JP2001034669A - Card system and information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a card system capable of giving a fresh pleasure different from heretofore to user at the time of using a card by adding the element of games to a card premium, and to provide an information storage medium. SOLUTION: In this card system, a card character is made correspond to a card to be used at the time of transaction. At the time of using the card, the card character displays a picture executing a reaction where a transaction content is reflected. A transaction content at the time of using the card is reflected on the card character and it is trained/grown/changed. The humor degree of the card character may be changed in accordance with the use frequency and the transaction amount of the past card. Character information may be stored in the card, or may be stored in a database of the card system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a card system,
The present invention relates to a card and an information storage medium used in a card system. In particular, the present invention relates to a card system for displaying a character associated with a card on a display when the card is used, a card used in the card system, and an information storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, various cards such as membership cards, point cards, credit cards, prepaid cards, and postpaid cards have flooded society. All of these card issuers have introduced premium discounts and a point system that indirectly discounts fees in order to appeal to users and card members for their superiority in the competition. I have.

[0003] However, the conventional premium competition has simply become a cashback or discount competition. For this reason, every card has the same contents, and it is difficult to differentiate from other cards.

[0004] Further, it is not preferable for a business that does not take a policy of selling at low profits to try to differentiate itself by discount competition.

[0005] Therefore, instead of the conventional discount competition, a card strategy that can create fresh and attractive added value and increase the number of card users and promote purchase will be desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide a card premium with plenty of play elements, so that when a card is used, it is different from before. It is an object of the present invention to provide a card system capable of providing fresh enjoyment to a card user, a card used in the card system, and an information storage medium.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a card system in which a character is associated with a card used in a transaction, wherein character information relating to the character associated with the card used in the transaction is stored. And a character image generating unit that generates an image of a character associated with the used card based on the character information.

[0008] An information storage medium according to the present invention is an information storage medium usable by a computer, and includes information (a program or data, etc.) for realizing (executing) the above means. The program according to the present invention is a program usable by a computer (including a program embodied in a carrier wave),
It is characterized by including a processing routine for realizing (executing) the above means.

[0009] Here, the transaction includes provision of services. The card used for the transaction may be a card used for identity verification at the time of the transaction or a card for recording the transaction result, for example, a credit card, a membership card, a point card, a prepaid card,
Includes post-paid cards, cash cards, etc.

[0010] Character information relating to the character associated with the card may be stored on the card, or may be stored in a storage unit of the card system, for example, a database of a host computer.

According to the present invention, when a cardholder uses a card during a transaction, an image of a character associated with the card is generated and displayed on the display unit. For example, in the case of a card or the like used at the time of purchase, it is possible to generate an image in which the character corresponding to the card happily shows affection when shopping.

As described above, according to the present invention, the card holder can enjoy the image of the character associated with the card every time the card is used.

The playful card premium as in the present invention can create a fresh and attractive added value other than the simple cashback and discount, and can contribute to an increase in card transactions. Therefore, it is possible to differentiate the card premium from other card premiums, and to make the card member acquisition strategy developed by the card companies advantageous.

In general, when a card system is constructed, it may be composed of a single store or a plurality of stores. The present invention includes both cases. That is, in the case of a single store, the card system of the store only needs to be configured so as to satisfy the configuration requirements of the present invention. It suffices if each is configured so as to satisfy the configuration requirements of the present invention.

A plurality of types of card characters may be prepared so that the card user can select a favorite character when acquiring the card.

Further, a card system according to the present invention includes a card to which a character is associated, and at least one character image display means for displaying an image of the character corresponding to the card at the time of a transaction. Means for acquiring character information relating to a character associated with a card used in a transaction, and character image generation for generating an image of the character associated with the used card based on the character information Means.

Further, the card system, the information storage medium and the program according to the present invention include means for acquiring transaction information relating to transaction contents when using the card, wherein the character image generating means is used based on the transaction information. A means for generating an image in which a character associated with the card that has made a reaction reflects the transaction content.

