JP7548100B2 - Information processing system and information processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing system and an information processing device.

Conventionally, facilities such as game arcades have been equipped with multiple commercial game devices capable of running game programs.

In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses the provision of a terminal device that integrates multiple arcade game devices (internal terminal devices).

Patent document 2 also discloses a so-called cloud game in which a server device executes a game on behalf of the player's terminal device and transmits the results of that execution to the terminal device, thereby providing the game to the player.

JP 2017-192602 A JP 2020-092877 A

However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, although a terminal device is provided, the game program (application program) is executed by multiple internal terminal devices, and it is costly to provide each of the internal terminal devices with a high-performance control board (control unit) capable of executing the application program.

In addition, with the technology of Patent Document 2, a server device (information processing device) is installed in a location unrelated to the facility, so users who come to the facility cannot use application programs smoothly without worrying about communication speeds.

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and its purpose is to provide an information processing system and information processing device that can reduce the cost of internal terminal devices installed in a facility and allows users who come to the facility to smoothly use application programs using the internal terminal devices.

In order to solve the above problem, an information processing system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of terminal devices installed in a facility, and an information processing device that is installed in the facility and capable of communicating with the plurality of terminal devices and that integrates control units capable of executing a plurality of types of programs, the terminal device displays a selection list of the plurality of types of programs, accepts a selection of one of the plurality of types of programs, and when the selection of the one program is accepted, transmits an execution request for the accepted program to the information processing device, and when the information processing device receives the execution request from the terminal device, causes one of the control units to execute the program corresponding to the execution request.

In addition, in the information processing system according to the second aspect of the present invention, the terminal device transmits type information of the terminal device to the information processing device, and when the information processing device receives the type information from the terminal device, it extracts an application program that corresponds to the received type information from among the multiple types of application programs, and transmits a list of the extracted application programs to the terminal device as the selection list.

In addition, in the information processing system according to the third aspect of the present invention, when the terminal device accepts the selection of the one program, it accepts payment of a usage fee corresponding to the one program, and when it accepts the payment of the usage fee, it transmits the execution request.

In addition, in the information processing system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the information processing device receives the execution request from the terminal device and is unable to execute the program corresponding to the execution request, the information processing device executes a transmission process so that the execution request is transmitted to an information processing device of a facility adjacent to the facility.

In addition, in an information processing system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when the terminal device is an internal terminal device, the information processing device is also capable of communicating with an external terminal device other than the internal terminal device, and the external terminal device displays a selection screen for the plurality of types of programs, accepts the selection of one of the plurality of types of programs, and, upon accepting the selection of the one program, transmits a request to execute the accepted program to the information processing device.

In addition, in the information processing system according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the control unit of the terminal device is used preferentially over the control unit of the information processing device until the program is executed.

In addition, in the information processing system according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the program includes a game program.

In addition, an information processing device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that is installed in a facility where multiple terminal devices are installed and is capable of communicating with the multiple terminal devices, and that accumulates control units capable of executing multiple types of programs, and when a program execution request is received from the terminal device, causes one of the control units to execute the program corresponding to the execution request.

The present invention makes it possible to reduce the cost of the internal terminal devices installed in the facility, and allows users who come to the facility to use the internal terminal devices to smoothly use application programs.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an information processing system. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing device illustrated in FIG. 1. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an internal terminal device illustrated in FIG. 1. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the information processing device illustrated in FIG. 1. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of processing between the information processing system and the internal terminal device when the internal terminal device 12 is started up. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow between the information processing system and the internal terminal device during game play.

Below, several embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. To facilitate understanding of the description, the same components and steps in each drawing will be given the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

<Overall composition>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an overall configuration of an information processing system 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes one or more information processing devices 10 and multiple internal terminal devices 12, and is configured to be connectable to multiple external terminal devices 14. The information processing device 10 and each internal terminal device 12 are communicatively connected to each other, for example, via a local area network N1. The information processing device 10 and each external terminal device 14 are communicatively connected to each other via a communication line N2, such as the Internet or a telephone network.

