JP2001222288A - Karaoke system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To provide a functional and easy-to-use karaoke system. SOLUTION: In an operation terminal for operating a karaoke apparatus main body of a karaoke system, when a user selects a music piece, music piece data, "singer name", "song name", "one piece of music piece" stored in a music piece memory section. Section "and the like are displayed on the display section 6. Then, the user selects and designates a song by matching a cursor X or the like displayed on the screen of the display unit 6 with a desired song. Further, a portable telephone terminal or a portable communication terminal can be used as the operation terminal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a karaoke system used for, for example, a store or home.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, various restaurants, accommodation facilities,
Alternatively, a karaoke system is frequently used not only for stores such as so-called karaoke boxes, but also for homes and the like. Such a karaoke system includes a karaoke apparatus main body for playing songs and singing along with the tunes, and an operation unit such as a remote controller for designating the tunes to be played on the karaoke apparatus main bodies. At least they are.

[0003] In such a karaoke system, music to be played is stored in various storage media such as a so-called laser disk, and most of them are mounted on a karaoke apparatus main body. What is called communication karaoke is increasing. This is a configuration in which a host device is provided at a location separated from the karaoke apparatus main body, and a plurality of karaoke apparatus main bodies are connected to the host apparatus via a communication means such as a cable. The designated music piece is transferred to the apparatus, and the transferred performance data of the designated music piece is returned from the host apparatus to each karaoke apparatus main body, so that the designated music piece is played on each karaoke apparatus body based on the performance data. This eliminates the need to provide a laser disk or the like for each karaoke apparatus main body, so not only can the apparatus be reduced in size, but also when updating a tune that can be played, such as when adding a new song. There is no need to distribute and replace a new laser disk for each karaoke apparatus main body, and there is a great advantage that only the host apparatus can be used.

In any of the above-mentioned conventional karaoke system using a laser disk or the like, or a karaoke system such as a so-called communication karaoke, a user selects a desired karaoke tune by playing the karaoke system. Look at the list of possible songs and select the desired song from the list. By inputting a chord symbol (generally composed of a combination of numbers, alphabets, etc.) corresponding to the selected music to an operation unit such as a remote controller, and inputting this to a karaoke apparatus main body or a host apparatus, The karaoke apparatus itself performs a karaoke performance of the music corresponding to the input chord symbol.

[0005]

However, the conventional karaoke system as described above has the following problems. First, when updating a tune that can be played, such as when adding a new tune to the karaoke system, the list for the user to select the tune (which is generally formatted like a thick book) is also updated. There is a need.
Such a list requires at least one book for each store, and usually a plurality of books for one karaoke apparatus main body. For a karaoke system provider, updating the list requires tremendous labor and cost. It will take.

[0006] In addition, in the current system in which a user selects a music piece by looking at a list, not only does it take time and effort to input a chord symbol while looking at the list, but also the user mistakes the input chord symbol to be different from the desired one. The song may be played. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and has as its object to provide a karaoke system that is more functional and easy to use.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The invention according to claim 1
Is a karaoke system including an operation terminal for designating a music piece to be played, and a karaoke apparatus main body for playing the music piece specified by the operation terminal and outputting the voice input by the voice input means. A display unit that displays a list of songs that can be played on the karaoke apparatus main body, and a designation unit that selects and designates a song to be played from the songs displayed on the display unit. It is characterized by having.

[0008] The user can designate a desired song from a list of, for example, singer names, song names, etc., displayed on a display unit of an operation terminal such as a remote controller by using a designation means. This eliminates the need for a thick list as in a conventional book. In addition, at the time of designating a music piece, a desired music piece can be selected from the music pieces displayed on the display unit of the monitor or the like, and this can be designated by a designation means such as an operation key. Become.

[0009] The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that data of music pieces that can be played by the karaoke apparatus main body is stored in the operation terminal or the karaoke apparatus main body.

Thus, the present invention can be applied to a single karaoke system that is not a so-called communication karaoke system.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the karaoke system, the karaoke apparatus includes a host device provided separately from the karaoke apparatus main body, and the karaoke apparatus main body and the host apparatus can communicate with each other via communication means. The karaoke apparatus main body is transmitted by transferring the music specified by the operation terminal to the host device and returning the transferred performance data of the specified music to the karaoke apparatus main body from the host device side. Is characterized in that the specified music is played based on the performance data.

Thus, the present invention can be applied to a so-called communication karaoke system.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the music data that can be played by the karaoke apparatus main body is stored in the host device, and the operation terminal uses the music data based on the music data transferred from the host device. , A list of the music pieces is displayed.

