JP7356897B2 - Goods management system, information processing device and program - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an article management system, a game device, and a program, and particularly relates to a technique for preventing unauthorized provision of articles in a game device.

There is a game device that provides goods for game play (Patent Document 1). In order to ensure the quality and operational safety of the goods provided in such game devices, the goods are generally supplied from the publisher of the game device to the store where the game device is installed.

Patent No. 6175544

However, if we consider the structure of the game device that can provide goods as in Patent Document 1, it is possible to provide copies, imitations, and even completely unrelated goods, and it is possible for publishers to provide Even if there is no supply of goods, there is an aspect in which game devices can be operated illegally.

An object of the present invention is to provide an article management system, a game device, and a program that suitably control the provision of articles in a game device.

The article management system of the present invention includes an information processing device, an article to be provided that can be provided from the information processing device , an acquisition device that acquires identification information for identifying the article to be provided, and an information processing device for acquiring the article to be provided in the information processing device. An article management system comprising: an authentication device that authenticates the provision; the acquisition device includes an acquisition means for acquiring identification information; identification information acquired by the acquisition means; and a first transmitting means for transmitting device information for identifying an information processing device to be used to identify an information processing device to the authentication device. an authentication means for authenticating the provision of the corresponding supply item; and a second apparatus for transmitting authentication information to the information processing apparatus indicated by the apparatus information transmitted by the first transmission means when authentication by the authentication means is performed. and a second transmission means, the information processing device controls the provision of the provision article by the provision means based on the provision means for providing the provision article and the authentication information transmitted by the second transmission means. and a control means.

With such a configuration, according to the present invention, it is possible to suitably control the provision of goods in the game device.

A diagram showing the system configuration of an article management system according to an embodiment of the present invention A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a game device according to Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a smartphone according to an embodiment of the present invention A block diagram showing the functional configuration of an authentication server according to embodiments and modified examples of the present invention Flowchart illustrating authentication processing implemented in the article management system according to the embodiment of the present invention Flowchart illustrating the provision process executed in the game device according to Embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a game device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention Flowchart illustrating a providing process executed in a game device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention A diagram showing a system configuration of an article management system according to modification 2 of the present invention A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a relay station according to modification 2 of the present invention A diagram showing an example of the data structure of various information used in the article management system according to the embodiment and modification of the present invention.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. An embodiment described below is an example of an article management system in which the present invention is applied to a system for controlling the number of game cards provided for a game device that uses game cards as the article to be provided. Explain. However, the present invention is applicable to any system capable of controlling the number of provided items for a game device having an item providing function.

《Configuration of goods management system》
FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the system configuration of an article management system according to this embodiment. As illustrated, the article management system is configured such that authentication server 300 and each of one or more game devices 100 and authentication server 300 and each of one or more smartphones 200 can communicate via network 400. Ru.

In the article management system of this embodiment, each of the game devices 100 is configured to be able to provide a game play experience related to game content that may not be the same, and to provide a game card 500 related to the game content. . In the present embodiment, the game card 500 is provided on the condition that the game device 100 is in a state where the item can be provided and that the price has been paid.

In this embodiment, the provision items that are legitimately provided in the service provision of the game device 100 will be described as pre-printed ready-made cards that have a fixed design and are all the same shape and size. do. The game card 500 has, for example, a design of a game element that appears in the game content on its surface, and is provided as one of the elements of interest in using the game device. Furthermore, the game card 500 is attached with information that identifies the game element with the pattern attached, and by acquiring this information during game play, the game device 100 provides a play experience in which the game element appears. It shall be configured so that it is possible. However, it goes without saying that in carrying out the present invention, the provided articles are not limited to those configured so that they can be used for game play in the game device 100.

Here, "legally provided" means that the game card 500 provided by the publisher as an official provision item for the game content for which the play experience is provided on the game device 100 is used by the user to use the game device 100. This will be explained as referring to being provided to. In other words, although the details will be described later, in the article management system according to the present invention, the game card 500, which is an article to be provided, is operated so that the publisher side supplies it to the store where the game device 100 is installed, and The game device 100 is now in a state where it can legitimately provide the supplied number of game cards 500.

The game cards 500 may be supplied in units of a predetermined supply number (eg, 500 cards) by being packaged in a box 510, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. The box 510 is an aspect of the article accompanying the supply of the article to be provided according to the present invention, and for the group of game cards 500 packed in the box 510, permission for provision in the game device 100 (as described later) is stored. It is assumed that identification information (item identification information) unique to the box 510 is attached, which is necessary for receiving authentication. That is, in the article management system of this embodiment, at the time when the game card 500 is handed over from the publisher side to the installation store side, the game card 500 is not in a state where it can be legitimately provided to the game device 100. Authentication is required. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is assumed that one article identification information necessary for authenticating the provision of the game card 500 is attached to the box 510 in which the game card 500 is packed. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the article identification information is encoded and attached to the outer surface of the box 510 as a two-dimensional code (hereinafter simply referred to as a code) 511. Here, the article identification information is issued to each box 510 shipped when supplying a predetermined number of game cards 500 so as to uniquely identify the box 510, and is attached, for example, by a sticker or printing. shall be taken as a thing.

In addition, in this embodiment, the article that accompanies the supply of the provided article will be described as a box 510 in which the game card 500 is packed, but it is easily understood that the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. It will be. That is, the packaging material used to supply the game cards 500 is not limited to boxes, but may also include items for bundling the game cards 500, predetermined bags for packaging the bundle of game cards 500, and game cards 500 of the game device 100. If the product is supplied with the game card 500, such as a stocker that can be directly incorporated into a mechanism that provides the game card 500, or an article containing an authentication chip that is packaged together with the game card 500 in a packaging material, Any article may be used to accompany the supply.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, the description will be made assuming that the box 510, which is an incidental article when supplying the offering article, has article identification information (code 511) attached to the outer surface of the box 510. It may be attached to any place and in any form, just as any accompanying article may be any. In another aspect, the article identification information may be attached to the game card 500 itself, and the article identification information attached to at least one of the supplied game cards 500 or a predetermined game card 500. The configuration may be such that authentication can be performed based on the information. Alternatively, the article identification information may be attached to a surface formed by bundling the game cards 500 (a surface formed in the thickness direction when a plurality of game cards 500 are stacked).

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the article identification information is converted into a two-dimensional code and is attached to the box 510 as a two-dimensional image. It goes without saying that any method may be used to attach the product to the product. In other words, the article identification information may be converted into a one-dimensional or three-dimensional or more dimensional code or character string, etc., and attached to it, or it may be attached to a predetermined recording medium such as an IC tag that is included in or affixed to the packaging material. It may be attached by being stored.