The information processing device 10 is an information processing device that executes an application program in response to an execution request from an internal terminal device 12 or an external terminal device 14, and transmits the execution result of the application program to the terminal device that originated the request. Examples of this information processing device include server devices, personal computers, and game devices. Examples of application programs include game programs, image processing programs, medical diagnosis programs, and AI programs. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the application program is a game program, and the information processing device 10 executes the game program and provides the execution result, i.e., the game, to the terminal device that originated the request.

The internal terminal device 12 is installed inside a facility S such as a game center or a data center. The internal terminal device 12 is, for example, an arcade game device, but is equipped with a cheaper control board (game board) than the information processing device 10. The internal terminal device 12 provides a game to the user by receiving and displaying the execution results of a game program from the information processing device 10. Note that there may be multiple types of internal terminal devices 12, such as for shooting games, racing games, fighting games, etc. Also, there is not just one facility S, but multiple facilities such as S1 and S2, and information processing devices 10 and internal terminal devices 12 are installed in each facility in the same way, and are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a local area network similar to that of the facility S.

The external terminal device 14 is a terminal device other than the internal terminal device 12 that is located outside the facility S, and examples of such devices include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal computer, and a tablet. This external terminal device 14 provides a game to the user by transmitting operation information to the information processing device 10 and receiving and displaying the results of the execution of a game program from the information processing device 10.

<Hardware Configuration>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 illustrated in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device 10 includes a control board 20 as a control unit, an external storage device 22, and a communication device 24. The control board 20, the external storage device 22, and the communication device 24 are electrically connected via a bus B1.

The control board 20 is a board with higher performance and higher cost than the control board of the internal terminal device 12, and is integrated in the information processing device 10. Specifically, it is preferable that the control board 20 is integrated in the same number as or more than the number of the internal terminal devices 12. This control board 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 20A, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) 20B, a memory 20C, and an internal storage device 20D. The CPU 20A is capable of executing an application program 26, and is high performance enough to smoothly execute, for example, a game program with heavy processing. The GPU 20B is a processor specialized for real-time image processing, such as games, and is high performance and higher cost than that of the internal terminal device 12. The memory 20C is a storage device that temporarily expands the application program 26 executed by the CPU 20A. The internal storage device 20D is composed of a hard disk or the like. This internal storage device 20D stores multiple types of application programs 26, such as app A and app B, depending on the facility S and demand. In this embodiment, the application programs 26 are game programs.

The external storage device 22 is composed of a hard disk or the like. This external storage device 22 stores a number of application programs 26 equal to or greater than the number of application programs 26 stored in the internal storage device 20D. Although it depends on the storage capacity of each storage device, for example, if the number of application programs 26 stored in the internal storage device 20D is around 2 or 30, the number of application programs 26 stored in the external storage device 22 is 100 or more. The application programs 26 stored in this external storage device 22 are installed into the internal storage device 20D as necessary, such as when the user uses them.

The communication device 24 is configured with a communication interface for communicating with an external device. The communication device 24 transmits and receives various information between the internal terminal device 12, for example.

In addition, the information processing device 10 may be composed of a single information processing device, or may be composed of multiple information processing devices distributed over a communication network. Also, FIG. 2 shows only a part of the main hardware configuration of the information processing device 10, and the information processing device 10 may have other configurations that are generally included in, for example, a server device.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the internal terminal device 12 shown in Figure 1. The external terminal device 14 may also have a similar hardware configuration to that of the internal terminal device 12 described below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the internal terminal device 12 includes a control board 30, an external storage device 32, an operation device 34, a display device 36, and a communication device 38. The control board 30, the external storage device 32, the operation device 34, the display device 36, and the communication device 38 are electrically connected via a bus B2.

