, if no operation is performed until a predetermined time elapses, the process automatically proceeds to step S52, and “monitor participation” in the “real time display” mode is determined. On the other hand, when it is detected in step S50 that the operation for selecting “condition display” has been performed within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S54, the “condition display” mode is determined, and the process shifts to the hundreds game process of step S53.

On the other hand, when it is detected in step S46 that the operation for joining the player is performed within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S56, and whether or not the operation for displaying the reference data is performed within the predetermined time. To check. When this operation is detected, the process proceeds to step S58 to display the current number of participants. In step S60, data obtained by statistically processing the attributes of the participants is displayed, and the process proceeds to step S62. The reference data displayed in step S58 and step S60 affects the degree of interest in the game. If you want to know these before making a final decision on participation, this can be done by performing a data display operation. And the reference data is displayed as described above. On the other hand, if no operation is performed for a predetermined time after performing the player praise operation, the process directly goes from step S56 to step S62, and the reference data is not displayed. Thus, complicated reference data display is automatically omitted when there is no particular interest.

In step S62, it is checked whether or not an operation for agreeing to the display process being performed has been performed within a predetermined time. As already mentioned, when “player participation” is performed, the degree of grasp of other participants' movements affects the response change movement, so it is possible to use either “real-time display” mode or “condition display” mode. The game is executed in common with all players. Also, those who participate later cannot participate in a different display mode. Accordingly, when it is detected in step S62 that the consent operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S64, and the display mode is forcibly set to the currently executed one. Next, in step S66, it is checked whether or not the participant is required to provide attribute data such as sex and age for the game being executed. If it is necessary to provide attribute data, the process proceeds to step S68 to check whether or not there is an operation for agreeing to provide attribute data within a predetermined time. Specifically, this operation corresponds to inputting attribute data using a check box or the like. If this input is within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S70, and the input attribute data is transmitted to the proponent. As described above, the player participation is confirmed in step S72, and the process shifts to a hundred-player game process in step S53. If the game being executed in step S66 is of a type that does not require the provision of attribute data, the process proceeds directly from step S66 to step S72, the player participation is confirmed, and the process moves to the hundreds game process in step S53. .

On the other hand, if the predetermined time has already passed since the game started in step S44, the process proceeds to step S74 to display that the player participation has already been closed and only the monitor participation is possible. Those who wish to participate who have lost interest by seeing this can perform the operation to cancel the participation. If there is a participation cancellation operation within a predetermined time after the display in step S74, the process proceeds to step S78 to cancel the game participation selection and end the flow. If the participation cancellation operation is not performed for a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S46. In this case, the player participation operation in step S46 is disabled, and the process automatically proceeds to step S48 to confirm the monitor participation. As described above, when the player cannot participate, the monitor participation is automatically determined if no operation is performed until a predetermined time elapses.

On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S62 that the in-progress display process consent operation has been performed within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S78 to cancel the selection to participate in the game. In this way, if you are not excited in the “real-time display” mode or “condition display” mode that is in progress, and you lose interest in participating in the game, until the predetermined time elapses with the operation to join the player If no operation is performed, participation in the game is automatically canceled. Further, if it is not detected in step S68 that the attribute data provision consent operation has been performed within the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S78 to cancel the participation selection in the game. In this way, for privacy reasons, if you do not want to provide the attribute data required by the game in progress, you must join the game if you do not perform any operation until the specified time has passed with the operation to join the player. Will be canceled automatically.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing details of the game proposal process in step S30 of FIG. When the flow starts, first, in step S82, a general menu of games that can be proposed is displayed. Next, in step S84, it is checked whether or not an operation for selecting menu display of only the “wide area game” has been performed within a predetermined time. As soon as such a “wide area game” data is planned on the wide area server side, it is distributed to the telephone communication section of each mobile phone through the telephone line together with the rules, and stored in the game storage section. When it is detected in step S84 that a wide area game menu selection operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S86, and the game menu is displayed together with the outline of each rule. The flow proceeds to step S88 while continuing this display. On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S84 that a wide area game menu selection operation has been performed, the process proceeds directly to step S88. In step S88, it is checked whether or not an operation for selecting one of the game menus displayed in step S82 or step S6 can be detected within a predetermined time from the menu display. If it is detected that the selection has been made, the process proceeds to step S90. On the other hand, if the menu selection operation is not detected within the predetermined time in step S88, it is determined that the existing game in the menu is not satisfactory, the process proceeds to the original game proposal process in step S92, and the process proceeds to step S90 upon completion. Details of the original game proposal process in step S92 will be described later.

