JP7315759B2 - Management server and management system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a management server and management system, and more particularly to a technique for improving the efficiency of manufacturing and supplying articles.

2. Description of the Related Art In order to reduce the amount of manual work involved in tallying sales of amusement equipment, there is a device that tallies sales data such as the number of times the equipment has been used. Patent Literature 1 discloses a sales data tallying device that stores an identification number of an entertainment device installed in a store or the like, the number of times coins have been inserted, and information on the collection date and time of this information, and prints out a sales data slip.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 58-47480

However, the above-described sales data totaling device of Patent Document 1 only totals and prints the sales of entertainment devices, and does not enable efficient manufacture and supply of goods using sales data.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a management server and a management system that facilitate inventory management of articles to be provided based on actual sales information.

A management server of the present invention is a management server for managing the provision status of goods provided in a game device, and comprises acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the provision status of goods in the game machine, and configuration means for configuring presentation information for presenting the provision status of the goods based on the information acquired by the acquisition means. There is a third providing method for further providing an item in addition to the item provided by the first providing method in response to a request when a play is made, the information indicating the item providing state includes information indicating which of the providing methods the item was provided, and the configuring means configures the presentation information so that the item providing state can be presented separately for each of the three types of providing methods.

With such a configuration, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to facilitate inventory management of articles to be provided based on actual sales information.

The figure which showed the system configuration|structure of the management system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management server 100 according to the embodiment and modifications of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a game device 200 according to an embodiment and modifications of the present invention; FIG. Block diagram showing the functional configuration of the user terminal 300 according to the embodiment and modifications of the present invention A diagram showing an example of presentation of various information related to article provision, which is realized by a management application according to the embodiment and modifications of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating each process of information update process realized by the management system according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Flowchart exemplifying each process of the information presentation process realized by the management system according to the embodiment and modifications of the present invention The figure which showed the system configuration|structure of the management system which concerns on the modification 1 of this invention The figure which showed the system configuration|structure of the management system which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a card vending machine 900 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. A diagram showing a data configuration example of various information used in the management system according to the embodiment and modifications of the present invention.

[Embodiment 1]
Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiment described below, an example in which the present invention is applied to a system that manages the number of cards provided to a user through the use of a game machine and the inventory of cards that are not provided to the user as an example of a management system, and application software that implements the system will be described. However, the present invention can be applied to any system capable of managing the number of items provided to users and the number of items not yet provided for predetermined game items, and presenting this information.

《Management system configuration》
FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing the system configuration of a management system according to this embodiment. As illustrated, the management system is configured such that the management server 100 and each of the plurality of game devices 200 and the management server 100 and each of one or more user terminals 300 can communicate via the network 400 .

In the management system of this embodiment, each of the game devices 200 is configured to be able to provide a game play experience related to game content that does not have to be the same, and provides game items related to the game on condition that payment is made. The game device 200 may be installed, for example, in a game arcade, shopping mall, electronics store, toy store, or the like.

The management server 100 is configured to be able to acquire information on game items provided by the game devices 200 connected for communication, and manage the number of items actually provided to users (actual number of items provided). Also, the management server 100 is configured to be able to manage the current stock quantity, that is, the stock quantity after each game device 200 is provided, based on information on the stock quantity of game items stored in advance and information on the actual supply quantity. These pieces of information managed by the management server 100 are transmitted to the user terminal 300 in response to a presentation request from the user terminal 300 and can be presented on the display device of the user terminal 300 .

Further, the user terminal 300 executes an application (management application) related to the management system, thereby causing the display device to present various information managed about game items, and presenting the information to the user of the user terminal 300. In this embodiment, by executing a management application, the user terminal 300 can provide various functions used by the user who manages the game device 200, for example, for each game title or for each store where the game device 200 is located, in addition to managing the actual number of game items provided and the number of inventories, such as order management and sales forecast of game items. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user using the management application is the user who manages the game device 200 . However, in the implementation of the present invention, the user terminal 300 does not need to provide all the functions described below by executing a management application, and may be a terminal that provides some of the functions described below using information managed by the management server 100, for example, a terminal used for order management at a store where the game device 200 is installed.

A game item provided by the game device 200 of the present embodiment is described as a card related to game content for which a play experience is provided on the game device 200 . The card may be configured with information, so that it can be used as an element that influences the progress of the game by obtaining information during game play in any game device 200 that provides the same game playing experience as the provided game device 200.例文帳に追加Alternatively, the cards may be usable in a game device 200 that provides a playing experience of another game, instead of the provided game device 200, or may be usable in a so-called analog table card game in which a game can be played without the need for a game device. In any case, in the present invention, the card is associated with a game-related type such as game content (game title) for which the card can be used, game content for which a play experience is provided on the game device that provided the card, etc., for management classification in the management system.

In this embodiment, the game article is described as a ready-made card printed and manufactured in advance, but implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. In a configuration in which the game device 200 incorporates a printer capable of generating cards, the game item may be a card generated by so-called on-demand printing. In addition, the game article is not limited to the card, and may be any article such as figures, toys, key holders, and other shaped objects having the appearance of game elements related to game content, paper media other than cards, stickers, and the like. In other words, since the present invention manages information as to whether or not the game item has been provided to the user, the game item is irrelevant to the implementation of the present invention.

<Management server configuration>
Next, the functional configuration of the management server 100 according to this embodiment will be explained using the block diagram of FIG.

The control unit 101 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block of the management server 100 . Specifically, the control unit 101 reads, for example, an operation program for each block recorded on the recording medium 102, develops it in the memory 103, and executes it, thereby controlling the operation of each block.

The recording medium 102 is a recording device such as a non-volatile memory or an HDD that can permanently retain data. The recording medium 102 stores information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block in addition to the operation program of each block that the management server 100 has. 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 output in the operation of each block.

