JP5948177B2 - Premium management device, premium management system, and premium management method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a prize management device, a prize management system, and a prize management method for managing exchange of game media and prizes.

  Conventionally, a game counter such as a pachinko parlor is provided with a prize counter for exchanging game media acquired by a player for a prize. This prize counter is provided with a so-called POS (Point Of Sales) prize management device, and a store clerk uses this prize management apparatus to exchange game media for prizes (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The number of game media acquired by the player can be deposited at the game store as a possession ball or a storage ball. Mochitama and tamago are managed as a tamatama account and a tamatama account associated with the card ID, and the prize management device gives the balance of the tamatama account and the tamatama account associated with the card ID of the card presented by the player. Used for replacement.

  Here, “mochitama” refers to data indicating the number of game media acquired by the player in the game or the number of the game media, and can be used again for the game only during that day (time before closing). . The stored ball is data indicating the game media acquired by the player in the game and the number of the game media, and can be used again for the game after the next day (time after closing). Mochitama can be used by both general and member players, and is used when a gaming machine is moved. The stored ball is normally only available to member players, and is used when the acquired game medium is used for games from the next day. A predetermined fee may be imposed on the use of the stored ball.

JP 2009-385 A

  However, since there are various needs for accounts used when exchanging prizes depending on the player, there has been a problem that operations during exchanging prizes become complicated. To explain this point more concretely, many players exchange prizes by adding the balances of their own money account and savings account, but they use the balance of the savings account preferentially to exchange prizes and remain. For the purpose of saving the remaining amount after the exchange of prizes for the player who will be used for the game again, or saving the other than the investment of the day, the savings account will not be used for exchange of prizes as much as possible. There are also players who use the Jade account preferentially for prize exchange.

  In order to meet the needs of such diverse players, if an operation for selecting one of the total exchange, exchange from holding balls, exchange from storage balls is provided, processing per person will increase due to the increase in operations. There is a case where time is lengthened and the player is kept waiting.

  Furthermore, in recent years, the number of rates used by amusement stores has increased. For example, in a game store that uses four rates of 4 yen pachinko, 1 yen pachinko, 20 yen slot, and 5 yen slot, a game account is stored in a total of 8 accounts in order to establish a holding account and a savings account for each rate. I manage. As the number of accounts managed by the amusement store increases in this way, how to make the selection of accounts used for prize exchange more efficient becomes a more important issue.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of operations relating to prize exchange.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention is a prize management device that manages the exchange of game media and prizes, and there are a plurality of accounts for managing the number of game media. A display control means capable of switching between a collective display for simultaneously displaying the balance of accounts and an individual display for individually displaying the balance of each account; an operation receiving means for accepting an operation for specifying a prize or automatically determining a combination of prizes; When the operation accepting unit accepts an operation in a state where the display control unit is performing the collective display, a prize is selected within the range of the total balance obtained by adding the balances of the plurality of accounts, and the display A prize selecting means for selecting a prize within a range of the balance of the account being displayed when the operation accepting means accepts an operation in a state where the control means is performing individual display. And butterflies.

  Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned invention, the display control means is configured to manage a game media account acquired by a player so that the game media can be reused only within a predetermined period, and to re-execute after the predetermined period. When there is a storage game media account to be managed to be usable, switching between the collective display of the mobile game media account and the storage media account and the individual display of the mobile media account or the storage media account, When the operation accepting unit accepts an operation in a state where the portable game media account and the stored game media account are collectively displayed, the prize selecting unit is configured to receive the game media account and the stored game media account. If the operation accepting unit accepts an operation in a state where the prize is selected within the range of the summed balance of the sum of the balances and the individual display of the possessed game media account is performed, If the operation accepting unit accepts an operation while selecting the prize within the range, and the individual display of the game media account is selected, the prize is selected within the balance of the game media account It is characterized by doing.

  Also, in the present invention according to the above invention, the display control means executes the batch display preferentially, and accepts an operation of selecting any of the plurality of accounts in a state where the batch display is being performed. In this case, the selected account is individually displayed.

  Further, the present invention is the above invention, wherein the display control means has a plurality of account types for a plurality of game types, and two or more game types satisfying a predetermined condition among the plurality of game types. When there is a game type selection screen, the game type selection screen is displayed, and when there is one game type satisfying the predetermined condition, the game type selection screen is omitted and the collective display is performed.

  Also, in the present invention, in the above invention, the display control means controls display of a game type selection screen when there are two or more game types in which the balance total of the plurality of accounts is greater than zero, and the balance total of the plurality of accounts is When there is one game type greater than zero, the game type selection screen is omitted and the collective display is performed.

  Also, in the present invention according to the above-mentioned invention, the display control means controls display of a game type selection screen when there are two or more game types in which the total balance of a plurality of accounts is larger than the minimum value of game media that can be exchanged for prizes. When the number of game types in which the total balance of a plurality of accounts is greater than the minimum value of game media that can be exchanged for prizes, the game type selection screen is omitted and the collective display is performed.

  Further, the present invention is a prize management system for managing the exchange of gaming media and prizes, and when there are a plurality of accounts for managing the number of gaming media, a collective display that simultaneously displays the balance of a plurality of accounts; Display control means capable of switching between individual display for individually displaying the balance of each account, operation accepting means for accepting a prize designation operation or a prize combination automatic determination operation, and the display control means performing the collective display When the operation accepting means accepts the operation in the state of being selected, a prize is selected within the range of the total balance obtained by adding up the balances of the plurality of accounts, and the display control means is performing individual display. When the operation accepting means accepts an operation, it is provided with a prize selecting means for selecting a prize within a range of the balance of the account being displayed.