In FIG. S90, the game is proposed by transmitting the ID of the selected game from the short-range communication unit. If the original game proposal process in step S92 is reached in step S90, the game content data is also transmitted together with the game ID. Further, in step S94, a time limit for participation in the game is transmitted, and in step S96, the presence / absence of a participant response is checked. In this case, as in step S4 of FIG. 5, a predetermined traffic control process such as first-come-first-served basis is taken to check the participants individually so that responses from a plurality of participants do not overlap. If the participant's response can be individually detected in step S96, the process proceeds to step S98. In step S98, it is checked whether the responder satisfies the attributes necessary for the game, and the IP address of the person with the attribute OK is stored, and it is checked whether the cumulative number of persons is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. If the number of participants with the attribute OK is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the process proceeds to step S100, and the fact that the game is established and started is transmitted from the short-range communication unit to the participants. In step S102, a countdown toward game over is started, and the process shifts to the hundred-player game process in step S103.

On the other hand, if a participant response cannot be detected in step S96, or if the total number of attribute OK participants has not reached the predetermined number in step S98, the process proceeds to step S104, and it is checked whether an operation to stop advocating the game has been performed. To do. If this operation is not detected, the process proceeds to step S105, and it is checked whether or not the participation time limit set in step S94 has expired. If the time limit has not expired, the process returns to step S96, and thereafter, in step S98, the number of attribute OK participants becomes a predetermined number or more, or in step S104, an advocacy cancellation operation is detected, or in step S105, the expiry date of participation is detected Unless otherwise, step S96, step S98, step S104, and step S105 are repeated. If a proposal canceling operation is detected in step S104 or the expiration of the participation deadline is detected in step S105, the process proceeds to step S106 and a message indicating that the game is not established is transmitted from the short-range communication unit to the surroundings. Exit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing details of the 100-player game process in step S53 of FIG. 6 and step S103 of FIG. When the flow starts, communication time allocation processing is performed in step S107. This process is a process of time-sharing so that transmissions from a plurality of participants do not overlap when communication between the proponent and each participant is performed, and assigning these to each participant. As described above, when there are an unspecified number of opponents as in step S4 of FIG. 5 or step S96 of FIG. 7, a case where responses are overlapped by taking a predetermined traffic control process such as first-come-first-served basis is handled. If the participants can be identified individually after entering the human game process, a response overlap prevention measure different from that in the case where the unspecified majority is the opponent is taken as in step S107. After the above, it progresses to step S108 and it is checked whether the decided game is a wide area type game. And if it is a wide area type game, it will transfer to the wide area type game process of step S109. Details thereof will be described later. If it is not a wide area type game in step S108, it is a game that is executed locally only in the short-range communication range, and the process proceeds to step S110 to check whether the “condition display” mode is set. And if it is condition display setting, it will transfer to the condition display game process of step S111. Details thereof will be described later. On the other hand, if the condition display is not set in step S110, the process proceeds to the real-time display game process in step S112. Details thereof will be described later.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing details of the real-time display game process in step S112 of FIG. When the flow starts, it is checked in step S113 whether the flow has been started via the game advocacy process of FIG. This corresponds to checking whether or not the player is a game advocate. If it is via the advocacy process, the game must be started from his / her mobile phone, so the process proceeds to step S114 and subsequent steps, and the initial information of the game is transmitted to all participants. This corresponds to, for example, transmitting one question as in question area 64 of FIG. 2 to all participants. Next, in step S116, it is checked whether there is an incoming individual response in the time zone assigned in step S107. If all the check time periods have passed and there is an incoming call from any participant, the process proceeds to step S118, and the contents of the newly arrived individual response are stored. In step S120, the newly received individual response is integrated with the already-stored response, and statistical processing is performed.