The control board 30 includes a CPU 30A and a memory 30B. The CPU 30A is less expensive and has lower performance than the CPU 20A. This CPU 30A is capable of playing advertising videos and the like. The memory 30B is capable of temporarily expanding programs. Note that the control board 30 may include a GPU, similar to the control board 20.

The external storage device 32 stores data such as advertising videos.

The operation device 34 receives user operations and inputs the operation information to the internal terminal device 12. This operation device 34 may be prepared according to the type of the internal terminal device 12.

The display device 36 displays the results of execution of the application program 26, for example, game images. This display device 36 may be prepared according to the type of internal terminal device 12.

The communication device 38 is configured with a communication interface for communicating with an external device. The communication device 38 transmits and receives various information between the information processing device 10, for example.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the information processing device 10 illustrated in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 10 has, as its functional configuration, a storage unit 40, a generating unit 52, an adjusting unit 54, and an executing unit 56. These functional configurations are realized by the control board 20 executing a program.

The storage means 40 has a function of storing an application list 40A and a correspondence table 40B. The application list 40A describes a list of application programs 26 stored in the internal storage device 20D and a list of application programs 26 stored in the external storage device 22. The correspondence table 40B describes the corresponding (executable) application programs 26 for each type information indicating the type of the internal terminal device 12 or the external terminal device 14.

The generating means 52 has a function of generating a selection image including a selection list of application programs 26. Specifically, when the generating means 52 receives type information of the internal terminal device 12 or the external terminal device 14, it extracts an application program 26 corresponding to the received type information from the correspondence table 40B, and further extracts an application program 26 that matches the extracted application program 26 from the app list 40A. Next, the generating means 52 generates a selection list of the extracted application programs 26.

The adjustment means 54 has the function of selecting a control board that executes the application program 26 from among the multiple control boards 20, and adjusting other executable information processing devices when all the control boards 20 are running, and transferring an execution request to the adjusted information processing device 10.

The execution means 56 has a function of executing the application program 26 related to the execution request in response to an execution request from the internal terminal device 12 or the external terminal device 14, and transmitting the execution result to the terminal device that originated the request.

<Startup process flow>
5 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing between the information processing device 10 and the internal terminal device 12 when the internal terminal device 12 is started up. Note that the order and contents of the following processing can be changed as appropriate.

(Step SP10)
The internal terminal device 12 judges whether or not it has just been started up. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP12, and if the judgment is negative, the series of processes shown in FIG. 5 ends.

(Step SP12)
The internal terminal device 12 acquires type information indicating the type of the internal terminal device 12, for example, from the external storage device 32. Then, the process proceeds to step SP14.

(Step SP14)
The internal terminal device 12 transmits the acquired type information to the information processing device 10. Then, the process proceeds to step SP16.

(Step SP16)
The information processing device 10 receives type information from the internal terminal device 12. In response to this, the generating means 52 of the information processing device 10 extracts an application program 26 corresponding to the received type information from the correspondence table 40B, and further extracts an application program 26 that matches the extracted application program 26 from the application list 40A. Next, the generating means 52 generates a selection list of the extracted application programs 26. Then, the process proceeds to step SP18.

(Step SP18)
The generating means 52 generates a selection image including the generated selection list, and the process proceeds to step SP20.

(Step SP20)
The generating means 52 transmits the generated selected image to the internal terminal device 12. Then, the process proceeds to step SP22.

(Step SP22)
The internal terminal device 12 receives the selected image from the information processing device 10. Then, the process proceeds to step SP24.

(Step SP24)
The internal terminal device 12 stores the received selected image in the external storage device 32. Then, the process proceeds to step SP26.

(Step SP26)
The internal terminal device 12 displays the game or non-game advertisement video until it receives a user operation, which will be described later.

<Processing flow during gameplay>
6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing between the information processing device 10 and the internal terminal device 12 during game play. Note that the order and content of the following processing can be changed as appropriate. The flow of processing between the information processing device 10 and the external terminal device 14 during game play is also similar to the following.

