JP7725688B1 - Programs and Systems - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a technology that is advantageous for improving the convenience of services provided via a network. The program according to the present invention causes a computer to function as a rewarding device that rewards a user according to the type of terminal the user is using. (Selected Figure)

Description

The present invention relates to a program and a system.

Services provided over a network generally use terminals such as mobile phones and personal computers (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-127910

The purpose of this invention is to improve convenience.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a program, the program comprising:
Computer,
receiving means for receiving from a user's terminal the size and/or parameters of the horizontal and vertical directions of a screen currently displayed on a display unit currently in use on the user's terminal;
a reward determining unit that determines a reward by lottery from a population that includes a plurality of types of rewards, and that grants the reward to the user according to the size and/or parameters received by the receiving unit ;
a modifying means for modifying the population in accordance with the size and/or parameters received by the receiving means;
The present invention is characterized in that it functions as a

This invention makes it possible to improve convenience.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system according to an embodiment. 10A to 10C are diagrams showing reference examples of display contents for various types of terminals. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the display content when a laptop computer is used. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display content when a smartphone is used. 10 is a flowchart showing processing content on the server side. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a lottery table. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the lottery table. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing content on the terminal side. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the content of communication performed between a server and a terminal. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the display content when a laptop computer is used. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the display content when a smartphone is used. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the content of communication performed between a server and a terminal. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display content when the display mode is changed. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of display content in the case of a multi-monitor display.

The following describes the embodiments in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined by the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined in any desired manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used to designate identical or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[System configuration]
1 shows an example of the configuration of a system SY according to an embodiment. The system SY includes a server 1 and a plurality of terminals 2, each of which is capable of communicating with the server 1 via a network N.

Server 1 comprises a processor 11, memory 12, storage 13, operation input unit 14, and display unit 15. Processor 11 is a broad computing unit that performs arithmetic processing to realize each function of server 1, and includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. Memory 12 is a storage medium that temporarily stores intermediate data and the like used during arithmetic processing by processor 11, and typically uses volatile storage media such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). Storage 13 is a storage medium that stores information necessary for the arithmetic processing of processor 11, such as programs and parameters, and data indicating the results of that arithmetic processing, and typically uses non-volatile storage media such as HDDs (hard disk drives) and SSDs (solid state drives).

The operation input unit 14 is configured to be able to accept operation inputs from the administrator of the server 1, and may include hardware keys, software keys, levers, etc. The processor 11 performs arithmetic processing, for example, based on the operation input to the operation input unit 14 and/or based on communication with the terminal 2 described below. The display unit 15 is configured to be able to display information necessary for the administrator of the server 1, and may be, for example, a liquid crystal display.
The administrator of the server 1 corresponds to a provider of a predetermined service, and the service is provided to each of a plurality of terminals 2 via a network N.

The multiple terminals 2 may be of different types, examples of which include desktop computers (personal computers), laptop computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. Further examples include XR terminals (XR is an abbreviation for cross reality, a general term for VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), MR (mixed reality), etc.) and wearable devices that can be attached to them. The owner of a terminal 2 can use the terminal 2 as a user of a service delivered from the server 1 to access the server 1 and receive the service.

Each terminal 2 includes a processor 21, a memory 22, a storage 23, an operation input unit 24, and a display unit 25. The processor 21, the memory 22, the storage 23, the operation input unit 24, and the display unit 25 have the same configurations and functions as the processor 11, the memory 12, the storage 13, the operation input unit 14, and the display unit 15, respectively.
The operation input unit 24 is configured to be able to accept operation inputs from the user, such as selecting a menu or command related to the service, canceling the selection, changing the selection target, etc. The display unit 25 is configured to be able to display information related to the service, and may include a screen on which the information is displayed, a frame (bezel) surrounding the screen, etc. If the terminal 2 is a desktop computer or laptop computer, the operation input unit 24 may be, for example, a keyboard or mouse, and the display unit 25 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display. If the terminal 2 is a smartphone or tablet, the operation input unit 24 and the display unit 25 may be configured as an integrated unit, in which case a touch panel display is typically used.

In this embodiment, the service is a distribution service for a game (hereinafter referred to as the "game"), such as a location-based game, a role-playing game, an action game, an adventure game, a simulation game, a strategy game, a racing game, a puzzle game, a rhythm game, a shooting game, or a card game.
Such a system SY may be expressed as a game distribution system or simply as a distribution system, or may be expressed as a game service system or simply as a service system.

[About the service content]
A user can play the game by downloading the game program and/or data from the server 1 to the terminal 2. The game can be played by the user making desired operation inputs to the operation input unit 24 while referring to the screen of the display unit 25. Note that provisional data generated during play of the game is saved in the storage 13 of the server 1 or temporarily saved in the memory 22 of the terminal 2 as needed, and the game can be interrupted or resumed at any time.