Next, in step S121, it is checked whether or not the game is being performed in the delay mode for performing the effect of intentionally delaying the display of the statistical result. And if it is a delay mode, even if a statistical result comes out in step S122, the treatment which delays the display and transmission execution for a predetermined time is performed, and the process proceeds to step S123. Specifically, a code for automatically delaying display execution for a predetermined time is added to the statistical result data. On the other hand, if it is not in the delay mode, the process proceeds directly from step S121 to step S123. In step S123, the display of the statistical result on the own mobile phone is instructed. At this time, if a delay code is added in the predetermined time delay processing in step S122, the display is automatically executed after the predetermined time. In step S124, the statistical result is transmitted to all other participants. Also in this case, if a delay code is added in the predetermined time delay process in step S122, the statistical results are displayed on the cellular phones of other participants automatically after a predetermined time has elapsed after receiving the statistical results.

Next, in step S126, it is checked whether or not the response deadline time has arrived. If it is not yet the deadline time, the process proceeds to step S128 to check whether or not the game over condition is satisfied. Then, if the game is not over, the process returns to step S116. Thereafter, unless the response deadline time is detected in step S126 or the game over is detected in step S128, step S116 to step S128 are repeated. Thereby, the game progresses based on the response and the statistical result. On the other hand, if the response deadline time is detected in step S126 or the game over is detected in step S128, the flow proceeds to step S130 and the final result is displayed on the own mobile phone. At the same time, the final result is transmitted to all the participants in step S132, and the flow ends. Note that a display delay code is not added to the final result, so if there is data of the final result, the display is promptly performed.

In the above, for the sake of simplicity, it has been explained that the flow ends when a series of processing from the transmission of the question to the response statistics and the display of the result is completed for one question, but it consists of a plurality of questions. If it is a game, steps S114 to S132 in FIG. 9 are repeated for each question. In this case, the game over in step S128 means not the end of the whole game but the end of a series of processes relating to one question. Similarly, the “final result” in step S130 and step S132 is not the final result of the entire game, but the final result of one question.

This is the end of the description of the flow when the player is a game advocate, and the flow when participating in a game advocated by another will be described below. This corresponds to the case where the flow reaches step S113 not via the advocacy process but via the game participation process of FIG. In this case, the process proceeds to step S134, and initial information from the proponent is received. This initial information corresponds to receiving one question as in the question area 64 of FIG. In step S136, it is checked whether or not the player is participating. If the player participates, the process proceeds to step S138, and it is checked whether or not a response operation to the initial information received in step S134 has been performed. And if operation is detected, the response which an operation result shows in step S140 will be transmitted to an advocate by near field communication, and it will progress to step S142. On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S136 that the player is participating, or if no response operation is detected in step S138, the process directly proceeds to step S142.

In step S142, it is checked whether or not a statistical result has been received. If there is reception, the display of the statistical result is instructed in step S144, and the process proceeds to step S146. In the display in step S144, if a delay code is added to the statistical result, the execution of the display is automatically delayed for a predetermined time from the reception of the statistical data. If no statistical result is received in step S142, the process proceeds directly to step S146. In step S146, it is checked whether the final result of the game has been received. If there is reception, this is displayed in step S148 and the flow is terminated. Since there is no delay in the display of the final result as described above, when the display execution of the data instructed to be displayed in step S144 is delayed, the display of the final result in step S148 is performed rather than the display execution. May precede. At this time, the display instruction of the intermediate progress statistical result instructed in step S144 is already meaningless and is automatically canceled.

On the other hand, when reception of the final result is not detected in step S146, the process returns to step S136, and thereafter, steps S136 to S146 are repeated until reception of the final result is detected. Thereby, the game participant who is participating in the player can participate in the game by performing a response operation while watching the progress of the display in step S144. The response is reflected in the statistical results. On the other hand, if the player does not participate, the response operation is not detected in step S138, so that only the display change is passively enjoyed.

It should be noted that, in the flow in the case of participating in the above game, for the sake of simplicity, it has been described that the flow ends when a series of processes from reception and response of the question to reception display of the statistical result for one question is completed. However, as described in the repetition of step S113 to step S132 in the case of an advocate, even in the case of game participation, if the game is composed of a plurality of questions, step S134 in FIG. 9 is performed for each question. Repeat up to S148. In this case, the “final result” in step S146 and step S148 means not the final result of the entire game but the final result of one question.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of the condition display game process in step S111 of FIG. Since this flow has much in common with the real-time display process of FIG. 9, the same step is given the same step number, and the description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, steps different from FIG. 9 in the condition display game process of FIG. 10 are indicated by bold lines and given different step numbers, so the main points will be described focusing on these steps. In the flow of FIG. 10, in step S114, initial information of the game, for example, one question as in the question area 64 of FIG. 2 is transmitted to all the participants, and the process proceeds to step S152. Is transmitted. Each participant receives this “response permission” signal and a “response not possible” signal as described later, and the participant receives the “response permission” signal until receiving the “response impossible” signal. The response is permitted. Since the advocates themselves can participate in the game under the same conditions, the advocates themselves can respond to the questions only when the participants are in a response-permitted state. Also, as will be explained later, as long as the participant is in a response-permitted state, neither the sponsor nor the participant will update the display of the statistical result, and the progress of the statistical result will be intentionally hiding for the sake of the game. It is done.