  Further, the present invention is a prize management method for managing the exchange of gaming media and prizes, and when there are a plurality of accounts for managing the number of gaming media, a collective display for simultaneously displaying the balance of a plurality of accounts; A display control step for switching between individual display for individually displaying the balance of each account, an operation reception step for accepting an operation for automatically specifying a prize or a combination of prizes, and the display control step for performing the batch display. When the operation accepting step accepts an operation in a state where it is being performed, a prize is selected within the range of the sum balance of the balances of the plurality of accounts, and the display control step is performing individual display And when the operation accepting step accepts the operation, a prize selecting step of selecting a prize within the balance of the account being displayed is included. To.

  According to the present invention, when there are a plurality of accounts for managing the number of game media, a plurality of accounts can be selected when an operation for selecting a prize is received in a state where collective display for simultaneously displaying the balances of the plurality of accounts is performed. If you select a prize within the range of the total balance of all accounts, and display the balance of each account individually, if you receive an operation for selecting a prize, Since the prize is selected within the range of the balance of the account, the operation for exchanging the prize can be made efficient.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation at the time of prize exchange according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the amusement store. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an external configuration of the prize management device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the prize management device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the management of the holding account and the savings account. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for exchanging premiums by the premium management device. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation at the time of prize exchange according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the prize management device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process procedure of a prize exchange by the prize management apparatus according to the second embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of a prize management device, a prize management system, and a prize management method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, an operation at the time of prize exchange according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation at the time of prize exchange according to the first embodiment. At the time of prize exchange, the prize management apparatus first displays a rate selection screen for selecting a rate used for prize exchange from a plurality of rates.

  FIG. 1A is a specific example of a rate selection screen. In this rate selection screen, three rates of a 4-yen coin, 2-yen coin and 1-yen coin are displayed together with a message “select rate”. A 4-yen coin indicates a game ball lent out at 4 yen per ball. Similarly, a 2-yen coin indicates a game ball lent out at 2 yen per ball, and a 1-yen ball indicates a game ball lent out at 1 yen per ball. Here, a case where only game balls are used is shown, but in a game shop using a 20 yen medal lent out at 20 yen per piece or a 5 yen medal lent out at 5 yen per piece, these medals are also displayed. .

  FIG. 1A shows a state in which the prize management device reads the card ID and displays the balance of the account associated with the card ID for each rate. Specifically, the total balance of the 4-yen coin holding account and the savings account is “8000”, and the total balance of the 2-yen coin holding account and the savings account is “2000”. The total of the balance of the coin holding account and the savings account is “1000”.

  When a rate used for prize exchange is selected from this rate selection screen, the prize management device controls display of a batch display screen of the selected rates. FIG. 1B is a specific example of a collective display screen when a 4-yen coin is selected.

  In the collective display screen shown in FIG. 1 (b), the message “exchange or detailed selection”, the total balance of the coin account for 4 yen coin and the balance account for the coin account “8000”, and the account for 4 yen coin The balance of “6000 pieces” and the balance of the 4-yen savings account “2000 pieces” are displayed.

  When an operation for selecting a prize is accepted in a state where the collective display screen is displayed, the prize management device exchanges prizes for the total balance of the holding account and the savings account. For example, if a high-speed exchange button for automatically calculating a combination of a large prize and a small prize is pressed, as shown in FIG. Select 6 large prizes and 3 small prizes and set the number of remaining balls to "25".

  On the other hand, if the operation for selecting the detailed display of the holding ball is received in a state where the collective display screen is displayed, the prize management device controls the display of the individual display screen shown in FIG. In FIG. 1C, a message “Select a prize to exchange” and a balance of “6000 pieces” of a 4-yen coin holding account are displayed.

  When an operation for selecting a prize is received in a state where the individual display screen for the possession ball is displayed, the prize management device exchanges a prize for the balance of the possession account. For example, if a high-speed exchange button for automatically calculating a combination of a large prize and a small prize is pressed, as shown in FIG. 1 (e), a large prize 5 that can be exchanged for a total balance of “6000” in the money account. Individual and two small prizes are selected, and the number of remaining balls is set to “10”. Moreover, since the storage balls are not used, the number of remaining storage balls is “2000”.

  If the operation for selecting the detailed display of the stored balls is accepted in the state where the collective display screen is displayed, the individual display screen of the stored balls is displayed and controlled as in FIG. 1C. When receiving an operation for selecting a prize in the displayed state, the prize management device exchanges a prize for the balance of the savings account.

  As described above, in the prize exchange according to the first embodiment, if a prize exchange operation is received in a state where the holding balls and the storage balls are collectively displayed, the prize exchange processing is performed on the total balance of the holding balls and the storage balls, If the prize exchange operation is accepted in the state where the individual holding balls or storage balls are displayed, the prize exchange processing is performed for the balance of the holding balls or storage balls, so that the operation related to the prize exchange can be made efficient. Can do.

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

  The gaming machine 20 is a device that plays a game by driving game balls into the game board surface. The gaming board surface of the gaming machine 20 is provided with a plurality of winning areas (winning openings), and a predetermined number of gaming balls are given as prize balls based on the passing of the gaming balls through the winning area. It has become. In addition, a predetermined number of start areas (start ports) are provided in the game area, and a predetermined lottery is performed based on a game ball passing through the start area. If the lottery is a big win, an operation that is advantageous in terms of game is performed, for example, by increasing the probability of passing the game ball to the winning area or other starting area by operating a predetermined movable member or the like. There may be an area that doubles as a starting area and a winning area.