According to the present invention, when a cardholder uses a card during a transaction, an image of a character associated with the card is generated, and a reaction is performed according to the transaction content. Here, reaction means reaction, action,
It means appearance, appearance, mode, etc.

For example, in the case of a shopping card or the like, it is possible to cause the user to perform the appearance and operation related to the purchased item, or to exaggerate the reaction as the purchased amount increases. Further, the user may be pleased, angry, sad, or playfully depending on the purchased item or type.

According to the present invention, the card holder can enjoy the fun of the reaction of the character which changes according to the transaction contents when using the card. For this reason, the card holder is strongly motivated to use the card, and the number of transactions with the card can be increased.

Further, in the card system, the information storage medium and the program according to the present invention, the character information includes character upbringing information associated with the card, and the character information is stored in the card based on the character information and the transaction contents when the card is used. Means for performing a training operation for the associated character to perform growth or change reflecting the transaction content; and means for updating training information included in the character information based on the training information generated by the training calculation. Including
The character image generating means includes means for generating an image of a grown or changed character based on the breeding information.

Here, the growth or change may be based on the appearance of the character, the character, the attitude, the emotion, or both. For example, as the transaction record increases, the child may change from a child to an adult, and the expression of emotion and joy may be complicatedly improved.

For example, if the card is used at the time of purchase, reflecting the tendency of shopping, if there is much food, it grows into a character with food, if there are many books, it grows into a character who likes books, When there are many clothes and fashionable miscellaneous goods, the character may grow into a fashion-loving character.

The growth or change may be performed stepwise,
Mutations may be performed. Also add a random element,
Even when the transaction results are completely the same, the state of growth or change may be made different.

The image of the character having grown or changed in shape based on the updated breeding information may be generated when the current card is used or when the next card is used. At the time of the next use, it is possible to give a strong motivation for the next use of the card that the growth or the changed appearance of the character can be seen by the use of the next card.

According to the present invention, when a card is used, the image of a character that has grown or changed can be viewed reflecting the transaction contents, so that a play factor of character development is further added, and the enjoyment of using the card is further increased. Can be.

Note that another card premium may be increased according to the stage of growth or change of the character associated with the card.

Further, the card system, the information storage medium and the program according to the present invention include means for acquiring card use information including information on at least one of past card use frequency and transaction amount, and wherein the character image generating means is provided. Means for changing the mood of a character associated with a card according to at least one of a past card use frequency and a transaction amount based on the card use information to generate a character image according to the mood It is characterized by including.

For example, it is preferable to generate an image of a mood character as the frequency of use in the past is higher and the transaction amount is larger. In addition, if there is no transaction for a while, an image of a character that does not respond to anything with a bad mood may be generated.

According to the present invention, the character's mood changes according to the past usage frequency and the transaction amount, so that the feeling that the character has settled on the card becomes stronger.
Also, by changing the mood of the character according to the frequency of use and the transaction amount, the card user can be motivated to increase the card use frequency and the transaction amount.

It is preferable to submit a card and generate and display an image of a character based on at least one of the past card usage frequency and the transaction amount before generating an image according to the current transaction result. . This way,
For example, the image of the character can be enjoyed even during the time when the current transaction result is being input.

In a card system, an information storage medium and a program according to the present invention, the character information is stored in a card, the character information is read when the card is used, and processing is performed based on the read character information. It is characterized by.

If there are a plurality of stores where the card is used, it is necessary to share character information among the plurality of stores. However, in the present invention, since the character information is stored in the card, the processing can be performed without preparing a separate database or the like. For this reason, a character can be displayed quickly without the communication time required for acquiring information from the database.

Also, in the case of a card such as a prepaid card or a point card which does not need to store customer information, a card system can be constructed without having to create a new dedicated database for the present system. So convenient.

Note that the character breeding information is stored in the card, and the breeding information stored in the card is updated with the newly generated breeding information based on the transaction contents when the card is used. Good.

Further, the card system, the information storage medium and the program according to the present invention include means for following the character information stored in the first card to the second card, and the character information is stored in the second card from the first card. By taking over the character information of the character to the card, the character associated with the first card is continuously associated with the second card.

