JP7742081B2 - Moving objects and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technique and/or a program for a mobile object that is rented out at a station that serves as a storage location and/or a system for renting out the mobile object .

Technology already exists for advertising by using moving objects moving in physical space as a source of advertising information.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which an individual drives a vehicle and moves it around in real space, using the vehicle to carry out advertising activities.

Specifically, according to the technology described in this document, an advertising unit (e.g., a sticker advertising products from a company selected by the individual) and an identification unit (e.g., a barcode for identifying the individual) are attached to an individual's vehicle.

When the vehicle arrives at a specific facility, the vehicle's identification unit is read by a device installed at the specific facility. As a result, it becomes clear that the vehicle has arrived at the specific facility (that the driver of the vehicle is conducting advertising activities) and who the driver of the vehicle is. The driver is then given a coupon, discount, or other benefit valid for future product purchases as compensation for their advertising activities.

Special Publication No. 2003-514256

In response to the technology described in Patent Document 1, the present inventor has proposed a pursuit game in which a player pursues a target that moves randomly in real space, and in return for capturing the target, the player receives a reward.

Furthermore, the inventor has proposed a business model using this tracking game in which, when a player captures a target, the target provides advertising information to the player, and in return, the player receives profits from the advertiser of that advertising information, the company sponsoring the tracking game.

Based on the above findings, the present invention has been made with the objective of providing technology and/or a program for a new mobile object to be rented out at a station as a storage location and/or a new system for renting out the mobile object .

In order to solve the problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile object that is rented out at a station as a storage location, the mobile object comprising:
a positioning unit for measuring the current position of the moving object;
a transmitter that transmits location information representing the measured current location;
a short-range wireless communication unit having a function of transmitting a signal representing identification information unique to the moving object, the signal being capable of measuring a reception distance , in a state in which the signal can be received by a mobile terminal using a short-range communication method ;
The mobile terminal determines whether the mobile terminal has approached within a predetermined distance of the moving object based on the signal received from the short-range wireless communication unit, and if it determines that such approach has occurred, a moving object is provided that displays on the screen of the mobile terminal an indication that the mobile terminal has approached the moving object, with the respective figures overlaid on a map, based on the current position of the moving object based on the position information received from the transmission unit and the current position of the mobile terminal measured by the positioning function of the mobile terminal .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program executed by a computer of the mobile terminal used together with the moving object, the program comprising:
a function of determining whether the mobile terminal has approached within a predetermined distance from the moving object based on the signal received from the short-range wireless communication unit;
a function of the mobile terminal, when it is determined that the approach has occurred, displaying on the screen of the mobile terminal that the mobile terminal has approached the moving object based on the current position of the moving object based on the position information received from the transmitting unit and the current position of the mobile terminal measured by a positioning function of the mobile terminal, in such a way that respective figures are overlaid on a map;
A program executed by the computer to achieve the above is provided.

The present invention provides the following aspects. Each aspect is divided into paragraphs, each numbered, and described in a format that cites the numbers of other paragraphs as necessary. This is to facilitate understanding of some of the technical features and combinations thereof that may be employed by the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the technical features and combinations thereof that may be employed by the present invention to the following aspects. In other words, it should be understood that technical features that are not described in the following aspects but are described in this specification may be appropriately extracted and employed as technical features of the present invention.

Furthermore, describing each paragraph in a format that references the number of another paragraph does not necessarily mean that the technical features described in each paragraph cannot be separated and made independent from the technical features described in other paragraphs, and it should be interpreted that the technical features described in each paragraph can be made independent as appropriate depending on their nature.

(1) A tracking game system that enables a player to play a tracking game in which the player tracks a target that moves randomly in real space in the same real space, and when the player captures the target, the player receives a reward in return,
a target positioning unit is mounted on the target to measure a current position of the target and transmit target position information representing the measured current position of the target to the player's mobile terminal in real time by broadcasting;
The mobile terminal
a player positioning unit that measures the current position of the mobile device as the current position of the player;
a display unit that displays, on a screen of the mobile terminal, the measured current player position and the current target position based on target position information received from the target;
a detection unit that detects that the mobile terminal has captured the target; and

(2) The target positioning unit includes a GPS positioning unit that measures the current position of the target,
The tracking game system according to (1), wherein the player positioning unit includes a GPS positioning unit that measures the current position of the player.

(3) The target positioning unit includes a transmitter that transmits a signal representing an identification code unique to the target in a state that can be received by the mobile terminal using a short-range communication method,
The tracking game system described in (1) or (2) is configured such that the detection unit authenticates the target on which the transmitter is mounted from the signal received from the transmitter, measures the distance between the target and the mobile terminal, and detects the capture if the measured distance is shorter than a predetermined distance.

(4) The mobile device of each player transmits player position information indicating the current position of the player to the mobile devices of the other players, and receives other player position information indicating the current positions of the other players from the mobile devices of the other players;
the portable terminal of each player displays the current positions of the other players on the screen together with the current position of the player himself/herself and the current position of the target based on the received position information of the other players;
A tracking game system described in any one of (1) to (3), in which if each player's mobile terminal captures the target earlier than any other player, that player becomes the winner and receives the prize.

(5) The tracking game system described in any of (1) to (4) further includes a direct advertising device that, when a player captures one of the targets, directly provides advertising information that has been pre-assigned to that target to the player who captured that target.