Further, in this embodiment, the article to be provided will be described as a game card, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. Items to be provided are not limited to game cards, but may be any item, such as figurines, toys, key chains, or other shaped objects that have the appearance of game elements related to game content, paper media other than cards, or stickers. It's fine. In other words, since the article management system of the present invention manages whether or not to permit the provision of the article to be provided on the game device 100, the type of article to be provided is irrelevant to the implementation of the present invention. It's not something you do.

The smartphone 200 functions as an acquisition device according to the present invention that acquires the article identification information attached to the box 510 and requests authentication for the game card 500 packed in the box 510. Although the details will be described later, the smartphone 200 has an imaging unit 204, and when an image including the code 511 is obtained by imaging, it decodes the article identification information, and uses this to request authentication to the authentication server 300 via the network 400. I do.

The authentication server 300 is a device that performs authentication processing to determine whether or not to permit the provision of the corresponding game card 500 group for item identification information for which an authentication request has been made from the smartphone 200, and functions as an authentication device according to the present invention. . In the present embodiment, in the authentication process, one item identification information is authenticated (provision is permitted) only once, and after the one item identification information is authenticated once, the same item identification information is not authenticated. When the authentication is performed, the authentication server 300 sends authentication information via the network 400 to the game device 100 that is permitted to provide the target game card 500. When the game device 100 receives the authentication information, it becomes ready to provide the number of game cards 500 packed in the box 510. In this embodiment, the description will be made assuming that the number of game cards 500 packed in the box 510 is a fixed number.

<Configuration of game device>
The functional configuration of the game device 100 according to this embodiment will be described below using the block diagram of FIG. 2.

The control unit 101 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block included in the game device 100. Specifically, the control unit 101 controls the operation of each block by reading an operation program for each block recorded on the recording medium 102, loading it on the memory 103, and executing it.

The recording medium 102 is a recording device that can permanently retain data, such as a nonvolatile memory or an HDD. The recording medium 102 stores, in addition to operation programs for each block of the game device 100, information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block, various types of graphics data used for games executed by the game device 100, and more. Information about the number of game cards 500 that can be provided by the game device 100 after being authenticated is stored. The memory 103 is a storage device such as a volatile memory used for temporary data storage. The memory 103 is used not only as a development area for the operation program of each block, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data etc. output in the operation of each block.

The detection unit 104 detects that the consideration has been paid in the game device 100. Payment of consideration is, for example, based on the insertion of a predetermined amount of coins or equivalent coins (physical currency) into the coin slot, or the settlement of accounts based on communication with a chip related to predetermined electronic money (electronic currency). The determination may be made by detecting the completion of processing or the like. The game device 100 of this embodiment will be described as starting a service that involves providing game cards to the player based on payment of consideration, but payment of consideration is not an essential requirement, and the service is provided based on a predetermined start instruction. The service may also be started. When detecting that the consideration has been paid, the detection unit 104 outputs a control signal to the control unit 101 indicating that the payment of the consideration has been completed.

The acquisition unit 105 acquires information necessary for playing the game from the game card placed on the reader 110 when playing the game provided by the game device 100 of this embodiment in response to payment of consideration. For example, in an embodiment in which the necessary information is attached to the game card as a two-dimensional code, the reader 110 includes an imaging section that images the surface of the game card that is in contact with the mounting surface, and the reader 110 includes a predetermined image capturing section for capturing an image of the surface of the game card that is in contact with the mounting surface. By applying the calculation, the code attached to the game card is extracted and converted, and the information necessary for game play is acquired by the acquisition unit 105.

The display control unit 106 controls the presentation of information to the user in the game device 100. The game device 100 of this embodiment will be described as having at least a display unit 120 that displays images (game screen, menu screen, etc.) as a means of presenting various information to the user, but these are the means of presenting information. It goes without saying that this is not limited and that substitutions or additions are possible.

The display control unit 106 includes a drawing device such as a GPU, and performs predetermined drawing processing when generating a screen to be displayed on the display unit 120. Specifically, the display control unit 106 provides necessary drawing objects (graphics data) based on the processing and instructions performed by the game control unit 101 in each sequence during the operation of the game device 100. Performs calculation processing and draws the screen. The generated screen is output to the display unit 120, which is a display device that is removably connected to the same housing as the game device 100 or to the outside of the game device 100, and is displayed in a predetermined display area so that the user can see the screen. Presented.

The operation input unit 107 is a user interface that the game device 100 has, such as an operation member for inputting a direction, an operation member for inputting a decision, and various sensors. When the operation input unit 107 detects that an operation input has been made to the operation member, it outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 101. Note that in this embodiment, the game device 100 will be described as having various interfaces as physical operation members, but may include, for example, a touch input detection sensor that detects a touch input made on the screen of the display unit 120. Good too.

The provision control unit 108 performs processing to control the provision of the game card 500 by the provision unit 130. The providing unit 130 is, for example, a card dispenser, and has a storage unit (not shown) that stacks game cards 500 in a vertical direction as a storage unit, and prepares for providing the game cards 500 by loading the game cards 500 into the stocker. is in place. The providing unit 130 may have a mechanism that provides one game card 500 held at the bottom of the stocker in response to a providing command issued by the providing control unit 108. When the providing unit 130 is built into the same housing as the game device 100, the game card 500 is provided to the user by being led to the ejection port 131 (see FIG. 1) that is accessible from the outside of the game device 100. It can be anything.

In the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the game card 500 may be provided at any time after the payment of the consideration and after the start of processing for using a predetermined service. However, as will be described later, the provision of the game card 500 in the game device 100 is required to be authenticated. Therefore, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the value of the number of game cards 500 that can be provided (the number that is authorized to be provided) of the game card 500 in the game device 100 is 0, that is, the game card 500 is not allowed to be provided. In this case, the control unit 101 will not accept payment of consideration, that is, it will be explained as controlling to make it impossible to use the service. However, for example, there is a mode in which the provision of the game card 500 requires payment of a price other than the service usage, a mode in which there is a game mode in which the game card 500 is not provided, and an authentication process is possible while the game device 100 is operating. In some embodiments, even if the providing unit 130 is not allowed to provide the game card 500, it may be configured to allow service usage that does not involve payment of consideration or provision of the game card 500.

The communication unit 109 is a communication interface with an external device that the game device 100 has. The communication unit 109 can connect to an external device via a network 400 (wired or wireless), which may be a communication network such as the Internet or a cable connecting devices, and can send and receive data. can. When the communication unit 109 receives information from an external device such as the authentication server 300 via the network 400, the communication unit 109 decodes the information and stores it in the memory 103.