Here, the first card is an old card that is not used after taking over character information, such as a used prepaid card or a card before updating, and the second card is used instead of the first card. It may be a new card that is newly used. Further, the first card and the second card may be used in parallel.

To continuously associate the character associated with the first card with the second card means that the current state, breeding degree, etc., of the character associated with the first card are set in the second card. This means that it is possible to produce a state in which the character is drawn to the card as it is, as if the character moved from the first card to the second card.

According to the present invention, even when the role of the card is completed by using up the amount of money such as a prepaid card, it is possible to continue the association with the character. Therefore, it is possible to continuously cultivate a character even with a single-use card.

The card system, the information storage medium and the program according to the present invention further comprise means for storing the character information in association with the user identification information, and reading the user identification information stored on the card when the card is used.
The processing is performed based on the character information stored in association with the user identification information.

According to the present invention, a user ID is stored on a card, and the card can be easily incorporated into an existing card card system of a type having a database storing member information and transaction information corresponding to the user ID. There is also an advantage that it is.

According to the present invention, since the card system stores character information corresponding to the user identification information, there is no need to update the information stored in the card. It ’s easy,
There is an advantage that no extra capital investment is required.

Means for storing the character breeding information in association with the user identification information; and reading the user identification information stored on the card when the card is used.
The character breeding information stored in association with the user identification information may be updated with the newly generated breeding information based on the transaction contents at the time of using the card.

Further, the card system, the information storage medium, and the program according to the present invention include means for generating at least one of voice and music associated with an image of a character associated with the card when using the card. I do.

Here, at least one of the voice and music associated with the character associated with the card includes, for example, a squeal of the character itself, background music associated with the reaction of the character, and the like.

According to the present invention, since the sound associated with the character associated with the card can be enjoyed at the time of using the card, it is possible to achieve a more entertaining expression.

The card according to the present invention is a card used for a transaction, and is characterized in that it can be used in any of the card systems of the present invention.

[0048]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following, a case where the present invention is applied to a membership card system of a convenience store will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various card systems.

1. Features of the present embodiment A feature of the present embodiment is that a character used in a transaction is associated with a character, and a character associated with the card (hereinafter referred to as a “card character”) is used each time the card is used. Is to have fun.

For this reason, in the present embodiment, when a card is used, an image of a card character performing various operations in accordance with the contents of a transaction is generated and displayed.

As shown in FIG. 1A, in the member's card system of the present embodiment, the member's card 300
Is set to have the card character 310 settled therein.

For example, in a convenience store A (hereinafter referred to as “convenience store A”) which employs the members card system of the present embodiment, a plurality of types of membership cards in which various card characters of different types have settled are prepared. . When the user becomes a member of the convenience store A membership card, the user selects a card in which a favorite card character is resident and receives it as his / her own card. And the user is the convenience store A
If you shop at, submit your membership card to the cashier and pay for the purchase. Then, as shown in FIG. 1B, an image of the own card character is displayed on the display screen 330 of the POS register 320. As described above, the customer who has obtained the member's card according to the present embodiment can face the card character who has settled on the card every time he / she performs shopping at convenience store A. Therefore, it is possible to provide the customer with a new and different enjoyment at the time of shopping, and it is possible to increase the number of card members and promote the customer's willingness to visit the store.

Moreover, this card character willingly enjoys shopping as shown in FIG. 2 (A).
Furthermore, depending on the purchase item and the purchase amount, the user is delighted, angry, sad, playfully, and makes a reaction reflecting the purchase content.

For example, if a candy is bought, an image as shown in FIG. 2B is displayed, and if the user does not buy much, a picture as shown in FIG.
The image shown in Fig. 2 is displayed. When you buy a CD, Fig. 2 (D)
The image shown in FIG. 2 is displayed. If the day is the customer's birthday, the image shown in FIG. 2E is displayed. If the user buys clothes, the image shown in FIG. 2F is displayed.

Therefore, the card user can enjoy the fun of using a card which has not existed in the past, that is, enjoy the image of the character reacting to the purchased item.
For this reason, the appeal of the gesture of the card character to the user can be appealed, and the card can be differentiated.

