INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, BET ACCEPTANCE METH

2024-04-27 来源：年旅网

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*EP003839872A1*

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EP3 839 872A1

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EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

published in accordance with Art. 153(4) EPC

(51)Int Cl.:

(43)Date of publication:

23.06.2021Bulletin2021/25

G06Q50/34(2012.01)

(21)Application number: 19850505.9(22)Date of filing: 15.08.2019

(86)International application number:

PCT/JP2019/032031

(87)International publication number:

WO2020/036210 (20.02.2020Gazette2020/08)

(84)Designated Contracting States:

AL AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC MK MT NL NO PL PT RO RS SE SI SK SM TRDesignated Extension States: BA ME

KH MA MD TN

•ISHII, Koji

Tokyo 150-6136 (JP)•TANIGUCHI, NozomiTokyo 150-6136 (JP)•KITAMURA, RyoTokyo 150-6136 (JP)

(74)Representative: Würmser, Julian

Meissner Bolte Patentanwälte

Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaft mbB Postfach 86 06 2481633 München (DE)

(30)Priority:17.08.2018JP 2018153653(71)Applicant: Mixi, Inc.

Tokyo 150-6136 (JP)

(72)Inventors:

•MASUI, KazufumiTokyo 150-6136 (JP)

(54)(57)

INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, BET ACCEPTANCE METHOD, AND PROGRAM

An information processing apparatus 20 in-cludes: a transmission section 21 that transmits screeninformation for displaying a predetermined screen to aterminal 10; and a reception section 21 that receives in-formation inputted by a first user from the terminal 10,and executes a bet of the first user based on the receivedinformation, wherein the screen information includes in-formation related to one or more second users who al-ready placed a bet, and the reception section 21 receivesinformation for identifying at least one second user se-lected by the first user, or at least part of bet informationof the selected at least one second user, and executesthe bet of the first user based on the received information.

EP3 839 872A1Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR)

EP3 839 872A1

Description

Cross-Reference to Related Application

[0001]The present application is based upon Japa-nese Patent Application No. 2018-153653, filed on Au-gust 17, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.Technical Field

[0002]The present invention relates to an informationprocessing apparatus, a bet acceptance method, and aprogram.

Background Art

[0003]For example, in various events on which bettingis conducted, such as horse racing, bicycle racing, andmotorboat racing, a bet apparatus that accepts bets frombettors is used (for example, see Patent Literature 1). Abettor can place a bet by describing bet-related mattersrequired for a bet on a betting ticket and inputting thebetting ticket into the bet apparatus. For example, in acase of horse racing, matters such as a race track wherea race takes place, a betting type such as \"win\" or \"place\and a horse on which a bet is placed are described on abetting ticket, which is then inputted into the bet appara-tus, whereby a bet can be placed.Citation ListPatent Literature

[0004]Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-114487Summary of Invention

[0005]However, a betting method is complicated insome cases, depending on an event. For example, in acase of horse racing, the betting method is complicatedbecause there are many betting types from which one isto be selected and many horses that can be a subject ofa bet, and hence many bet patterns. Accordingly, it hasbeen difficult for a bettor less experienced in betting todetermine on which bet pattern the bettor had better placea bet, so that such bettors are hindered from easily plac-ing a bet.

[0006]Accordingly, an object of the present inventionis to provide an information processing apparatus, a betacceptance method, and a program that enable even abettor less experienced in betting to easily place a bet.[0007]An information processing apparatus accordingto an aspect of the present invention includes: a trans-mission section that transmits screen information for dis-playing a predetermined screen to a terminal; and a re-ception section that receives information inputted by a

first user from the terminal, and executes a bet of the firstuser based on the received information, wherein thescreen information includes information related to one ormore second users who already placed a bet, and the5

reception section receives information for identifying atleast one second user selected by the first user, or atleast part of bet information of the selected at least onesecond user, and executes the bet of the first user basedon the received information.10

Advantageous Effect of Invention

[0008]According to the present invention, an informa-tion processing apparatus, a bet acceptance method,15

and a program can be provided that enable even a userless experienced in betting to easily place a bet.Brief Description of Drawings

[0009]

[Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a bet system according toan embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of a hardware25

configuration of terminals and a server.

[Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of a functionalblock configuration of the terminals.

[Figure 4] Figure 4 shows an example of a functionalblock configuration of the server.

[Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a bet infor-mation table.

[Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of a bet subjectinformation table.

[Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of a user in-35

formation table.

[Figure 8] Figure 8 is a sequence chart showing anexample of a processing procedure performed in thebet system.

[Figure 9A] Figure 9A shows an example of a bet40screen and a user selection screen displayed on aterminal.

[Figure 9B] Figure 9B shows an example of the betscreen and the user selection screen displayed onthe terminal.

[Figure 9C] Figure 9C shows an example of the betscreen and the user selection screen displayed onthe terminal.

Description of Embodiment

[0010]An embodiment of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings.Note that components denoted by the same referencesigns across the drawings have the same or similar con-55

figurations.

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(System configuration)

[0011]Figure 1 shows an example of a system config-uration of a bet system 1 according to an embodiment ofthe present invention. The bet system 1 shown in Figure1 is, for example, a system that manages a bet placedby a user on an event on which betting is conducted,such as horse racing.

[0012]Although a description will be given of a case,as an example, where the bet system 1 is used in horseracing in the present embodiment, regardless of thehorse racing, the bet system 1 may be used in variousevents on which betting is conducted, such as bicycleracing, motorboat racing, and motorcycle racing. The betsystem 1 in the present embodiment may be used in var-ious events in which placings are determined. The betsystem 1 may be used in simulation games or the like ofthe various events mentioned above.

[0013]The bet system 1 includes a terminal 10a, aterminal 10b, a terminal 10c, a terminal 10d, and a server20.

The terminal 10a, the terminal 10b, the terminal 10c, theterminal 10d, and the server 20 are communicably con-nected to each other through a communication networkN such as the Internet or a wireless LAN. In the presentembodiment, users using the terminal 10a, the terminal10b, the terminal 10c, and the terminal 10d are assumedto be a user A, a user B, a user C, and a user D, respec-tively. When the terminal 10a, the terminal 10b, the ter-minal 10c, and the terminal 10d need not be discriminatedfrom each other, each of the terminal 10a, the terminal10b, the terminal 10c, and the terminal 10d is representedas a terminal 10. Note that the number of terminals 10included in the bet system 1 is not limited to four, andone or more terminals 10 may be included. In the presentembodiment, the terminals 10 and the server 20 may becollectively referred to as information processing appa-ratuses, or only the terminals 10 may be referred to asinformation processing apparatuses, or only the server20 may be referred to as an information processing ap-paratus.

[0014]For the terminals 10, any terminals may beused, including, for example, a smartphone, a tablet ter-minal, a mobile telephone, a personal computer (PC), alaptop PC, a mobile information terminal (PDA: PersonalDigital Assistant), a home game console, and the like.The server 20 may be configured by using a single de-vice, or by using a plurality of devices, or may be a serverimplemented on the cloud.

[0015]An outline of the bet system 1 will be describedby using Figure 1. First, the user A operates the terminal10a and accesses the server 20. After accessing theserver 20, the user A inputs information for user identifi-cation (user ID: identification or the like) into the terminal10a. The inputted information is transmitted to the server20 through the communication network N. The server 20identifies the user who uses the bet system 1, based onthe received information.

[0016]Thereafter, the server 20 generates screen in-formation including information for displaying a betscreen, and transmits the screen information to the ter-minal 10a. The terminal 10a displays the bet screen,5

based on the screen information. The user A places abet by using the bet screen displayed on the terminal10a. The bet screen is a screen for a user to place a bet.In a case of horse racing, options for a betting type, suchas \"win\10

a subject of a bet (for example, a horse predicted to comein the first place when the betting type is \"win\") are dis-played in the bet screen, and the user A can select abetting type and a horse as a subject of a bet by usingthe bet screen. The \"betting type\" includes, but is not15

limited to, information for determining whether predeter-mined finishing places or the like of the one or more sub-jects of a bet are specified in random order, or are ex-plicitly specified.

[0017]When accepting a bet of the user A, the bet20

system 1 performs processing for assisting the user A inplacing the bet. For example, when the user A is a userwith less betting records, a simple betting type in whichthe number of horses to be selected is small, such as\"win\" or \"place\25

bet screen. A betting type selected by the user B andinformation on a horse on which a bet is placed by theuser B may be displayed on the terminal 10a of the userA, to allow the user A to refer to such information whenthe user A places a bet.