In this game, one of the services is to hold a lottery for users, and the user can use one of the rewards selected by the lottery from a population containing multiple types of rewards. In the lottery, each reward has a set rarity, and when the lottery is executed based on a user's request to execute the lottery (lottery execution request), one of the rewards is granted to the user with a probability corresponding to the rarity. This type of lottery is generally called "gacha."
The provision of a reward to a user refers to the user being able to use the reward directly or indirectly, which corresponds to the user obtaining the reward from the user's perspective. When a reward is provided to a user through a lottery, information indicating that the reward has been provided (obtained from the user's perspective) is associated with the identification information of the terminal 2 or the user and stored in the storage 13 of the server 1, thereby enabling the user to use the reward. Such a reward may be referred to as a benefit, a prize, or the like, or, in a broader sense, as an incentive, or the like.

In this embodiment, the reward is an image such as a still image (e.g., a standby screen (so-called wallpaper)) or a video (e.g., a promotional video). For example, the winning probabilities for images Img1, Img2, and Img3, which can be obtained by lottery, can be set at 10%, 30%, and 60%, respectively. By conducting a lottery within the game, users can obtain images Img1, Img2, and Img3 with a 10%, 30%, and 60%, respectively. The obtained image Img1, Img2, or Img3 can be used by the user, and can be viewed within the game, for example, and/or the image data (still image data or video data) can be saved in storage 23.

[Reward display details]
The game can be played using a variety of different types of terminals 2.
As a reference example, Figure 2 shows a case where a terminal 2 of a certain user Ua is a laptop computer (referred to as laptop computer 2a for the sake of distinction), and a terminal 2 of another user Ub is a smartphone (referred to as smartphone 2b for the sake of distinction).

The display unit 25 of the laptop computer 2a (referred to as display unit 25a for the sake of distinction) is often used in a landscape orientation, where the horizontal size of the screen is larger than the vertical size. In contrast, the display unit 25 of the smartphone 2b (referred to as display unit 25b for the sake of distinction) is often used in a portrait orientation, where the vertical size of the screen is larger than the horizontal size.
For ease of understanding, the following description will be made on the assumption that the display unit 25a is used in a landscape orientation and the display unit 25b is used in a portrait orientation.

For example, if the image Img1 obtained by lottery is horizontally oriented, the horizontally oriented image Img1 may be appropriately displayed on the horizontally oriented display unit 25a, but may be difficult to display on the vertically oriented display unit 25b (see Figure 2). Conversely, if the image Img1 obtained by lottery is vertically oriented, the vertically oriented image Img1 may be appropriately displayed on the vertically oriented display unit 25b, but may be difficult to display on the horizontally oriented display unit 25a. The same applies to the other images Img2 or Img3.

Here, difficulty in display refers to, for example, photographs and illustrations in image Img1 being unnecessarily reduced in size and difficult to see, or text in image Img1 being unnecessarily reduced in size and difficult to recognize. These factors can cause the convenience of the game, which can be played on a wide variety of devices 2, to depend on the device 2 itself, so there is a general demand for technology that further improves convenience.

[First Example]
In the following first example, for ease of explanation, a case will be described in which the reward obtained by executing the lottery is image Img1, but the same applies to the cases in which image Img2 or Img3 is obtained.

(Display content on laptop computers)
3 shows the contents of the screen displayed on the display unit 25a when a user Ua playing the game on a landscape-oriented laptop computer 2a acquires an image Img1 by lottery. When the image Img1 is acquired by lottery, a preview image PImg1h of the image Img1 is first displayed in a window Wn31 on the screen. Along with this, a character string Tx311 saying "View entire image" and a character string Tx312 saying "Save to device" are also displayed. In this example, a character string Tx313 saying "Close" is also displayed.

The preview image PImg1h is a horizontally oriented reduced image or sample image, and may also be expressed as a thumbnail, etc.

The character strings Tx311 to Tx313 are each icons that can be pressed (in this example, clicked using a mouse, for example), and the user Ua can selectively press them.

Pressing the character string Tx311 corresponds to user Ua indicating a request to view the entire image Img1h (or a request to view it in detail). In response to pressing the character string Tx311, a horizontally long image Img1h is displayed across the entire screen of the display unit 25a. At this time, the horizontally long image Img1h displayed across the entire screen of the display unit 25a can be viewed in detail (enlarged) using, for example, the mouse wheel.

Pressing the string Tx312 corresponds to user Ua indicating their intention to save image Img1h on their device (or request private use). In response to pressing the string Tx312, image data of the horizontally oriented image Img1h is saved in a specified file format to storage 23 (referred to as storage 23a for distinction) on laptop computer 2a, allowing user Ua to view image Img1h in detail even outside of the game.

Pressing the character string Tx313 corresponds to the user Ua indicating their intention to end the lottery (or to return to the previous screen). Pressing the character string Tx313 ends the lottery, and the display content of the display unit 25a returns to its original state, for example, the standby state before the lottery. At this time, a confirmation message such as "The lottery ended without saving the image to the terminal" may be displayed.