The provision status DB 104 is a database that manages information on the provision status of cards in the game device 200 that is provided so as to be able to communicate with the management server 100 . Although the details will be described later, in the management system of the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the presentation of information on the provision status of the presentation conditions selected on the user terminal 300, information relating to card provision obtained from each game device 200 each time is aggregated for each type associated with the card and managed in the provision status DB 104.

The inventory management DB 105 is a database that manages information on the inventory status of cards that have not yet been provided according to the status of card provision. Although the details will be described later, the inventory management DB 105 manages information on the inventory status of existing cards that have not yet been provided, in the same manner as the provision status DB 104, for each type associated with the card.

When the user terminal 300 makes a presentation request for at least one of the provision status and the inventory status, the presentation control unit 106 configures and returns information corresponding to the requested presentation conditions, and controls the presentation content on the user terminal 300. Information to be returned may be configured based on information managed by the provision status DB 104 and the inventory management DB 105 .

The communication unit 107 is a communication interface with an external device that the management server 100 has. The communication unit 107 can be connected to an external device via a communication network such as the Internet or a network 400 (whether wired or wireless), which can be a cable connecting devices, and can transmit and receive data. The communication unit 107 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 200 or the user terminal 300 via the network 400 . When receiving information from an external device via the network 400 , for example, the communication unit 107 decodes the information and stores it in the memory 103 .

<Configuration of game device 200>
Next, the functional configuration of the game device 200 according to this embodiment will be described using the block diagram of FIG. In the description of the functional configuration of the game device 200, the configuration that implements the same functions as the configuration of the management server 100 is prefixed with "game" to distinguish it from the configuration of the management server 100.

The game control unit 201 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block included in the game device 200 . Specifically, the game control unit 201 reads an operation program of each block recorded in the game recording medium 202, develops it in the game memory 203, and executes it, thereby controlling the operation of each block.

The game recording medium 202 is a recording device, such as a non-volatile memory or HDD, that can permanently hold data. The game recording medium 202 stores the operation program of each block of the game device 200, information such as parameters required for the operation of each block, and various graphics data used in the game executed by the game device 200. The game memory 203 is a storage device, such as volatile memory, used for temporary data storage. The game memory 203 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 output in the operation of each block.

A game payment detection unit 204 detects that a consideration has been paid on the game device 200 . The game device 200 of the present embodiment is configured to be capable of paying consideration in physical currency such as coins or coins equivalent to coins, and in electronic currency (electronic money) in which settlement processing is performed through communication with a predetermined chip, and the game payment detection unit 204 is configured to be capable of detecting whether or not consideration has been paid for both of these. More specifically, when the game payment detection unit 204 detects that a predetermined amount of physical currency has been inserted into an insertion slot (not shown) provided in the game device 200, the game payment detection unit 204 outputs a control signal indicating completion of payment to the game control unit 201. Alternatively, the game payment detection unit 204, for example, when a reader (not shown) provided in the game device 200 acquires chip information related to electronic currency and detects that payment processing of a predetermined amount for the chip has been completed, similarly outputs a control signal indicating completion of payment to the game control unit 201.

The game presentation control unit 205 controls presentation of various information to the user in the game device 200 . The game device 200 of the present embodiment will be described as having at least the game display unit 210 for displaying images (game screen, menu screen, etc.) as means for presenting various types of information to the user.

The game presentation control unit 205 includes a rendering device such as a GPU, for example, and performs predetermined rendering processing when generating a screen to be displayed on the game display unit 210 . Specifically, the game presentation control unit 205 performs necessary arithmetic processing on necessary drawing objects (graphics data) based on the processing and commands performed by the game control unit 201 in each sequence during operation of the game device 200, and draws the screen. The generated screen is output to the game display unit 210, which is a display device detachably connected to the same housing as the game device 200 or to the outside of the game device 200, and is displayed in a predetermined display area to be presented to the user.

The game operation input unit 206 is a user interface of the game device 200, such as an operation member for direction input, an operation member for decision input, various sensors, and the like. The game operation input unit 206 outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the game control unit 201 when it detects that the operation member has been operated. In the present embodiment, the game device 200 is described as having various interfaces as physical operation members, but it may include a touch input detection sensor that detects a touch input made on the screen of the game display unit 210, for example.

The game provision control unit 207 performs various processes for providing a card in response to the payment made in the game device 200 . The game device 200 of the present embodiment has the following three methods for providing cards, and in any of them, the cards are provided on condition that payment is made.

A first provision method as a first provision method according to the present invention is to provide a card for the current game play in response to selection of a mode for providing a game play experience after payment is made and service provision is started. That is, in this providing method, the game device 200 provides a game playing experience and one card for the payment of consideration.

A second provision method as a second provision method according to the present invention is to provide cards without providing a game play experience in response to selection of a card selling mode after service provision has been started after payment is made. In other words, in this providing method, the game device 200 provides one card for the payment of consideration. Also, in the selling mode, cards can be provided up to the maximum number of cards provided each time a predetermined amount of consideration is paid.

In a third providing method as a third providing method according to the present invention, a mode for providing a game play experience is selected after service provision is started after payment is made, and in addition to the cards provided by the first providing method, a further card is provided in response to payment of an additional consideration. In other words, in this provision method, the game device 200 provides a card on the condition that an additional consideration is paid when a request for provision of a further card is made in addition to the card provided for the game play during the game play. The cards additionally provided at this time may be configured so that cards can be provided up to the maximum number of cards provided each time a predetermined amount of consideration is paid, as in the second provision method.