[0018]When the user A finishes placing the bet, input-ted bet information is transmitted from the terminal 10ato the server 20 through the communication network N.Thereafter, the server 20 determines, based on an actualresult of the race, whether or not the bet of the user A is35

won and the like, and transmits a result of the determi-nation to the terminal 10a.(Hardware configuration)

[0019]Figure 2 shows an example of a hardware con-figuration of the terminals 10 and the server 20. The ter-minals 10 and the server 20 each include a CPU (CentralProcessing Unit) 101, which is an example of a proces-sor, a storage device 102, a communication IF (Interface)45

103, an input device 104, and an output device 105.These components are each connected to one anotherin such a manner that data can be transmitted and re-ceived.

[0020]The CPU 101 is a control section that performs50

control related to execution of a program stored in thestorage device 102, and performs computation andprocessing of data. The CPU 101 receives data from thecommunication IF 103, and outputs to the output device105, or stores in the storage device 102, a result of com-55

putation of the data.

[0021]The storage device 102 is a device that storesvarious information. The storage device 102 is a volatilestorage medium on which data can be rewritten, or a non-

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volatile storage medium from which data can only beread.

[0022]The communication IF 103 is a device that con-nects the terminal 10 or the server 20 to the communi-cation network N. It is also conceivable that the commu-nication IF 103 is provided outside of the terminal 10 orthe server 20. In such a case, the communication IF 103is connected to the terminal 10 or the server 20, for ex-ample, via an interface such as a USB (Universal SerialBus).

[0023]The input device 104 is a device for receivinginput of information from a user. Examples of the inputdevice 104 include a touch panel, a button, a keyboard,a mouse, a microphone, and the like.

[0024]The output device 105 is a device for outputtinginformation. Examples of the output device 105 includea liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electronic Lumi-nescent) display, a speaker, and the like.(Functional block configuration)

[0025]Figure 3 shows an example of a functional blockconfiguration of the terminals 10. The terminals 10 eachinclude a first communication section 11, a display controlsection 12, and an input reception section 13. The firstcommunication section 11, the display control section12, and the input reception section 13 can be implement-ed by the CPU 101 of the terminal 10 executing a programstored in the storage device 102. The program may bea program (application) that can be downloaded from theserver 20 and installed in the terminal 10. The programcan be stored in a storage medium. The storage mediumstoring the program may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory storage medium isnot particularly limited, but, for example, may be a storagemedium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM (CompactDisc Read Only Memory).

[0026]The first communication section 11 has a func-tion of transmitting and receiving various information in-cluding bet information to/from the server 20 via the com-munication IF 103. Here, the bet information is informa-tion related to a bet placed by the user. For example, ina case of horse racing, the bet information includes abetting type such as \"winhat is a subject of a bet, a bet amount, and the like.[0027]The first communication section 11 receivesscreen information from the server 20 via the communi-cation IF 103. The screen information is information fordisplaying a bet screen. The screen information is gen-erated by a generation section 22 included in the server20.

[0028]The display control section 12 displays variousscreens including a bet screen on the output device 105such as a liquid crystal display, based on informationreceived from the server 20. For example, the displaycontrol section 12 causes the output device 105 to displaybet screens as shown in Figures 9A and 9C, based onscreen information received from the server 20. The dis-

play control section 12 and the input reception section13 may be function sections that are implemented by aweb browser included in the terminal 10.

[0029]The input reception section 13 has a function5

of receiving input of various information including bet in-formation from the user via the input device 104 such asa touch panel, a mouse, or a keyboard.

[0030]Figure 4 shows an example of a functional blockconfiguration of the server 20. The server 20 includes a10

second communication section 21, the generation sec-tion 22, and a storage section 25. The storage section25 can be implemented by using an external storage de-vice with which the storage device 102 or the server 20can communicate. The second communication section15

21 and the generation section 22 can be implementedby the CPU 101 of the server 20 executing a programstored in the storage device 102. The program can bestored in a storage medium. The storage medium storingthe program may be a non-transitory computer-readable20

medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not par-ticularly limited, but, for example, may be a storage me-dium such as a USB memory or a CD-ROM.

[0031]The second communication section 21 has afunction of transmitting and receiving various information25

including bet information to/from each terminal 10 via thecommunication IF 103. For example, when the user Aplaces a bet by copying bet information of a user whoalready placed a bet, the second communication section21 may receive, from the terminal 10a, information for30

identifying the user who is selected by the user A to copythe bet information, or at least part of the bet informationof the selected user.