(Step SP30)
The internal terminal device 12 judges whether or not the user has operated the operation device 34. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP32, and if the judgment is negative, the series of processes shown in FIG. 6 ends.

(Step SP32)
The internal terminal device 12 displays the selected image stored in the external storage device 32 on the display device 36. Then, the process proceeds to step SP34.

(Step SP34)
The internal terminal device 12 accepts the selection of one game program from among the multiple types of application programs 26 (game programs in this embodiment) shown in the selection list displayed in the selection image via the operation device 34. Then, the process proceeds to step SP36.

(Step SP36)
The internal terminal device 12 determines a usage fee (play fee) according to the one game program for which the selection has been accepted. Next, the internal terminal device 12 displays the determined usage fee on the display device 36. Then, the process proceeds to step SP38. Note that the usage fee differs for each game program, but it may be the same. In this case, the process of determining the usage fee can be omitted. Also, this process of determining the usage fee may be performed by the information processing device 10.

(Step SP38)
The internal terminal device 12 accepts the payment of the usage fee by the user. After the payment is accepted, the process proceeds to step SP40.
In addition, in steps SP32 to SP38, when the selected image is displayed, since no fee has been paid at this point, each application program may be displayed in a semi-transparent or grayish color in an unselectable state, and when the fee has been paid, only the applications that can be used with that fee may be changed to a normal color or display and made selectable.

(Step SP40)
The internal terminal device 12 transmits an execution request for the selected game program to the information processing device 10. Then, the process proceeds to step SP42.

(Step SP42)
The information processing device 10 receives an execution request from the internal terminal device 12. In response to this, the adjustment means 54 of the information processing device 10 judges whether or not the requested game program is executable, based on the operating status of the control board 20. If the judgment is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP46, and if the judgment is negative, the process proceeds to step SP44.

(Step SP44)
The adjustment means 54 executes a transmission process so that the execution request is transmitted to the information processing device of the facility nearby the facility S. Specifically, each information processing device 10 stores facility information (distance information, number of information processing devices 10, etc.) regarding other facilities having a similar information processing system, and based on this, the information processing device 10 identifies the facility nearby the facility S where the information processing device 10 is installed (the information processing device installed therein) and inquires whether the execution is possible there. Next, if the execution is possible, the adjustment means 54 transfers the execution request to the information processing device set in the facility nearby the facility S. Note that the information processing device 10 may not transfer the execution request, and may instruct the internal terminal device 12 to retransmit the execution request to the information processing device set in the facility nearby the facility S without going through the information processing device 10 of the facility S. In this case, the transmission and reception of operation information, game images, etc. with the information processing device set in the facility nearby the facility S is also performed without going through the information processing device 10 of the facility S.

(Step SP46)
The adjustment means 54 determines one of the integrated control boards 20 from the standpoint of efficiency and processing speed based on the game program related to the received execution request. Then, the processing proceeds to step SP48.

(Step SP48)
The adjustment means 54 judges whether or not the game program related to the received execution request is installed in the internal storage device 20D of the determined one of the control boards, and if the judgement is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SP52, and if the judgement is negative, the process proceeds to step SP50.

(Step SP50)
The adjustment means 54 installs the game program related to the received execution request from the external storage device 22 into the internal storage device 20D of the determined one of the control boards. Then, the processing proceeds to step SP52.

(Step SP52)
The execution means 56 loads the game program related to the execution request, which is installed on one of the control boards, into the memory 20C of that control board, causes the CPU 20A and GPU 20B to execute it, and transmits the execution result (game video) to the internal terminal device 12 that originated the request. Then, the process proceeds to step SP54.

(Step SP54)
The internal terminal device 12 receives the game image from the information processing device 10. In response to this, the internal terminal device 12 displays the game image on the display device 36. Then, the processing proceeds to step SP56.

(Steps SP56 and SP58)
The internal terminal device 12 accepts operations by the user via the operation device 34. Operation information of the accepted operation is transmitted to the information processing device 10, and the information processing device 10 progresses the game based on the operation information. The user plays the game by repeating the processes of steps SP56 and SP58.