(Display content on smartphones)
4, like FIG. 3, shows the display content on the screen of the display unit 25b when a user Ub playing the game on a smartphone 2b with a portrait screen acquires an image Img1 through a lottery. When the image Img1 is acquired through a lottery, a preview image PImg1v of the image Img1 is first displayed in a window Wn41 on the screen, along with a character string Tx411 that reads "View entire image" and a character string Tx412 that reads "Save to device." In this example, a character string Tx413 that reads "Close" is also displayed.

The preview image PImg1v is a vertically long reduced image or sample image, and may also be expressed as a thumbnail, etc.

Like the character strings Tx311 to Tx313, the character strings Tx411 to Tx413 are icons that can be pressed (for example, touchable on a touch panel display in this example), and the user Ub can selectively press them.
In response to pressing the character string Tx411, a vertically long image Img1v is displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 25b. At this time, the vertically long image Img1v displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 25b can be viewed in detail by, for example, pinching out.
In response to pressing of the character string Tx412, image data of the portrait image Img1v is saved in a predetermined file format in the storage 23 (referred to as storage 23b for distinction) of the smartphone 2b.
In addition, when the character string Tx413 is pressed, the lottery ends and the display content of the display unit 25b returns to its original state. At that time, a confirmation message such as "The lottery ended without saving the image to the terminal" may be displayed.

When saving images, known file formats such as JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF, MOV, WAV, MP4, etc. can be used.

(Server-side processing)
5 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the server 1 to realize the above-described display method. This flowchart is started, for example, when the provision of a service is started, and each step in this flowchart, which will be described later, is mainly realized by the processor 11.

In step S5010 (hereinafter simply referred to as "S5010"; the same applies to other steps described below), the processor 11 determines whether or not there has been a request to hold a lottery from each terminal 2. If there has been a request to hold a lottery, the process proceeds to S5020; if not, the process returns to S5010.

In S5020, the processor 11 identifies the type of terminal 2 from which the lottery execution request was made. The type of terminal 2 may be, for example, a desktop computer, laptop computer, smartphone, tablet, etc., and can be identified based on identification information (terminal identification information) such as the model name, serial number, IMEI, or UDID. Therefore, S5020 can be implemented by obtaining the terminal identification information through communication with the terminal 2 from which the lottery execution request was made.

In S5030, processor 11 references a predetermined lottery table and determines the reward to be awarded from a population containing multiple types of rewards. A lottery table may be prepared for each type of terminal 2 identified in S5020, and the probability of winning may be changed based on the type.

Figure 6 shows an example of a lottery table Tb1 prepared for each type of terminal 2. The lottery table Tb1 includes a lottery table Tb1h for landscape screens and a lottery table Tb1v for portrait screens. The lottery table Tb1h for landscape screens has landscape images Img1h, Img2h, and Img3h set with winning probabilities of 10%, 30%, and 60%, respectively. The lottery table Tb1v for portrait screens has portrait images Img1v, Img2v, and Img3v set with winning probabilities of 10%, 30%, and 60%, respectively. In this way, in S5030, for example, if the terminal 2 is a laptop computer 2a, the lottery table Tb1h for landscape screens is referenced, and if the terminal 2 is a smartphone 2b, the lottery table Tb1v for portrait screens is referenced.

Figure 7 shows an example of a lottery table Tb2 in which the winning probability changes based on the type of terminal 2. Lottery table Tb2 has separate winning probabilities set for landscape and portrait screens. For example, the winning probabilities for landscape screens are set to 10%, 30%, and 60%, respectively, for landscape images Img1h, Img2h, and Img3h, and 0% for portrait images Img1v, Img2v, and Img3v. On the other hand, the winning probabilities for portrait screens are set to 0% for landscape images Img1h, Img2h, and Img3h, and 10%, 30%, and 60%, respectively, for portrait images Img1v, Img2v, and Img3v. In this way, in S5030, for example, if terminal 2 is a laptop computer 2a, the winning probability for landscape screens is referenced, and if terminal 2 is a smartphone 2b, the winning probability for portrait screens is referenced.

In other words, in the example of Figure 6, the lottery can be executed with the population changing depending on the type of terminal 2, and in the example of Figure 7, the lottery can be executed with the winning probability changing depending on the type of terminal 2.

Here, the rewards actually sent to terminal 2 will differ between S5040 and S5110, which will be described later, and therefore will be referred to as the first reward and the second reward, respectively, in the following description.