[0032]The generation section 22 generates screen in-formation. The screen information is information for dis-35

playing a bet screen. For example, in a case of horseracing, the screen information includes information suchas options for a betting type such as \"win\" and \"place\"and for a horse number.

[0033]The storage section 25 stores various informa-40

tion for a user to place a bet. Specifically, the storagesection 25 stores bet information 26, bet subject infor-mation 27, and user information 28. Each information willbe described by using Figures 5 to 7.

[0034]Figure 5 shows an example of a bet information45

table 26A that manages the bet information 26. In Figure5, there are columns of \"track of race helding user name\\"betting type\\"horse number\\"betamount\ing information is managed by columns. Regardless of50

the above-mentioned information, the bet information ta-ble 26A may include arbitrary information.

[0035]In the column of \"track of race held\a horse race track, or information with which the horserace track can be identified, is managed. Names of horse55

race tracks are managed, whereby it can be identified arace at which horse race track the bet information includ-ed in each record is about. In the present example, eachmanaged bet information is information about a race held

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at a \"horse race track A\".

[0036]In the column of \"race\formation with which a race can be identified, is managed.There are some cases where a plurality of races are heldin a day at the same horse race track. Race numbers are5

managed, whereby it can be identified which race the betinformation included in each record is about. In thepresent example, each managed bet information is infor-mation about a \"first race\".

[0037]In the column of \"user ID\10

who placed a bet is managed. A user ID is an identifierassociated with each user. With a user ID, a user can beidentified. In the present example, for user IDs, identifiers\"U-2\

[0038]In the column of \"betting type\15

a bet placed by a user, or information with which thebetting type can be identified, is managed. In the presentexample, betting types of bets placed by the user of userID \"U-2\" and the user of \"U-3\" are both \"win\a bettingtype of a bet placed by the user of user ID \"U-4\" is \"tri-20

fecta\".

[0039]In the column of \"horse number\a horsenumber that identifies a bet-subject horse is managed.In the present example, the user of user ID \"U-2\" placesa bet on a horse of \"No. 1he user of user ID \"U-3\"25

places a bet on a horse of \"No. 2\ID \"U-4\" places a bet on horses of \"No. 1\3\". The number of horses on which a bet is placed chang-es depending on a betting type.

[0040]In the column of \"bet amount\an amount of30

money bet by a user is managed. In the present example,a bet amount of the user of user ID \"U-2\" is \"1000 yen\a bet amount of the user of user ID \"U-3\" is \"500 yen\and a bet amount of the user of user ID \"U-4\" is \"400 yen\".[0041]In the column of \"number of copies made\35

number of times the bet information is copied by anotheruser is managed. In the present embodiment, a user in-tending to place a bet can copy at least part of bet infor-mation of a user who already placed a bet, and can placea bet based on the copied bet information. In the present40

example, the bet information of the user of user ID \"U-2\"is copied \"5 times\ID \"U-3\" is copied \"2 timeshe user of user ID \"U-4\" is not copied.

[0042]Figure 6 shows an example of a bet subject in-45

formation table 27A that manages the bet subject infor-mation 27. In Figure 6, there are columns of \"horsenumber\and corresponding information is managed by columns.Regardless of the above-mentioned information, the bet50

subject information table 27A may manage arbitrary in-formation.

[0043]In the column of \"horse number\signed to each horse running for a race is managed. Inthe present example, horse numbers managed are \"No.55

[0044]In the column of \"horse name\horse running for the race, or information with which the

horse can be identified, is managed. In the present ex-ample, a name of the horse of horse number \"No. 1\" is\"XXX\\"YYY\3\" is \"ZZZ\".

[0045]In the column of \"jockey\riding on a horse is managed. In the present example, aname of a jockey riding on the horse of horse number\"No. 1\" is \"AAA\of horse number \"No. 2\" is \"BBB\riding on the horse of horse number \"No. 3\" is \"CCC\".[0046]In the column of \"gender\is managed. In the present example, the horses of horsenumber \"No. 1\" and \"No. 2\" are \"male horses\horse of horse number \"No. 3\" is a \"female horse\".