(6) The tracking game system described in paragraph (5) is configured such that the direct advertising providing device is mounted on a management server capable of communicating with the mobile terminal, and upon receiving the capture from the mobile terminal, transmits data representing the advertising information via unicast to the mobile terminal of the player who captured the target.

(7) The tracking game system described in any of (1) to (6) further includes a random advertising device mounted on each target that randomly displays advertising information previously assigned to that target to an unspecified number of potential consumers located near the target, regardless of whether they are the player who captured the target.

(8) A Chase game system described in any of paragraphs (1) to (7), wherein the reward has a value that increases according to the degree to which a sponsor of the Chase game financially supports the Chase game.

(9) A tracking game system described in any of (1) to (8), wherein the benefit includes data displaying a mascot character unique to the target, or a gift certificate, coupon, or discount voucher for purchasing goods or services, or the right to any of these.

(10) A tracking game system described in any of (1) to (9), in which the reward has a value that increases according to the time or distance traveled from the time the player discovers the target on the mobile device to the time the target is captured.

(11) Data that can be read by a reader of the mobile terminal is attached to the target;
The tracking game system according to any one of (1) to (10), wherein the detection unit detects the capture when the reader reads the data.

(12) A program executed by the computer of a mobile terminal to implement the mobile terminal described in any one of (1) to (11).

The term "program" in this and other sections can be interpreted, for example, to mean a combination of instructions executed by a computer to perform its functions, or to include not only that combination of instructions but also the files and data processed in accordance with each instruction, but is not limited to such.

Furthermore, this program may be executed by a computer on its own to achieve its intended purpose, or may be executed by a computer together with other programs to achieve its intended purpose, but is not limited to these. In the latter case, the program referred to in this paragraph may be, but is not limited to, one that is primarily based on data.

(13) A recording medium on which the program described in (12) is recorded in a computer-readable manner.

This recording medium can take various forms, including, but not limited to, magnetic recording media such as flexible disks, optical recording media such as CDs and CD-ROMs, magneto-optical recording media such as MOs, and non-removable storage such as ROMs.

(14) A pursuit game system described in any one of (1) to (11), in which the target is a moving object moving in physical space.

(15) A tracking game system as described in paragraph (14), wherein the moving objects include bicycles, automobiles, motorcycles, recreational or racing go-karts, shopping carts, strollers, pushchairs, wheelchairs, or golf carts, each of which is stored for rental at a corresponding station.

(16) A tracking game system described in paragraph (15), in which the moving object includes a rental bicycle rented to a renter.

(17) A tracking game system as described in (16), in which, when the rental bicycle is captured by any player, a second benefit is granted to the renter of the captured rental bicycle.

(18) An advertising system that uses a moving object moving in a physical space as a source of visual advertising information to advertise to an unspecified number of passersby in the vicinity of the moving object,
The moving object,
an advertisement display device that visually displays the advertisement information;
a moving object positioning unit that measures the current position of the moving object from time to time;
a transmitting unit that broadcasts moving object position information indicating the current position of the moving object to multiple mobile terminals in real time;
On each passerby's mobile device,
a receiving unit for receiving the moving object position information;
a passerby positioning unit that measures the current location of the mobile terminal as the current location of a passerby;
a display unit that displays the measured current position of a passerby and the current position of a moving object based on the received moving object position information on a screen of the mobile terminal;
a detection unit that detects that the mobile terminal has captured the moving object;
When the capture is detected, a predetermined benefit is given to passersby using each mobile terminal that captures the moving object.

This advertising system relates to a technology for advertising by using moving objects that move in physical space as a source of visual advertising information.

Here, "moving objects moving in physical space" may be natural objects (e.g., humans or animals that have mobility) or man-made objects (e.g., industrial products that have mobility). Furthermore, the "physical space" in question may exist on land, in the air, on the sea, underwater, or in outer space.

Furthermore, this advertising system aims to spread advertising information to multiple potential consumers with a higher degree of penetration by distributing it to each potential consumer in a way that is more likely to attract the attention of potential consumers than when advertising using mass media (a method that narrows the advertising target demographic to one that can share the same advertising information at any given moment compared to when using mass media), and by transmitting it to each potential consumer via their mobile device.

As a result, this advertising system makes it possible to utilize existing communications infrastructure and transmit advertising information to multiple potential consumers with high efficiency, making it easier to achieve significant advertising effectiveness relative to advertising costs.

(19) The advertising system described in paragraph (18), wherein the moving object is an artificial object, and the artificial object includes a bicycle, an automobile, a motorcycle, a recreational or racing go-kart, a shopping cart, a stroller, a pushchair, a wheelchair, or a golf cart.

(20) An advertising system according to (18) or (19), wherein the advertising display device is mounted on the moving object and includes a display object that displays the advertising information as a still image, or a display device (e.g., a liquid crystal display) that displays the advertising information as a moving image.

(21) The advertising system described in any of items (18) to (20) further includes an advertising information transmission unit that is installed in a management server capable of communicating with each mobile terminal and that, when the moving object is captured by any mobile terminal, directly transmits data representing the advertising information and/or other advertising information to that mobile terminal using a unicast method (a method of transmitting to a specified destination).

(22) A program executed by the computer of a mobile terminal to implement the mobile terminal described in any of items (18) to (21).

(23) A recording medium on which the program described in (22) is recorded in a computer-readable manner.

FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually illustrating a chase game system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, together with how a player uses the system to play a chase game.

2(a) to 2(c) are diagrams conceptually showing the change over time of the image displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal while the pursuit game shown in FIG. 1 is being played.

FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing the hardware configuration of the entire system shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram conceptually showing the hardware configuration of the target-related subsystem SBT shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram conceptually showing the hardware configuration of the transmitter shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart conceptually showing an example of a program (hereinafter also referred to as an "application"; the same applies to other programs) executed by the computer of the transmitter shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart conceptually showing an example of a program executed by the processor of the GPS controller shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram conceptually showing the mobile terminal shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram conceptually showing, in table form, the station data file stored in the station data memory in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a diagram conceptually showing, in table form, the bicycle data files stored in the bicycle data memory in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram conceptually showing the management server shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart conceptually illustrating an example of a pursuit game application executed by the mobile terminal and the management server, respectively.

Below, several exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 conceptually illustrates a tracking game system (hereinafter simply referred to as the "system") 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The system 10 makes it possible to play a tracking game. In general, the tracking game is a game in which a player tracks a target that moves randomly in real space using positioning and communication devices mounted on both the target and the player. In this tracking game, if the player captures the target, the player receives a reward in return.

Here, a "target" is a moving object that moves in physical space, and the moving object may be a natural object (for example, a human being or an animal that has mobility) or an artificial object (for example, an industrial product that has mobility). Furthermore, the "physical space" may exist on land, in the air, on the sea, underwater, or in outer space.

Specifically, the tracking game is executed so that a player, who is a user of a portable terminal 90 having a GPS receiver 152 (see FIG. 8 ), uses the portable terminal 90 to virtually track a target rental bicycle 12 on a screen while also tracking it in real space.

Figure 2 conceptually shows a typical series of images displayed on the screen of the player's mobile terminal 90 in chronological order while the pursuit game is being played.

Here, the phrase "the player captures the target" can be interpreted to mean, for example, that the player approaches the target within arm's reach or within a specified range of closer than 1 m, 2 m, 3 m, 4 m, or 5 m, or that the player makes contact with the target directly with their hand or indirectly via their mobile terminal 90.

The modes in which this chase game is played include a solo play mode in which one player plays alone with no other players present, and a competitive mode in which multiple players compete against each other. Each player can choose between these two modes.

In this embodiment, the tracking game is not played purely as a tracking game, but also with the purpose of using the target, a moving object, as a source of visual advertising information to advertise to the moving object or to an unspecified number of passersby in the vicinity of the moving object. In that sense, this system 10 is also an advertising system.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the target is a moving object driven by an individual who is not an advertising agent, and in one example, is a rental bicycle (an example of an industrial product or man-made object as a moving object) 12 rented out at a station not shown. When the user has finished using the rental bicycle 12, the user returns it to the same station from which it was rented or to a different station.

The renter of the rental bicycle 12 is notified in advance that there is a possibility that he or she may be pursued by the player in the pursuit game. Therefore, the renter of the rental bicycle 12 does not have to experience the frightening situation of suddenly being pursued by the player while driving. However, such advance notice to the renter of the possibility of pursuit is not essential to implementing the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hardware configuration of the system 10 includes a target-related subsystem SBT associated with the target, a player-related subsystem SBP associated with the player, and a management center-related subsystem SBM associated with the management center 40.

The target-related subsystem SBT has parts that are directly related to the tracking game and parts that are not directly related to the tracking game.

The portion directly related to the tracking game is configured to constantly acquire target position information in real time and transmit the latest position information to multiple players using a broadcast method (a method of transmitting information indiscriminately without specifying a destination). Specifically, the portion directly related to the tracking game includes a GPS positioning unit 28 and a transmitter 30, as described in detail below.

On the other hand, the part not directly related to the tracking game includes an advertising display device 32 (see Figure 1), which in one example is a display (e.g., printed matter) mounted on the target that displays advertising information as a still image, or a display device (e.g., a liquid crystal display) that displays advertising information as a moving image. The advertising display device 32 is a mobile advertising medium that moves with the target, and is also an example of the aforementioned "random advertising device."

One example of an advertising display device 32 is a printed advertising medium attached to the front (and/or side) of a storage basket 34 attached to the rental bicycle 12, as shown in Figure 1.

Here, referring to Figures 1 and 2, the basic content of the pursuit game will be explained. The target exists at any position in real space at any moment. The target's position information is broadcast from time to time to multiple players. In Figure 1, this position information includes a GPS positioning signal capable of both short-range and long-range communication, transmitted from GPS positioning unit 28, and a transmitter signal capable of only short-range communication, transmitted from transmitter 30, but it may also be a GPS positioning signal only.

When each player's mobile device 90 receives the location information (at this stage, only the GPS positioning signal), the mobile device 90 attempts to display on the screen of the mobile device 90 the player's current location based on the GPS positioning signal (shown as a black triangle in the figure), as well as the target's current location (shown as a black circle in the figure).

2(a), the current position of the player and the current position of the target will start to appear simultaneously, usually by chance, on the screen of the mobile terminal 90. This is the timing when the player first discovers the target in his or her vicinity, and also the timing when the current tracking starts.

Next, as shown in Figure 2(b), the player moves across the ground by, for example, walking, riding a bicycle, or driving a car, in order to track the randomly moving target in real space. During this time, the player sequentially acquires the position information (even at this stage, only GPS positioning signals) from the target, and this position information helps the player approach the target.

Eventually, as shown in Figure 2(c), the player makes direct visual contact with the target and actually finds it in real space.