The game provision control section 207 sends a card provision command to the provision section 220 to cause the provision section 220 to provide the card when a predetermined card provision condition is satisfied during service provision. The providing unit 220 may be configured by a card dispenser that is detachably connected to the same housing as the game device 200 or to the outside of the game device 200 . The card dispenser may have, for example, a stocker (not shown) that stacks cards in the vertical direction, and may have a mechanism that drives the card dispenser in response to a supply command issued by the game supply control unit 207 to supply one card held at the bottom of the stocker. If the providing unit 220 is built in the same housing as the game device 200, the card may be provided to the user by being guided to the outlet 221 (see FIG. 1) accessible from the outside of the game device 200.

Note that in the present embodiment, the game device 200 is not limited to providing a specific game content play experience, and may provide a play experience of any one of a plurality of types of game content. In other words, each of the game devices 200 has a different card that can be provided depending on the game content that provides the play experience, and the management system of the present embodiment manages the provision status of cards for multiple types of game content or for a group of game devices 200 that provide the play experience for multiple types of game content.

A game communication unit 208 is a communication interface with an external device included in the game device 200 . The game communication unit 208 can be connected to an external device via a communication network such as the Internet or a network 400 (whether wired or wireless), which can be a cable connecting devices, and can transmit and receive data. The game communication unit 208 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 management server 100 via the network 400 . Also, when the game communication unit 208 receives information from an external device via the network 400 , for example, it decodes the information and stores it in the game memory 203 .

In this embodiment, when the card is provided, the game communication unit 208 transmits to the management server 100 information indicating that the card has been provided. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the information is transmitted at the timing when the communication connection between the management server 100 and the game device 200 is established and the card is provided when the use of the service is started, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, information on card offerings made for a predetermined period may be held in the game memory 203, and information on these held multiple card offerings may be transmitted at a predetermined timing. Alternatively, when the communication connection between the game device 200 and the management server 100 is disabled, such as when the game device 200 is offline, the information on the card provided during the disabled state may be transmitted when the communication connection is restored.

Further, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that information indicating that a card has been provided is transmitted to the management server 100 together with a registration request mainly by processing in the game device 200. However, it goes without saying that the information indicating that a card has been provided may be transmitted from the game device 200 to the management server 100 when an information acquisition request from the management server 100 is received by the game device 200.

<User terminal 300>
Next, the functional configuration of the user terminal 300 according to this embodiment will be described using the block diagram of FIG. In the functional configuration of the user terminal 300, the configuration that implements the same functions as the configuration of the management server 100 and the game device 200 is prefixed with "terminal" in order to distinguish it from the configuration of the management server 100 and the game device 200.

The terminal control unit 301 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block of the user terminal 300 . Specifically, the terminal control unit 301 reads, for example, the operation program of each block recorded in the terminal recording medium 302 and the execution program related to the management application described above, develops it in the terminal memory 303, and executes it, thereby controlling the operation of each block.

The terminal recording medium 302 is a recording device such as a non-volatile memory or HDD that can permanently retain data. The terminal recording medium 302 stores, in addition to the operating program of each block of the user terminal 300 and the execution program of the management application, parameters necessary for the operation of each block, information necessary for total display in the management application, and the like. The terminal memory 303 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as a volatile memory. The terminal memory 303 is used not only as an expansion area for the operation program of each block and the execution program of the management application, but also as a storage area for temporarily storing data output in the operation of each block.

The terminal presentation control unit 304 includes a rendering device such as a GPU, for example, and performs predetermined screen generation processing when causing the terminal display unit 310 to present information. Specifically, the terminal presentation control unit 304 acquires relevant information about the selected presentation condition from the management server 100 during execution of the management application, generates a screen based on this information, and transmits it to the terminal display unit 310 for display. The terminal display unit 310 may be, for example, a display device detachably connected to the outside of the user terminal 300, or a display device integrated with the user terminal 300, and when receiving data related to the screen from the terminal presentation control unit 304, it is configured to be able to present information to the user by displaying it in a predetermined display area.

A terminal operation input unit 305 is a user interface of the user terminal 300, such as a mouse and a keyboard. The terminal operation input unit 305 outputs a control signal corresponding to the operation input to the terminal control unit 301 when it detects that an operation input has been made to each user interface. In this embodiment, the user terminal 300 is described as having various interfaces as physical operation members, but for example, it may include a touch input detection sensor that detects a touch input made on the screen of the terminal display unit 310.

A terminal communication unit 306 is a communication interface with an external device that the user terminal 300 has. The terminal communication unit 306 can connect to an external device via a communication network such as the Internet or a network 400 (whether wired or wireless), which can be a cable connecting devices, and can transmit and receive data. The terminal 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 management server 100 via the network 400 . When receiving information from an external device via the network 400 , for example, the terminal communication unit 306 decodes the information and stores it in the terminal memory 303 .

《Managed Information》
Various types of information handled or managed by the management system of this embodiment will be described below.

<Information provided by card>
First, the card provision information, which is transmitted from the game device 200 to the management server 100 and indicates that the card has been provided, will be described. In the present embodiment, as described above, the card provision information may be configured by the game control unit 201 and transmitted to the management server 100 together with the registration request via the game communication unit 208 and the network 400 each time a card is provided to the game device 200.

Here, the game content provided with the play experience on the game device 200 is updated with the appearance of new characters, the addition of stories and game modes, etc., and services are provided in order to maintain the user's interest. Similarly, with regard to the cards provided in the game device 200, the number of cards that can be additionally used increases in line with these updates, and in general, a period from one update to the next update is used as a provision time, and a new line-up of cards is provided to maintain the user's interest. In the following description, regarding the series of cards provided in accordance with the update of the game content, the timing of providing the cards will be identified as "provided bullets". The bullets to be provided may be, for example, numbers, such as 1st bullet, 2nd bullet, .