  The winning area is provided with a winning sensor for detecting the passing of a game ball to the winning area, and the winning sensor detects the passing (winning) of the game ball that has been driven into the winning area. ing. In addition, the control device of the gaming machine has a prize ball memory that stores how many game balls are awarded as prize balls for each winning area.

  Therefore, when the winning game ball is detected to pass through a specific winning area, the winning sensor determines the number of winning balls to be awarded from the stored contents of the winning ball memory and the number of gaming balls that have passed the winning area. The game balls of the determined number of prizes are paid out.

  The inter-card processing machine 10 accepts payment, rents out game balls, and communicates with the card management device 40. When the inter-card processing machine 10 accepts a bill inserted by the player, the inter-card processing machine 10 transmits a payment notification including the deposit amount to the card management device 40, thereby converting the prepaid value into a prepaid value managed by the card management device 40. Let them add. If a predetermined ball lending operation is performed, a ball lending request is transmitted to the card management device 40, the prepaid value managed by the card management device 40 is subtracted, and the number of games corresponding to the subtracted prepaid value Pay out the balls.

  Further, if the inter-card card processing machine 10 accepts the card insertion, the inter-card card processing machine 10 transmits a card insertion notification to the card management device 40. Further, when the inter-card processing machine 10 receives the prepaid value, the balance account, or the balance of the savings account from the card management device 40, the balance is stored. Then, when the balance of the money holding account is received and stored, the balance of the money holding account managed by the card management device 40 is cleared to zero by sending a money subtraction request to the card management device 40. To do.

  In addition, when the inter-card processing machine 10 accepts the possession ball replay operation, the predetermined number is subtracted from the balance of the possession account managed by the own device, and the number of game balls corresponding to the subtracted number is paid out. In addition, when the inter-card processing machine 10 accepts the stored ball replay operation, it transmits a stored ball replay request to the card management device 40, thereby subtracting a predetermined number of balances of the stored ball account managed by the member management device 50. The number of game balls corresponding to the subtracted number is paid out.

  When the inter-card processing machine 10 accepts the card return operation, the inter-card processing machine 10 transmits a possession ball addition request including the balance of the possession account managed by the own device to the card management device 40, After the addition, a card discharge notification is transmitted to the card management device 40 to control the card discharge.

  The island controller 30 is a relay device that bundles a group of gaming machines 20 and inter-card card processing machines 10 provided on the gaming island. The card management device 40 is a management device that manages the prepaid value of a card, the number of balls, etc. as card data.

  When the card management device 40 receives a card insertion notification from the inter-card card processing machine 10, the card management apparatus 40 manages the ID of the inserted card and the inter-card card processing machine 10 in association with each other, and prepaid associated with the card ID. The value and the balance of the money holding account are transmitted to the inter-card card processing machine 10. Further, when the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification is the card ID of the member card, the balance of the savings account associated with the card ID is acquired from the member management device 50, and the prepaid value and The balance is sent to the inter-card processing machine 10 together with the balance.

  In addition, when the card management device 40 receives a possession ball subtraction request from the inter-card card processing machine 10, the card management device 40 clears the balance of the possession account to zero and receives an inter-card addition request from the inter-card card processing machine 10. If so, the number of balls indicated in the request for adding balls is added to the ball account.

  Further, when the card management device 40 receives a ball lending request from the inter-card card processing machine 10, the card management device 40 subtracts a corresponding prepaid value by a predetermined value, and transmits the ball lending permission to the inter-card card processing machine 10. Then, when the storage ball replay request is received, the storage ball replay request is transmitted to the member management device 50. When the member management device 50 outputs the storage ball replay permission, Transmit to the card processor 10.

  Further, when the card management apparatus 40 receives the card ID from the prize management apparatus 60, the card management apparatus 40 notifies the prize management apparatus 60 of the balance of the possession account associated with the card ID. Further, when the card ID is received from the settlement machine 80, the prepaid value associated with the card ID is notified to the settlement machine 80.

  The member management device 50 is a management device that manages member management data of members registered as members in the amusement store. Specifically, the number of stored balls, points, password, name, etc. are managed in association with the member card ID issued to the member.

  When the member management device 50 receives an inquiry about the savings account balance from the card management device 40, the member management device 50 notifies the card management device 40 of the balance of the savings account corresponding to the designated card ID. Also, when the member management device 50 receives the stored ball replay request via the card management device 40, the member management device 50 subtracts a predetermined number of balances of the stored ball account associated with the card ID indicated in the stored ball replay request. Output replay permission.

  Further, when the member management device 50 receives an inquiry about the savings account balance from the prize management device 60, the member management device 50 notifies the prize management device 60 of the balance of the savings account corresponding to the designated card ID.

  The prize management device 60 is a terminal device for exchanging prizes attached to a prize exchange counter in the amusement store, and performs prize exchange processing for earned balls, storage balls, and holding balls. The premium management device 60 is connected to a reader / writer that reads the card ID of the card and a premium dispensing device that dispenses premiums. When the reader / writer accepts the card, the prize management device 60 transmits the card ID of the card read by the reader / writer to the card management device 40, and requests the possession account balance of the card. In addition, when exchanging prizes for the stored balls, the member management apparatus 50 is requested for the stored account balance.