＜Effects＞
As described above, in this embodiment, the information processing system 1 includes a plurality of internal terminal devices 12 installed in a facility S, and an information processing device 10 that is installed in the facility S and capable of communicating with the plurality of internal terminal devices 12, and that integrates a control board 20 (control unit) that has higher performance than the control board 30 of the internal terminal device 12 and is capable of executing a plurality of types of application programs 26. The internal terminal device 12 displays a selection list of the plurality of types of application programs 26, accepts selection of one application program from the plurality of types of application programs, and when the selection of the one application program is accepted, transmits an execution request for the accepted application program to the information processing device 10, and when the information processing device 10 receives an execution request from the internal terminal device 12, it causes any one of the control boards 20 to execute a program corresponding to the execution request.
According to this configuration, the information processing device 10 executes the application program 26, so it is possible to eliminate the control board 30 of the internal terminal device 12 or to simply prepare a low-performance, inexpensive control board 30, thereby reducing the cost of the internal terminal device. In addition, since the information processing device 10 is installed in the facility S, the internal terminal device 12 and the information processing device 10 can communicate with each other via the local area network N1, and users who come to the facility S can use the internal terminal device 12 to smoothly use the application program 26 without worrying about communication speeds.

In addition, in this embodiment, the internal terminal device 12 transmits type information of the internal terminal device 12 to the information processing device 10, and when the information processing device 10 receives type information from the internal terminal device 12, it extracts an application program from the multiple types of application programs 26 that corresponds to the received type information, and transmits the list of the extracted application programs to the internal terminal device 12 as a selection list.
Here, since the input devices and display devices may differ for each type of internal terminal device 12, some internal terminal devices 12 may not be able to properly execute application programs. However, since the information processing device 10 extracts application programs corresponding to the received type information from among the multiple types of application programs 26, those that can properly execute the application programs are described in the selection list. Therefore, the user can comfortably use the application programs 26.

In this embodiment, the application programs include game programs.
Here, if the application program 26 is a game program, the input devices and display devices may differ significantly for each type of internal terminal device 12, and even if the game program is executed by the information processing device 10, the game may not match the internal terminal device 12 and the user may not be able to play the game comfortably. However, since the information processing device 10 extracts a game program that corresponds to the received type information from among multiple types of game programs, those that can be properly executed are described in the selection list. Therefore, the user can play the game comfortably.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the internal terminal device 12 accepts the selection of an application program 26, it accepts payment of the usage fee corresponding to that application program 26, and when it accepts payment of the usage fee, it sends an execution request.
According to this configuration, compared to a case where the selection of one application program 26 is accepted after the payment of the usage fee is accepted, the trouble of having to carry out a refund process for the usage fee when the desired application program 26 is not available can be reduced.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the information processing device 10 receives an execution request from the internal terminal device 12 and the application program 26 corresponding to the execution request cannot be executed, the information processing device 10 executes a transmission process so that the execution request is sent to an information processing device of a facility nearby the facility S.
This configuration can reduce the trouble of having to refund the usage fee when the application program 26 cannot be used.

In the present embodiment, the information processing device 10 can also communicate with the external terminal device 14 other than the internal terminal device 12. The external terminal device 14 displays a selection screen for a plurality of types of application programs 26, accepts the selection of one of the plurality of types of application programs 26, and transmits an execution request for the accepted application program to the information processing device 10 when the selection of the one application program is accepted. When playing a game on the external terminal device 14, it is necessary to install a dedicated application in advance or access a dedicated portal site or the like with a browser. The dedicated application or portal site displays the stores where the information processing device 10 is installed, and the player selects a desired store and then selects a desired application from the store. Alternatively, the desired application may be selected first, and then a store capable of executing the application may be selected.
According to this configuration, the user can play a game provided at facility S on the external terminal device 14 without going to facility S.