For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, the card provision information is associated with a device ID 1101 that identifies the game device 200 that provided the card, a content ID 1102 that indicates which game content the provided card is associated with, a provided bullet ID 1103 that indicates the provided bullet in the game content of the provided card, a store ID 1104 that identifies the store where the game device 200 that provided the card is installed, and a provision time 11 that indicates the time at which the card was provided. 05, payment currency 1106 indicating the type of currency used to pay for the provision of the card (either physical currency or electronic currency), and provision method 1107 indicating the provision method adopted when the card is provided.

<Provision status information>
Next, provision status information managed by the provision status DB 104 of the present embodiment, which is configured by receiving such card provision information and performing predetermined processing, will be described. In the management system of this embodiment, the card provision information received by the management server 100 is pre-aggregated for combinations of game contents, provided ammunition, and shops, and stored as provision status information in the provision status DB 104 in order to ensure suitable viewability when the management application is executed on the user terminal 300. However, in the practice of the present invention, it is not necessary to convert the card provision information into provision status information having the following data structure, and it goes without saying that the card provision information itself may be stored and managed in the provision status DB 104, or may be stored and managed as information converted by another aggregation method.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11B, the provision status information manages information 1114 on the actual number of cards provided with respect to a combination of a content ID 1111 indicating the game content to which the card was provided, a provided bullet ID 1112 indicating the provided bullet in the game content of the provided card, and a store ID 1113 of the store where the game device 200 that provided the card is installed. Here, the actually provided number information 1114 makes it possible to grasp the movement of the actually provided number for each predetermined tabulation period such as one day, one week, one month, etc. For each tabulation period, the actual number of cards provided 1122 provided by all the game devices 200 is associated with the tabulation period ID 1121 that identifies the tabulation period, the provision method details 1123 indicating the number of times each provision method is adopted, and the physical currency and the electronic currency are used to pay for each of the physical currency and the electronic currency. It shall be configured with the information of payment currency details 1124 indicating the number of times the payment has been made. Note that the payment currency breakdown 1124 may manage the total amount paid for each of the physical currency and the electronic currency.

By aggregating the provision status information in this manner, the provision status information aggregated for each store, for each number of bullets, for each game content, or for any arbitrary combination thereof can be configured according to a presentation request and can be easily presented.

<Inventory management information>
Next, the inventory management information managed by the inventory management DB 105 of this embodiment, which is configured based on the provision status information managed by the provision status DB 104, will be described. In the management system of the present embodiment, inventory management information is configured and stored in the inventory management DB 105 so that card inventory information and the like can be browsed when the execution application is executed on the user terminal 300 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 11C, the inventory management information manages inventory quantity information 1133 indicating the inventory quantity of cards associated with a combination of a content ID 1131 that identifies game content and a provided bullet ID 1132 that identifies provided bullets in the game content, and expected supply quantity information 1134 that indicates the expected supply quantity of cards associated with the combination. In the management system of this embodiment, the management application manages the following two types of inventory as the inventory quantity information 1133 in order to improve the efficiency of the work performed by the administrator, such as the procedures for shipping cards to stores where the game devices 200 are installed and the ordering of card production to the factory. The first is store inventory that indicates the number of cards that exist at each distribution destination store and that have not yet been provided to the user, and is included in inventory quantity information 1133 as store inventory information 1141 . The second is warehouse inventory (manufacturer's product inventory, distribution inventory, etc.) that indicates the number of cards held by the management source that have not yet been distributed, and is included in the inventory quantity information 1133 as warehouse inventory information 1142 .

Here, since the store inventory information 1141 is managed for each store, for example, as illustrated, for each store, in association with the store ID 1151 of the store, it may include the store inventory number 1152 indicating the number of cards remaining in the store without being provided to the user. The store inventory quantity 1152 may be derived by subtracting the number of cards actually provided (based on provision status information) acquired from the game device 200 of the store from the number of cards shipped from the management source to the store, which is added at each shipping timing and grasped in advance. That is, the store inventory quantity 1152 is updated each time the management source ships the card to the store and when the card is provided at the store.

On the other hand, the warehouse inventory information 1142 indicates the number of cards actually held by the manager without being shipped to the store where the game device 200 is installed. Therefore, it is not necessary to manage each store, and for example, it may have only the warehouse inventory number 1161 as illustrated. The warehouse stock quantity 1161 may be derived by subtracting the number of cards shipped to each store from the number of cards existing in the management warehouse, which is added at each delivery timing and grasped in advance. That is, the warehouse stock quantity 1161 is updated when a manufacturing order is placed with a card manufacturing factory or the like, and when the ordered card is delivered and when the card is shipped to each store.

In addition, in the management system of the present embodiment, the inventory management information includes expected supply quantity information 1134 in order to enable the business of shipping to stores and the ordering of cards to be performed appropriately based on such information on the actual quantity of supplies, the quantity of store inventories, and the quantity of warehouse inventories. The expected supply number information 1134 in this embodiment is configured to indicate a number (expected supply number) that predicts how many cards can be supplied at each store for one game content. For example, as shown in the figure, the expected supply quantity information 1134 manages the expected supply quantity 1173 in association with a prediction period ID 1171 that identifies the prediction period and a shop ID 1172 that indicates the shop that makes the prediction, in order to make it possible to grasp the movement of the actual supply quantity for each predetermined prediction period such as one day, one week, one month, etc. Prediction of the expected number of supply at the store associated with the supply bullet ID 1132 may be performed, for example, based on the transition of the number of actual supply related to the supply bullet card at the store (change history of the number of actual supply in each aggregation period after the start of supply) or the transition of the number of past supply of bullets related to the same game content at the store (number of actual supply of bullets in the past or number of actual supply in the same month in the past). Alternatively, the prediction of the expected number of offers may be based on the number of actual offers for the same game content at all stores managed by the management system or at other stores with similar customer demographics to the store where the game content is installed, or may be based on the number of actual offers for other game content with similar genres, target ages and genders of users.