Referring again to FIG. 5, at S5040, processor 11 transmits (image data of) the preview image as the first reward determined at S5030 to terminal 2 from which the lottery request was made. For example, if terminal 2 is a laptop computer 2a, a landscape preview image PImg1h is transmitted to laptop computer 2a. Similarly, if terminal 2 is a smartphone 2b, a portrait preview image PImg1v is transmitted to smartphone 2b. In this way, the corresponding preview image (preview image PImg1h or PImg1v) is displayed via a window (window Wn31 or Wn41) on the screen of display unit 25 of terminal 2 from which the lottery request was made (see FIGS. 3-4).

At S5050, the processor 11 determines whether there is a request to view the entire content or a request to save it on the device 2 by communicating with the device 2 to which the reward was sent (see Figures 3 and 4). If there is a request to view the entire content or a request to save it on the device 2 to which the reward was sent (for example, if the character string Tx311, Tx312, Tx411, or Tx412 is pressed), the process proceeds to S5110; otherwise, the process proceeds to S5060.

In S5060, processor 11 determines whether or not a request to end the lottery has been made by communicating with terminal 2 to which the reward was sent (see Figures 3 and 4). If a request to end the lottery has been made on terminal 2 to which the reward was sent (for example, if character string Tx313 or Tx413 has been pressed), the process returns to S5010; otherwise, the process returns to S5050.

At S5110, the processor 11 transmits (image data of) the image determined at S5030 as the second reward. For example, if the terminal 2 is a laptop computer 2a, the image Img1h is transmitted to the laptop computer 2a. Similarly, if the terminal 2 is a smartphone 2b, the image Img1v is transmitted to the smartphone 2b. In this way, when a full view request is made, the corresponding image (image Img1h or Img1v) is displayed on the screen of the display unit 25 of the terminal 2, and when a terminal save request is made, the image data of the corresponding image can be saved in the storage 23 of the terminal 2 (see Figures 3 and 4).

(Processing on the terminal side)
8 shows a flowchart illustrating the processing content on the side of terminal 2. This flowchart is started, for example, when a waiting state before a lottery is displayed on display unit 25, and each step of this flowchart, which will be described later, is mainly realized by processor 21.

In S8010, processor 21 determines whether or not a request to hold a lottery has been made. For example, if the user performs a predetermined operation input within the game (for example, if an icon containing text such as "hold a lottery" or "spin the gacha" is clicked or touched), it is determined that a request to hold a lottery has been made. If a request to hold a lottery has been made, the process proceeds to S8020; if not, the process returns to S8010.

In S8020, the processor 21 sends lottery execution request information indicating that a lottery execution request has been made, along with the terminal identification information of terminal 2, to the server 1.

In S8030, the processor 21 displays the lottery results in response to receiving from the server 1 the preview image (image data) of the first reward determined in S5030. As a result, the corresponding preview image (preview image PImg1h or PImg1v) is displayed on the screen of the display unit 25 of the terminal 2 via a window (window Wn31 or Wn41) (see Figures 3-4).

In S8040, processor 21 determines whether there is a request to view the entire page, a request to save on device, or a request to end the lottery (see Figures 3 and 4). If there is a request to view the entire page, a request to save on device, or a request to end the lottery on terminal 2 (for example, if the character string Tx311, Tx312, Tx313, Tx411, Tx412, or Tx413 is pressed), the process proceeds to S8110; otherwise, the process returns to S8040.

In S8110, the processor 21 determines whether there is a request to view the entire document or a request to save the document on the device (see Figures 3 and 4). If there is a request to view the entire document or a request to save the document on the device on the device 2 (for example, if the character string Tx311, Tx312, Tx411, or Tx412 is pressed), the process proceeds to S8120; otherwise, the process proceeds to S8210.

In S8120, the processor 21 requests the server 1 for the image (image data) as the second reward determined in S5030.

In S8130, upon receiving the image (image data) requested in S8120 from the server 1, the processor 21 displays the corresponding image (image Img1h or Img1v) on the screen of the display unit 25 of the terminal 2 if a full viewing request has been made, and if a terminal storage request has been made, the image data of the corresponding image can be stored in the storage 23 of the terminal 2 (see Figures 3 and 4).

In S8210, the processor 21 terminates this flowchart, assuming that a request to end the lottery has been made (for example, that the character string Tx313 or Tx413 has been pressed).

(Communication content between server and terminal)
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the content of communication carried out between the server 1 and the terminal 2. In FIG.
First, the communication COM 91 transmits lottery execution request information indicating a request to execute a lottery and the terminal identification information of the terminal 2 from the terminal 2 to the server 1 (see S8020).
Then, after a lottery based on the type of terminal 2 is conducted on the server 1, a preview image (image data) of the first reward determined by the lottery is sent from the server 1 to the terminal 2 via the communication COM 92 (see S5040).
When a request for full viewing or terminal storage is made on terminal 2, reward request information indicating a request for an image (image data) as a second reward is sent from terminal 2 to server 1 via communication COM 93 (see S8120).
In response to this, the server 1 transmits an image (image data) as the second reward to the terminal 2 via the communication COM 94 (see S5110).
In this way, rewards can be given in a form that corresponds to the type of terminal 2.

