Network bowling system

A network bowling system in which a home management server that manages a score tallying device and a score display device provided in each lane of a bowling alley is interactively connected, via a Web server connected to a network, to a data management server that collects and consolidates various types of data from the home management server of each bowling alley, enabling holding of a bowling tournament in a same bowling alley and between different bowling alleys via the network,

• wherein the home management server includes card issuing means for issuing a unique card to be used when a bowler comes to play a game,
• the data management server includes character image storage means storing a plurality of character images, rank information storage means storing rank information representing character ranks corresponding to respective average scores, and a management database for individually managing personal information of each bowler, character information selected by each bowler when a card is issued, past record information of each bowler including an average score and character rank information based on the average score, in association with unique information of the issued card,
• at a time of setting a bowling tournament to be held, the data management server issues identification information of the tournament, and determines eligibility for participation in the tournament based on a character rank preset by an organizer,
• at a time of accepting a tournament application, the data management server, in a case where a tournament applicant who has acquired the identification information applies for the tournament using the identification information and the unique information of the card held by the tournament applicant, acquires character rank information from the management database based on the unique information of the card, and registers, as a participating bowler, only a bowler who satisfies the participation eligibility based on the acquired rank information, and
• at a time of running the tournament, the data management server collects and manages game information of a tournament bowler that is transmitted from each score tallying device, and furthermore tallies the record information of all participants every preset fixed period of time, and posts the tallied results to the tournament Web site on the Web server.