In the management system of the present embodiment, in order to present the expected supply number in a manner that can be compared with the actual supply number of the provision status information, the prediction period will be described as having the same time width as the aggregation period of the actual supply number. In addition, in order to enable the comparison, information on the expected number of supply items predicted in the past may also be held in the inventory management information. Further, the expected supply number may be corrected based on the actual supply number of the target supply bullet. For example, for one supply bullet, the expected supply number information 1134 may include the expected supply number 1173 predicted before the start of supply and at a timing every predetermined number of days from the start of supply or at a predetermined timing (after counting on the first day, every Monday, etc.). At this time, the expected supply number before the start of supply may be predicted based on information on the actual supply number of past ammunition offerings, and the expected supply number after supply start may be predicted based on information on the actual supply number of the targeted ammunition at the time of prediction and information on the actual supply number of past supply ammunition.

By structuring the inventory management information in this way, it becomes possible to compose and easily present the inventory quantity and expected supply quantity for each store, each number of bullets, each game content, or an arbitrary combination thereof according to a presentation request.

《Information Presentation Mode》
Next, a mode of presenting information managed by the provision status DB 104 and the inventory management DB 105 of the management server 100 in this way will be described with reference to the drawings. When the management application is executed on the user terminal 300 and the presentation conditions are selected, the presentation control unit 106 configures the information for presentation corresponding to the conditions based on the provision status information and the inventory management information, and transmits the information to the user terminal 300.

Presentation conditions that can be selected in the management application may include, for example, conditions that allow comparison of the number of actual offers between game content or between provided bullets of the same game content. In the example shown in FIG. 5( a ), the start date (first aggregation period) of each offered ammunition is unified to the initial value (first day) of the time axis so that transitions in the actual number of provided ammunition can be compared, and the actual number of provided ammunition for successive aggregation periods is shown by a line graph. In the illustrated example, a field 500 indicates changes over time in the actual number of items provided by all installed stores for the first item of game content A, the fourth item of game content B, and the second and third items of game content C.

Also, by operating the GUIs 501 to 504 presented at the same time, information to be presented for each of the presentation items can be switched. For example, the GUI 501 is for switching to presentation of changes in inventory over time, and when a selection operation is performed on this GUI, the content presented in the field 500 is switched to the inventory of each item. The display of the number of stocks may be configured so that store inventory and warehouse inventory can be distinguished, or may be configured so that they can be compared.

Also, for example, the GUI 502 switches the chronological transition of the number of actual offers from showing the total results for each day shown in FIG.

In addition, for example, the GUI 503 switches to the aggregated result of the number of actually provided for each type of currency used for payment, and each time a selection operation is performed on the GUI, the presentation contents of the field 500 may be sequentially switched from presentation of the number of actual offers without discrimination of the currency used→presentation of the number of actual offers of only the physical currency→presentation of the number of actual offers of only the electronic currency→presentation in which the numbers of actual offers relating to the physical currency and the electronic currency can be compared, respectively.

Also, for example, the GUI 504 switches to the total number of cards actually provided for each card providing method, and each time a selection operation is performed on the GUI, the presentation content of the field 500 may be sequentially switched from the presentation of the actual number of cards provided by the first providing method to the presentation of the actual number of cards provided by the second providing method to the presentation of the number of cards actually provided by the third providing method so that the actual numbers of cards provided by each card providing method can be compared.

The presentation conditions that can be selected in the management application may include, for example, a condition that allows comparison between the actual number of provided bullets and the expected number of provided bullets for the game content. In the example shown in FIG. 5(b), a line graph for each item is shown in the field 500 so that the actual number of offers in each aggregation period and the expected number of offers predicted for the prediction period corresponding to the aggregation period are aligned on the same time axis so that transitions in the actual number of offers and the expected number of offers for one bullet can be compared. In the illustrated example, for the fifth edition of game content A, changes over time in the number of actual offers, changes over time in the number of expected deliveries predicted before the start of provision, changes over time in the number of expected deliveries revised to reflect the number of actual deliveries on the first day of operation (date of start of provision), and changes over time in the number of expected deliveries revised to reflect the number of actual deliveries on the first Monday are shown.

In the present embodiment, two types of provision conditions have been described as examples in which the management application presents the provision status information and the inventory management information using FIG. 5, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this.

As described above, the provision status information manages information on changes in the number of actual offers for each combination of game content, provided bullets, and stores. Therefore, the presentation control unit 106 may configure information for presentation so that, for example, it is possible to check changes in the number of actual offers for the entire provision period of the game content (all provided bullets), compare the actual number of offers between stores, and compare the actual number of offers between game contents in one store.

Similarly, the inventory control unit 106 may configure the information for presentation so that, for example, changes in store inventory numbers between stores, changes in warehouse inventory numbers between game contents or between provided bullets, and changes in expected supply numbers between game contents can be compared, since the inventory management information manages information on the number of store inventories for each store, the warehouse inventory number of the management source, and the expected number of supplies for each store for combinations of game content and provided bullets.

In addition, it goes without saying that other presentation conditions can be set for presentation of information managed by provision status information and inventory management information. In other words, the combination of information to be presented, the change in aggregated items, and the presentation method (not limited to line graphs, bar graphs, total value tables, etc.) need not be limited to those shown in FIG. 5, and may be changed as appropriate. The presentation control unit 106 then composes information for presentation according to the desired presentation conditions selected by the user terminal 300 and transmits the presentation information to the user terminal 300 via the communication unit 107 .

<Notification function>
As described above, since the management system of the present embodiment manages inventory management information, it is configured to be able to grasp store inventory information of each store where the game device 200 is installed and warehouse inventory information held by the manager. In addition, since the inventory management information also includes information on the expected number of supplies, it is possible to identify, based on predictions, situations in which store inventory or warehouse inventory of cards may be insufficient.