Here, we have shown two examples of images as rewards, one horizontal and one vertical, but in the case of smartphones and tablets, which are examples of terminal 2, the screen size often varies depending on the model, so rewards may be prepared for each model.

(summary)
According to the above process by the server 1 and the terminal 2, the reward obtained by lottery is granted to each user in a form corresponding to the type of terminal 2 used by the user. For example, as shown with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, users Ua and Ub can use their rewards in a form corresponding to the display units 25a and 25b, respectively. This allows each user to visually recognize the photograph or illustration in the image and/or recognize the text within the image, for example. Therefore, this embodiment improves the convenience of the game, which can be played on a variety of types of terminals 2.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the layout on the screen (e.g., the direction in which the character string Tx311 is arranged, the size of the characters, etc.) may be changed depending on the type of terminal 2.

[Second Example]
According to the first example described above, the reward (image Img1, etc.) is granted in a form that corresponds to the type of terminal 2 that the user is using. On the other hand, if the user owns multiple terminals 2, it is conceivable that the user may change the terminal 2 that they use when playing the game to another terminal 2. One example of this is when the user plays the game using a laptop computer when at home and a smartphone when they are out.

When playing the game in this manner, a user generally registers an account (or user registration) in advance, and an account (or ID) is assigned in association with a password. This allows, for example, a certain user (say, user Uc) to play the game using any one of multiple terminals 2 by entering their account and password on the game's login screen.

In such a case, if the device 2 used when the reward was obtained (e.g., a laptop computer; for the sake of distinction, let's call it laptop computer 2c1) and the changed device 2 (e.g., a smartphone; for the sake of distinction, let's call it smartphone 2c2) are of different types, it is possible that the reward will not be usable appropriately on the changed device 2. Therefore, there is a need for technology that further improves the convenience of this game, which can be played on a variety of types of device 2.

(Display of Reward Acquisition Status)
Information indicating whether a reward has been granted to each user (reward granting information) is stored in the storage 13 of the server 1 in association with the corresponding account, with "1" indicating that a reward has been granted and "0" indicating that a reward has not been granted. As an example, if image Img1 has been granted and images Img2 and Img3 have not been granted, reward granting information "1,0,0" is associated with the user's account. As another example, if images Img1, Img2, and Img3 have all been granted to a certain user, reward granting information "1,1,1" is associated with the user's account.
Each device 2 can communicate with the server 1 and refer to the above-mentioned reward grant information to display the acquisition status of each of the multiple rewards on the screen of the display unit 25. Each user can check the acquisition status of their own rewards, for example, by selecting a reward list (such as an encyclopedia or gallery) from the menu screen within the game.

10 shows a reward list displayed on the screen of display unit 25c1 of laptop computer 2c1 with a landscape orientation, and shows the display content for checking the reward acquisition status. In this example, all preview images including preview images PImg1h to PImg3h can be displayed side by side on the screen of display unit 25c1, along with information indicating whether each of the images including images Img1 to Img3 has been acquired or not.
In this example, of the images Img1 to Img3, it is assumed that the image Img1 has already been acquired, and the images Img2 and Img3 have not yet been acquired (indicated by hatching in the drawing).
If the preview image PImg1h is pressed, it is assumed that a full view request has been made, and the image Img1h is displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 25c1. At this time, the image Img1h displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 25c1 can be viewed in detail using, for example, the mouse wheel. At this time, the user Uc can also request to save the image to their device by, for example, right-clicking.

11 shows the display content of a reward list on the screen of display unit 25c2 of smartphone 2c2 with a portrait screen, and shows the display content for checking the reward acquisition status, similar to that of FIG. 10. According to this example, all preview images including preview images PImg1v to PImg3v can be displayed side by side on the screen of display unit 25c2, along with information indicating whether they have been acquired or not.
If the preview image PImg1v is pressed, it is assumed that a full view request has been made, and the image Img1v is displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 25c1. At this time, the image Img1v displayed on the entire screen of the display unit 25c2 can be viewed in detail by, for example, pinching out. At this time, the user Uc can also request terminal storage by, for example, long tapping or double tapping.

This allows user Uc to use the rewards he or she has acquired on both the laptop computer 2c1 and the smartphone 2c2.