[0047]In the column of \"age\an age of a horse ismanaged. In the present example, an age of the horseof horse number \"No. 1\" is \"5 years old\horse of horse number \"No. 2\" is \"4 years old\age of the horse of horse number \"No. 3\" is \"6 years old\".[0048]Figure 7 shows an example of a user informa-tion table 28A that manages the user information 28. Theuser information 28 is information related to a user whouses the bet system 1. In Figure 7, there are columns of\"user ID\\"user name\\"number of bets placed\and\"winning rate\and corresponding information is man-aged by columns. Regardless of the above-mentionedinformation, the user information table 28A may includearbitrary information.

[0049]In the column of \"user ID\who uses the bet system 1 is managed. In the presentexample, identifiers \"U-1\\"U-2\\"U-3\and \"U-4\" aremanaged.

[0050]In the column of \"user name\who uses the bet system 1 is managed. In the presentexample, names of the users of user ID \"U-1\3\D\

[0051]In the column of \"number of bets placed\number of bets placed by a user in the past is managed.In the present example, the user of user ID \"U-1\" placed\"1 bet\user of user ID \"U-3\" placed \"5 bets\ID \"U-4\" placed \"20 bets\".

[0052]In the column of \"winning rate\a user won bets in the past is managed. In the presentexample, a winning rate of the user of user ID \"U-1\" is\"0%\a winning rate of the user of user ID \"U-3\" is \"30%\a winning rate of the user of user ID \"U-4\" is \"60%\".(Processing procedure)

[0053]Figure 8 is a sequence chart showing an exam-ple of processing performed in the bet system 1. A pro-cedure of the processing in the bet system 1 will be de-scribed by using Figure 8. In the present example, a de-scription will be given of a case, as an example, where

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the user A places a bet via the terminal 10a.

[0054]First, the terminal 10b, the terminal 10c, and theterminal 10d receive input of bet information from theuser B, the user C, and the user D, respectively (stepS100), and transmit the bet information to the server 20(step S101). Note that the transmission of the bet infor-mation by the terminal 10b, the terminal 10c, and theterminal 10d need not be performed at the same time,and may be made from the individual terminals at differ-ent times. Not all of the terminal 10b, the terminal 10c,and the terminal 10d need to transmit the bet information.[0055]The server 20 receives the bet information andstores the received bet information in the storage section25 (step S102). Specifically, corresponding records inthe bet information table 26A shown in Figure 5 may beupdated.

[0056]Subsequently, when the server 20 receives arequest related to display of a bet screen from the termi-nal 10a, the server 20 generates screen information fordisplaying the bet screen (step S103). The screen infor-mation may include options for a betting type and for asubject of a bet.

[0057]The server 20 transmits the screen informationand option information to the terminal 10a (step S104).In the bet system 1 according to the present embodiment,the betting user A can place a bet by copying at leastpart of bet information related to a bet placed by anotheruser, without the user A him/herself inputting bet infor-mation. Specifically, when the user A intends to place abet after the user B already placed a bet, the user A canplace a bet with the same betting type and the samesubject of the bet as those of the user B, by copying thebetting type and the subject of the bet of the user B, with-out inputting bet information him/herself. Although a de-scription is given of a case where only the betting typeand the subject of the bet in the bet information are copiedin the present example, an item in the bet informationthat is copied is not limited. For example, a copy may bemade with a bet amount included. In an event for whicha betting type is fixed, only a subject of a bet may becopied. The option information transmitted from the serv-er 20 to the terminal 10a is information related to optionsthat allow a betting user who places a bet to select a userwhose bet information is to be copied, among one ormore users who already placed a bet.

[0058]The terminal 10a displays the bet screen, basedon the received screen information (step S105). For ex-ample, a bet screen as shown in Figure 9A may be dis-played. Here, the bet screen will be described by usingFigure 9A.

[0059]Figure 9A shows an example of the bet screen.In the bet screen shown in Figure 9A, options for a bettingtype, input fields for subjects of a bet (horses on whicha bet is placed), and an input field for a bet amount aredisplayed. In the present example, the input fields forsubjects of a bet are displayed even in a state where abetting type is not selected. However, a configurationmay be made such that the input fields for subjects of a

bet are displayed after a betting type is selected. At thetime, the number of input fields for subjects of a bet maybe varied depending on the selected betting type. Forexample, when a user selects \"win\5

lected is only a first-place horse, and therefore fields forselecting second- and third-place horses need not bedisplayed.