Therefore, in the management server 100 of the present embodiment, the control unit 101 has a function (notification function) to determine whether or not the inventory may be insufficient for each provided bullet of the game content or for each store of the provided bullet based on the store inventory information, the warehouse inventory information, and the expected supply number of the inventory management information, and to notify the shortage by the management application if it is determined that the shortage is possible. It is assumed that the following two types of notification functions are provided in the management application of this embodiment.

One is a notification that is made when the expected supply quantity exceeds the store inventory quantity for a specific store, and notifies the user terminal 300 capable of executing the management application that cards need to be shipped from the management source in order to replenish the store inventory for the store. More specifically, for example, when the control unit 101 determines that the expected number of cards to be provided may exceed the number of cards in stock at the store after the lapse of a predetermined number of days, the control unit 101 may notify the target store of the number of cards to be shipped from the warehouse stock and the timing of shipment. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the number of cards to be shipped and the timing of shipment are notified in the notification related to store inventory. However, in a mode in which the day of the week or the like for shipment is predetermined, only the number of shipments may be notified, and in a mode in which the number of cards to be shipped at one time to the store is predetermined, only the timing of shipment may be notified.

The other is notification that is made when it is determined that the number of stocks in the warehouse may be insufficient when the cards of the provided bullets of a specific game content are shipped to each store based on the expected supply number, and that the user terminal 300 capable of executing the management application is notified that it is necessary to place a manufacturing order to the card manufacturing factory in order to replenish the warehouse stock of the provided bullets. More specifically, if the control unit 101 determines that the inventory in the warehouse is likely to fall below a predetermined number when the cards are shipped to each store based on the expected supply number, the control unit 101 may notify the manufacturing factory of the number of cards to be manufactured. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the number of orders for manufacturing cards is notified in the notification related to the warehouse inventory. However, since there is a period required for manufacturing cards and delivering them as warehouse inventory, for example, it is possible to add the timing of the manufacturing order in anticipation of such a period. In addition, in a mode in which the number of manufacturing orders per time is fixed, only the timing of the manufacturing order may be notified based on the number of orders.

In addition, in the management system of the present embodiment, information is obtained from each game device 200 via the network 400 in order to appropriately manage the supply status and inventory. For this reason, for example, the game device 200 may be configured to periodically transmit the card provision information regardless of the usage status, and when the control unit 101 determines that there is a game device 200 that has not acquired the card provision information for a predetermined period of time, the user terminal 300 capable of executing the management application may be notified of the presence of the game device 200 that is unable to acquire information, or of which store has such a game device 200 . Depending on the store, the game device 200 may be operated without using the communication function, so such a game device 200 may be excluded from the targets of information collection, prediction of the expected number of supply, and inventory management.

《Information update processing》
Information update processing for updating various types of information in the management system of this embodiment having such a configuration will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by having the control unit of each device involved in the management system read out the corresponding processing program stored in, for example, each recording medium, develop it in RAM, and execute it. It should be noted that this information update processing is described as being started when, for example, a card is provided in the game device 200 .

In S<b>601 , the game control unit 201 composes card provision information about the card provision performed, transmits it to the game communication unit 208 , and transmits it to the management server 100 via the network 400 .

In S602, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the card provision information transmitted from the game device 200 has been received. If the control unit 101 determines that the card provision information has been received, the process proceeds to S603, and if it determines that the card provision information has not been received, the process of this step is repeated.

In S603, the control unit 101 updates the corresponding provision status information managed in the provision status DB 104 based on the received card provision information. At this time, if the relevant provision status information does not yet exist in the provision status DB 104, the control unit 101 may compose the provision status information based on the received card provision information and store it in the provision status DB 104 anew.

In S604, the control unit 101 updates the corresponding inventory management information managed in the inventory management DB 105 based on the updated provision status information. Here, the updated inventory management information may be only the store inventory information 1141 of the inventory quantity information 1133 .

In S<b>605 , the control unit 101 determines whether it is time to predict the expected supply number. Prediction of the expected supply number does not need to be performed each time a card is provided, but may be performed at a predetermined timing, such as once a week, as described above. If the control unit 101 determines that it is time to predict the expected supply number, the control unit 101 shifts the processing to S606, and if it determines that it is not the time to predict, the information update processing is completed.

In S606, the control unit 101 updates the expected supply quantity information 1134 included in the inventory management information based on the provision status information managed in the provision status DB 104, and completes this information update processing.

By doing so, in the management system of the present embodiment, it is possible to update the provision status information and the inventory management information in accordance with the card provision by any of the game devices 200 .

<Information presentation processing>
Next, specific processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 7 regarding information presentation processing executed in relation to presentation of various types of information in the management application of the management system of this embodiment. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by having the control unit of each device involved in the management system read out the corresponding processing program stored in, for example, each recording medium, develop it in RAM, and execute it. It should be noted that the present information presentation processing will be described as being started when, for example, a management application is executed in the user terminal 300 and presentation conditions are set.

In S701, the terminal control unit 301 acquires information on presentation conditions selected for information presentation. The terminal control unit 301 then transmits the information on the presentation condition to the terminal communication unit 306 and causes it to be transmitted to the management server 100 via the network 400 .

In S<b>702 , the control unit 101 determines whether information on presentation conditions transmitted from the user terminal 300 has been received. If the control unit 101 determines that the presentation condition information has been received, the process moves to S703, and if it has determined that the information has not been received, the process of this step is repeated.

In S703, under the control of the control unit 101, the presentation control unit 106 composes presentation information corresponding to the received presentation condition information based on the managed provision status information and inventory management information, transmits the presentation information to the communication unit 107, and returns it via the network 400 to the user terminal 300 that received the presentation condition information.