It should be noted that, for example, simultaneously with the image of the card character, a sound related to the image may be output. The output sound may be, for example, a cry of a card character, or in the case of FIG. 2E, "happy birthday" music or the like.

In the present embodiment, a training calculation for growing or changing a card character is performed according to the card use record. Therefore, the user can enjoy the image of the card character that grows or changes each time the card is used.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams for explaining the growth and change of the card character. In the present embodiment, the card character is configured to grow while reflecting the purchase contents while the card user repeats shopping at convenience store A. As information representing this growth stage, card character breeding information has information on the growth level. For example, if the type of the card character is K
If it is 1, the displayed card character also changes to 410, 420, 430,. For example, when the type of the character information is K1 and the character level is the second level, an image of a card character as indicated by 420 is displayed.

The change in the growth level may be made faster as the purchase price is larger.

Further, the change in the growth level may not be uniform, but may be branched and changed based on past purchase results. For example, up to the fourth level, 410-44
It may be changed stepwise to 0, and the fifth and subsequent levels may change in a branched manner as indicated by 450 to 480 in FIG.

For example, if a particular item is purchased frequently,
Grow accordingly. That is, if the purchase of sweets is large, the type of sweets is 450. If the purchase of clothing, cosmetics, and fashion miscellaneous goods is large, the type 4 is fashionable.
60, music lover type 4 if there are many purchases of CDs, etc.
If the number of purchases of books and magazines is large at 70, the reader grows to a reader type 480 (see FIG. 4).

As described above, the card character grows by reflecting the purchasing tendency of the customer (card user) who is the owner, so that the card user can feel more familiar with the card character and enjoy shopping more.

As the shopping continues, the character and personality of the card character are leveled up in a complicated manner, and the reaction and behavior at the time of purchase also evolve. You can get along with them.

If shopping is not performed at the convenience store A for a while, the card character may be in a bad mood and may not respond to anything. In this case, the convenience store A
It can also motivate customers to use shopping at.

2. First Example FIG. 5 shows a card system 10 according to a first example of the present embodiment.
1 shows an example of a block diagram of FIG. The first embodiment is an embodiment in which character information is stored in a card, and a system is constructed so that the card system does not have character information. In such a case, when building a card system for cards that can be used in common at all the convenience store A chain stores, the POS cash register of each store performs processing based on the information read from the card, and based on the processing result, the card is processed. May be updated. Therefore, by incorporating the card system of this embodiment into each POS cash register of each store in software or hardware, the POS cash register of each store can function as an independent card system.

As described above, in this embodiment, the character information relating to the card character is stored in the card 20 itself. The character information 24 stores, for example, character types, character breeding information, past purchase frequency information, and the like. Character upbringing information and information on purchase frequency are configured to be updated when a card is used by the card information input / output unit 190 of the POS cash register at the store, which is a card system.

The processing unit 100 controls the entire system, instructs each block in the system, and the like. Its function is a CPU (CISC type, RISC type).
(Type), DSP, or ASIC (gate array or the like) or a given program (game program).

The storage section 140 serves as a work area for the processing section 100, the image generation section 160, the sound generation section 170, and the like, and its functions can be realized by hardware such as a RAM.

An information storage medium (a storage medium usable by a computer) 150 stores information such as programs and data.
D, DVD), magneto-optical disk (MO), magnetic disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or semiconductor memory (ROM). The processing unit 100 performs various processes of the present invention (the present embodiment) based on the information stored in the information storage medium 150.
That is, the information storage medium 150 stores various information (programs, data) for realizing (executing) the means (particularly, the blocks included in the processing unit 100) of the present invention (the present embodiment).
Is stored.

A part or all of the information stored in the information storage medium 150 is transferred to the storage unit 140 when the power to the system is turned on. Information storage medium 1
The information stored in 50 is a program code for performing the processing of the present invention, image information, sound information, shape information of a display object, table data, list data, and information for instructing the processing of the present invention. The information includes at least one of information for performing a process according to the instruction.