As the player approaches the target, the player and mobile terminal 90 enter the effective reception area (for example, a distance range of 0 m (when in contact with the transmitter 30) to 2 m) centered on the target's transmitter 30. Prior to entering the effective reception area, the mobile terminal 90 has already begun receiving transmitter signals. This is because the transmitter 30 is assigned a receivable area (maximum reception area) that is wider than the effective reception area. When the mobile terminal 90 enters the effective reception area, it is determined that the mobile terminal 90 has captured the target.

When the pursuit game is played in single-player mode, if a player captures the target, the player will receive a reward in return. Motivated by the reward, players are expected to actively participate in the pursuit game.

In one example, the benefit is that the mobile device 90 receives data from the management server 50 displaying a mascot character specific to the target, and the player gains the right to display that mascot character on the screen of the mobile device 90.

In another example, the benefit is a gift certificate, coupon, discount voucher, or right thereto for the purchase of goods or services, or cash or a redeemable ticket.

In yet another example, the reward has a value that increases depending on the time or distance traveled by the player from the time the player discovers the target on the mobile device 90 to the time the player captures the target.

In yet another example, the reward has a value that increases the more the sponsor of the Pursuit game (or the sponsor of the bicycle rental business) financially supports the Pursuit game.

In yet another example, once a player captures a target, the player is expected to view the advertising display device 32 on the target rental bicycle 12 and obtain advertising information. As a result, the rental bicycle 12 is expected to function as a mobile advertising medium. In this example, the advertising display device 32 constitutes an example of the aforementioned "random advertising provision device."

In yet another example, when the management server 50 receives from the mobile device 90 that a player has captured the target, the management server 50 unicasts data representing advertising information to the player's mobile device 90. As a result, the player also receives the additional benefit of obtaining advertising information that is only available to players who have captured the target.

In this example, the part of the management server 50 that responds to the capture and individually transmits advertising information data via unicast to the mobile device 90 of the player who successfully captured the data constitutes an example of the "direct advertising provision device."

In contrast, when the tracking game is played in a battle mode, each player's mobile device 90 transmits player position information indicating the player's current position to the other players' mobile devices 90, and receives other player position information indicating the other players' current positions from the other players' mobile devices 90.

Based on the received other player's position information, each player's mobile device 90 displays the other player's current location on the screen, along with the player's current location and the target's current location. If a player captures the target with their own mobile device 90 earlier than any of the other players, that player becomes the winner and receives the aforementioned benefits.

Next, we will explain the aforementioned target-related subsystem SBT in detail by referring to Figure 4.

As mentioned above, the target-related subsystem SBT has a GPS positioning unit 28 as a target positioning unit that measures the current position of the target.

The GPS positioning unit 28 includes a GPS receiver 42 that receives GPS signals from multiple GPS satellites, a GPS controller 44 that controls the GPS receiver 42, and a communication device 46 that broadcasts a signal representing the target's current position measured based on the received GPS signal as a GPS positioning signal to the player's mobile device 90 in real time.

The target-related subsystem SBT further includes a transmitter 30, as described above. The transmitter 30 is configured to transmit a signal representing an identification code unique to the target as a transmitter signal in a state that can be received by the mobile terminal 90 via a short-range communication method.

<Transmitter>

The transmitter 30 actively transmits a unique identification signal locally without the need for an external trigger signal, and continuously as long as there is no power shortage.

Transmitter 30 is a device generally known as a beacon device, radio beacon, or other device that emits a beacon signal as an identification signal. In one example, transmitter 30 modulates an original signal to generate an identification signal representing the corresponding station ID, and then locally emits the generated identification signal as an IR signal, Bluetooth (registered trademark) signal, NFC (near field communication) signal, or the like.

Next, the hardware configuration will be explained with reference to the functional block diagram in Figure 5. The transmitter 30 is primarily composed of a computer 104 having a processor 100 and memory 102 that stores multiple applications executed by the processor 100.

The transmitter 30 also has a replaceable disposable battery 106 as a power source. Instead of the battery 106, a rechargeable battery or a commercial power source can be used as an external power source.

Transmitter 30 further includes a transmitter unit 108 that generates and transmits an identification signal representing its own unique authorized transmitter ID (an example of a "transmitter code").

The transmitter 108 is powered by a battery 106 and controlled by a controller 110, which is controlled by the computer 100.

Next, referring to Figure 6, the software configuration of the transmitter 30 will be explained. The processor 100 of the transmitter 30 repeatedly executes a program conceptually represented in the flowchart of Figure 6.

When the program is executed each time, first, in step S1, the authorized transmitter ID corresponding to the transmitter 30 is read from memory 102. The authorized transmitter ID has a one-to-one correspondence with the bicycle ID unique to each rental bicycle 12.

Next, in step S2, the remaining charge of the battery 106 is estimated.

Next, in step S3, a signal for modulating the original signal (e.g., carrier signal) is output to the controller 110 so that the read-in authorized transmitter ID and the estimated remaining battery level are reflected. The controller 110 controls the transmitter 108, which then generates the identification signal to be transmitted.

Then, in step S4, the generated identification signal is transmitted from the transmitting unit 108. Then, the process returns to step S1.

Note that the algorithm or procedure used by the transmitter 30 to generate an identification signal that reflects at least the transmitter ID or bicycle ID and remaining battery charge may be different from the algorithm or procedure shown in Figure 6.

<GPS controller software configuration>

Figure 7 shows a flowchart of an example of a program executed by the processor (not shown) of the GPS controller 44 shown in Figure 4.