In S704, the terminal control unit 301 determines whether presentation information corresponding to the presentation condition has been received. If the terminal control unit 301 determines that the information for presentation has been received, the process proceeds to S705, and if it determines that the information for presentation has not been received, the process of this step is repeated.

In S705, under the control of the terminal control unit 301, the terminal presentation control unit 304 generates a display screen related to the management application based on the received presentation information, displays it on the terminal display unit 310, and completes this information presentation processing.

By doing so, in the management system of the present embodiment, information corresponding to the presentation condition selected in the management application can be configured using the provision status information managed by the provision status DB 104 and the inventory management information managed by the inventory management DB 105, and can be displayed on the terminal display unit 310 of the user terminal 300.

As described above, according to the management system of the present embodiment, it is possible to facilitate inventory management of articles to be provided based on actual sales information.

[Modification 1]
In the first embodiment described above, it is assumed that the card provision information is transmitted from the game device 200 to the management server 100 in response to the provision of the card to the game device 200, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, depending on the store, a plurality of game devices 200 managed by a management system may be installed, and in managing information about the store, a configuration in which card provision information is individually acquired from all of these may be inefficient depending on the number of game devices 200 operating simultaneously. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, a collection server 800 for collecting card provision information from the game devices 200 installed in the same store may be provided, and the card provision information may be transmitted from the collection server 800 to the management server 100 at predetermined time intervals. The collecting server 800 may be provided with a tallying function to convert one or more pieces of card provision information received from a plurality of game devices 200 within a predetermined period of time into information equivalent to provision status information and transmit the information to the management server 100.

[Embodiment 2]
In the management system of Embodiment 1 described above, the device that provides cards is described as being the game device 200 that can provide a game play experience, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a device that provides cards may be a device that does not have functionality to provide a game playing experience. In this embodiment, a card vending machine 900 that does not have a function to provide a game play experience but has a card vending function will be described as an example.

《Management system configuration》
As shown in FIG. 9, in the management system of the present embodiment, each of the card vending machines 900 is configured to be able to communicate with the management server 100 via the network 400 in order to acquire card provision information from a plurality of card vending machines 900 installed in a store or the like.

Unlike the management server 100, the card vending device 900 does not have the function of providing a game play experience as described above, and is configured to be able to only provide a card when payment is made. That is, when the user uses the card vending device 900, the user does not need to select a mode or play the game, compared to the case of using the game device 200 to obtain cards, and can obtain cards without complicated operations.

<Configuration of Card Vending Device 900>
Next, the functional configuration of the card vending machine 900 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. In the description of the functional configuration of the card vending device 900, the configuration that implements the same functions as those of the management server 100, the game device 200, or the user terminal 300 will be prefixed with "sales" to distinguish it from these configurations.

The vending control unit 901 is, for example, a CPU, and controls the operation of each block of the card vending device 900 . The operation control of each block may be realized, for example, by reading out a program stored in the sales recording medium 902, deploying it in the sales memory 903, and executing it.

The sales recording medium 902 is a recording device such as a non-volatile memory or HDD that can permanently retain data. Sales recording medium 902 stores information such as parameters necessary for the operation of each block in addition to the operation program of each block of card vending device 900 . Sales memory 903 is a storage device used for temporary data storage, such as volatile memory. The sales 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 output in the operation of each block.

A sales payment detection unit 904 detects that payment has been made in the card vending machine 900 . The card vending machine 900 of the present embodiment, like the game machine 200, is configured so that payment can be made in both physical currency and electronic currency, and the sales payment detection unit 904 is configured to be able to detect whether payment has been made for both of these. However, the consideration payment method provided for the card vending machine 900 in the practice of the present invention is not limited to having both of them.

The sales provision control unit 905 performs various processes for providing a card in response to the payment made in the card sales device 900 . The card vending machine 900 of the present embodiment controls the sales providing unit 910 so that the card can be provided in response to the sales payment detection unit 904 detecting that payment has been made. More specifically, when the payment of the consideration is detected, the sales offer control unit 905 controls the sales offer unit 910 to enable card provision, and controls the sales operation input unit 906 to accept operation input.

The sales offering unit 910 is a card dispenser provided inside the housing of the card vending device 900 . The sales providing unit 910 is configured to have a drive mechanism that provides one card held at the bottom of the stocker of the card dispenser, which is driven according to an operation input to the sales operation input unit 906 .

The sales operation input unit 906 may be, for example, a rotatable handle or the like, and is configured to be able to receive a rotation operation when it is in a state where an operation input is possible. The sales operation input unit 906 may be configured such that the rotation operation performed directly transmits power to the driving mechanism of the sales providing unit 910. In this case, the sales providing unit 910 can provide cards without requiring power supply.

The sales communication unit 907 is a communication interface with an external device that the card sales device 900 has. The sales communication unit 907 can be connected to an external device via a communication network such as the Internet or a network 400 that can be a cable that connects devices, and can transmit and receive data. The sales communication unit 907 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 management server 100 via the network 400 . When the sales communication unit 907 receives information from an external device via the network 400 , for example, the sales communication unit 907 decodes the information and stores it in the sales memory 903 .

In this embodiment, the sales communication unit 907 transmits the card provision information to the management server 100. Needless to say, the transmission is performed only when the communication connection between the card sales device 900 and the management server 100 is established. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the communication connection between the management server 100 and the card vending machine 900 is established when the information transmission timing provided at a predetermined time interval is reached, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, similarly to the game device 200 described above, the card vending device 900 may be configured to transmit card offer information each time a card is provided. Alternatively, when the card vending machine 900 is in an off-line state or the communication connection between the card vending machine 900 and the management server 100 is disabled, the card providing information performed during the disabled state may be transmitted when the communication connection is restored.