<Modification>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In other words, even if a person skilled in the art appropriately modifies the above-described embodiment, the same will be included in the scope of the present invention as long as the features of the present invention are included. In addition, the elements of the above-described embodiment and the modified examples described below can be combined to the extent technically possible, and the combination of these elements will be included in the scope of the present invention as long as the features of the present invention are included.

For example, in the above embodiment, it has been explained that the usage fee may be determined by the information processing device 10, but it is preferable to give priority to using the control board 30 of the internal terminal device 12 over the control board 20 of the information processing device 10 before the application program 26 is executed. Even after the game actually starts, it is preferable to give priority to using the control board 30 of the internal terminal device 12 for processing the menu screen, character setting screen, character formation screen, and the like. This is to conserve the information processing resources (control board 20) of the information processing device 10.
For this purpose, the program and data are downloaded from the information processing device 10 or a separately prepared server device (not shown) so that the internal terminal device 12 executes part of the functions of the application program 26. The download may be performed in advance and stored in the memory 30B of the internal terminal device 12 or the external storage device 32, but if the capacity is small, it may be downloaded each time. Note that the latter is preferable when using the external terminal device 14. The switching between the processing of the information processing device 10 and the processing of the internal terminal device 12 is realized by transmitting information required for the process transfer to the device to be transferred when the program executed in each device ends its function, and executing (resuming) the program on the device side that received the information.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the information processing device 10 transfers an execution request when the information processing device 10 is not capable of execution. However, even if the game program is executable, if the corresponding game program is not installed in the internal storage device 20D and needs to be installed from the external storage device 22 to the internal storage device 20D, the execution request may be transferred since the installation is likely to take time.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the internal terminal device 12 is described as having a control board 30, but the internal terminal device 12 does not necessarily have to have the control board 30.

1: Information processing system, 10: Information processing device, 12: Internal terminal device (terminal device), 14: External terminal device, 20: Control board (control unit)

Claims (8)

A plurality of terminal devices installed in a facility;
an information processing device that is installed in the facility and is capable of communicating with the plurality of terminal devices, the information processing device integrating a control unit that is capable of executing a plurality of types of programs;
Equipped with
the terminal device displays a selection list of the plurality of types of programs, accepts selection of one of the plurality of types of programs, and when the selection of the one program is accepted, transmits an execution request for the accepted program to the information processing device;
When the information processing device receives the execution request from the terminal device, the information processing device causes one of the control units to execute a program corresponding to the execution request.
Information processing system. The terminal device transmits type information of the terminal device to the information processing device,
when the information processing device receives the type information from the terminal device, extracts an application program corresponding to the received type information from among the plurality of types of application programs, and transmits a list of the extracted application programs to the terminal device as the selection list.
The information processing system according to claim 1 . The program includes a game program.
The information processing system according to claim 2 . when the terminal device accepts the selection of the one program, it accepts payment of a usage fee corresponding to the one program, and when it accepts the payment of the usage fee, it transmits the execution request.
The information processing system according to claim 3 . when the information processing device receives the execution request from the terminal device and is unable to execute a program corresponding to the execution request, the information processing device executes a transmission process so as to transmit the execution request to an information processing device of a facility adjacent to the facility.
The information processing device according to claim 4. When the terminal device is an internal terminal device,
the information processing device is capable of communicating with an external terminal device other than the internal terminal device,
the external terminal device displays a selection screen of the plurality of types of programs, accepts selection of one of the plurality of types of programs, and when the selection of the one program is accepted, transmits an execution request for the accepted program to the information processing device.
6. An information processing system according to claim 1. Prior to the program being executed, the control unit of the terminal device is preferentially used over the control unit of the information processing device.
5. An information processing system according to claim 1. An information processing device that is installed in a facility in which a plurality of terminal devices are installed and is capable of communicating with the plurality of terminal devices,
A control unit capable of executing a plurality of types of programs is integrated,
When a program execution request is received from the terminal device, the program corresponding to the execution request is executed by any one of the control units.
Information processing device.

Images