[0060]The terminal 10a may receive the bet subjectinformation 27 from the server 20 and display the bet10

subject information 27 in the bet screen. For example, ahorse name of each horse, a jockey riding on each horse,a gender of each horse, an age of each horse, and thelike may be displayed based on the bet subject informa-tion 27.

[0061]Moreover, the terminal 10a may receive the betsubject information 27 from the server 20 and display thebet subject information 27 in the bet screen. For example,the number of bettors on each horse and information foridentifying a horse on which another user places a bet20

may be displayed based on the bet information 26.

[0062]When an option of \"copy bet of another user\"displayed in the bet screen shown in Figure 9A is select-ed, the terminal 10a displays a user selection screen asshown in Figure 9B, based on the received option infor-25

mation (step S106). The user selection screen shown inFigure 9B includes options \"user B\D\".

[0063]Moreover, in the user selection screen shownin Figure 9B, user information on each user is displayed30

along with each user option. In the present example, the\"number of bets placed\" by and a \"winning rate\" of eachuser are displayed. Not only the user information, betinformation (a betting type, a subject of a bet, a betamount, and the like) of each user displayed as an option35

may also be displayed in the user selection screen.[0064]Moreover, a user displayed as an option in theuser selection screen may be determined based on apredetermined rule. Hereinafter, specific examples of thepredetermined rule will be described.

[0065]For example, a user displayed as an option maybe a user located within a predetermined distance froma position where the user A is present, or may be a pre-determined number of users, among a plurality of users,in order of closeness to the position of the user A. Order45

in which users displayed in the user selection screen arearranged may be the order of closeness to the positionof the user A. At the time, distances between the usersmay be determined based on position information on aterminal used by each user. For example, the second50

communication section 21 of the server 20 may receivethe terminal position information from the terminal 10aand a plurality of terminals other than the terminal 10a.At the time, the server 20 may include a determinationsection that determines, based on the received position55

information, whether or not the terminals other than theterminal 10a are located within the predetermined dis-tance from the terminal 10a, and the terminal 10a mayreceive a result of the determination made by the deter-

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mination section and display, as an option, a user of eachterminal located within the predetermined distance fromthe terminal 10a.

[0066]A user displayed as an option in the user selec-tion screen may be a user whose winning rate of pastbets is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.For example, the server 20 may further include a deter-mination section that determines, based on the user in-formation 28, whether or not a winning rate of each useris equal to or greater than the predetermined value, andthe terminal 10a may receive a result of the determinationmade by the determination section and display, as anoption, each user whose winning rate is equal to or largerthan the predetermined value.

[0067]A user displayed as an option in the user selec-tion screen may be a user who has a property identicalto a property indicating a trend of past bets of the userA. Specifically, a user displayed as an option in the userselection screen may be a user whose bet information issimilar to that of the user A, and may be, for example, auser whose past bets were placed on horses that matchthose of the user A at a predetermined rate or greater,or the like. At the time, the server 20 may further includea determination section that determines, based on thebet information 26, whether or not a property indicatinga trend of bets of each user is identical to the propertyindicating the trend of bets of the user A, and the terminal10a may receive a result of the determination made bythe determination section and display, as an option, eachuser who has the identical property.

[0068]A user displayed as an option in the user selec-tion screen may be a user marked with a predeterminedflag. For example, a user who is a celebrity or a famousperson is marked with a flag in the user information table28A, and each user marked with the flag may be dis-played as an option. At the time, the server 20 may furtherinclude a determination section that determines, basedon the user information 28, whether or not each user ismarked with the flag, and the terminal 10a may receivea result of the determination made by the determinationsection and display, as an option, each user marked withthe flag.

[0069]Among the above-described predeterminedrules for determining a user to be displayed as an optionin the user selection screen, a plurality of rules may becombined. For example, a user displayed as an optionin the user selection screen may be a user whose winningrate of past bets is equal to or greater than the predeter-mined value, and who has a property identical to the prop-erty indicating the trend of past bets of the user A. Forexample, a user displayed as an option in the user se-lection screen may be a user whose winning rate of pastbets is equal to or greater than the predetermined value,and who is marked with the predetermined flag. A userdisplayed as an option in the user selection screen maybe a user who has a property identical to the propertyindicating the trend of past bets of the user A, and whois marked with the predetermined flag.