This program is executed repeatedly while the target-related subsystem SBT is operating. During each execution, first, in step S11, a GPS signal is received from the GPS receiver 42. Next, in step S12, the current position (longitude and latitude) of the target is measured based on the received GPS signal. Then, in step S13, a GPS positioning signal indicating the measured current position of the target is transmitted from the communication device 46.

<Setting the transmitter's reception range>

Two types of reception areas are assigned to the transmitter 30: the aforementioned receivable area and the aforementioned effective reception area (hereinafter also referred to as the "reception range").

All of these areas are generally defined as a circle with the transmitter 30 as the transmission source. The coverage area has a maximum reception radius (e.g., approximately 50 m), while the effective reception area has an effective reception radius (e.g., ranging from a radius of 0 m to a radius of approximately 50 m or less). While the maximum reception radius is a fixed value, the effective reception radius is a variable value that can be changed at any time by the mobile terminal 90.

The receivable area refers to the area within which the identification signal from the transmitter 30 can reach when the power supply to the transmitter 30 is normal, i.e., the area within which the mobile terminal 90 can receive the identification signal as long as it is within that area.

In contrast, the effective reception area has an effective reception radius that is smaller than the maximum reception radius of the receivable area. While the maximum reception radius cannot be set arbitrarily, the effective reception radius can be set arbitrarily by the mobile terminal 90.

In other words, the maximum reception radius refers to the reception limit determined by the hardware, while the effective reception radius refers to the reception limit determined by the software.

The portable terminal 90 measures the distance to the transmitter 30 when it transmits the identification signal it receives. The measured distance may or may not exceed the effective reception radius. When the measured distance does not exceed the effective reception radius, the portable terminal 90 is located within the effective reception area, whereas when the measured distance exceeds the effective reception radius, the portable terminal 90 is located within the receivable area but not within the effective reception area.

The mobile terminal 90 launches a tracking game application, conceptually represented in a flowchart in part of Figure 12, to determine whether the distance measurement value is equal to or less than the set value for the effective reception radius. If it determines that the distance measurement value is equal to or less than the set value, the mobile terminal 90 determines that it has "validly received the identification signal from the transmitter 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as "received the identification signal")" because the mobile terminal 90 is currently located within the effective reception area (reception range).

In contrast, if the mobile terminal 90 determines that the distance measurement value is greater than the set value, the mobile terminal 90 determines that it is currently located outside the effective reception area of the transmitter 30 and therefore has not effectively received the identification signal from the transmitter 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as "not receiving the identification signal").

In other words, in this embodiment, when the mobile terminal 90 is located outside the effective reception area, even though the mobile terminal 90 is actually receiving the identification signal, the software will treat the mobile terminal 90 as if it is not receiving the identification signal.

<User's mobile device>

Generally speaking, the mobile device 90 is configured to have a player positioning unit (GPS receiver 152) that measures its own current position as the player's current position, a display unit 136 that displays on the screen of the mobile device 90 the measured player's current position and the target's current position based on target position information received from the target's GPS positioning unit 28, and a detection unit that detects when the mobile device 90 has captured the target based on the distance between the mobile device 90's current position and the target's current position.

The detection unit is configured to authenticate (identify) the target on which the transmitter 30 is mounted based on the signal received from the transmitter 30, measure the distance between the target and the mobile terminal 90, and detect the capture if the measured distance is shorter than a predetermined distance (effective reception distance, reception range).

Next, the hardware configuration of the user's mobile terminal 90 will be explained with reference to the functional block diagram in Figure 8. The mobile terminal 90 is primarily composed of a computer 134 having a processor 130 and memory 132 that stores multiple applications executed by the processor 130.

A user who wishes to play the aforementioned chase game can download the chase game application shown in FIG. 12 from the management server 50 to their mobile terminal 90, thereby participating in the chase game as a player. Players can participate in the chase game by selecting either the aforementioned solo play mode or battle mode.

The mobile terminal 90 further includes a display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display) 136 that displays information on a screen (having a window with a finite area that can be variable or fixed), a receiving unit 138 that receives signals from the GPS positioning unit 28, the transmitter 30, and the management server 50, and a transmitting unit 140 that generates signals and transmits them to the management server 50.

The mobile terminal 90 further has an input unit 150 for inputting data and commands from the user. The input unit 150 has, for example, an operation unit that can be operated by the user to input desired information (e.g., commands, data, etc.) into the mobile terminal 90. Examples of the operation unit include, but are not limited to, a touchscreen that displays icons (e.g., virtual buttons) that can be operated by the user, a physical operation unit (e.g., a keyboard, keypad, buttons, etc.) that can be operated by the user, and a microphone that detects voice.

This mobile terminal 90 also has a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 152. As is well known, the GPS receiver 152 receives multiple GPS signals from multiple GPS satellites and, based on these GPS signals, measures the position (latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the GPS receiver 152 on Earth through triangulation. In other words, this mobile terminal 90 has a positioning function that uses satellites.

As shown in FIG. 8, the memory 132 has multiple data memories, including a map data memory 161, a station data memory 163, and a bicycle data memory 165.

Map data memory 161 temporarily stores map data downloaded by the user's mobile device 90 from management server 50 or another map database (not shown) according to the user's current location. Based on that map data, a map (an example of a "partial map") is displayed on the screen of display unit 136. The map displayed on the screen changes from moment to moment as the user moves.