  When the card associated with the prepaid value is inserted, the checkout machine 80 transmits the card ID of this card to the card management device 40, acquires the prepaid value associated with the card, and adds the prepaid value to the acquired prepaid value. Withdraw cash equivalents.

  The ball lending process when performing the ball lending with the system shown in FIG. 2 will be described. When the player performs a ball lending operation on the inter-card card processing machine 10, the inter-card card processing machine 10 transmits a message specifying the local IP address of the card management device 40 as the destination. This electronic message includes the card ID of the card inserted in the inter-card card processing machine 10, an IP address or arbitrary identification information that identifies the inter-card card processing machine 10 that is the transmission source, and a ball rental request.

  When the card management device 40 receives a message including a ball lending request, the card management device 40 subtracts a prepaid value associated with the card ID in the message by a predetermined value (for example, 100 yen = 5 times when the frequency is 1). The data is updated, and the ball lending permission is transmitted to the inter-card card processing machine 10 of the transmission source. Upon receiving the ball lending permission, the inter-card card processing machine 10 pays out the number of game balls (for example, 125 balls) corresponding to the subtracted prepaid value.

  Next, a description will be given of the ball replay process in the case where the ball replay is performed in the system shown in FIG. When the inter-card card processor 10 accepts the insertion of a general card or a membership card, the inter-card card processor 10 transmits a message specifying the local IP address of the card management device 40 as the destination. This message includes the card ID of the card inserted in the inter-card card processor 10, the IP address or arbitrary identification information that identifies the inter-card card processor 10 that is the transmission source, and the inter-card card processor 10 It includes information for specifying the rate and a card insertion notification.

  When the card management device 40 receives a card insertion notification from the inter-card card processing machine 10, among the possession accounts associated with the card ID in the message, the card management device 40 has the rate specified by the message. Is notified to the inter-card card processor 10.

  The inter-card processing machine 10 stores the balance of the coins received from the card management device 40. And the message containing the information which specifies card ID and a rate, and a possession subtraction request | requirement is transmitted to the card management apparatus 40. FIG. When the card management device 40 receives a coin subtraction request, it clears the balance of the coin account specified by the card ID and rate to zero. When the inter-card processing machine 10 accepts the possession ball replay operation, the predetermined number is subtracted from the stored balance of possession balls, and the corresponding number of game balls are paid out.

  When the inter-card card processing machine 10 accepts the card return operation, the inter-card card processing machine 10 transmits a telegram including a request for adding coins to the card management device 40. This message includes a card ID of a card to be ejected, an IP address or arbitrary identification information for identifying the inter-card card processor 10 that is a transmission source, information for identifying the rate of the inter-card card processor 10, Includes the balance of the possession balls and the request for addition of possession balls.

  When the card management device 40 receives a request for adding money, the balance that received the balance of the money account at the rate specified by the message out of the money accounts associated with the card ID in the message Update to the value of.

  Thereafter, the inter-card card processor 10 transmits a card discharge notification to the card management device 40 and controls the card discharge.

  Next, a stored ball replay process when the replay of the stored ball is performed with the system shown in FIG. 2 will be described. When the inter-card processing unit 10 receives a replay operation for the first time after inserting the card, or when reading the identification information corresponding to the card ID from a portable terminal that can be used as a membership card, the card management device A message specifying 40 local IP addresses as a destination is transmitted. This message includes the card ID of the card inserted in the inter-card card processing machine 10 (or identification information corresponding to the card ID read from the mobile terminal; hereinafter referred to as the card ID), and the inter-card process that is the transmission source. IP address or arbitrary identification information for specifying the machine 10, information for specifying the rate of the inter-card card processing machine 10, and a storage ball replay request. In addition, when requesting the input of a password at the time of replaying the stored ball, the input of the password is requested before the transmission of the message, and the input password is included in the message.

  The card management device 40 transmits a message for a replay request for the stored ball to the member management device 50. When the member management device 50 receives the message of the savings replay request, the member management device 50 subtracts a predetermined value from the balance of the savings account at the rate specified by the message among the savings accounts associated with the card ID in the message. Then, the stored ball replay permission is transmitted to the inter-card processing machine 10 together with the balance after subtraction.

  When the inter-card processing machine 10 receives the re-playing permission for the stored ball, it sequentially throws out the game balls until the stored-ball balance reaches the balance after the subtraction received together with the re-playing permission for the stored ball. Update.

  Next, the transition from the holding ball to the storage ball in the closing process will be described. The card management device 40 checks the balance of the holding account in the card management data during the closing process, and if there is a holding account whose holding balance is greater than “0”, the card management device 40 uses the balance of the holding account as a card. The member management apparatus 50 is notified together with the ID and rate. The member management device 50 adds and updates the notified holding account balance to the balance of the savings account specified by the card ID and the rate. Thereafter, the card management device 40 clears the balance of the possession account to zero.

  Next, the external configuration of the prize management device 60 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an external configuration of the prize management device 60 shown in FIG. The figure (a) shows the perspective view of the prize management device 60 viewed from the front upper side (the clerk side of the prize counter), and the figure (b) shows the rear view of the prize management apparatus 60 (the player side of the prize counter). ).

  As shown in FIG. 3A, a store side display unit 61, an operation unit 62, a receipt issuing unit 63, and a barcode reader 67 are provided on the front surface of the prize management device 60. Although not shown here for convenience of explanation, a power switch, a memory card insertion slot, and the like are also provided. Further, a reader / writer 70 is connected to the prize management device 60.