As described above, the flow proceeds from step S114 to step S120 in the same manner as in FIG. 9 except that transmission of a “response allowed” signal is accompanied in step S152. However, step S154 is provided after step S120, and the statistical result Is checked to see if the conditions to announce are in place. If the announcement result of the statistical result is OK, in step S156, a “response impossible” signal is transmitted to all the participants, and in step S123, the statistical result is displayed for the advocate himself, and the process proceeds to step S124. . In the case of FIG. 10, there is no treatment relating to the delay in step S121 and step S122 of FIG. On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S154 that the statistical result announcement condition is OK, the process proceeds directly to step S124. In step S124, the statistical result is transmitted to all other participants in the same manner as in FIG. 9, and the process proceeds to step S126. As described above, if the announcement condition OK is not detected in step S154 for the proponent himself, the statistical result is not displayed in step S123, but the step is performed for other participants regardless of the announcement condition OK. In S124, the statistical result itself is transmitted. However, if the announcement condition OK is not detected in step S154, the “response impossible” signal is not transmitted in step S156.

Thereafter, in steps S126 and S128, the flow changes in the same manner as in FIG. 9, and if no game over is detected in step S128, the process returns to step S152. In step S152, the “response allowed” signal is transmitted. However, if the “response not possible” signal is transmitted in step S156, the participant is returned to the response permitted state. If the process returns to step S152 without going through step S156, the participant is originally in a response permission state, and there is no point in sending a “response permission” signal in step S152. However, when going through step S152, the advocate side always transmits a “response permission” signal without judging the state of the participant. When the participant receives the “response permission” signal in the response permission state, the participant side does not react and simply continues the response permission state. Instead of such a flow, the history of whether or not the participant is in the response permission state is determined, and if it is in the response permission state, a useless “response permission” signal is not sent in step S152. It goes without saying.

When a game over is detected in step S128 of FIG. 10, the process proceeds to step S158, a “response impossible” signal is transmitted, and the process proceeds to step S130. In this case as well, when the process reaches step S158 via step S156, the participant is already in a response impossible state, and there is no point in sending a “response impossible” signal in step S158. However, when going through step S158, the sponsor side always transmits a “response impossible” signal without judging the state of the participant. When the participant receives a “response not possible” signal in the response impossible state, the participant side does not react and simply continues the response impossible state. Instead of such a flow, a history of whether or not the participant is in a response-permitted state is determined, and if the response is not possible, a useless “response impossible” signal is not sent in step S158. It goes without saying.

Next, how the participant's flow reacts based on the transmission of the “response permission” signal and the “response impossible” signal from the proponent side as described above will be described. In FIG. 10, when the flow reaches step S113 not via the proposal process but via the game participation process of FIG. 6, the flow proceeds to step S134, and the initial information from the advocate is received as in FIG. . In FIG. 10, when it is player participation by step S136, it progresses to step S160 and it is checked whether a participant's mobile telephone is a response permission state. And only when it is in a response permission state, it progresses to step S138 and step S140, and transfers to step S162. On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S160 that the response is permitted, the process directly proceeds to step S162. Thus, the participant cannot perform a response operation unless the participant is in a response permission state.

In step S162, it is checked again whether the participant's mobile phone is in a response-permitted state. However, the purpose is to determine whether or not to display the received statistical results. That is, when it is detected in step S162 that the response is permitted, the flow returns to step S136, and thereafter, steps S136 to S162 are repeated until it is detected in step S162 that the response is not permitted. Therefore, even if the latest statistical result is received, the display is hidden and the participant cannot know the statistical result. On the other hand, if it is detected in step S162 that the response is disabled, it is possible to proceed to step S142. If reception of the latest statistical result is detected in step S142, this is displayed in step S144. If the final result is received in step S146, the process proceeds to step S148 and displayed. Note that if the final result has not been received in step S146, the game is continuing, and the flow returns to step S136 after the latest statistical result is displayed in step S144. However, if the game is continuing, the participant's mobile phone has already been returned to the response-permitted state at this time. This is because, in the flow on the advocate side, immediately after the “response impossible” signal transmission in step S156, the process returns to step S152 and the “response permission” signal is transmitted. Therefore, after returning to step S136, the flow of the participant repeats step S136 to step S162 unless the “response impossible” signal is transmitted from the proponent side due to the next stage announcement condition OK detection. The latest statistical results will be hidden again.