Thus, since the music data need only be updated in the host device, the management of the music data becomes easy.

[0015] The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the display section can display at least a part of the lyrics of the music piece.

Thus, the user can more surely confirm and select the music. If the lyrics are displayed sequentially during the karaoke performance, the user can sing without looking at the monitor.

[0017] The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the operation terminal is provided with search means for searching for a tune that can be played on the karaoke apparatus main body.

For example, by inputting at least a part of a singer's name, a song name, or lyrics as a search condition as search means using an operation key or the like provided on an operation terminal,
A corresponding song can be searched from the playable songs, and the search result is displayed on the display section, thereby making it possible to easily search for the song.

The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the operation terminal is provided with an output means for playing a part of a selected music piece out of the music pieces displayed on the display section and outputting a sound. And

As a result, the music can be confirmed.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the operation terminal is a portable telephone terminal or a portable communication terminal.

Thus, for example, in a store or the like, a portable telephone terminal or a communication terminal possessed by each user can be used as an operation terminal. A portable telephone terminal or a communication terminal originally includes an operation key, a display unit such as a monitor, an antenna for performing communication, and the like, and can be easily converted to an operation terminal.

[0023]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a karaoke system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[First Embodiment] Here, first, an example of a stand-alone karaoke system used by only one karaoke apparatus body will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the karaoke system A includes a karaoke apparatus main body 1, a microphone (voice input means) 2, a monitor 3, and an operation terminal 4 such as a remote controller separate from the karaoke apparatus main body 1. It is provided with. As is well known, the karaoke apparatus main body 1 stores a designated music piece in a storage medium (not shown) such as a laser disk (LD), a compact disk (CD), or a digital versatile disk (DV).
D) or, based on performance data stored in a memory or the like, output from a built-in (example in the figure) or separately provided (not shown) speaker 1a to perform. And
The user sings along with the performance, and the voice is input from the microphone 2 and output from the speaker 1a. Also,
The monitor 3 is configured to display an image including at least lyrics corresponding to the designated tune based on image data stored in the storage medium (not shown). However, the monitor 3 is not an essential component, and in some cases, a system having a configuration in which the monitor 3 is omitted can be used.

The operation terminal 4 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, and includes a display unit 6, a plurality of operation keys (designating means) 7, and operation contents of the operation keys 7 on the outer peripheral surface of the housing 5. And a signal output section 8 for outputting a signal based on the signal to a receiving section (not shown) of the karaoke apparatus main body 1. here,
The display unit 6 only needs to be able to display at least character data. The operation keys 7 include a number / character key 7 a for inputting at least one of a number and a character, and a display unit 6.
Has a scroll key 7b for scrolling the display contents and a confirmation key 7c for confirming the operation contents and outputting a signal from the signal output unit 8 (this may be used also as another key). ing.

Inside the housing 5, data of a list of songs that can be played by the karaoke apparatus main body 1 (that is, music pieces stored in the storage medium (not shown) built in the karaoke apparatus main body 1) (hereinafter referred to as "music"). , Which is referred to as music data).
The song memory unit stores, for example, "singer name", "song name", etc. as data of the songs that can be played, and further stores "lyrics of a portion of a song (for example, a start or climax portion)". You may make it memorize.

In the operation terminal 4, when a user selects a music piece, as shown in FIG. 3, the music piece data stored in a music piece memory unit (not shown), a "singer name", and a "music name". , "Part of music" and the like are displayed on the display unit 6. Then, the user sets the scroll key 7
b (see FIG. 2) is operated as necessary to bring the cursor X or the like displayed on the screen of the display unit 6 to the desired music. In this state, by operating the confirmation key 7c shown in FIG. 2, a signal of a desired music is transmitted from the signal output unit 8 to the karaoke apparatus main body 1 (see FIG. 1). This transmission can be performed while the karaoke apparatus main body 1 is playing another song. The karaoke apparatus main body 1 receives the transmitted music signal as in the related art and sequentially plays the music in a predetermined performance order. When the order comes, the music corresponding to the received signal is played. I do. And
The user sings using the microphone 2 according to the performance.

By the way, the operation terminal 4 has a configuration in which a list of tunes that can be played is displayed on the display unit 6. The display order is, for example, a singer's name, a song name, a song start song, and the like. Generally, they are arranged in order. Of course, by performing an appropriate operation on the operation terminal 4, it may be possible to switch the arrangement by singer name, the arrangement by song title, the arrangement by lyrics, and the like.