Since the card vending device 900 is not configured to provide a game play experience, it is assumed that information as to which provided bullet of which game content the provided card is associated with is recorded in the sales recording medium 902 by a predetermined device setting operation or the like.

In such a configuration, the card information provided by the card vending machine 900 is held in the vending memory 903 until the timing of information transmission, and the actual number of cards provided from the previous transmission timing is totaled. Then, when the card provision information having the aggregated actual provision number is transmitted, each processing related to the provision status information update is executed at the timing when the control unit 101 detects the information reception in S602, similarly to the information update processing in FIG. 6, and can be similarly managed. At this time, if the game device 200 and the card vending device 900 are installed side by side in the same store, provision status information may be managed for each.

[Modification 2]
In Embodiments 1 and 2 described above, an embodiment has been described in which the game device 200 and the card vending device 900 are used, which detect that payment has been made, provide a card by itself in response to this, establish a communication connection with the management server 100, and transmit card provision information, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this.

In other words, as a mode of providing cards, for example, a packaged product containing a plurality of cards may be displayed at a store, and the user may bring the product to checkout and pay for it to complete the provision. In this case, in a store or an office that manages a plurality of stores, sales histories are collected via a so-called POS register (point-of-sale information management terminal), so that it is possible to tally the number of sales and sales for each product. Since it is possible to provide such information on the number of sales (actual number of offers) to the supplier (manager) of the store, in the management system of this modified example, the information on the sales status of the cards collected using the point-of-sale information management terminal may be transmitted as card provision information at a predetermined timing determined by the store or the like, or may be acquired, and reflected in the provision status information and inventory management information.

In the second embodiment and modified example 2, it has been explained that information on the status of card provision may be acquired via the card vending machine 900 and the point-of-sale information management terminal. However, considering the frequency at which it is preferable to acquire information on the status of use of the game machines, the frequency of use of each device, the frequency of card provision, etc., the transmission frequency may be controlled to be higher for the game machine. For example, while the transmission frequency of card provision information collected by the card vending device 900 or the point-of-sale information management terminal is set to once a week or the like, the game device may be configured to transmit information for each game play or at least once a day.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. A management system according to the present invention can also be realized by a program that causes one or more computers to function as at least a part of devices of the management system. The program can be provided/distributed by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium or through an electric communication line.

100: management server, 101: control unit, 102: recording medium, 103: memory, 104: provision status DB, 105: inventory management DB, 106: presentation control unit, 107: communication unit, 200: game device, 201: game control unit, 202: game recording medium, 203: game memory, 204: game payment detection unit, 205: game presentation control unit, 206: game operation input unit, 207: game provision Control unit 208: Game communication unit 210: Game display unit 220: Providing unit 300: User terminal 301: Terminal control unit 302: Terminal recording medium 303: Terminal memory 304: Terminal presentation control unit 305: Terminal operation input unit 306: Terminal communication unit 310: Terminal display unit 400: Network 800: Collection server 900: Card vending device 901: Sales control unit 902: Sales recording medium 903: Sales memory 904: Sales payment detection unit 905: Sales offer control unit 906: Sales operation input unit 907: Sales communication unit 910: Sales offer unit

Claims (10)

A management server that manages the provision status of goods provided by a plurality of provision methods in a game device,
Acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the provision status of the item in the game device;
configuration means for configuring presentation information for presenting the provision status of the article, including the provision status for each of the plurality of provision methods, based on the information acquired by the acquisition means;
with
The information indicating the supply status of the item includes store information indicating the store that provides the item and information indicating which of the plurality of provision methods the item was provided,
The management server further comprises prediction means for predicting the expected number of supplies of the goods based on the number of actual supplies of the goods,
The configuration means further comprises a management server configured to configure the information for presentation so as to present the actual number of supplies of the goods and the expected number of supplies of the goods predicted by the prediction means for each store. 2. The management server according to claim 1, wherein said configuration means further configures said information for presentation so as to be able to present said expected number of supplies of said article for each prediction period. 3. The management server according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for notifying at least one of the number of manufacturing orders, the timing of manufacturing orders, the number of shipments, and the timing of shipment of said goods based on said expected supply quantity. 4. The management server according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein said prediction means predicts said expected supply number based on said actual supply number of said article in the same month in the past. 5. The management server according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the prediction means predicts the expected number of supplies based on the transition of the actual number of supplies of the article in the past. 6. The management server according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the item providing method includes a first providing method of providing the item in response to a game play, and a second providing method of providing the item without requiring game play. 7. The management server according to claim 6, wherein the method of providing the item further includes a third method of providing the item in response to payment of an additional consideration when the game is played. The information indicating the provision status of the goods includes information indicating whether payment was made in either physical currency or electronic currency in providing the goods,
8. The management server according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said configuration means further configures said information for presentation so that the provision status of said goods can be presented for each type of currency in which consideration has been paid. A management system including a plurality of game devices that provide goods, and a management server that manages the supply status of the goods provided by a plurality of providing methods in the game machines,
The game device comprises transmission means for transmitting information indicating the provision status of the item in the game device,
The management server comprises acquisition means for acquiring information indicating the provision status of the goods for the plurality of game devices, and configuration means for configuring presentation information for presenting the provision status of the goods, including the provision status for each of the plurality of provision methods, based on the information acquired by the acquisition means,
The information indicating the supply status of the item includes store information indicating the store that provides the item and information indicating which of the plurality of provision methods the item was provided,
The management server further comprises prediction means for predicting the expected number of supplies of the goods based on the number of actual supplies of the goods,
The configuration means further configures the presentation information so as to present the actual supply number of the article and the expected supply number of the article predicted by the prediction means for each store. The management system further includes a user terminal having presentation means for presenting the provision status of the article based on the presentation information,
10. The management system according to claim 9, wherein said configuration means configures said presentation information based on a request from said user terminal.

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