  When the store clerk receives a count receipt issued by a counting machine or the like from the player, the store clerk reads the bar code printed on the count receipt with the bar code reader 67 and identifies the number of balls acquired by the player. Further, when a card is inserted into the card insertion slot 73 of the reader / writer 70, the number of held balls and the number of stored balls associated with the card are specified. The number of balls specified in this way is used for exchanging prizes with special prizes or general prizes.

  The store side display unit 61 is a display unit / operation unit for a store clerk of an amusement shop as an operator, and includes a touch panel color liquid crystal display or the like. The store side display unit 61 displays premium exchange contents, operation guidance, and the like. The operation unit 62 includes a plurality of keys such as a numeric keypad, a dedicated key, and a mode key, and is used when performing a prize exchange operation input or the like.

  The receipt issuing unit 63 is an issuing unit that issues various receipts such as a registration list and a summary list, and includes a thermal printer or the like. The barcode reader 67 reads the barcode printed on the counting receipt and identifies the information content.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, a customer-side display unit 64 for a player is provided on the back surface of the prize management device 60. The customer side display unit 64 includes a fluorescent display tube, a touch panel color liquid crystal display, and the like. The player can confirm the number of balls and the number of stored balls associated with the card by confirming the display content of the customer side display unit 64. Further, the customer display unit 64 can display the event information when event information or the like is notified as setting data from a higher-level device (for example, the member management device 50).

  In addition, a reader / writer 70 is connected to the prize management device 60. The reader / writer 70 is provided with a display operation unit 71, a holding unit 72, a card insertion slot 73, and a door key 74. The display operation unit 71 includes a touch panel color liquid crystal display or the like, and displays a card reading status and the like. In the case of a membership card, a password is input using the display operation unit 71. The holding unit 72 is a holding unit for performing non-contact data transmission / reception with a non-contact IC card or a cellular phone with a built-in IC chip. The card insertion slot 73 is an insertion slot for inserting a member card and a general card.

  Next, the internal configuration of the prize management device 60 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the prize management device shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the prize management device 60 is connected to a communication line and reader / writer 70. The gift management device 60 includes a store-side display unit 61, an operation unit 62, a receipt issuing unit 63, a customer-side display unit 64, a storage unit 65, a control unit 66, a barcode reader 67, and a communication unit 68 that have already been described. And have. The communication unit 68 is an interface unit for the prize management device 60 to communicate with a communication line.

  The storage unit 65 is a storage device including a flash memory or a hard disk device, and stores a prize master 65a and receipt data 65b. The prize master 65a is data used when exchanging game balls for prizes. The receipt data 65 b indicates data read from the receipt by the barcode reader 67.

  The control unit 66 is a control unit that controls the overall prize management apparatus, and includes a prize management unit 66a, a gift exchange processing unit 66b, and an account selection processing unit 66c. The prize management unit 66a is a management unit that manages the number of exchanged balls for special prizes and general prizes to be handled by the prize management apparatus 60 using the prize master 65a stored in the storage unit 65.

  The gift exchange processing unit 66b is a processing unit that performs a gift exchange process. The number of balls used for exchanging with the prize is the number of balls acquired from the receipt by the barcode reader 67, the number of balls held and the number of stored balls associated with the card ID read by the reader / writer 70.

  The prize exchange processing unit 66b performs a prize exchange process for special prizes and general prizes based on the prize master 65a within the range of the number of acquired balls, the number of possessed balls, and the number of stored balls. When exchanging special prizes, the prize exchange processing unit 66b obtains a combination of the types and number of special prizes that can be exchanged from the number of acquired balls, the number of possessed balls, and the number of stored balls. Is sent to a prize dispenser (not shown) to cause special prizes to be paid out.

  The account selection processing unit 66c is a processing unit that selects an account to be used for gift exchange. Specifically, when the card ID is read by the reader / writer 70, the account selection processing unit transmits the card ID to the card management device 40 and the member management device 50, and the balance account balance and the savings ball of each rate. The account balance is acquired, and display control of the rate selection screen is performed on the store side display unit 61.

  If the rate is selected after the rate selection screen is displayed, the account selection processing unit 66c controls the store side display unit 61 to display the collective display screen of the holding account and the stored account for the selected rate. During the display control of this collective display screen, the holding account and the savings account are selected as accounts used for prize exchange. Therefore, if an operation for selecting a prize is performed during the display control of the collective display screen, the total balance of the holding account and the savings account is used for the prize exchange.

  If the account selection processing unit 66c receives an operation of selecting the detailed display of the possessed ball during the display control of the collective display screen, the account selection processing unit 66c controls the display on the store-side display unit 61 of the individual display screen of the retained ball. During the display control of the individual display screen of the possession balls, the possession account is selected as an account used for prize exchange. For this reason, if an operation for selecting a prize is performed during the display control of the individual display screen of the possession balls, only the balance of the possession account is used for the prize exchange.

  Similarly, when the account selection processing unit 66c receives an operation for selecting the detailed display of the stored balls during the display control of the collective display screen, the account selection processing unit 66c controls the display of the individual display screen of the stored balls on the store side display unit 61. During the display control of the individual display screen of the stored balls, the stored account is selected as an account used for prize exchange. For this reason, if an operation for selecting a prize is performed during the display control of the individual display screen of the stored balls, only the balance of the stored account is used for the gift exchange.

  Next, the management of the holding account and the savings account will be described. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the management of the holding account and the savings account. FIG. 5A shows card management data 41 stored in the card management device 40, and FIG. 5B shows member management data 51 stored in the member management device 50.