In this embodiment, the communication unit 109 receives authentication information from the authentication server 300 in order to enable the game device 100 to provide the game card 500. Since the authentication information is received on the condition that a communication connection between the game device 100 and the authentication server 300 is established, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the game device 100 is operated offline. In other words, the article management system of the present embodiment is configured such that the game device 100 can be connected for communication, thereby reducing the cost required to update the program necessary for operating the game device 100. Therefore, it is possible to collect the usage status of the game device 100 and the provision status of the game card 500, or to realize early detection of unauthorized use.

<Smartphone configuration>
Next, the functional configuration of the smartphone 200 according to this embodiment will be described using the block diagram of FIG. 3. In addition, in the functional configuration of the smartphone 200, configurations that achieve the same functions as those of the game device 100 are indicated with the prefix "terminal" in order to distinguish them from the configuration of the game device 100. shall be.

The terminal control unit 201 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block included in the smartphone 200. Specifically, the terminal control unit 201 reads, for example, the operation program of each block recorded in the terminal recording medium 202 and the execution program related to the authentication request application, expands it to the terminal memory 203, and executes it. Control block behavior.

The terminal recording medium 202 is a recording device capable of permanently retaining data, such as a nonvolatile memory or an HDD. The terminal recording medium 202 stores the operating programs of each block and the execution program of the authentication requesting application that the smartphone 200 has, as well as parameters necessary for the operation of each block, information necessary for displaying the authentication requesting application, etc. do. The terminal memory 203 is a storage device such as a volatile memory used for temporary data storage. The terminal memory 203 is used not only as a deployment area for the operation program of each block and the execution program of the authentication requesting application, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data outputted in the operation of each block.

The imaging unit 204 is an imaging device unit having an imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS sensor, and outputs a captured image including the code 511 by capturing an image of the code 511 attached to the box 510. The output captured image is converted into article identification information by being subjected to extraction processing and decoding processing for an image corresponding to the code 511 by the decoding unit 205. That is, in the article management system of this embodiment, the imaging section 204 and the decoding section 205 function as means for acquiring article identification information necessary for authentication of article provision.

The terminal display control unit 206 includes a drawing device such as a GPU, for example, and performs a predetermined screen generation process when causing the terminal display unit 210 to present information. Specifically, the terminal display control unit 206 controls the game device 100 to provide a group of game cards 500 related to the article identification information in response to the acquisition of article identification information during execution of the authentication request application. It receives the designation, generates a screen for transmitting an authentication request, and transmits it to the terminal display unit 210 for display. The terminal display unit 210 may be, for example, a display device integrated with the smartphone 200 or a display device detachably connected to the outside of the smartphone 200, and data related to the screen may be transmitted from the terminal display control unit 206. When received, the information is presented to the user by displaying it in a predetermined display area.

The terminal operation input unit 207 is a user interface included in the smartphone 200, which includes, for example, a touch input detection sensor that detects a touch input made on the screen of the terminal display unit 210 and other operation members. When the terminal operation input unit 207 detects that an operation input has been made to each user interface, it outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the terminal control unit 201.

The terminal communication unit 208 is a communication interface with an external device included in the smartphone 200. The terminal communication unit 208 connects to the authentication server 300 via a network 400 (wired or wireless), which may be a communication network such as the Internet or a cable connecting devices, and enables data transmission and reception. be able to. The terminal communication unit 208 converts, for example, information related to an authentication request input as a transmission target into data in a predetermined format, and transmits the data to the authentication server 300 via the network 400. Further, when the terminal communication unit 208 receives information from an external device via the network 400, for example, the terminal communication unit 208 decodes the information and stores it in the terminal memory 203.

Here, the information related to the authentication request (authentication request information) includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 11A, in addition to article identification information 1101 related to the group of game cards 500 to be authenticated, It is assumed that at least device identification information 1102 is included as device information according to the present invention, which uniquely identifies the game device 100 that performs the game and makes it accessible. That is, in the article management system of this embodiment, in order to set the number of game cards 500 that can be provided in the game device 100 by authentication, the device identification information related to the game device 100 that actually provides the game card is sent to the authentication server 300 along with the authentication request. need to be sent to.

<Authentication server configuration>
Next, the functional configuration of the authentication server 300 according to this embodiment will be explained using the block diagram of FIG. 4. In addition, in the functional configuration of the authentication server 300, in order to distinguish the configuration that implements the same function as the configuration of the game device 100 and the smartphone 200 from the configuration of the game device 100 and the smartphone 200, the prefix "authentication" is used. shall be indicated with letters. Furthermore, the authentication server 300 of this embodiment will be described as having only the configuration shown by solid lines among the functional configurations shown in FIG. 4.

The authentication control unit 301 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block included in the authentication server 300. Specifically, the authentication control unit 301 controls the operation of each block by reading out the operation program for each block recorded in the authentication recording medium 302, loading it into the authentication memory 303, and executing it.

The authentication recording medium 302 is a recording device that can permanently retain data, such as a nonvolatile memory or an HDD. The authentication recording medium 302 stores information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block in addition to the operation program of each block included in the authentication server 300. The authentication memory 303 is a storage device such as a volatile memory used for temporary data storage. The authentication memory 303 is used not only as a development area for the operation program of each block, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data etc. output in the operation of each block.

The provision management DB 304 is a database that manages authentication status information indicating the authentication status of the supplied game cards 500. In the article management system of this embodiment, the game cards 500 are packed and supplied in the boxes 510 in units of a predetermined number of supplies, so the provision management DB 304 stores various types of article identification information associated with each of the article identification information attached to the boxes 510. Manage your information.

The authentication status information is, for example, an authenticated flag (which may be a logical type) indicating whether authentication has been performed in association with the article identification information 1111 attached to the box 510 as shown in FIG. 11(b). 1112, and device identification information 1113 that identifies the game device 100 that has been authenticated. Authentication status information related to one item identification information 1111 is registered in the provision management DB 304 in response to, for example, the item identification information being issued at the manufacturing stage of the box 510 supplied to the store where the game device 100 is installed. It may be something that The initial value of the authenticated flag 1112 is False, and if it is determined in the authentication process described later that the game card 500 is allowed to be provided in the target game device 100, the authenticated flag 1112 becomes True. ) will be changed. At this time, the device identification information 1113 may store the device identification information 1102 received together with the authentication request, which indicates the authenticated game device 100 (target game device 100).

In response to the authentication request received from the smartphone 200, the authentication unit 305 requests the provision of the target game card 500 group (the game card 500 group packed in the box 510 associated with the article identification information) in response to the authentication request. Authentication processing is performed to determine whether or not to permit the game device 100 indicated by the included device identification information 1102. The authentication process basically involves providing the goods on the game device 100 on the condition that the authentication request information includes the regular device identification information 1102 and the article identification information 1101 has not yet been authenticated. Permit (authenticate).