In the flow of FIG. 10, the availability of response to questions and the availability of display of statistical results are associated with each other in an inverse relationship. This is because the period during which the response cannot be made is relatively short, and the progress of the game is not substantially stopped, and it is also appropriate for statistical processing to conclude the response at the time of announcement of the statistical results of the milestones and milestones. Because. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and it may be configured such that only the detection of the announcement condition OK is associated with whether or not the statistical result can be displayed, and the response can be performed at any time independently of these. .

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing details of the original game proposal process in step S92 of FIG. When the flow starts, an original game menu is displayed in step S172. In this original menu display, it is possible to select a semi-original template game in which a template for inputting rules and contents is prepared, and to select a menu for creating an original game completely freely. In step S174, it is checked whether or not an operation for selecting a template game menu has been performed. When this operation is detected, a menu showing details of the template game is displayed in step S176. When an operation for selecting one of the template games is detected in step S178, the process proceeds to step S179, and one of the templates necessary for completing the game is displayed. For example, in the case of a questionnaire game as shown in FIG. 2, a template for inputting questions and options in the question area 64 is displayed. A plurality of templates are usually prepared for the operation of one game. For example, in addition to the above-mentioned question and option templates, the selection of the aggregation method and the display layout in the aggregation area 66 are selected and set. be able to. Furthermore, a template is also provided for setting game qualification attributes, another setting for “real time display” or “condition display”, and setting conditions for condition display. In step S179, one of these templates is displayed one by one in a predetermined order. Such a template game is useful when the format of the game is versatile, such as a questionnaire, but you want to set the content freely. You can easily advocate content that interests you as a game.

Next, in step S180, advice regarding a template input method is displayed, and in step S182, the presence / absence of an input operation on the template is checked. If there is no input for a predetermined time or if the input method is not appropriate, it is considered that there is no input operation and the process returns to step S180, and if necessary, the input advice is changed to a more appropriate one in step S180. When it is detected in step S182 that an appropriate input operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step S184, and the input content is checked. If the input contents are incomplete, the process proceeds to step S186 to display that correction is necessary, and then returns to step S182. Thereafter, step S184 is performed until it is determined that the input check is OK. To step S186 are repeated.

If it is determined in step S184 that the input check is OK, the process advances to step S188 to check whether an input completion operation has been performed. If there is no detection that this operation has been performed, the process returns to step S179, and the next template is displayed. Thereafter, steps S179 to S188 are repeated until an input completion operation is detected in step S188. On the other hand, when the input completion operation is detected in step S188, the process proceeds to step S190, where the game ID is determined and the template input content is encoded, and the flow is terminated. The game ID is provisionally given when the template is provided, and is confirmed in step S190. When input to all the prepared templates is completed, it is considered that input has been completed in step S188 without performing any input completion operation, and the process proceeds to step S190.

If no operation for selecting the template game menu to be displayed in step S174 is performed or if an operation for selecting one of the template games displayed in step S178 is not performed, the process proceeds to a pure original proposal process in step S192. . In this process, the original game can be created completely freely by the operation of the first operation unit 12 and the GUI by the first display unit 18. Then, when the game is completed, the process proceeds to step S194, where coding for standardizing the game content is performed, and the flow is ended.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the details of the normal game process in step S36 of FIG. 5, which basically relates to a game performed by a mobile phone alone as in the prior art, but in addition to this, during the normal game, “ This includes a function for notifying the “100-player game” when it becomes possible. When the flow starts, it is checked in step S202 whether the game has started. If the game has not started, it is checked in step S204 if there is a person who has another mobile phone in the short-range communication area. This is the same step as step S2 in FIG. 5, but when the normal game processing is started without the near field communication person in step S2 in FIG. 5, the situation changes thereafter and the near field communication person It is meaningful to check whether or not In the following, steps S206 to S214 in FIG. 12 have the same meaning as steps S4 to S12 in FIG. 5, and have a function of stably detecting that a predetermined number or more of persons within communication range are in the vicinity. If this confirmation can be made, the process proceeds to step S216 to display that the “100-player game” is possible although the normal game process is being performed, and the process proceeds to step S218. When the process reaches step S216 from step S202, since the game has not yet started, the user who sees this display can perform an operation of shifting to the “100-player game”.