  The card management data 41 is data in which the prepaid value and the holding account for each rate are associated with the card ID. Specifically, the card ID “1001” includes a prepaid value “50”, a 4-yen coin holding account balance “3500”, a 2-yen coin holding account balance “0”, and a 1-yen coin holding account. The balance “0” is associated. The card ID “2001” includes a prepaid value “0”, a 4-yen coin holding account balance “6000”, a 2-yen coin holding account balance “2000”, and a 1-yen coin holding account balance “500”. Is associated.

  The member management data 51 is data in which a card ID is associated with a member's name, a savings account for each rate, an address, and the like. Specifically, the card ID “2001” includes a name “AB”, a 4-yen coin account balance “2000”, a 2-yen coin account balance “0”, and a 1-yen coin account balance “500”. ", Address" C city D town 1-1 ", and the like. Although not shown, the identification number, contact information, points, number of visits, game history, password, etc. of the member's mobile terminal may be associated with the card ID.

  Next, the process procedure of the prize exchange by the prize management apparatus 60 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the prize exchange by the prize management device 60. When the card ID is read by the reader / writer 70, the account selection processing unit 66c of the prize management device 60 transmits the card ID to the card management device 40 and the member management device 50, and the balance account balance of each rate and The storage account balance is acquired (step S101), and the rate selection screen is displayed on the store side display unit 61 (step S102).

  The account selection processing unit 66c determines whether or not a rate selection operation has been accepted after display control of the rate selection screen (step S103). If the rate selection operation has not been performed (step S103; No), the account selection processing unit 66c proceeds to step S102 and continues displaying the rate selection screen.

  If the rate selection operation has been performed (step S103; Yes), the account selection processing unit 66c controls the store side display unit 61 to display the collective display screen of the holding account and the savings account for the selected rate ( Step S104). On the collective display screen of the holding ball account and the savings account, the options of the holding ball account details, the savings account details, and the combined exchange are displayed so as to be selectable. In this case, information for specifying the selected rate is temporarily stored and held.

  The account selection processing unit 66c determines whether or not the account details of the holding ball or the storage ball are selected in a state where the collective display screen is displayed (step S105). If the account details of the holding ball or storage ball are not selected (step S105; No), the account selection processing unit 66c determines whether or not a prize has been selected (step S106). This selection of prizes includes selection for individually specifying prizes and combination selection of special prizes by operating a high-speed exchange button.

  If no prize is selected in the state where the collective display screen is displayed (step S106; No), the account selection processing unit 66c proceeds to step S104 and continues display control of the collective display screen.

  If a prize is selected while the collective display screen is displayed (step S106; Yes), the prize exchange processing unit 66b calculates the number of balls to be exchanged for the selected prize from the total balance of the holding account and the savings account. Is subtracted (step S107). Thereafter, the gift exchange processing unit 66b determines whether or not to complete the gift exchange (step S108). The determination of the completion of the prize exchange is made based on a case where a predetermined prize exchange termination operation (such as a confirmation operation) is received.

  When the prize exchange is to be ended (step S108; Yes), the prize exchange processing unit 66b determines the contents of the prize exchange selected so far (step S114), and ends the process. When the prize exchange is not completed (step S108; No), the prize exchange processing unit 66b determines whether or not a prize is selected again (step S109). If no prize is selected (step S109; No), the prize exchange processing unit 66b proceeds to step S108, and if a prize is selected (step S109; Yes), the process proceeds to step S107.

  On the other hand, if the account details of the holding ball or the savings ball are selected in the state where the collective display screen is displayed (step S105; Yes), the account selection processing unit 66c selects the selected account (the holding ball account or the savings account). Display control of the individual display screen on the store side display unit 61 (step S110).

  After the display control of the individual display screen, the account selection processing unit 66c determines whether or not a prize has been selected (step S111). If no prize is selected in the state where the individual display screen is displayed (step S111; No), the account selection processing unit 66c proceeds to step S110 and continues display control of the individual display screen.

  If the prize is selected in the state where the individual display screen is displayed (step S111; Yes), the prize exchange processing unit 66b selects the prize that is selected from the balance of the selected account (the holding account or the savings account). The number of balls to be exchanged is subtracted (step S112). Thereafter, the gift exchange processing unit 66b determines whether or not to complete the gift exchange (step S113).

  When the prize exchange is not finished (step S113; No), the prize exchange processing unit 66b proceeds to step S110 and performs display control of the individual display screen. When the prize exchange is to be ended (step S113; Yes), the prize exchange processing unit 66b determines the contents of the prize exchange selected so far (step S114), and ends the process.

  Here, the details of the prize exchange from the holding ball and the prize exchange from the storage ball will be described. In the case of selecting a coin as a target for prize exchange, the prize management device 60 makes an inquiry to the card management device 40 in a state where the rate used for the prize exchange is specified (stored), thereby deducting the account balance. Drop and change the target number of balls to the number of balls you have. With this deduction, the management of the possession account is transferred to the prize management device 60 side, and the possession account balance on the card management device 40 side is cleared to zero.

  The prize management device 60 holds the balance of the holding account until the contents of the prize exchange are confirmed, and notifies the card management apparatus 40 of the balance of the possession account when the exchange contents are confirmed. Upon receiving this notification, the card management device 40 replaces the balance once made zero with the notified balance.

  On the other hand, when selecting a stored ball as a target for prize exchange, the prize management device 60 changes the target of the specified number of balls to the number of stored balls in a state where the rate used for the prize exchange is specified (stored). . The prize management device 60 temporarily stores the stored value acquired from the member management device 50, and transmits the difference value obtained by subtraction (or addition) to the member management device 50 when the contents of the prize exchange are determined. The member management device 50 updates the value of the stored ball with the difference value sent from the premium management device 60.