The image generating section 160 generates various images according to an instruction from the processing section 100 and the like, and
The function is the ASI for image generation.
It can be realized by hardware such as C, CPU, or DSP, a given program (image generation program), and image information.

The generated image may be a three-dimensional image, a two-dimensional image such as an animation, a color image, or a monochrome image.

The sound generation section 170 generates various sounds in accordance with an instruction from the processing section 100 and outputs the generated sounds to the sound output section 172. The functions of the sound generation section 170 include a sound generation ASIC,
It can be realized by hardware such as a CPU or a DSP, a given program (sound generation program), and sound information (waveform data and the like). Note that the sound generation unit 170 may generate sound or music related to the displayed image of the character.

The transaction information input section 180 is for inputting transaction information such as the type and price of the purchased product, and has a function of a bar code reader for a POS (point of sale) system or a keyboard of a POS register. And so on.
That is, the type of product can be input from a bar code reader for the POS system, and the amount can be input from the keyboard of the POS register. The transaction information input unit 180 functions as a means for acquiring transaction information relating to transaction details when using the card.

The card information input / output unit 190 is for inputting and updating character information stored in the card, and its function can be realized by a card reader of a POS register. Means for the card information input / output unit 190 to acquire character information relating to the character associated with the card used in the transaction, and the breeding information included in the character information based on the breeding information generated by the breeding calculation Function as a means for updating.

Some or all of the functions of the processing unit 100 may be realized by the functions of the image generation unit 160 and the sound generation unit 170. Alternatively, the image generation unit 160,
Some or all of the functions of the sound generation unit 170
It may be realized by the function of.

The processing section 100 includes a character image calculation section 1
10 and a training operation unit 120.

Here, the character image calculation section 110 performs calculation for generating an image of a character associated with the used card based on the character information. Then, the image generation unit 160 performs a process of generating an image of the card character based on the calculation result. Thus, the character image calculation unit 110 and the image generation unit function as character image generation means.

An image may be generated on the basis of the transaction information, in which the character associated with the used card performs a reaction reflecting the transaction content. Further, an image of a character that has grown or changed may be generated based on the breeding information.

Further, the mood of the character associated with the card may be changed in accordance with at least one of the frequency of use of the card and the transaction amount in the past to generate an image of the character corresponding to the mood. .

The breeding calculation unit 120 performs breeding calculation based on the character information and the transaction contents when the card is used so that the character associated with the card grows or changes reflecting the transaction contents. Then, the card information input / output unit 190 performs a process of updating the training information included in the character information 24 stored in the card 20 based on the training information generated by the training calculation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the first embodiment.

When the customer submits the card to the cash register when shopping at convenience store A, the character information stored in the card is input by the card information input / output unit 190 such as a card reader (step S10).

The character image calculation unit 110 performs calculation for generating a character image according to the character type and growth level included in the character information and the past purchase frequency (step S20).

Then, the image generation section 160 generates an image of the card character based on the calculation result, and displays the card character on the display section of the POS register to call the buyer's attention (step S30).

For example, when the type of the character information read in step S10 is K1 and the character level is the second level, an image in which the card character 420 in FIG. 3 makes an adorable gesture is displayed on the display section of the POS register. Is done.

Here, the mood, the degree of charm, and the like calculated from the past purchase frequency and the purchase price may be calculated, and the gesture of the card character may be changed in accordance with the calculated mood and charm. For example, when shopping has not been performed for a while, as shown in FIG.

For example, the birthday information of the customer is stored as a part of the character information, and when the date of the present day coincides with the birthday, a “happy birthday image” as shown in FIG. May be displayed.

Next, in steps S40 to S70, processing for generating a reaction image of the card character according to the purchased item is performed. If the purchased merchandise covers a plurality of items, the processing of steps S40 to S70 is repeated until the processing is completed for all the purchased merchandise.

First, the type and price of the purchased product are input from the bar code reader and keyboard of the POS register (step S40).

The character image calculation unit 110 performs a calculation for generating an image of a card card character performing a reaction corresponding to the character information, the type of the purchased product, and the amount of money (step S50).