(Communication content between server and terminal)
FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the content of communication carried out between the server 1 and the terminal 2. In FIG.
First, the communication COM 121 transmits list display request information indicating a request to display a list of rewards and the terminal identification information of the terminal 2 to the server 1 from the terminal 2 .
In response to this, a preview image (image data) of the acquired image is transmitted as a first reward from server 1 to terminal 2 via communication COM 122. The preview image transmitted here is determined based on the terminal identification information, as in S5040, and a list of rewards is displayed on the screen of display unit 25 of terminal 2 based on the preview image thus received from server 1.
When a preview image corresponding to an already acquired image is pressed on terminal 2, communication COM 123 transmits from terminal 2 to server 1 full view request information indicating that a full view request has been made for the image, and terminal identification information of terminal 2.
In response to this, the communication COM 124 transmits an image (image data) as the second reward from the server 1 to the terminal 2. The image to be transmitted here is determined based on the terminal identification information, as in S5110, and the image received from the server 1 in this manner is displayed on the screen of the display unit 25 of the terminal 2 so that it can be viewed in detail.
In this way, rewards can be given in a form that corresponds to the type of terminal 2.

According to this embodiment, a user can individually obtain rewards using two or more different types of terminals 2, and rewards can be granted in a form that corresponds to the type of each of the two or more terminals 2. Therefore, this embodiment further improves the convenience of the game, which can be played on a variety of types of terminals 2.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the layout on the screen (e.g., the direction in which preview images are arranged, the scrolling direction, etc.) may be changed depending on the type of device 2.

[Third Example]
In the first and second embodiments described above, it is assumed that the laptop computer is used with a landscape screen and the smartphone is used with a portrait screen, but the screens 25 can be changed from one landscape screen to the other portrait screen by user settings.
For example, in the case of a laptop computer (as well as a desktop computer), a user can select whether to use the screen in landscape or portrait orientation in the display settings, and in the case of a smartphone (as well as a tablet), a user can select whether to change the screen orientation based on the smartphone's orientation/position relative to the vertical direction.

In such cases, it may be difficult to use the reward appropriately due to the change in the display mode of the display unit 25. Therefore, there is a need for technology that further improves the convenience of this game, which can be played on a variety of types of terminals 2.

(When the display mode is changed on a smartphone)
Figure 13 shows, similarly to Figure 4, the display content on the screen of display unit 25b when user Ub, who was using smartphone 2b in portrait mode, obtains image Img1 by conducting a lottery and then changes the orientation of smartphone 2b to use it in landscape mode.

As shown in Figure 13, when the smartphone 2b is changed to a landscape screen, the contents of window Wn42 on the screen of the display unit 25b have the same layout as window Wn31 (see Figure 3) on the screen of the display unit 25a of the laptop computer 2a. In this example, window Wn42 displays a preview image PImg1h, as well as the string Tx421 "View all," the string Tx422 "Save to device," and the string Tx423 "Close."

For example, if the display mode of the display unit 25b is changed from portrait to landscape orientation after the lottery is drawn (after window Wn41 in FIG. 3 is displayed), smartphone 2b sends display mode change notification information to the server 1 to notify the server 1 that the display mode has changed. This display mode change notification information is processed as an interrupt job in the server 1, and the display mode of the display unit 25b is identified by the processor 11. Accordingly, the preview image PImg1h (image data of the preview image PImg1h) is sent again from the server 1 to smartphone 2b.

In this embodiment, rewards are awarded in a form that corresponds to the display mode that can be changed on the display unit 25, further improving the convenience of the game, which can be played on a variety of types of terminals 2.

The contents of this embodiment can also be applied to the second embodiment (case of smartphone 2c2) described above. For example, if the display mode of display unit 25c2 of smartphone 2c2 is changed from portrait to landscape while the preview image is being displayed as a reward list, display mode change notification information is transmitted from smartphone 2c2 to server 1 accordingly. This display mode change notification information is processed as an interrupt job in server 1, and the display mode of display unit 25c2 is identified by processor 11. Accordingly, (image data of) preview image PImg1h is transmitted again from server 1 to smartphone 2c2.
This change in display mode also applies when a request to view the entire reward list is made.

[Fourth Example]
As mentioned above, examples of various types of terminals 2 on which the game can be played include desktop computers, laptop computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. In the case of a desktop computer, the display unit 25 is a separate unit from the main computer body, such as an LCD display. On the other hand, in the case of a laptop computer, the display unit 25 is generally integrated with the main computer body, but may also be a separate unit connected externally (the same applies to other terminals such as smartphones and tablets). Furthermore, multiple display units may be used to form a multi-screen (a so-called multi-monitor; when there are two screens, it may also be expressed as a dual monitor, dual display, etc.).
In such a case, it may be difficult to use the reward appropriately depending on the display unit currently being used for the game. Therefore, technology is needed to further improve the convenience of the game, which can be played on a variety of types of terminals 2.

(For multiple monitors)
14 is a schematic diagram showing a case where the terminal 2 used by user Ud is a desktop personal computer (referred to as desktop personal computer 2d for the sake of distinction) and a multi-monitor system is used in which multiple display units 25d1, 25d2, 25d3, and 25d4 are connected to a personal computer main body 20d. In this example, the display units 25d1 to 25d4 are of different types, and of these, display unit 25d4 is currently being used for the game (the content of the game is being displayed on display unit 25d4).
It is assumed that a keyboard and a mouse are connected to the personal computer main body 20d as an operation input unit 24d.