On the other hand, from step S202 to step S204, when a short-range person is not detected, or when a predetermined number or more of persons are not detected in step S208, or a predetermined time has not elapsed since the start of accumulation in step S212. In this case, or if it is not detected that the average number of people in the range accumulated in step S214 is greater than or equal to the predetermined number, the process directly proceeds to step S218 without displaying step S216. In step S218, it is checked whether or not a game end operation has been performed. If no operation is detected, the process proceeds to step S220 to check whether or not the game is in progress. If the game is not in progress, the process returns to step S204. Hereinafter, unless a game end operation is detected in step S218 or whether the game is in progress in step S220, step S204 to step S220 are repeated, and the “100-player game” is repeated. Continue to detect the condition that enables. Note that it is possible to start a normal game at any time during this repetition, and if this operation is performed, it is determined that the game is in progress in step S220.

If it is determined in step S220 that the game is in progress, the process proceeds to step S222, and a game unit is executed according to a predetermined game flow. When the execution of the unit ends, the process proceeds to step S224, and it is checked whether the game is over. When a game over is detected, the process returns to step S204, and thereafter, the process from step S204 to step S220 is repeated to continue detection of a state where a “100-player game” is possible. After the game is over, it is determined in step S220 that the game is not in progress unless an operation for starting a new game is performed. On the other hand, if the game is not over in step S224, the process proceeds to step S224. In step S222, it is checked whether or not a game milestone has arrived when the execution of the game unit is completed. This milestone indicates a game pause state in which, for example, the user is required to perform a selection operation with no time limit for proceeding to the next stage of the game. If such a game milestone has arrived, the process returns to step S204, and the process from step S204 to step S220 is repeated to continue detection of a state where a “100-player game” is possible. Even when a game milestone has arrived and the game has been paused, it is determined in step S220 that the game is not in progress unless there is an operation to resume the game.

If it is not detected in step S226 that a game milestone has arrived, the process returns to step S222 to continue execution of the next game unit. If the start of the game is detected in step S202, the process proceeds to step S222, and execution of the game unit is started. As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, even in the normal game process, detection of a state in which a “100-player game” is possible is continued as long as the progress of the game is not hindered.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing details of the wide area game processing in step S109 of FIG. Since this flow also has a lot in common with the real-time display process of FIG. 9, the same step number is assigned to the same step, and the description thereof is omitted. On the other hand, steps different from FIG. 9 in the wide area type game processing of FIG. 13 are indicated by bold lines and given different step numbers, and the main points will be described with these steps as the center. Further, in the flow of FIG. 13, the processing is the same as that of FIG. 9, but the handled data may be wide-area statistical data instead of the short-range communication range. These steps are given the same step numbers as in FIG. 9, but the steps are indicated by bold lines. In the flow of FIG. 13, in step S114, initial information of the game, for example, one question as in the question area 64 of FIG. 2 is transmitted to all the participants, and the process proceeds to step S232, and all the participants receive the game. Notify that it is a “wide area game”. As a result, the participant can confirm that his / her response does not stay within the short-range communication range but is terminated by the Internet via the telephone line and spread to the wide area server.

In the flow of FIG. 13, in step S120, the responses from the participants in the short-range communication area are statistically processed in the same manner as in FIG. 9, but in step S234, the communication with the wide area server is performed via the Internet from the telephone line. Upload the processed data to the wide area server and download the wide area statistical data statistically processed by the wide area server. Therefore, the display of the statistical result in the next step S123 and the transmission of the statistical result to all the participants in step S124 are the same as those in FIG. 9 as the processing, but the content handled is the statistical data in the short-range communication area. There is no downloaded statistical data.

In FIG. 13, statistical processing of the response received by the short-range communication unit is first performed in step S120, and the result is uploaded to the wide area server in step S234. Instead, step S120 is skipped. Alternatively, the individual response raw data stored in step S118 may be directly uploaded to the wide area server in step S234. Further, instead of this, the data statistically processed in step S120 may be uploaded and the individual raw data in step S118 may be uploaded together as reference information.