[0070]Moreover, when there are a plurality of userswho are determined based on one predetermined rule,another predetermined rule may be further used in com-bination. For example, when there are a plurality of users5

whose winning rate of past bets is equal to or greaterthan the predetermined value, a user displayed as anoption in the user selection screen may be a user, amongthe plurality of users, who has a property identical to theproperty indicating the trend of past bets of the user A.10

For example, when there are a plurality of users whosewinning rate of past bets is equal to or greater than thepredetermined value, a user displayed as an option inthe user selection screen may be a user, among the plu-rality of users, who is marked with the predetermined15

flag. When there are a plurality of users who have a prop-erty identical to the property indicating the trend of pastbets of the user A, a user displayed as an option in theuser selection screen may be a user, among the pluralityof users, who is marked with the predetermined flag.20

[0071]When the terminal 10a receives, from the userA, a selection of a user whose bet information is to becopied (step S107), the terminal 10a transmits informa-tion for identifying the selected user to the server 20 (stepS108). The server 20 generates screen information in-25

cluding bet information of the selected user (step S109),and transmits the screen information to the terminal 10a(step S110). The terminal 10a updates the bet screen,based on the received bet information (step S111). Spe-cifically, as shown in Figure 9C, the bet screen is dis-30

played in which the bet information of the selected useris inputted. In the present example, the user A selects\"user D\" in the user selection screen shown in Figure 9B.Accordingly, the bet screen displayed after the user isselected is displayed in a state where the same bet in-35

formation as the bet information of the user D is inputted.Specifically, the bet screen is displayed in a state where\"trifecta\" is inputted for the betting method, \"No. 1\" isinputted for the horse number of the first-place horse,\"No. 2\" is inputted for the horse number of the second-40

place horse, \"No. 3\" is inputted for the horse number ofthe third-place horse, and \"400 yen\" is inputted for thebet amount.

[0072]The terminal 10a receives an instruction to ex-ecute the bet from the user A (step S112). The user A45

can input the instruction to execute the bet by selectingan option of \"enter\" displayed in the bet screen after con-firming a content of the bet inputted.

[0073]Thereafter, the terminal 10a transmits the betinformation on the bet placed by the user A to the server50

20 (step S113). The server 20 stores the received betinformation in the storage section 25 (step S114). Spe-cifically, a corresponding record in the bet informationtable 26A is updated.

[0074]According to the present embodiment, bet in-55

formation of another user is automatically inputted in abet screen of a betting user. Accordingly, even a userless experienced in betting can easily place a bet. More-over, information on each user displayed as an option,

EP3 839 872A1

such as the number of bets placed in the past and awinning rate, is displayed in the user selection screen.Accordingly, a user with a high winning rate or an expe-rienced user who placed a large number of bets can beselected, and even if a betting user is a beginner, the5

betting user can achieve a winning rate almost equivalentto a level of a veteran user.

[0075]Further, information on a subject of a bet, suchas a horse name of a horse, a jockey riding on the horse,a gender of the horse, and an age of the horse, is dis-10

played in the bet screen, whereby a betting user can de-termine a subject of a bet while looking at the displayedinformation for reference.

[0076]According to the present embodiment, since auser can copy bet information of another user, the user15

does not need to refer to information (a state of a horse,odds of each subject of a bet, and the like) that is thoughtto be normally checked by a user when the user him/her-self determines a subject of a bet. Thus, communicationvolumes between the terminals 10 and the server 20 can20

be reduced.

[0077]Although a configuration is made in the above-described example such that after information for identi-fying a user whose bet information is to be copied is trans-mitted to the server 20, the server 20 extracts the bet25

information of the identified user from the storage section25, the terminal 10a may have the bet information. Insuch a case, the terminal 10a may transmit at least partof the bet information of the user whose bet informationis to be copied to the server.

[0078]Although a configuration is made in the above-described example such that a bet screen is automati-cally generated in which the same bet information as thebet information of the user D selected by the user A isinputted, a configuration may be made such that the bet35

information of the user D is displayed on the terminal 10aof the user A, and the user A him/herself inputs bet in-formation while looking at the displayed bet informationof the user D for reference.