The authentication communication unit 306 is a communication interface with an external device that the authentication server 300 has. The authentication communication unit 306 connects to an external device via a network 400 (regardless of whether it is wired or wireless), which may be a communication network such as the Internet or a cable connecting devices, and is capable of transmitting and receiving data. I can do it. The authentication communication unit 306 converts, for example, information input as a transmission target into data in a predetermined format, and transmits the data to an external device such as the game device 100 via the network 400.

Further, upon receiving information from an external device such as the smartphone 200 via the network 400, the authentication communication unit 306 decrypts the information and stores it in the authentication memory 303. In this embodiment, when the authentication unit 305 authenticates the authentication request information received from the smartphone 200 (authenticates the authentication request information as permission to provide the information), the authentication communication unit 306 transmits the authentication information to the corresponding game device 100. Send. In this embodiment, since the unit of supply of game cards 500 is fixed, the authentication information may be information that conveys information indicating that authentication has been performed to the corresponding game device 100.

《Goods authentication processing》
Regarding the authentication process of the article management system of this embodiment having such a configuration, the specific process will be explained using the flowchart of FIG. The processing corresponding to the flowchart is stored in each of the control unit 101, the terminal control unit 201, and the authentication control unit 301, for example, in the corresponding recording medium (recording medium 102, terminal recording medium 202, authentication recording medium 302). This can be achieved by reading out the corresponding processing program, expanding it into memory (memory 103, terminal memory 203, authentication memory 303) and executing it. Note that this authentication process will be described assuming that it is started, for example, when the authentication request application is executed on the smartphone 200 and the article identification information is acquired from the code 511 by imaging.

In S501, the terminal control unit 201 receives input of device identification information for the game device 100 that performs provision authentication for the group of game cards 500 related to the acquired article identification information. The device identification information in this step may be input by, for example, selecting the target game device 100 from a list of game devices 100 installed in advance, or by inputting the device identification information by selecting the target game device 100 from a list of game devices 100 installed in advance The MAC address, etc. of the game device 100 is obtained by acquiring a code attached to the exterior or maintenance panel, etc. of the game device 100 through imaging or input operation, and is inputted. Good too. Alternatively, the necessary device identification information may be acquired by direct communication between the smartphone 200 and the target game device 100.

In S502, the terminal control unit 201 configures authentication request information based on the acquired article identification information and device identification information, and transmits it to the authentication server 300 together with the authentication request via the terminal communication unit 208.

In S503, the authentication control unit 301 determines whether an authentication request has been received. The determination in this step may be made based on whether the authentication communication unit 306 has received the authentication request information together with the authentication request. If the authentication control unit 301 determines that the authentication request has been received, the process moves to S504, and if it determines that the authentication request has not been received, it repeats the process of this step.

In S504, the authentication unit 305 performs authentication processing on the received authentication request information under the control of the authentication control unit 301. In the authentication process, the authentication unit 305 first determines whether there is authentication status information associated with the same article identification information as the article identification information 1101 included in the received authentication request information, which is included in the provision management DB 304. to judge. Then, if the corresponding authentication status information exists, the authentication unit 305 refers to the authenticated flag 1112 of the authentication status information and determines the authentication result. Specifically, if the authenticated flag 1112 is true, the authentication unit 305 indicates that authentication information has already been issued to one of the game devices 100 for the group of game cards 500 to which the article identification information 1111 is associated. Therefore, the result is returned as authentication failure. Further, if the authenticated flag 1112 is false, the authentication unit 305 returns a result indicating that the authentication is successful, since the authentication information has not been issued to any game device 100 yet. At this time, the authentication unit 305 updates the corresponding authentication status information by assigning the device identification information 1102 of the received authentication request information to the device identification information 1113 of the authentication status information, and changing the authenticated flag 1112 to true. do.

In S505, the authentication control unit 301 determines whether the authentication result in S504 was successful. If the authentication control unit 301 determines that the authentication result is successful, it moves the process to S506, and if it determines that the authentication result is unsuccessful, it completes the main authentication process. Note that since the authentication process of this embodiment is simple, the process of returning the authentication result performed in the authentication server 300 to the game device 100 that made the authentication request will be omitted; Information presentation may be performed on game device 100.

In S506, the authentication control unit 301 issues authentication information, transmits it to the authentication communication unit 306, and causes the authentication request information to be transmitted to the game device 100 indicated by the device identification information 1102 of the received authentication request information.

In S507, the control unit 101 determines whether the communication unit 109 has received authentication information from the authentication server 300. If the control unit 101 determines that the authentication information has been received from the authentication server 300, the process moves to S508, and if it determines that the authentication information has not been received, it repeats the process of this step.

In S508, the provision control unit 108 updates information on the number of items that can be provided based on the authentication information. In the present embodiment, the game cards 500 are supplied using the box 510 in units of a fixed number of supplies, so the supply control unit 108 controls the supply of the number of game cards 500 that can be provided in response to one reception of authentication information. Update the value by increasing the number of units supplied.

By doing so, the article management system of the present embodiment allows the game card 500 to be provided for each game device 100 on the condition that the article identification information attached to the supplied box 510 is acquired. This can be managed using the authentication server 300.

《Provision control processing》
Next, a specific process for controlling the provision of the game card 500 performed in the game device 100 based on the number of provisionable cards set in this way will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading out a corresponding processing program stored, for example, in the recording medium 102, loading it into the memory 103, and executing it. Note that the present provision control process will be described as being started, for example, when the game device 100 is started up.

In S601, the provision control unit 108 determines whether the game device 100 is currently in a state where the game card 500 can be provided under the control of the control unit 101. The determination in this step may be made depending on whether the value of the number of available products stored in the memory 103 is 1 or more. If the provision control unit 108 determines that the game device 100 is currently in a state where the game card 500 can be provided, the process moves to S602, and if it is determined that the game device 100 is not in a state where the game card 500 can be provided, the process moves to S606. .

In S602, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the consideration has been paid in the game device 100. If the control unit 101 determines that the consideration has been paid, the process moves to S603, and if it determines that the payment has not been made, it repeats the process of this step.

In S603, the control unit 101 determines whether the conditions for providing the game card 500 are satisfied in a series of processes for providing a service (one of which includes providing a game play experience) on the condition that the consideration has been paid. Determine whether or not it has been done. If the control unit 101 determines that the conditions for providing the game card 500 are satisfied, the process moves to S604, and if it is determined that the conditions are not satisfied, the process of this step is repeated.

In S604, the provision control unit 108 controls the provision unit 130 to provide the game card 500. The providing unit 130 receives the providing command issued by the providing control unit 108 and is driven to provide one game card 500 held in the storage unit. In addition, in this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the description will be made assuming that only one game card 500 is provided in the service provided based on payment of consideration, but it is possible to provide a plurality of game cards 500. Needless to say, any configuration may be used. In this case, the provision control unit 108 determines whether the game device 100 is currently in a state in which it can provide the game card 500 or not, and if it is not in a state in which it can provide the game card 500, the provision control unit 108 determines whether or not the game device 100 is currently in a state in which it can provide the game card 500. It may be controlled to notify via the display unit 120 that provision authentication and loading are required.