As conceptually shown in Figure 9, the correspondence between multiple station IDs and multiple station position data can be downloaded from the management server 50 and stored in the station data memory 163. The multiple station IDs correspond to multiple stations 20 that are centrally managed by the system 10. Furthermore, each of the multiple station position data represents the longitude and latitude (latitude X, longitude Y) of the ground position of the corresponding station 20.

The station data memory 163 temporarily stores multiple station position data corresponding to multiple stations 20 along with the corresponding multiple station IDs.

As conceptually shown in Figure 10, the bicycle data memory 165 in Figure 8 can store correspondences between multiple station IDs, multiple bicycle IDs, multiple authorized transmitter IDs, and multiple icon data, downloaded from the management server 50. When one of multiple bicycles 12 is discovered by the mobile terminal 90, a single corresponding bicycle ID is determined, and ultimately a single corresponding authorized transmitter ID is determined.

Here, "icon data" refers to data used to display an icon (unique graphic) that is overlaid on the map when the current location of a target (there may be multiple targets) discovered by the mobile device 90 is displayed on the screen.

This icon is displayed on the screen as a different graphic for each target. For example, the icon is displayed on the screen as a graphic that reflects the advertising information (e.g., the symbol mark of the sponsoring company).

If this icon represents advertising information assigned to each target, the portion of the mobile terminal 90 that, when the mobile terminal 90 finds a target, reads the advertising information assigned to that target from memory 132 (or downloads it from management server 50) and displays it on the screen of the mobile terminal 90 constitutes an example of the aforementioned "direct advertising provision device."

Here, the phrase "the mobile terminal 90 discovers the target" can be interpreted to mean, for example, that a state is realized in which both the player's current position and the target's current position are displayed on the screen, as illustrated in Figure 2(a), or that a state is realized in which the distance between the player's current position and the target's current position is equal to or less than a threshold.

Here, the distance between the player's current position and the target's current position can be measured, for example, by the mobile terminal 90 based on the GPS positioning signal from the GPS receiver 152 and the GPS positioning signal received from the target.

<Administration Server>

Next, the hardware configuration of the management server 50 will be explained with reference to the functional block diagram in Figure 11. The management server 50 is primarily composed of a computer 164 having a processor 160 and memory 162 that stores multiple applications executed by the processor 160.

This management server 50 further has a display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display) 166 that displays information, a receiving unit 168 that receives signals from the mobile terminal 90, a transmitting unit 170 that generates signals and transmits them to the mobile terminal 90, and a clock 172 that measures the current time.

<Chase Game Sequence>

At the target, the GPS positioning unit 28 continuously broadcasts the GPS positioning signal, and in parallel with this, the transmitter 30 continuously broadcasts the transmitter signal.

First, in step 101, the mobile terminal 90 sends a login request to log in to the management server 50, along with a user ID and password to identify the current user.

In response, in step S201, the management server 50 receives the login request along with the user ID and password. Next, in step S202, the management server 50 searches the memory 162 for the aforementioned station data and bicycle data. Then, in step S203, the management server 50 transmits the searched data to the mobile terminal 90.

In response, in step S102, the mobile terminal 90 receives the data from the management server 50. Then, in step S103, the received data is stored in memory 102.

Next, in step S104, the portable terminal 90 receives a GPS positioning signal from the target's GPS positioning unit 28. Then, in step S105, the portable terminal 90 identifies the target based on the information for identifying the target contained in the received GPS positioning signal. The target's communicator 46 is designed to transmit the GPS positioning signal to the portable terminal 90 together with the target's identification signal.

Then, in step S106, the mobile terminal 90 measures the current position (longitude and latitude) of the target based on the received GPS positioning signal. Next, in step S107, the mobile terminal 90 searches the memory 102 for icon data corresponding to the identified target.

Then, in step S108, the mobile device 90 overlays the corresponding icon on the screen displaying the map based on the searched icon data, in a position that indicates the current location of the target.

Next, in step S109, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the mobile terminal 90 has received a transmitter signal, i.e., whether the mobile terminal 90 is located within the transmitter's receivable area. In this case, assuming that it is determined that the mobile terminal 90 has not yet received a transmitter signal, the determination in step S109 is NO, and the process returns to step S104.

If the result of repeating steps S104-S109 is a YES in step S109, the mobile terminal 90 measures the distance between the mobile terminal 90 and the transmitter 30 based on the received transmitter signal in step S110, and determines whether the measured value is smaller than the effective reception radius (reception range).

Assuming that it is determined this time that the mobile terminal 90 is not effectively receiving the transmitter 30, the determination in step S110 will be NO, and the process will return to step S104.

If the result of repeating steps S104-S110 is a YES in step S110, the mobile terminal 90 demodulates the received transmitter signal in step S111 and decodes the transmitter ID represented by the demodulated transmitter signal, thereby identifying the target.

The identified target should match the target identified in step S106. If there is a mismatch, the application will immediately terminate, indicating that some abnormality may have occurred.

If no such abnormality occurs, the mobile terminal 90 determines in step S112 that the mobile terminal 90 has captured the target, and then in step S113, displays the fact of capture on the screen. Then, in step S114, the mobile terminal 90 transmits the fact of capture to the management server 50 along with the current transmitter ID (or target ID) and the player's user ID.

In response, in step S204, the management server 50 determines the reward to be given to the player as compensation for the capture. The memory 162 stores a table containing correspondences between the conditions achieved during the current chase game and the rewards. In step S204, the management server 50 determines, in accordance with the correspondences, the reward that corresponds to the conditions achieved by the current player during the current chase game.

