GAME SYSTEM, AND A STORAGE MEDIUM STORING A COMPUTER PROGRAM AND SERVER APPARATUS THEREFOR

• US 20130132306A1
• Filed: 07/28/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kami, Masahiko, Otaki, Tadanobu
• Application Number:
  US13/812,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132306A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/352 involving special game server arrangements, e.g. regional servers connected to a national server or a plurality of servers managing partitions of the game world
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/792 for payment purposes, e.g. monthly subscriptions
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/795 for finding other players; for building a team; for providing a buddy list
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/535 for monitoring, e.g. of user parameters, terminal parameters, application parameters, network parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5513 involving billing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3227 Configuring a gaming machine, e.g. downloading personal settings, selecting working parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3234 about the performance of a gaming system, e.g. revenue, diagnosis of the gaming system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3244 Payment aspects of a gaming system, e.g. payment schemes, setting payout ratio, bonus or consolation prizes

Abstract

A game system capable of calculating fees appropriate for a usage state is provided. The game system (1) where a plurality of game machines (2) and a center server (3) are connected via a network (5), and it is possible to divide into plural unit processes, processes to be executed by the center server (3) in relation to a game to be executed at each of the game machines (2), the plural unit processes each being executed selectively upon a requirement from the game machine (2). In the game system (1), provided are a device which counts, for each game machine (2), the number of executions of each unit processes is executed and a device which calculates, based on the count result in a predetermined tally period, a fee for using system (1) in the tally period in a unit of the game machine (2).

Claims

1. A game system in which processes to be executed in relation to a game by a computer are capable of be sectioned into a plurality of unit processes each of which is selectively executed, the game system comprising:

a count device adapted and configured to count the number of executions that each of the plurality of unit processes was executed; and

a fee calculation device adapted and configured to calculate, based on a result of count by the count device in a predetermined tally period, a usage fee of the game system in the tally period.

2. The game system according to claim 1, wherein

the fee calculation device is adapted and configured to calculate a usage amount of each unit process in the tally period based on the number of executions of each unit process counted by the count device and weighed value set for each unit process, and calculate the usage fee based on a value tallied up with respect to the usage amount.

3. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

the weighed value is set so that a difference between the unit processes in a load of the computer is compensated for.

4. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

the fee calculation device is adapted and configured to calculate, based on the value tallied up with respect to the usage amount, the usage fee so that the usage fee becomes higher as the value tallied up increases.

5. The game system according to claim 2, wherein

the fee calculation device is adapted and configured to, in a case the value tallied is a predetermined lower limit value of lower of lower, fix the usage fee to the lower limit value, and in a case the value tallied exceeds a predetermined upper limit value, fix the usage fee to the upper limit value.

6. The game system according to claim 1, wherein

the game system includes a game apparatus and a server apparatus connected with each other via a network,

each of the unit processes is a process which a computer of the server apparatus selectively executes by following a requirement from the game apparatus.

7. The game system according to claim 6, wherein

the network is connected with a plurality of game apparatuses,

the count device is adapted and configured to count the number independently of each game apparatus, and

the fee calculation device is adapted and configured to calculate the usage fee for one unit of the game machine.

8. The game system according to claim 7, wherein

the plurality of game apparatuses are installed to each of a plurality of groups as charged objectives, and

the fee calculation device is adapted and configured to tally up the usage fee for each of the plurality of groups.

9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for game system being applied to a game system in which processes to be executed in relation to a game by a computer are capable of be sectioned into a plurality of unit processes each of which is selectively executed, the computer program making the computer function as:

a count device adapted and configured to count the number of executions that each of the plurality of unit processes was executed; and

a fee calculation device adapted and configured to calculate, based on a result of count by the count device in a predetermined tally period, a usage fee of the game system in the tally period.

10. A server apparatus for a game system in which processes to be executed in relation to a game by a computer are capable of be sectioned into a plurality of unit processes each of which is selectively executed, the server apparatus comprising:

a count device adapted and configured to count the number of executions that each of the plurality of unit processes was executed; and

a fee calculation device adapted and configured to calculate, based on a result of count by the count device in a predetermined tally period, a usage fee of the game system in the tally period.