In S605, the provision control unit 108 updates the value of the provisionable number stored in the memory 103 to a value decreased by one, and completes the present provision control process.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S601 that the game device 100 is not currently in a state where it is possible to provide the game card 500, the control unit 101 controls the detection unit 104 and various devices related to payment in S606 so that payment of consideration is not possible. . Further, the control unit 101 may display, for example, on the display unit 120 that a new game card 500 needs to be authenticated and loaded, and may notify that the game device 100 is in a state where it cannot provide service.

In S607, the control unit 101 determines whether the communication unit 109 has received authentication information from the authentication server 300. If the control unit 101 determines that the authentication information has been received from the authentication server 300, the process moves to S608, and if it determines that the authentication information has not been received, it repeats the process of this step.

In S608, the provision control unit 108 updates the information on the number of products that can be provided based on the authentication information (changes the information to a value increased by the predetermined supply number), and returns the process to S601.

As described above, the game device 100 of the present embodiment is in a state where the game card 500 can be provided, that is, the provision of the game card 500 has been authenticated for the game device 100, and the value of the number of possible offers is 1 or more. In this case, payment of consideration can be accepted, and the service and game card 500 can be provided. Furthermore, when the game card 500 is not in a state where it can be provided, the game card 500 can be changed to a state where it can be provided on the condition that new authentication information is received, and the service can be provided. In other words, if the authentication information has not been received, the game device 100 can restrict the provision of the game card 500 and also stop the provision of services. It is possible to suitably control the provision of goods at

[Embodiment 2]
In the article management system of the first embodiment described above, the game cards 500 are supplied in units of a predetermined number, and the supply of a fixed number of game cards 500 is authenticated for one article identification information. It was explained as something that would be done. However, although it is preferable to order additional game cards 500 based on usage trends at the store where the game device 100 is installed, if the unit of supply is fixed, it may not suit the management policy of the store where the game device 100 is installed. Therefore, in the article management system of this embodiment, a mode will be described in which flexibility is ensured in the number of game cards 500 to be supplied.

《Authentication server configuration》
First, the functional configuration of the authentication server 300 according to this embodiment will be described using the block diagram of FIG. 4. Note that the authentication server 300 of this embodiment will be described as having, among the functional configurations shown in FIG. 4, a configuration shown by a broken line in addition to the configuration shown by a solid line described in the first embodiment. Further, below, descriptions of blocks having the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

As in the first embodiment, the provision management DB 304 is a database that manages authentication status information indicating the authentication status of the supplied game cards 500. In this embodiment, the number of game cards 500 to be supplied is not limited to one type, and is determined, for example, upon receiving an order from the store where the cards are installed. For this reason, the boxes 510 are provided in a plurality of sizes, and the number of game cards 500 that can be packed is different for each box.

The authentication status information of this embodiment is configured to further include the number of articles supplied 1121 as shown in FIG. 11(c) in order to correspond to such a supply mode. That is, the number of game cards 500 packed in a box 510 is managed in association with the article identification information 1111 corresponding to the code 511 attached to the box 510. Note that the registration of the authentication status information in the provision management DB 304 may be performed at the time of manufacturing the box 510 to which the code 511 is attached, or when the game card 500 is supplied, the registration of the authentication status information in the box 510 may be performed. Registration and updating may be performed based on the number of game cards 500 that have been registered.

Based on the result of the authentication process performed by the authentication unit 305, the generation unit 310 creates a process for permitting the corresponding game device 100 to provide the game card 500 associated with the item identification information that is the object of authentication. Generate credentials. At this time, unlike Embodiment 1, the authentication information includes information indicating that authentication has been performed, as well as information on the number of authenticated offerings, and the number of offerings includes information on the number of authentications used in the authentication process. The number of goods supplied in the status information is 1121.

When the authentication information generated in this manner is received by the game device 100 in the product authentication process or the provision control process, the provision control unit 108 updates the information on the number of items that can be provided based on the information on the number of items that can be provided based on the authenticated information on the number of items that can be provided. By increasing the value of the number of services that can be provided by the number of authenticated services, it is possible to implement operations in accordance with the actual situation of service provision.

[Embodiment 3]
In the embodiment described above, a mode in which the game device 100 can provide only ready-made cards has been described, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the game device 100 may be configured to be able to provide a plurality of different types of goods. In this embodiment, the game device 100 uses ready-made cards with fixed designs that are printed and issued in advance at a factory or the like, as well as cards that can dynamically change the design or add information by, for example, so-called on-demand printing. A mode configured to be able to provide a demand card will be described. Note that both ready-made cards and on-demand cards can be used as game cards 500 in game play on game device 100.

《Game device configuration》
The functional configuration of the game device 100 according to this embodiment will be described below using the block diagram of FIG. 7. Note that in the description of the configuration of the game device 100 of this embodiment, components that implement the same functions as the game device 100 shown in FIG. 2 will be given the same reference numerals and the description will be omitted.

The detection unit 701 detects that the consideration has been paid in the game device 100. Similar to the embodiment described above, the detection unit 701 may be configured to allow payment of consideration using two types of currency: physical currency and electronic currency; Information for determining whether the payment has been made shall also be output together with the payment completion control signal.

The provision control unit 702 performs processing to control the provision of the game card 500 by the first provision unit 710 and the second provision unit 720.

Like the providing unit 130, the first providing unit 710 is, for example, a card dispenser, and has an unillustrated stocker as a storage unit in which ready-made cards (game cards 500) are stacked in the vertical direction, and the ready-made cards are loaded into the stocker. By doing so, the game card 500 is ready to be provided. The first providing unit 710 may have a mechanism that provides one ready-made card held at the bottom of the stocker in response to a providing command issued by the providing control unit 702. When the first providing unit 710 is built into the same housing as the game device 100, the game card 500 is provided to the user by being led to the ejection port 131 that is accessible from the outside of the game device 100. It's fine.

On the other hand, the second providing section 720 is a printing device that is removably connected within the housing of the game device 100 or outside the game device 100 and is configured to be able to transmit and receive information with the providing control section 702 . The second providing unit 720 has a holder (not shown) that holds a roll paper, for example, as a storage unit, and when the roll paper is loaded into this, preparations for providing on-demand cards (game cards 500) are completed. More specifically, upon receiving the print data and print command for the game card 500 provided from the provision control unit 702, the second providing unit 720 supplies the roll paper to the printing unit according to the print command to perform printing. By cutting the paper to a predetermined length, the game card 500, which is an on-demand card, can be provided. When the second providing unit 720 is built into the same housing as the game device 100, the game card 500 is provided to the user by being led to the ejection port 131 that is accessible from the outside of the game device 100. It's fine.