The above is the communication with the wide area server in the middle of the game. In the flow of FIG. 13, even if the game is over in step S128, the process proceeds to step S236 to communicate with the wide area server via the Internet from the telephone line. Then, the final result of the statistical processing is uploaded to the wide area server and the final result as the wide area statistical data statistically processed by the wide area server is downloaded. Accordingly, the display of the final result in the next step S130 and the transmission of the final result to all the participants in step S132 are the same as those in FIG. 9 as the processing, but the content handled is the statistical data within the short-range communication range. There is no downloaded statistical data. The contents of the wide area statistical data column 98 in FIG. 4 are information that has undergone such a process.

Also in step S236 described above, instead of uploading the statistical processing result to the wide area server, the stored raw data of the individual response may be directly uploaded to the wide area server in step S236. Alternatively, individual raw data may be uploaded as reference information together with statistically processed data. These are the same as step S234.

The flow of the participant in FIG. 13 is the same as that in FIG. 9 as the processing, but the handled contents are different. First, the initial information received in step S134 includes a notification that the game is a “wide area game” transmitted in step S232. In addition, the statistical result received in step S142 and displayed in step S144 and the final result received in step S146 and displayed in step S148 are not the statistical data within the short-range communication range but the downloaded wide-area statistical data. is there.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing details of the game data update process in step S26 of FIG. When the flow starts, in step S242, the IDs of all the games stored in the own device are transmitted from the first short-range communication unit 26 to the outside. Next, in step S244, it is checked whether or not the first short-range communication unit 26 has received a request from another device for the game data specifying the ID. If the request has been received, the requested game data is transmitted from the first short-range communication unit 26 to the requested other device, and the process proceeds to step S248. On the other hand, if such a request is not detected in step S244, the process directly goes to step S248. The above is the process for porting the game data stored in the own device from the first short-range communication unit 1 to another device. On the other hand, step S248 and subsequent steps are processing for fetching game data from the outside to the own device. First, in step S248, the first short-range communication unit 26 checks whether a game ID has been received from another device. If there is reception, the process proceeds to step S250, a game data reception registration process is executed, and the process proceeds to step S252. On the other hand, if reception of a game ID is not detected in step S248, the process directly goes to step S252.

In step S252, the first telephone communication unit 24 accesses and accesses the Internet. In step S254, the game ID is downloaded from the external server holding the game data, and the game data reception registration process in step S256 is performed. In step S254, game data reception registration processing is executed, and the flow ends. As described above, external game data is imported from another device via the first short-range communication unit 26 and downloaded from an external server via the Internet from the first telephone communication unit 24. There is. Details of the game data reception registration process in steps S250 and S256 will be described with reference to the next figure.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing details of the game data reception registration process in steps S250 and S256 of FIG. When the flow starts, in step S262, it is checked whether or not a game ID that has not yet been registered in the own device has arrived. If there is a new game ID, it is stored in step S264 and the process proceeds to step S266. On the other hand, if a new game ID is not detected in step S262, the process proceeds directly to step S266. In step S264, a new ID is stored with a code for distinguishing whether the new arrival ID is received from another device through short-range communication or downloaded from an external server via the Internet. The same applies to other new arrival IDs below.

In step S266, it is checked whether or not a new version ID related to the registered game is newly received. If there is a new version ID, it is stored in step S268 and the process proceeds to step S270. On the other hand, if a new version ID is not detected in step S266, the process proceeds directly to step S270. In step S270, it is checked whether a new template ID related to the registered game is newly received. If there is a new template ID, it is stored in step S272 and the process proceeds to step S274. On the other hand, if a new version ID is not detected in step S270, the process proceeds directly to step S274. In step S274, it is checked whether or not the ID of the new processing software related to game execution in general is newly received. If there is a new processing software ID, it is stored in step S276 and the process proceeds to step S278. On the other hand, if a new version ID is not detected in step S274, the process proceeds directly to step S278.