In such a case, the reward determined by lottery (see S5030) needs to be awarded based on the display mode of the display unit currently being used for the game (display unit 25d4 in this example). The display mode is actually determined based on the screen size of the display unit currently being used for the game (fixed values specific to terminal 2, such as the vertical and horizontal sizes, number of pixels, etc.), and can be adjusted by parameters set for that screen (setting values that can be changed within terminal 2, such as resolution, etc.).
Therefore, the reward may be provided in a form according to the size and/or parameters of the screen of the display unit currently being used, and the information on the size and/or parameters of the screen may be transmitted from the terminal 2 to the server 1 as accompanying information accompanying the terminal identification information.

Here, since the display unit 25 is included in the terminal 2 (see FIG. 1), the above screen size and/or parameters may be included in the type of terminal 2. Therefore, the type of terminal 2 (in this example, desktop PC 2d) to be identified by the processor 11 (see S5020) may include the model name and serial number of the terminal main unit (in this example, PC main unit 20d), as well as the type of display unit (in this example, display unit 25d4) currently being used in the game. Therefore, information on the above screen size and/or parameters may be transmitted from the terminal 2 to the server 1 as part of the terminal identification information.

In the above explanation, size is a fixed value specific to the terminal 2, and parameters are set values that can be changed within the terminal 2; however, size may be included in the broader category of parameters.

In this embodiment, rewards are awarded in a form that corresponds to the display mode of the display unit 25 currently being used in the game, further improving the convenience of the game, which can be played on a variety of types of terminals 2.

[Fifth Example]
The first embodiment described above has shown an example in which a lottery is executed with the population changing depending on the type of terminal 2 (see FIG. 6), and an example in which a lottery is executed with the winning probability changing depending on the type of terminal 2 (see FIG. 7). In these examples, a lottery table is prepared with the winning probability for each type of terminal 2 set in advance.
However, a single lottery table may be prepared with the population and winning probability set without distinguishing between types of terminal 2, and the reward determined from the population based on the corresponding winning probability may then be changed according to the type of terminal 2.

As an example, the reward determined from the population by executing the lottery is provisionally determined for a landscape screen regardless of the type of terminal 2 (for example, whether it is a laptop computer 2a or a smartphone 2b). In this case, the determined landscape screen reward may be changed according to the type of terminal 2 when it is actually sent to the terminal 2.
For example, if the specified terminal 2 is a laptop computer 2a, the determined reward for a landscape screen is sent to the laptop computer 2a as is. On the other hand, if the specified terminal 2 is a smartphone 2b, the determined reward for a landscape screen is changed to one for a portrait screen and sent to the smartphone 2b.

[Application example]
In the above examples, still images or video images were given as examples of rewards that can be acquired by lottery, but this embodiment is applicable when the reward requires adjustment of size (for example, changing the aspect ratio) depending on the screen of terminal 2. Other examples of rewards include playable characters, items, effects, emotes, icons, etc. that can be used in the game.

In addition, in the above example, a reward is awarded by holding a lottery, but in other embodiments, a reward may be awarded based on the fulfillment of a predetermined condition, such as the achievement of an in-game event.

Furthermore, in the above example, a game distribution service was used as an example of a service, but the present embodiment is not limited to this and can be applied to a wide range of services that can be provided via the network N. Furthermore, the reward may be paid or free, as long as it can be used directly or indirectly by the user via the network N and can contribute to the user in relation to the service.
For example, in a virtual space (metaverse) provided to a user via the network N, still images and videos can be viewed or referenced as information within the virtual space. Also, for example, in a delivery service ordered by a user using the network N, still images and videos of sample products can be viewed or referenced. Therefore, this embodiment is applicable to such cases.
That is, this embodiment can be said to be applicable to any Internet service within the scope of its purpose.

[others]
In the embodiments, each element is named based on its main function, but the functions described in the embodiments may be sub-functions and are not strictly limited to those expressions. Furthermore, those expressions can be replaced with other similar/equivalent expressions.
Furthermore, the contents of the embodiments may be combined with known contents not explicitly described in this specification.
In addition, some of the functions of a certain element may be realized by other elements; for example, in system SY, some of the functions of processor 11 may be realized by processor 21, and some of the functions of processor 21 may be realized by processor 11.

Two or more elements illustrated as selectable in the embodiments are not strictly limited to those examples and may be combined in any manner; for example, each of the two or more illustrated elements may be selected in addition to or alternatively from one another. As an example, when two elements A and B are combined in any manner, they may be expressed as "A and/or B" or "at least one of A and B" to indicate either A only, B only, or both A and B.

[Note]
Some features exemplified in the embodiments are as follows:
(Appendix 1)
A program that causes a computer to function as a granting means (e.g., S5040 and S5110) that grants a user a reward (e.g., image Img1) according to the type of terminal that the user is using.
This allows users to use rewards according to the type of terminal, improving convenience.