Then, the image generation section 160 generates an image of the card character which reacts according to the type and the amount of the purchased commodity based on the calculation result, and displays the image on the display section of the POS register (step S60).

As described above, since the card character performing the reaction corresponding to the purchased item and the purchased amount is displayed on the display unit, the customer visually enjoys the operation of the character corresponding to the purchased item and enjoys the card character which has not been available in the past. You can enjoy the fun of using.

When the above-mentioned processing is completed for all the purchased commodities, the card character breeding calculation is performed based on the character information and the amount and type of all the purchased commodities to generate breeding information (steps S70 and S80). .

Here, whether or not the processing has been completed for all the purchased commodities may be determined, for example, based on whether or not the “total” key has been pressed on the cashier keyboard.

For the breeding calculation, for example, the first level to the tenth level may be grown stepwise,
The growth pattern may be formed so as to branch for each tendency of the purchased item. If you buy a lot of a particular item,
A process for performing growth according to that may be performed.

It is also possible to calculate ancillary data indicating the direction of growth and write this as part of character data on the card. By doing so, when a character branches and grows at a certain level, it is determined whether to branch to A or B. For example, for example,
Since characters such as music-loving characters and food-loving characters are created, the card user can enjoy the growth itself of such characters.

Then, the card information input / output unit 180 performs a process of updating the character information of the card with the generated breeding information (step S90). As a result, the character information of the card reflects the current purchase result.

In this embodiment, since the card system does not require a database of member information and the like, a card such as a prepaid card or a loyalty card in which information relating to premiums attached to the card is stored in the card itself is handled. Suitable for card systems in case.

3. Second Embodiment FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining an example of a hardware configuration of a card system 12 according to a second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the host system 200 and the POS cash register of each store are connected via a communication line (a wide area network such as the Internet) 1302 to constitute a card system. The card system 12 only needs to include at least one POS register.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, character information is stored in the character information storage section 210 of the card system 12, and the card does not have character information. It is. As shown in FIG. 7B, in this embodiment, the card 22 stores a customer ID or the like 26 as customer identification information. Therefore, it is necessary for the card system to search for character information based on the customer ID and the like.

In such a case, when constructing a card system for cards that can be commonly used at the POS cash registers 40-1 to 40-n of all the chain stores of the convenience store A,
It is necessary to perform processing that reflects the purchase results at other stores. For this reason, in the second embodiment, a character information storage unit 210 is provided in this database so that a database capable of reflecting the purchase results at the POS cash register of each store in real time can be shared by all stores.

Each POS cash register of each store incorporates the card system of this embodiment in software or hardware, and
It is configured to be able to read and write in real time from the S cash register to the shared database.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining information stored in shared database 600. As shown in FIG.
And corresponding customer information 620, purchase results 630,
Character information 640 and the like are stored. Customer information 6
20 stores, for example, an address, a name, a telephone number, a date of birth, and the like. In the purchase record 630, a purchase date, a purchase price for each purchase item, and the like are stored as data. The character information 640 stores the type of card character of the customer, training information, and the like, and functions as the character information storage unit 210.

POS cash registers 40-1, 40-2 at each store
Reads out the purchase results 630 and character information 640 in real time from the database 600 shared by all stores provided in the host system, performs character image generation and training calculation based on the read information, and performs character information 640 and The content of the purchase result 630 is updated.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a block diagram of a card system according to a second example of the present embodiment.

In FIG. 9, parts having the same functions as those in FIG. 4 are given the same names and the same numbers, and their explanation is omitted. In this card system, a character information storage unit 210 is provided in a host system (server) 200 to share character information in all stores, and each POS register is connected to the host system (server) 200 via a communication unit 174 via a communication line. ing.

The communication section 174 performs various controls for performing communication with the host system (server), and has a function of communication ASIC or hardware such as a CPU or a given function. It can be realized by a program (communication program).