That is, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the first providing section 710 and the second providing section 720 each have a storage section, and by loading different types of articles (ready-made game cards, rolled paper), the first providing section 710 and the second providing section 720 can be played. The card 500 is configured to be able to be provided. Therefore, in this embodiment, there are a plurality of types of supplies to be supplied to the stores where the products are installed, and each type requires authentication to determine if supply is permitted.

Therefore, in addition to the authentication status information of Embodiment 2, the authentication status information managed by the provision management DB 304 of this embodiment includes, for example, as shown in FIG. It includes a product type 1131 indicating whether it is a ready-made card or a roll paper. In this case, the number of supplies 1121 is the number of ready-made cards packed in the corresponding box 510 in the case of ready-made cards, but in the case of roll paper, it is printed using the roll paper packed in the corresponding box 510. The number of on-demand cards that can be provided (proportional to the length).

By the way, an arcade game case like the game device 100 is designed from the viewpoint of reducing manufacturing costs and maintenance frequency, ensuring user convenience, and guaranteeing the number of rotations of the game device 100 (the number of service usage per unit time). Therefore, it does not have a function to pay out change for the use of physical currency. Therefore, the physical currency consideration set for the service provided by the game device 100 is usually set to a round amount such as one coin. However, with such specifications, it is not easy to change the amount of consideration, even if there is a change in prices or tax rates, for example. In addition, such fluctuations can similarly affect the manufacturing costs of the goods provided, so it is not possible to guarantee profit margins using the physical currency consideration set for the provision of services. It can be difficult.

On the other hand, in the case of electronic currency, adjustments can be made so that service provision can be started by performing a payment process in which an arbitrary amount of consideration is deducted from a predetermined pre-charged balance. In other words, when the consideration is paid in electronic currency, there is no need to provide an additional function for dispensing change, so flexible consideration setting becomes possible, and as a result, user convenience and the performance of the game device 100 are improved. While maintaining the turnover rate, it is also possible to secure profit margins without depending on changes in prices or tax rates.

At this time, since the amount of consideration may vary depending on whether electronic currency or physical currency is selected as the payment method, the game device 100 of this embodiment provides different goods depending on the payment method. This ensures fairness among users. More specifically, there are differences between ready-made cards and on-demand cards in the quality of the products, such as their resistance to deterioration and the types of processing that can be applied to the products.In general, they are printed on roll paper. A ready-made card manufactured in a factory or the like may be more expensive to manufacture than an on-demand card manufactured by performing the above process. Therefore, in the game device 100 of the present embodiment, the provision control unit 702 allows the payment of consideration to be made in electronic currency, which can easily set the amount of consideration (particularly to an amount higher than the amount set as physical consideration). In this case, provision control is performed such that the first provision unit 710 provides a ready-made card, and if the payment is made in physical currency, the second provision unit 720 provides an on-demand card. do.

Note that although this embodiment will be described as providing a ready-made card for electronic currency and an on-demand card for physical currency, it is easy to understand that the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. be understood. In other words, as mentioned above, on-demand cards can be dynamically changed in design and can be attached with two-dimensional codes generated according to game play, so depending on the type of game, on-demand cards can be changed dynamically. There may be situations in which demand cards exceed the value of ready-made cards. Therefore, the electronic currency payment method may be conditional on the provision of high value game cards.

《Provision control processing》
Hereinafter, the specific process of the game card 500 provision control process performed in the game device 100 of this embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 8. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading out a corresponding processing program stored, for example, in the recording medium 102, loading it into the memory 103, and executing it. Note that the present provision control process will be described as being started, for example, when the game device 100 is started up. In addition, in the description of this provision control process, the same reference numerals are given to steps that perform the same process as the provision control process described using FIG. 6, and the description thereof will be omitted. In addition, in steps whose explanations are omitted, the process performed by the detection unit 104 is performed by the detection unit 701, the process performed by the provision control unit 108 is performed by the provision control unit 702, and the process performed by the provision unit 130 is performed by the first provision unit 710. shall be taken as a thing.

If it is determined in S601 that the game device 100 is currently in a state where the game card 500 can be provided, the control unit 101 determines in S801 whether or not the consideration has been paid in the game device 100. If the control unit 101 determines that the consideration has been paid, it stores information indicating whether the payment was made in physical currency or electronic currency in the memory 103, and moves the process to S603. Further, if the control unit 101 determines that the consideration has not been paid, the control unit 101 repeats the process of this step. Note that for the sake of simplicity in this embodiment, the state in which the game device 100 is currently capable of providing game cards 500 means that the number of game cards 500 that can be provided by both the first providing unit 710 and the second providing unit 720 is 1 or more. Explained as referring to a certain state.

Further, if it is determined in S603 that the conditions for providing the game card 500 are satisfied, the provision control unit 702 determines in S802 whether or not the consideration has been paid in electronic currency. The determination in this step may be made, for example, by referring to the information stored in the memory 103 in S801. If the provision control unit 702 determines that the consideration was paid in electronic currency, it moves the process to S604, and if it determines that the payment was not made in electronic currency, that is, in physical currency, it moves the process to S804. .

When the game card 500 is provided by the first providing unit 710 in S604, the providing control unit 702 updates the value of the number of ready-made cards that can be provided stored in the memory 103 to a value decreased by one in S803. , this provision control process is completed.

If it is determined in S802 that the consideration was paid in physical currency, the provision control unit 702 configures print data for the game card 500 to be provided and sends it to the second provision unit 720 along with a print command in S804. Control is performed to provide a game card 500 which is a demand card. The second providing unit 720 receives the print command issued by the providing control unit 702, prints the corresponding print data, generates the game card 500, and drives the game card 500 to provide the game card 500.

In S805, the provision control unit 702 updates the value of the number of on-demand cards that can be provided stored in the memory 103 to a value decreased by one, and completes the present provision control process.

By doing so, the article management system of this embodiment can provide a plurality of types of articles depending on the payment method by which consideration is paid.

[Modification 1]
In the embodiment described above, the smartphone 200 that obtains the code 511 (article identification information) and requests authentication is described as being provided separately from the game device 100, but the present invention is implemented in this manner. It is not limited. The function of acquiring article identification information and requesting authentication may be provided in game device 100. That is, the functional configuration related to realizing these functions may be included in the game device 100.