  In addition, when the collective display is displayed with the collective display screen displayed, and the coins and storage balls are combined and used for the gift exchange, the option for the sum exchange is selected or the prize is displayed with the collective display screen displayed. Is selected (including collective selection by high-speed exchange), it is determined that the combined exchange has been selected, and after the holding account balance is deducted, the holding balls and the storage balls are processed as described above. The subtraction process based on the prize selection is calculated so that the stored ball is used preferentially, and if there is a remaining value after the combined value of the holding ball and the stored ball is exchanged, it is confirmed as the holding balance by the confirmation process. .

  Here, the management is transferred to the free gift management device 60 for the holding account, and the configuration in which the member management device 50 manages the savings account even during the exchange of the free gift has been described. As in the case of the money account, the management may be transferred to the prize management device 60 so that the stored account balance of the member management device 50 is overwritten when the contents of the prize exchange are confirmed. In addition, as for the coin account, similarly to the savings account, the card management device 40 may be configured to manage the coin account even when the gift is being exchanged, without transferring the management to the gift management device 60.

  Also, the prize management device 60 determines whether or not it can be used again for a game depending on the type of holding ball, that day storage ball, and past storage ball according to an instruction from a higher-level device (for example, the member management device 50). It may be configured to be set and stored.

  In the configuration in which the possibility of replaying can be set, if a specific type of medium cannot be exchanged for a prize, the prize management apparatus 60 requests a balance other than the balance of the medium type for which no prize can be exchanged. Further, when the exchangeable medium type is limited to one by the setting of whether or not the gift exchange can be used, the medium type exchange process may be performed without selecting operation.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, if a prize exchange operation is received in a state where collective balls and storage balls are collectively displayed, a prize exchange process is performed on the total balance of the possessions and storage balls. Alternatively, if a prize exchange operation is accepted in a state where individual storage balls are being displayed, the prize exchange process is performed for the balance of the holding balls or the storage ball, so that the operation relating to the prize exchange can be made efficient. .

  In addition, in this Example 1, it is comprised so that the collective display of the possession ball and the storage ball may be performed after the rate selection, and the prize exchange for the combined value of the storage ball and the possession ball can be performed promptly from the collective display state. However, this is because when there are both a savings account and a holding account, there are many customers who wish to exchange prizes using these combined values, and this needs to be met quickly.

  In the first embodiment, the configuration for displaying the rate selection screen and controlling the display of the collective display screen when the selection of the rate is received has been described. When there is only one rate, it is possible to further increase the efficiency of the operation for exchanging premiums by configuring the rate selection automatically.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, a free gift exchange process capable of automatically selecting a rate will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an operation at the time of prize exchange according to the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the total balance of the 4-yen coin holding account and the savings account is “8000”, and the total balance of the 2-yen coin holding account and the savings account is “0”. If the total of the balance of the 1-yen coin holding account and the savings account is “0”, the rate that can be used for gift exchange is limited to 4 yen coins.

  Therefore, the prize management device of the second embodiment automatically selects the 4-yen rate, omits the display of the rate selection screen, and controls the display of the collective display screen shown in FIG. The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an internal configuration of the prize management device 160 according to the second embodiment. The prize management device 160 shown in FIG. 8 is different from the prize management device 60 shown in the first embodiment in that the control unit 66 further includes a rate selection processing unit 66d. Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the prize management device 60, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

  The rate selection processing unit 66d is a processing unit that automatically selects a rate. Specifically, when the card ID is read by the reader / writer 70 and the holding account balance and the savings account balance of each rate associated with the card ID are acquired, the rate selection processing unit 66d Calculate the total balance of the balance and the savings account balance for each rate. Then, when there are two or more rates where the combined balance is greater than 0, display control of the rate selection screen is performed. On the other hand, if there is only one rate with a combined balance greater than 0, the rate is automatically selected, the display control of the rate selection screen is skipped, and the batch display screen of the automatically selected rate is displayed. To do.

  Next, a prize exchange processing procedure by the prize management device 160 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the processing procedure of the prize exchange by the prize management device 160 according to the second embodiment. When the card ID is read by the reader / writer 70, the account selection processing unit 66c of the prize management device 160 transmits the card ID to the card management device 40 and the member management device 50, and the balance account balance of each rate and The stored account balance is acquired (step S201).

  The rate selection processing unit 66d calculates, for each rate, the total balance of the holding account balance and the savings account balance (step S202), and determines whether there is one rate with the combined balance greater than 0 (step S203). ).

  As a result, when there is one rate with the combined balance greater than 0 (step S203; Yes), the rate is selected (step S206). The subsequent processing is the same as that after step S104 shown in FIG.

  If there is not one rate with the combined balance greater than 0 (step S203; No), the rate selection processing unit 66d controls display of the rate selection screen on the store side display unit 61 (step S204).

  After controlling the display of the rate selection screen, the account selection processing unit 66c determines whether or not a rate selection operation has been accepted (step S205). If the rate selection operation has not been performed (step S205; No), the account selection processing unit 66c proceeds to step S204 and continues displaying the rate selection screen.

  If the rate selection operation has been performed (step S205; Yes), the account selection processing unit 66c controls the store side display unit 61 to display the collective display screen of the holding account and the savings account for the selected rate. The subsequent processing is the same as that after step S104 shown in FIG.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, it is possible to automatically select the rate based on the balance of the holding account and the savings account, so that it is possible to further improve the efficiency of the operation for exchanging the prize. it can.