In the second embodiment, since it is not necessary to write data on the card, the card information input / output unit 190 shown in FIG.
, A card information input unit 192 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the customer ID 26 is stored in the card 22. And this customer I
A character information storage unit 210 in which character information corresponding to D26 is stored is provided in the host system 200. The character information storage unit 210 stores character type, growth level, accompanying data, and the like as character information corresponding to the customer ID.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the second embodiment.

When the customer submits the card to the cash register when shopping at convenience store A, the customer ID information stored in the card is input by the card information input unit 192 such as a card reader (step S110).

The character image calculation unit 110 stores the customer ID
The character information corresponding to the information is read from the host computer (step S120), and an operation for generating an image of the character corresponding to the character type and the growth level included in the character information is performed (step S13).
0).

The image generation unit 160 generates an image of the card character based on the calculation result, displays the card character on the display unit of the POS register, and alerts the purchaser (step S140).

Next, in steps S150 to S180, processing for generating a reaction image of the card character according to the purchased item is performed, and when the processing is completed for all the purchased commodities, the breeding calculation is performed. Steps S40 to S70 are the same as those in steps S40 to S70, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The character information storage unit 2 of the host system uses the generated breeding information via the communication unit 174.
A process for updating the character information corresponding to the customer ID stored in 10 is performed (step S200). Thereby, the character information storage unit 210 of the host system 200
Represents the purchase results of the customer in real time.

In the case of the second embodiment, since it is sufficient that the ID itself is associated with the card, a database in which the ID and the character are associated with the already issued card is prepared. By simply adding a simple mechanism, it is possible to handle conventional cards.

In the second embodiment, the character image calculation unit 110 and the breeding calculation unit 120 are connected to the processing unit 1 on the POS register side.
00, but may be provided on the host system 200 side.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the invention according to the dependent claims of the present invention, it may be possible to omit a part of the constituent elements of the dependent claims. In addition, a main part of the invention according to one independent claim of the present invention may be made dependent on another independent claim.

Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the transaction content is the purchase of a product is described as an example of a distribution member card system, but the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the card may be a credit card, a prepaid card, a cash card, or a membership card issued to a sports club member. In addition, service may be provided regardless of the transaction content.

For example, in the case of a membership card of a sports club, the result of the user's health check, the use of sports facilities, and the like are reflected on the character, and the character reflects the gesture or growth reflecting the member's health condition. May be performed.

In the case of a prepaid card, the character data associated with the card may be deleted each time by using up the amount of the prepaid card. A process for taking over may be performed. In this case, the character information of the used card may be set to a new card when the money is used up. By doing so, continuous character cultivation can be enjoyed even with a single-use prepaid card. Eventually, the character may be in a format in which when the character is brought up to a certain final level, a certain gift is issued to the user there.

Further, for example, character information may be distributed and stored in a card and a card system.
For example, in the second embodiment, only the character type may be stored in the card. In this way, even if it takes time to acquire the character information from the host system, it is possible to generate an image or the like of the character who is pleased to use the card based on the character type.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams for describing features of the present embodiment. FIG.

FIGS. 2A to 2E are diagrams for explaining features of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining growth and change of a card character according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating growth and change of a card character according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an example of a block diagram of a card system according to a first example of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the first embodiment.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining an example of a hardware configuration of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing information stored in a shared database according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a block diagram of a card system according to a second example of the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining an operation example of the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Card System of First Embodiment 12 Card System of Second Embodiment 20 Card of First Embodiment 22 Card of Second Embodiment 24 Character Information 26 Customer ID 40 POS Cash Register 100 Processing Unit 110 Character Image Operation Unit 120 Training Operation Unit 140 Storage unit 150 Information storage medium 160 Image generation unit 162 Display unit 170 Sound generation unit 172 Sound output unit 174 Communication unit 180 Transaction information input unit 190 Card information input / output unit 192 Card information input unit 200 Host system (server) 210 Character Information storage unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E042 CC02 CE07 CE09 5B035 BC00 BC02 CA11 5B049 BB11 CC05 CC39 DD01 DD02 DD04 DD05 EE05 EE07 EE23 EE28 FF03 FF04 FF06 FF09 GG01 5B058 KA06