(Appendix 2)
The program according to claim 1, wherein the granting means grants a reward according to a size of a screen used on the terminal.
This allows the user to use rewards according to the screen size, further improving convenience.

(Appendix 3)
3. The program according to claim 1, wherein the granting means grants a reward according to parameters of a screen used on the terminal.
This allows the user to use rewards according to the parameters on the screen, further improving convenience.

(Appendix 4)
The reward awarded by the awarding means is one selected by lottery from a population including multiple types of rewards,
The program further causes the computer to function as a changer that changes the population depending on the type of the terminal (for example, the example of FIG. 6).
10. The program of claim 1, wherein the
This makes it possible to carry out a lottery based on a population according to the type of terminal.

(Appendix 5)
The reward awarded by the awarding means is one selected by lottery from a population including multiple types of rewards,
The program further causes the computer to function as a changer that changes the lottery probability depending on the type of the terminal (for example, the example of FIG. 7).
10. The program of claim 1, wherein the
This makes it possible to carry out a lottery with a probability according to the type of terminal.

(Appendix 6)
The program according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, further causing the computer to function as a specifying unit (e.g., S5020) for specifying the type of the terminal.
This makes it possible to identify the type of terminal, and therefore to give the user a reward according to the identified type.

(Appendix 7)
The program according to claim 6, wherein the specifying means specifies the type of the terminal based on identification information of the terminal (for example, model name, serial number, IMEI, UDID, etc.).
This makes it possible to appropriately identify the type of terminal.

(Appendix 8)
The program according to claim 7, wherein the specifying means further specifies a display mode of a screen to be used on the terminal.
This makes it possible to give the user a reward according to the display mode, such as a landscape screen or a portrait screen.

(Appendix 9)
The user can individually acquire the reward granted by the granting means using two or more different types of terminals (e.g., laptop computer 2c1, smartphone 2c2, etc.),
The program according to any one of appendices 1 to 8, wherein the granting means grants a reward according to the type of each of the two or more terminals.
This allows users to use rewards appropriately on a variety of types of terminals.

(Appendix 10)
The program according to any one of appendices 1 to 9, wherein the reward granted by the granting means includes at least one of a still image and a video that can be displayed on a screen of the terminal.
This allows the user to view still images and videos appropriately according to the type of terminal.

The elements exemplified in this specification can be applied to other fields without departing from the spirit thereof, and the contents of the above-mentioned program can be applied to devices, systems, methods, media, etc. For example:
(Appendix 11)
Identification means (e.g., S5020) for identifying the type of terminal used by the user;
A system (e.g., SY) comprising: a granting means (e.g., S5040 and S5110) that grants a user a reward (e.g., image Img1) according to the type of terminal used by the user.
This allows users to use rewards according to the type of terminal, improving convenience.

Note that the above-mentioned program is not limited to a single program, but may be a collection of multiple programs. Furthermore, the program is not limited to being executed by a single device, but may be shared and executed by multiple devices.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are appended to clarify the scope of the invention.

SY: System, 1: Server, 2: Terminal, 2a: Laptop, 2b: Smartphone.

Claims (4)

Computer,
receiving means for receiving from a user's terminal the size and/or parameters of the horizontal and vertical directions of a screen currently displayed on a display unit currently in use on the user's terminal;
a reward determining unit that determines a reward by lottery from a population that includes a plurality of types of rewards, and that grants the reward to the user according to the size and/or parameters received by the receiving unit ;
a modifying means for modifying the population in accordance with the size and/or parameters received by the receiving means;
To function as a program. Computer,
receiving means for receiving from a user's terminal the size and/or parameters of the horizontal and vertical directions of a screen currently displayed on a display unit currently in use on the user's terminal;
a reward determining unit that determines a reward by lottery from a population that includes a plurality of types of rewards, and that grants the reward to the user according to the size and/or parameters received by the receiving unit;
a change means for changing the probability of the lottery according to the size and/or parameters received by the receiving means;
to function as
program. receiving means for receiving from a user's terminal the size and/or parameters of the horizontal and vertical directions of a screen currently displayed on a display unit currently in use on the user's terminal;
a reward determining unit that determines a reward by lottery from a population that includes a plurality of types of rewards, and that grants the reward to the user according to the size and/or parameters received by the receiving unit ;
and modifying means for modifying the population in response to the size and/or parameters received by the receiving means . receiving means for receiving from a user's terminal the size and/or parameters of the horizontal and vertical directions of a screen currently displayed on a display unit currently in use on the user's terminal;
a reward determining unit that determines a reward by lottery from a population including a plurality of types of rewards, and that grants the reward to the user according to the size and/or parameters received by the receiving unit;
and a change means for changing the probability of the lottery in accordance with the size and/or parameters received by the receiving means.
system.