[0079]Although a configuration is made in the above-40

described example such that the button for copying a betof another user is prepared in the bet screen, and theuser selection screen is displayed when the button ispressed down, such a configuration does not impose lim-itation. For example, a configuration may be made such45

that a button or the like for selecting bet information ofanother user who already placed a bet, or a user whosebet information is to be copied, is to be displayed in ahome screen or a screen of an SNS (Social NetworkService). In such a case, the server 20 may be configured50

to generate screen information including information fordisplaying a predetermined screen (a bet screen, a homescreen, a scree of an SNS, or the like), and to transmitthe screen information to the terminal 10a.

[0080]The above-described embodiment is intended55

to facilitate understanding of the present invention, andis not to interpret the present invention in a limiting man-ner. Each element included in the embodiment, and ar-

rangement, material, conditions, shapes, sizes, and thelike of the elements are not limited to those illustratedand can be changed as appropriate. Components in dif-ferent embodiments can be partially exchanged or com-bined.

Claims

1.An information processing apparatus comprising:

a transmission section that transmits screen in-formation for displaying a predetermined screento a terminal; and

a reception section that receives information in-putted by a first user from the terminal, and ex-ecutes a bet of the first user based on the re-ceived information,

wherein the screen information includes infor-mation related to one or more second users whoalready placed a bet, and

the reception section receives information foridentifying at least one second user selected bythe first user, or at least part of bet informationof the selected at least one second user, andexecutes the bet of the first user based on thereceived information.

The information processing apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the bet information of the seconduser selected by the first user includes at least anyone of a betting type and a subject of the bet.3.

The information processing apparatus according toclaim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined screen in-cludes the number of bets placed by, or a winningrate of, each of the one or more second users.4.

The information processing apparatus according toany one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predeterminedscreen includes information related to a subject ofthe bet.

The information processing apparatus according toany one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transmissionsection transmits, to the terminal, the screen infor-mation including option-related information for allow-ing the at least one second user of the one or moresecond users to be selected.

The information processing apparatus according toclaim 5, wherein the one or more second users eachincluded as an option in the option-related informa-tion are one or more second users who are locatedwithin a predetermined distance from a positionwhere the first user is present.

The information processing apparatus according to

EP3 839 872A1

claim 5 or 6, wherein the one or more second userseach included as an option in the option-related in-formation are one or more second users who haveteamed up with the first user a predeterminednumber of times or more.8.

The information processing apparatus according toany one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the one or moresecond users each included as an option in the op-tion-related information are one or more second us-ers who have performed transmission and receptionof a message to/from the first user a predeterminednumber of times or more.

The information processing apparatus according toany one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the one or moresecond users each included as an option in the op-tion-related information are one or more second us-ers whose winning rate is equal to or greater than apredetermined value.

10.The information processing apparatus according to

any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the one or moresecond users each included as an option in the op-tion-related information are one or more second us-ers who have a property identical to a property indi-cating a trend of past bets of the first user.11.The information processing apparatus according to

any one of claims 5 to 10, wherein the one or moresecond users each included as an option in the op-tion-related information are one or more second us-ers marked with a predetermined flag.12. The information processing apparatus according to

any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the predeterminedscreen is a bet screen that receives input of bet in-formation related to a bet.13.A bet acceptance method comprising:

by a computer,

transmitting screen information for displaying apredetermined screen to a terminal; and

receiving information inputted by a first user fromthe terminal, and executing a bet of the first userbased on the received information,

wherein the screen information includes infor-mation related to one or more second users whoalready placed a bet, and

in executing the bet, information for identifyingat least one second user selected by the firstuser, or at least part of bet information of theselected at least one second user is received,and the bet of the first user is executed basedon the received information.

14.A program causing a computer to function as:

means for transmitting screen information fordisplaying a predetermined screen to a terminal;and

means for receiving information inputted by a5

first user from the terminal, and executing a betof the first user based on the received informa-tion,

wherein the screen information includes infor-mation related to one or more second users who10

already placed a bet, and

the means for executing a bet is means for re-ceiving information for identifying at least onesecond user selected by the first user, or at leastpart of bet information of the selected at least15

one second user, and executing the bet of thefirst user based on the received information.

EP3 839 872A1

REFERENCES CITED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader’s convenience only. It does not form part of the Europeanpatent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot beexcluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.

Patent documents cited in the description•

JP 2018153653 A [0001]

•

JP 2013114487 A [0004]

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INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE, BET ACCEPTANCE METH