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A card system in which a character is associated with a card used at the time of a transaction, comprising: means for acquiring character information relating to the character associated with the card used at the time of the transaction; A character image generating means for generating an image of a character associated with a used card based on the information. 2. A card having a character associated therewith, and at least one character image display means for displaying an image of the character corresponding to the card during a transaction, wherein the character image display means comprises: Means for acquiring character information relating to a character associated with the used card; and character image generating means for generating an image of the character associated with the used card based on the character information. Characterized card system. 3. The card according to claim 1, further comprising: means for acquiring transaction information relating to transaction contents when the card is used, wherein the character image generating means is associated with the used card based on the transaction information. A means for generating an image in which a character performs a reaction reflecting a transaction content. 4. The card according to claim 1, wherein the character information includes character breeding information associated with the card, and the character information is associated with the card based on the character information and the transaction contents when the card is used. Means for performing a breeding calculation for the character to perform growth or change reflecting the transaction contents, and means for updating breeding information included in the character information based on the breeding information generated by the breeding calculation, The card system according to claim 1, wherein the character image generating unit includes a unit configured to generate an image of a grown or changed character based on the breeding information. 5. The card according to claim 1, further comprising: a unit for acquiring card use information including information on at least one of a past card use frequency and a transaction amount. Means for generating a character image corresponding to the mood by changing the mood of the character associated with the card in accordance with at least one of the past card use frequency and the transaction amount based on the use information A card system characterized by the following. 6. The character information according to claim 1, wherein the character information is stored in a card, the character information is read when a card is used, and a process is performed based on the read character information. Card system. 7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: means for drawing the character information stored in the first card to the second card, wherein the character information is transferred from the first card to the second card. A card system wherein the character associated with the first card is continuously associated with the second card. 8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the character information is stored in association with user identification information, and when the card is used, the user identification information stored in the card is read and the character identification information is stored in the user identification information. A card system for performing processing based on character information stored in association with the card information. 9. The card system according to claim 1, further comprising means for generating at least one of voice and music associated with an image of a character associated with the card when the card is used. . 10. A card used for a transaction, comprising:
A card usable in the card system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. 11. An information storage medium usable by a computer, comprising: means for acquiring character information relating to a character associated with a card used in a transaction; and a card used based on the character information. A character image generating means for generating an image of a character associated with, and an information storage medium including information for realizing: 12. The character according to claim 11, further comprising: means for acquiring transaction information relating to transaction contents when the card is used, wherein said character image generating means is based on said transaction information. Means for generating an image for performing a reaction reflecting transaction content; and an information storage medium including information for realizing: 13. The card according to claim 11, wherein the character information includes breeding information of a character associated with the card, and the character information is associated with the card based on the character information and a transaction content when the card is used. Means for performing a breeding calculation for the character to perform growth or change reflecting the transaction contents, and means for updating breeding information included in the character information based on the breeding information generated by the breeding calculation, The information storage medium, characterized in that the character image generating means includes information for generating an image of a grown or changed character based on the breeding information. 14. The card according to claim 11, further comprising: a unit for acquiring card use information including information on at least one of a past card use frequency and a transaction amount. Based on the usage information, the mood of the character associated with the card is changed according to at least one of the frequency of use of the card and the transaction amount in the past, and information for generating an image of the character corresponding to the mood is changed. An information storage medium characterized by including. 15. The character information according to claim 11, wherein the character information is stored in a card, and the character information is read when the card is used, and information for performing a process based on the read character information is stored. An information storage medium characterized by including. 16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: means for drawing the character information stored in the first card to the second card, wherein the character information is transferred from the first card to the second card. An information storage medium comprising information for continuously associating a character associated with a first card with a second card. 17. The device according to claim 11, wherein the character information is stored in association with user identification information, and when the card is used, the user identification information stored in the card is read and the character information is stored in the user identification information. An information storage medium comprising information for performing processing based on character information stored in association with the information. 18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising information for generating at least one of voice and music associated with an image of a character associated with the card when the card is used. Information storage medium.