Next, in step S205, the management server 50 associates the determined benefit with the player and stores it in memory 162. Then, in step S206, the management server 50 transmits data representing the determined benefit to the mobile device 90.

In one example, in step S206, the management server 50 further transmits the advertising information assigned to the target to the mobile terminal 90 via unicast. The advertising information is pre-stored in memory 162 in association with the transmitter ID or target ID. As a result, in this example, the player will obtain the bonus and the advertising information assigned to the current target.

In response, in step S115, the mobile terminal 90 receives data representing the bonus from the management server 50 along with the data representing the advertising information, thereby letting the player know that he or she has acquired the bonus. Next, in step S116, the mobile terminal 90 displays the acquired bonus on the screen, either together with the advertising information received from the management server 50 or separately from it.

Next, in step S117, the mobile terminal 90 sends a logout request to the management server 50, requesting that the user log out of the management server 50.

In response, in step S207, the management server 50 receives the logout request. Next, in step S208, the management server 50 transmits an acknowledgment signal ACK to the mobile terminal 90, indicating that the logout request has been successfully received.

In response, in step S118, the mobile terminal 90 receives the acknowledgment signal ACK from the management server 50.

In this embodiment, the GPS positioning unit 28 mounted on the target continuously broadcasts a GPS positioning signal (first position information signal), while the transmitter 30 mounted on the same target continuously broadcasts a transmitter signal (second position information signal).

What both the GPS positioning signal and the transmitter signal have in common is that they are signals (position information signals) that assist the mobile terminal 90 in guiding the player to the target.

However, in this embodiment, the GPS positioning signal is used by the mobile terminal 90 as a signal that allows the mobile terminal 90 to continuously detect changes over time in the distance between the player and the target, while the transmitter signal is used by the mobile terminal 90 as a signal that allows the mobile terminal 90 to detect changes over time in the distance between the player and the target in stages (for example, whether or not they are within the reception range) and with greater accuracy than the GPS positioning signal.

In this sense, in this embodiment, the transmitter 30 mounted on the target functions as a proximity switch whose output signal changes depending on whether or not it is in proximity to the player, unlike the GPS positioning unit 28 mounted on the same target.

The above-described embodiments can be implemented with various modifications. For example, they can be improved so that the management server 50 performs at least part of the data processing performed by the mobile terminal 90, or conversely, they can be improved so that the mobile terminal 90 performs at least part of the data processing performed by the management server 50.

In addition, in some of the above-described embodiments, when the distance between the player and the target measured by the mobile device 90 based on a signal from the transmitter 30 mounted on the target falls below a reference value, the mobile device 90 determines that the player has actually captured the target (i.e., physically, in real space).

In contrast to this, in another example, the mobile terminal 90 is equipped with a reader (e.g., an image reader) that reads data, and the target is equipped with data that can be read by the reader (e.g., a one-dimensional barcode, a two-dimensional barcode (e.g., a QR code (registered trademark)), etc.) in a position accessible by the reader.

In this case, the player holds the reader of the portable terminal 90 over the data attached to the target (brings it close to the data so that it faces the data) or brings it into contact with the data, thereby enabling the reader to read the data.

At this time, if the mobile terminal 90 determines that the reader has successfully read the data, it determines that the player has captured the target.

In this example, the data may or may not include a portion representing the ID of the target to which the data is assigned.

In the latter case, for example, when the portable terminal 90 reads the data, it can identify the ID of the target to which the data is attached and compare the identification result with the identification result obtained in step 105 shown in FIG. 12. Only when the comparison is successful does the portable terminal 90 determine that the player has captured the target.

Incidentally, in some of the above-described embodiments, a rental bicycle lent to a lessee is used as an example of a target.

In general, rental bicycles are likely to travel in areas with more pedestrians, at slower speeds, and closer to pedestrians than other means of transportation (examples of moving objects) such as cars and motorcycles.

This possibility arises from the possibility that, when using a rental bicycle, the number of passersby who visually view a rental bicycle as it travels per unit of time is greater than with other modes of transportation, and that each passerby will be able to visually view the advertising sign (advertising media, advertising information, etc.) attached to the rental bicycle more clearly and for a longer period of time than with other modes of transportation, making it easier for them to accurately remember the advertising sign.

This shows that rental bicycles are able to provide advertising information more directly to potential consumers than other modes of transportation, and therefore have a greater advertising effect.

Bicycle rental services may be run by private companies, but they may also be run by public organizations (such as city halls). In the latter case, the operator typically attempts to cover the operating costs of the service through rental fees paid by renters. However, since rental services are for the public good, the rental fees cannot be set too high. Therefore, operators must cover the portion of total operating costs that cannot be covered by rental fee revenue alone through other sources of funding, such as taxes.

In this case, a proposed business model would involve the operator soliciting sponsors for the bicycle rental service from private companies, for example, and having the sponsors who apply provide funding. In return, the sponsors would be granted the right to use the rental bicycles to advertise their own products and services.

Furthermore, like rental cars, rental bicycles are the property of the entity that operates them, not of any individual. Therefore, the operator is free to select or replace advertising signs attached to each rental bicycle solely for its own convenience, regardless of the preferences of the renter or other circumstances. As a result, with rental bicycles, it is easier to attract a wider variety of sponsors than with privately owned bicycles.