  In the second embodiment, it is determined whether or not the automatic rate selection is performed on the condition that the total balance of the holding account and the savings account is 0 or more. The determination may be made on the condition that the balance exceeds the minimum value required for the prize exchange.

  Further, in the first and second embodiments described above, a detailed description of the form of the card is omitted, but such a card includes a magnetic card, an IC card, and the like. Further, although the “card” has been described as an example here for convenience of explanation, the present invention can also be applied to a case where a chip, a stick, a portable terminal, or the like is used in addition to such a card. In particular, when a mobile terminal with an IC chip is used as a medium, the prepaid value and the number of coins associated with the mobile terminal by non-contact communication between the IC chip and the reader / writer by placing the mobile terminal on the reader / writer. Can be obtained.

  Each illustrated configuration is functionally schematic, and does not necessarily need to have the illustrated configuration physically. That is, the form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally / physically distributed / integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. Can be configured.

  As described above, the prize management device, the prize management system, and the prize management method according to the present invention are suitable for improving the efficiency of operations relating to prize exchange at an amusement store.

10 card processor 20 gaming machine 30 island controller 40 card management device 41 card management data 50 member management device 51 member management data 60, 160 free gift management device 61 store side display unit 62 operation unit 63 receipt issuing unit 64 customer side display 65 Storage unit 65a Premium master 65b Receipt data
66a free gift management unit 66b free gift exchange processing unit 66c account selection processing unit 66d rate selection processing unit 67 bar code reader 68, 123 communication unit 70 reader / writer 71 display operation unit 72 holding unit 73 card insertion port 74 door key 80 settlement machine

Claims (8)

A prize management device that manages exchange of game media and prizes,
Display control means capable of switching between a collective display for simultaneously displaying the balance of a plurality of accounts and an individual display for individually displaying the balance of each account when there are a plurality of accounts for managing the number of game media;
An operation accepting means for accepting a prize designation operation or a prize combination automatic decision operation;
When the operation accepting unit accepts an operation in a state where the display control unit is performing the collective display, a prize is selected within a range of a total balance obtained by adding the balances of the plurality of accounts, and the display control is performed. And a prize selection means for selecting a prize within a range of the balance of the account being displayed when the operation accepting means accepts an operation while the means is performing individual display. Freebie management device. The display control means includes: a game media account that manages game media acquired by a player so that the game media can be reused only within a predetermined period; and a storage media account that manages reusability beyond the predetermined period; Switching between the collective display of the game media account and the storage media account and the individual display of the game media account or the storage media account,
When the operation accepting unit accepts an operation in a state where the portable game media account and the stored game media account are collectively displayed, the prize selecting unit is configured to receive the game media account and the stored game media account. If the operation accepting unit accepts an operation in a state where the prize is selected within the range of the summed balance obtained by summing up the balances and the individual display of the game media account, the balance of the game media account If the operation accepting unit accepts an operation while selecting the prize within the range, and the individual display of the game media account is selected, the prize is selected within the balance of the game media account The prize management device according to claim 1, wherein:   The display control means prioritizes and executes the collective display, and when an operation for selecting any of the plurality of accounts is received in the state of performing the collective display, the individual display of the selected accounts The prize management device according to claim 1, wherein:   The display control means may display a game type selection screen when there are two or more game types that satisfy a predetermined condition among the plurality of game types when there are the plurality of accounts for each of the plurality of game types. 4. The prize management according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein display control is performed, and when the number of game types satisfying the predetermined condition is one, the game type selection screen is omitted and the collective display is performed. apparatus.   The display control means displays and controls a game type selection screen when there are two or more game types in which the total balance of a plurality of accounts is greater than zero, and there is one game type in which the total balance of a plurality of accounts is greater than zero. 5. The prize management device according to claim 4, wherein the collective display is performed by omitting the game type selection screen.   The display control means controls display of a game type selection screen when there are two or more game types in which the total balance of a plurality of accounts is larger than the minimum value of game media that can be exchanged for prizes, 5. The prize management apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when there is one game type that is larger than a minimum value of possible game media, the game type selection screen is omitted and the collective display is performed. A prize management system for managing exchange of gaming media and prizes,
Display control means capable of switching between a collective display for simultaneously displaying the balance of a plurality of accounts and an individual display for individually displaying the balance of each account when there are a plurality of accounts for managing the number of game media;
An operation accepting means for accepting a prize designation operation or a prize combination automatic decision operation;
When the operation accepting unit accepts an operation in a state where the display control unit is performing the collective display, a prize is selected within a range of a total balance obtained by adding the balances of the plurality of accounts, and the display control is performed. And a prize selection means for selecting a prize within a range of the balance of the account being displayed when the operation accepting means accepts an operation while the means is performing individual display. Freebie management system. A prize management method for managing exchange of gaming media and prizes,
When there are a plurality of accounts for managing the number of game media, a display control step for switching between a collective display for simultaneously displaying the balance of the plurality of accounts and an individual display for individually displaying the balance of each account;
An operation accepting step for accepting a prize designation operation or a prize combination automatic decision operation;
When the operation accepting step accepts an operation in the state where the display control step is performing the collective display, a prize is selected within the range of the sum balance of the balances of the plurality of accounts, and the display control is performed. A prize selection step of selecting a prize within a range of the balance of the account being displayed when the operation acceptance step accepts an operation while the step is performing individual display. Freebie management method.

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