In step S278, if there is an ID stored in step S264, step S268, step S272, or step S276, it is checked whether there is a communication received from another device by the first short-range communication unit 26 in the ID. . If there is a storage ID received from another device, the process proceeds to step S280, the data corresponding to the storage ID is requested to the other device by short-range communication, and this is received and the process proceeds to step S282. On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S278 that there is a storage ID received from another device, the process directly proceeds to step S282. In step S282, it is checked whether the IDs stored in steps S264, S268, S272, and S276 are downloaded from an external server. If there is a storage ID downloaded from the external server, the process proceeds to step S284, data corresponding to the storage ID is downloaded from the first telephone communication unit 24 via the Internet, and the process proceeds to step S286. On the other hand, if it is not detected in step S282 that the stored ID is downloaded from the external server, the process directly proceeds to step S286.

In step S286, the data acquired by the reception in step S280 or the download in step S284 is registered in the first game storage part. As described above, in the embodiment of the present invention, game-related data that is enjoyed using the first short-range communication unit 26 is obtained from the external server via the Internet from the first telephone communication unit 24. In this case, since there is a possibility that other peripheral devices have already downloaded and obtained game-related data, first, the first short-range communication unit 26 tries to acquire game-related data from the other devices. If there is no game-related data in the other device, it accesses the external server via the Internet by itself and downloads the game-related data. Note that the game-related data acquired by the player attempts to be ported from the first short-range communication unit 26 to other peripheral devices. Details of the update by acquiring and sharing the game-related data are performed by the flowcharts of FIGS. 14 and 15, but as is apparent from step S26 of FIG. 5, these game data update processes are always performed at the end of the game. Configure to be done and facilitate the acquisition and sharing of game related data.

It is a block diagram which shows the 1st Example of the game device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an external appearance front view in the state where the 1st example used as a foldable cellular phone was opened. It is a display screen figure of the game by 2nd Example of this invention. It is a display screen figure of the game by 3rd Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the portable control part for entering a game. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the game participation process in FIG.5 S28. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the game proposal process in step S30 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of 100-player game processing in step S53 of FIG. 6, and step S103 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the real-time display game process in step S112 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the condition display game process in step S111 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the original game proposal process in step S92 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the normal game process in step S36 of FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing details of wide area game processing in step S109 of FIG. 8. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the game data update process in step S26 of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the game data reception registration process in FIG.14 S250 and step S256.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Telephone function part 24 1st radio | wireless communication part 26 2nd radio | wireless communication part 10, 22 Information transmission part 10, 16, 22 Response process part 10, 22 Delivery part 12, 18 Response operation part 18 Display part 10, 22 Process Means 10 Control unit 10 Reception control unit

Claims (9)

A first wireless communication means having a telephone function unit for transmitting and receiving and communicating with an external communication device; a second wireless communication means different from the first communication means; and An information transmission unit for transmitting information to a plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit, and a response process for processing a response received by the second wireless communication unit from the plurality of external communication devices regarding the information transmission A distribution unit that distributes the processing result of the response processing unit to a plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit, and the processing result of the response processing unit to the external server by the first wireless communication unit. A control unit that transmits and processes the overall processing result processed from the external server by the first wireless communication unit, and the distribution unit displays the total processing result received by the control unit in the second wireless communication unit. Communication means Information exchange apparatus characterized by further distributed to a plurality of external communication devices. The information exchange apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a response operation unit that makes a response by the second wireless communication unit regarding information transmission from an external communication device. The information exchange apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display a processing result from an external communication device received by the second wireless communication unit. The information exchange apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a processing unit that processes information of the information transmission unit is shared with an external communication device. A first wireless communication unit, a second wireless communication unit different from the first communication unit, an information transmission unit for transmitting information to a plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit, Common statistical processing in which information on responses received by the second wireless communication means from a plurality of external communication devices is transmitted to the external server by the first wireless communication means and a plurality of responses are statistically processed with respect to this information transmission The control unit that receives the result from the external server by the first wireless communication unit, and the distribution that commonly distributes the statistical processing result received by the control unit to a plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit And an information exchange device. 6. The information exchange apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a reception control unit that receives information to be transmitted from the information transmission unit from an external server by the first wireless communication unit. 7. The information transmission unit according to claim 1, wherein the information transmission unit transmits the information received by the first wireless communication unit to a plurality of external communication devices by the second wireless communication unit. Information exchange device. The information exchange apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a reception control unit that receives a processing unit that processes information of the information transmission unit from an external server by the first wireless communication unit. The information exchange apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a reception control unit that receives processing means for processing information of the information transmission unit from an external server by the first wireless communication unit.