[Modification 2]
In the embodiment described above, the mode in which permission to provide the supplied game card 500 is authenticated for each game device 100 has been described. On the other hand, for example, in a store where many users use the devices, a plurality of game devices 100 that basically have the same game content may be installed. In such an embodiment, receiving and authenticating the supply of game cards 500 provided to each of the plurality of game devices 100, and replenishing the supplies requires complicated management on the side of the store where the game devices are installed. That is, on the installation store side, it is necessary to individually manage which game card 500 is authenticated for each game device 100 and load (replenish) the game card 500. Ta. Alternatively, in a situation where there is a difference in the number of users using multiple game devices 100, one game device 100 may be able to provide the game card 500, but the other game device 100 may not be able to provide the game card 500. Since the card 500 cannot be provided, even if the store has the game card 500 in stock, it is necessary to receive an additional supply of the game card 500 for the latter game device 100, or It was necessary to suspend the use of the game device 100 and provide the service only with the game device 100 excluding the game device 100.

In this modification, an example in which the present invention is applied to a mode in which a plurality of game devices 100 are installed under a certain environment and game cards 500 are managed will be described.

《Configuration of goods management system》
The article management system of this modification may have a system configuration as shown in FIG. 9, for example. As shown in the figure, in the article management system of this modified example, a relay station 900 is directly connected to an authentication server 300 via a network 400. For example, a plurality of game devices 100 installed in the same store etc. connected to. More specifically, the plurality of game devices 100 and the relay station 900 are connected to a LAN 1000 provided in the store, and are configured to be able to communicate with each other. With such a configuration, the plurality of game devices 100 installed in a predetermined communication environment (LAN 1000) can indirectly obtain authentication information issued by the authentication server 300 via the relay station 900. be able to.

In this modification, when authentication processing is performed on the supplied group of game cards 500, the authentication information is provided to the relay station 900 and shared by the plurality of game devices 100 connected to the relay station 900. That is, the authentication process for one item identification information is performed to permit the provision of the corresponding game card 500 to a plurality of game devices 100 included in the same communication environment, and the authentication information is transmitted to the relay station. 900 to the plurality of game devices 100, and when the provision is made, the relay station 900 collects information so that it is shared among the plurality of game devices 100, and calculates the total number of provision. to manage.

<Relay station configuration>
The functional configuration of relay station 900 according to this modification will be described below using the block diagram of FIG. 10. In addition, in the functional configuration of relay station 900, for configurations that implement functions similar to those of the game device 100, smartphone 200, and authentication server 300, the prefix "relay" will be used to distinguish them from these configurations. shall be indicated with.

Relay control unit 901 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block included in relay station 900. Specifically, the relay control unit 901 controls the operation of each block by reading the operation program of each block recorded on the relay recording medium 902, loading it onto the relay memory 903, and executing it.

The relay recording medium 902 is a recording device capable of permanently retaining data, such as a nonvolatile memory or an HDD. The relay recording medium 902 stores information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block in addition to the operation program of each block included in the relay station 900. The relay memory 903 is a storage device such as a volatile memory used for temporary data storage. The relay memory 903 is used not only as a development area for the operation program of each block, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data etc. output in the operation of each block. In this modification, the relay memory 903 stores the total number of game devices 100 connected via the LAN 1000 and related to the same game content (providing a common game card 500). Information on the total number) is also stored.

In this embodiment, for simplicity, only game devices 100 that provide the same game content play experience are connected to the relay station 900, and the relay memory 903 stores the total number of game cards 500 that can be provided related to the game content. Although the description will be made assuming that information is managed, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. In implementing the present invention, it is sufficient to manage information on the total number of game contents that can be provided for each game content, and for example, a game device connected to the relay station 900 can experience playing different types of game contents. It may include what you provide.

The provision management unit 904 manages the number of game cards 500 that can be provided for a plurality of game devices 100 connected to the relay station 900 in the communication environment of the LAN 1000. Although details will be described later, in this modification, the provision management unit 904 manages the total number of game cards 500 that can be provided from all game devices 100, and receives game cards 500 that are provided by each game device 100. The game device 100 updates the information and shares the information among all game devices 100. When authentication processing is performed and authentication information is sent from the authentication server 300, the provision management unit 904 updates the information on the total number of provisionable items stored in the relay memory 903 in the relay station 900, and updates the information. By transmitting the authentication information to each game device 100, a state in which the authentication information is indirectly provided to each game device 100 is realized.

Relay communication unit 905 is a communication interface with an external device that relay station 900 has. The relay communication unit 905 connects to external devices via a network 400, which may be a communication network such as the Internet, or a cable that connects devices, and a LAN 1000 (regardless of wired or wireless), and is capable of transmitting and receiving data. can do. For example, the relay communication unit 905 converts information input as a transmission target into data in a predetermined format, and transmits the data to an external device such as the game device 100 via the LAN 1000.

Further, upon receiving information from an external device such as the authentication server 300 via the network 400, the relay communication unit 905 decodes the information and stores it in the relay memory 903. In this embodiment, the relay communication unit 905 receives the authentication information when provision is permitted in the authentication process in the authentication server 300.

《Management of available quantity》
Next, an overview of the management of the number of game cards 500 that can be provided according to this modified example, which is performed using such an article management system, will be explained.

As described above, in the article management system of this modification, the authentication process is performed by the authentication server 300 based on the article identification information acquired from the code 511 related to the game card 500 group, and the provision of the game card 500 group is performed. If permitted, the authentication information is sent from the authentication server 300 to the game device 100. More specifically, upon receiving the authentication request information, the authentication unit 305 refers to the authentication status information in the provision management DB 304 corresponding to the article identification information included in the information and performs authentication processing. In this modification, the authentication request information received by the authentication server 300 includes, as device identification information, information indicating a relay station 900 connected to a network (LAN 1000) that includes a game device 100 that is scheduled to provide a group of game cards 500. shall be affixed. If the authentication result is successful, the authentication control unit 301 issues authentication information, transmits it to the authentication communication unit 306, and transmits it to the relay station 900 indicated by the device identification information of the received authentication request information.

On the other hand, in the relay station 900, information on the total number of game devices 100 that can be provided is stored in the relay memory 903 for a group of game devices 100 related to the same game content. Therefore, upon receiving the authentication information from the authentication server 300, the provision management unit 904 updates the information on the total number of provisionable items stored in the relay memory 903 based on the authentication information. That is, the provision management unit 904 increases the value of the total number of game cards 500 that can be provided by the number of game cards 500 that were packed in the box 510 that was subject to authentication processing, thereby increasing the number of game devices 100 connected to the LAN 1000. The number of newly authenticated game cards 500 can be added to the total number of game cards 500 that can be provided.

The updated information on the total number of game devices that can be provided is transmitted from relay station 900 to each game device 100 via LAN 1000. Unlike the embodiment described above, the provision control unit 108 updates the information on the total number of offers stored in the memory 103 in response to receiving information on the total number of offers from the relay station 900, thereby achieving the above-mentioned results. Similar to the embodiment described above, the conditions under which the game card 500 can be provided can be updated in the game device 100. This process corresponds to the process in which the number of providable items is updated when the game device 100 directly receives authentication information.