In summary, choosing bicycle rental services as your target will have the effect of making it easier to improve the economic efficiency of bicycle rental operations compared to choosing other modes of transportation.

However, to implement the present invention, the target may select other rental mobile objects, such as rental cars, in addition to rental bicycles, other mobile objects not intended for rental, or even personally owned mobile objects.

Furthermore, to implement the present invention, moving objects that exist in nature (e.g., humans themselves, animals, floating objects, flowing objects, etc.) may be selected as other targets.

In this embodiment, when a player captures a target, a benefit (first benefit) is granted to the player in return. At this time, the renter (driver) of the rental bicycle 12 that is the captured target may also be granted a benefit (second benefit) in return for being captured.

Specifically, for example, when a player captures a target, the mobile device 90 transmits information, including the bicycle ID of the rental bicycle 12 captured by the player, to the management server 50.

Upon receiving this information, the management server 50 searches for the current renter's mobile device 90 corresponding to the currently received bicycle ID, based on the relationship between the bicycle ID and the user ID unique to the renter of the rental bicycle 12 or the address of that renter's mobile device 90 (e.g., telephone number, email address, etc.) that is pre-stored in memory 162.

Furthermore, the management server 50 transmits, via unicast, to the found mobile device 90, information indicating that a specified benefit has been granted to the borrower.

In this pursuit game, if a player captures a rental bicycle 12, a special reward is given to the renter of that rental bicycle 12 in return, encouraging the renter to actively participate in the pursuit game.

Furthermore, in this example, the borrower will naturally be notified in advance that there is a possibility that he or she will be tracked by the player in this tracking game, and that if he or she is captured by the player, a reward will be awarded to the borrower.

The tracking game system 10 described above combines the game element of a tracking game with the advertising element of providing advertising information directly to potential consumers. However, if emphasis is placed on the advertising element, this tracking game system 10 can be reinterpreted as an advertising system 10.

Specifically, this advertising system 10 uses a moving object (not only an industrial product but also an object in nature, such as a human being or an animal) driven by a driver, regardless of whether the driver is an advertiser, as a source of visual advertising information, and advertises to an unspecified number of passersby in the vicinity of the moving object.

Here, an example of a "moving object" is the aforementioned rental bicycle 12, and an example of an "unspecified number of passersby" is the aforementioned number of players.

In this advertising system 10, the moving object is equipped with an advertising display device that visually displays the advertising information, a moving object positioning unit that constantly measures the current position of the moving object, and a transmitting unit that broadcasts moving object position information indicating the current position of the moving object to multiple people's mobile devices in real time.

Here, an example of an "advertising display device" is the aforementioned advertising display device 32, an example of a "moving object positioning unit" is the GPS receiver 42 of the aforementioned GPS positioning unit 28, and an example of a "transmitting unit" is the aforementioned communication device 46.

In this advertising system 10, each passerby's mobile device 90 is further equipped with a receiving unit that receives the moving object position information, a passerby positioning unit that measures the current position of the mobile device 90 as the passerby's current position, a display unit that displays the measured passerby's current position and the moving object's current position based on the received moving object position information on the screen of the mobile device 90, and a detection unit that detects when the mobile device 90 captures the moving object.

Here, an example of a "receiving unit" is the aforementioned receiving unit 138, an example of a "passerby positioning unit" is the aforementioned GPS receiver 152, an example of a "display unit" is the aforementioned display unit 136, and an example of a "detecting unit" is the part of the mobile terminal 90 that executes steps S109-S112 in FIG. 12.

Furthermore, in this advertising system 10, when the capture is detected, a predetermined benefit is awarded to passersby using each mobile terminal 90 that captured the moving object. The benefit is awarded, for example, by the part of the management server 50 that executes steps S204-206 in FIG. 12.

This advertising system 10 further includes an advertising information transmission unit installed in the management server 50 that can communicate with each passerby's mobile device 90. When the moving object is captured by one of the mobile devices 90, this advertising information transmission unit is configured to directly transmit data representing the advertising information and/or other advertising information to that mobile device 90 via unicast.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented in other forms, including those described in the "Summary of the Invention" section above, with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Claims (2)

A mobile object that is rented out at a station as a storage location,
a positioning unit for measuring the current position of the moving object;
a transmitter that transmits location information indicating the measured current location in association with an object ID of the moving object or object ID information including information that can identify the moving object;
a short-range wireless communication unit having a function of transmitting a signal representing identification information unique to the moving object, the signal being capable of measuring a reception distance , in a state in which the signal can be received by a mobile terminal using a short-range communication method ;
The mobile terminal determines whether the mobile terminal has approached within a predetermined distance of the moving object based on the signal received from the short-range wireless communication unit, and if it determines that such approach has occurred, displays on the screen of the mobile terminal that the mobile terminal has approached the moving object based on the current position of the moving object based on the position information received from the transmission unit and the current position of the mobile terminal measured by the positioning function of the mobile terminal, with the respective figures being overlaid on a map . A program executed by a computer of the mobile terminal used with the moving object according to claim 1,
a function of determining whether the mobile terminal has approached within a predetermined distance from the moving object based on the signal received from the short-range wireless communication unit;
a function of the mobile terminal, when it is determined that the approach has occurred, displaying on the screen of the mobile terminal that the mobile terminal has approached the moving object based on the current position of the moving object based on the position information received from the transmitting unit and the current position of the mobile terminal measured by a positioning function of the mobile terminal, in such a way that respective figures are overlaid on a map;
A program executed by the computer to achieve the above .