Further, in this modification, when the game device 100 provides the game card 500, the provision management DB 304 not only changes the information on the number of cards that can be provided, but also sends information indicating that the card has been provided to the relay station 900. . When the provision management unit 904 receives information indicating that provision has been made from the connected game device 100, it updates the value of the total number of provisionable games to a value obtained by subtracting the number of provision items. That is, in the article management system of this modified example, the information on the total number of providable cards managed by the relay station 900 is updated every time a game card 500 is provided in the game device 100 connected to the relay station 900 via the LAN 1000. will be updated to reflect this. In addition, the updated information on the total number of available games is sent not only to the game device 100 that sent the information indicating that the game has been provided, but also to other game devices 100 connected to the relay station 900, and is updated at any time. shall be taken as a thing.

As described above, in this modification, when there is an update to the total number of game devices that can be provided stored in the relay memory 903, the provision management unit 904 transmits information about the change to a plurality of game devices connected in a predetermined communication environment. 100 can be shared, it becomes possible to efficiently provide a group of game cards 500 that are permitted to be provided based on one item identification information on a plurality of game devices 100.

In this embodiment, a mode has been described in which a group of 500 authenticated game cards can be provided from a plurality of game devices 100 at the same time by having the relay station 900 hold information on the total number of cards that can be provided and sharing this information each time. However, implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the requirement is to input or select device identification information related to the device to be provided when making an authentication request, it may give the impression that authentication is complicated to the staff at the store where the device is installed, so device identification information is not relayed. The authentication information may be fixed to that of the station 900, and the relay control unit 901 may control the received authentication information to be transferred to, for example, the least number of game devices 100 that can be provided. At this time, information indicating which game device 100 is permitted to provide the content may be sent back to the smartphone 200. In this aspect, although it is not possible to provide a group of game cards 500 authenticated with respect to one item identification information to a plurality of game devices 100, the game cards are divided into small portions in one box 510 in which the unit supply quantity is set small. By configuring the system to include a plurality of 500 groups and attaching article identification information to each group, suitable operation can be realized.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, the article management system according to the present invention can also be realized by a program that causes one or more computers to function as the article management system. The program can be provided/distributed by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium or via a telecommunications line.

100: game device, 101: control unit, 102: recording medium, 103: memory, 104: detection unit, 105: acquisition unit, 106: display control unit, 107: operation input unit, 108: provision control unit, 109: communication unit, 110: reader, 120: display unit, 130: providing unit, 131: output port, 200: smartphone, 201: terminal control unit, 202: terminal recording medium, 203: terminal memory, 204: imaging unit, 205: decoding section, 206: terminal display control section, 207: terminal operation input section, 208: terminal communication section, 210: terminal display section, 300: authentication server, 301: authentication control section, 302: authentication recording medium, 303: authentication memory, 304: Provision management DB, 305: Authentication unit, 306: Authentication communication unit, 310: Generation unit, 400: Network, 500: Game card, 510: Box, 511: Code, 701: Detection unit, 702: Provision control unit, 710: first providing unit, 720: second providing unit, 900: relay station, 901: relay control unit, 902: relay recording medium, 903: relay memory, 904: provision management unit, 905: relay communication unit, 1000: LAN

Claims (15)

an information processing device, an article to be provided that can be provided from the information processing device, an acquisition device that acquires identification information for identifying the article to be provided, and an authentication that authenticates provision of the article to be provided by the information processing device. An article management system comprising a device,
The acquisition device includes:
acquisition means for acquiring the identification information;
a first transmitting means for transmitting the identification information acquired by the acquiring means and device information for identifying the information processing device corresponding to the identification information to the authentication device;
Equipped with
The authentication device includes:
Authentication means for authenticating provision of the provision item corresponding to the identification information based on the identification information transmitted by the first transmission means;
a second transmitting means for transmitting authentication information to the information processing device indicated by the device information transmitted by the first transmitting means when authentication is performed by the first transmitting means;
Equipped with
The information processing device includes:
a detection means for detecting that consideration has been paid;
a providing means for providing the provision item;
a control means for controlling provision of the provision item by the provision means based on the authentication information transmitted by the second transmission means;
Equipped with
The control means controls the providing means to provide the provision item on the condition that the payment of the consideration is detected,
The information processing device is configured to allow payment of the consideration in physical currency and electronic currency,
In the article management system, the control means controls the providing means differently depending on whether the detected consideration is paid in physical currency or electronic currency. 2. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein said control means updates conditions for permitting provision of said article in response to reception of said authentication information. 3. The article management system according to claim 2, wherein the condition for permitting provision of the article for sale includes information on the number of articles that can be provided by the information processing device. 4. The control means updates the conditions for permitting provision of the provision item so that a predetermined number of the provision items can be additionally provided based on reception of one piece of the authentication information. goods management system. 5. The article management system according to claim 4, wherein the identification information is attached to a packaging material that is a supply form of the article for provision. The article management system according to claim 5, wherein the identification information is a two-dimensional code. The article management system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the predetermined number is the number of the offering articles packed in the packaging material. The control means controls the providing means to stop providing the article when the authentication information is not received and the provision of the article is not permitted. The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. 9. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the authentication device further includes a generation unit that generates the authentication information when authentication is performed by the authentication unit. The article management system according to claim 9, wherein the generating means generates one piece of the authentication information only once for one piece of the identification information. The article management system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the acquisition device is a device included in the information processing device. The article management system further includes a relay device to which a plurality of the information processing devices in a predetermined communication environment are connected,
12. The article management system according to claim 1, wherein the information processing device receives the authentication information transmitted by the second transmitting means via the relay device. The providing means includes a first providing means for providing a first type of offering, and a second providing means for providing a second type of offering,
The control means includes:
When payment of the consideration in physical currency is detected, causing the first providing means to provide the first type of provision item;
13. The second providing means is controlled to provide the second type of provision item when payment of the consideration using electronic currency is detected. The goods management system described in . An information processing device configured to be connectable to an authentication device that authenticates the provision of a provision item, the information processing device comprising:
a detection means for detecting that consideration has been paid;
a providing means for providing the provision item;
receiving means for receiving authentication information from the authentication device indicating that provision of the provision item has been authenticated based on identification information for identifying the provision item;
control means for controlling provision of the provision item by the provision means based on the authentication information received by the reception means;
Equipped with
The control means controls the providing means to provide the provision item on the condition that the payment of the consideration is detected,
The information processing device is configured to allow payment of the consideration in physical currency and electronic currency,
The control means is an information processing device that controls the provision means differently depending on whether the detected consideration is paid in physical currency or electronic currency. A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the information processing apparatus according to claim 14 .

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