In addition to this, the operation keys 7 of the operation terminal 4
For example, by inputting at least a part of a singer's name, a song name, lyrics, etc., a search program (search means) (not shown) searches for song data, and searches for a song corresponding to the input content to display a list. May be. As described above, by enabling the operation terminal 4 to search for a music piece, the user can easily select a music piece. The search program used at this time may be any program as long as it can perform a required function.

Further, the operation terminal 4 is provided with a speaker (sound output means: not shown) (not shown), and it is also possible to play a melody or the like at the time of music selection. In addition to or in addition to this speaker, to make it easier to hear the performance of the beginning of a song even in noise,
An earphone may be provided.

In the above-described karaoke system A, the user can designate a tune from the list displayed on the display unit 6 of the operation terminal 4 and play the karaoke apparatus 1. By displaying the program data on the operation terminal 4 in this manner, it is not necessary to select a program by looking at a list like a conventional book. As a result, even when updating the music list, it is only necessary to update the data in the music memory unit of the operation terminal 4, and the labor and cost for updating the list as in a conventional book can be greatly reduced. Further, by moving the cursor from the music displayed on the display unit 6 to select a desired music and designating the desired music with the operation keys 7, it is not necessary to input a code symbol as in the related art. , And operation errors can be largely prevented, resulting in excellent usability. In addition, by displaying a part of the lyrics of the music on the display unit 6, the user can more easily and surely confirm and select the music.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the operation terminal 4 has a configuration in which the music data memory section (not shown) of the music data is built in. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the karaoke apparatus main body 1 or an apparatus provided separately from the karaoke apparatus main body 1 may be provided with a music piece memory unit. In that case, the karaoke apparatus main body 1 having the music piece memory unit or a separately provided apparatus and the operation terminal 4
It is necessary to provide a transmission / reception means so that music data can be transmitted / received.

[Second Embodiment] Next, an example of a so-called communication karaoke type karaoke system will be described. here,
The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the karaoke system B is a so-called communication karaoke system, and includes a host device 10 and a karaoke device main body 1 that is installed separately from the host device 10. In general, a plurality of karaoke apparatus main bodies 1 are connected to the host apparatus 10 so as to be able to communicate with each other via communication means L such as a wired or telephone line, wireless, satellite communication, or the like. The host device 10 stores performance data and image data of tunes that can be played. When a performance is performed in the karaoke apparatus main body 1, the performance data and image data of the designated tune are transferred to the host device via the communication means L. The data is transferred from the apparatus 10 to the karaoke apparatus main body 1. Each karaoke apparatus main body 1 includes a microphone 2, a monitor 3, and an operation terminal 4 such as a remote controller, as in the first embodiment.

In the karaoke system B, as in the first embodiment, a list of playable music pieces is displayed on the operation terminal 4 so that selection and designation of music pieces can be performed. I have. Here, similarly to the above, the music data of the tunes that can be played is stored in the operation terminal 4 itself, the karaoke apparatus main body 1 or a device installed separately from the karaoke apparatus main body, that is, a music memory section provided in the “karaoke apparatus main body 1 side”. Or the host device 10 may be provided with a music piece memory unit.
However, when the host device 10 is provided with a music piece memory unit, it is necessary to access the host device 10 every time a user selects a music piece. For this reason, “Karaoke device main body 1
Both the "side" and the "host device 10" are provided with a song memory unit, and when the user selects a song, the operation terminal 4 or the song memory unit of the karaoke device body 1 which is the "karaoke device body 1 side" is used. It is most reasonable to transmit and store new music data from the “host device 10” to the “karaoke device main body 1” only when updating the music data.

In such a karaoke system B, the user operates the operation terminal 4 to display a list of music piece data stored in a music piece memory unit (not shown) on the display unit 6 as in the first embodiment. Is displayed, the scroll key 7b is operated as necessary to select / determine the music. Then, a signal of a desired music is transmitted from the operation terminal 4 to the host device 10 from the signal output unit 8 via the karaoke apparatus main body 1, and based on the signal, performance data of the designated music is transmitted from the host apparatus side 10 to the karaoke apparatus main body 1. And the performance is performed based on this.

In the karaoke system B of the communication karaoke type described above, similarly to the karaoke system A, the user can select a tune from the list displayed on the display unit 6 of the operation terminal 4, so that the user can select a conventional book. Such a list becomes unnecessary, and an operation error can be prevented to improve the usability. In particular, by providing the music piece memory unit for storing the music piece list in the host device 10, when updating the music piece list, the data in the music piece memory unit is updated only in the host device 10. Since it is only necessary to transfer the data to the karaoke apparatus main body 1, the labor and cost for updating the data can be greatly reduced.

[Fourth Embodiment] Next, a further modification of the first and second embodiments, in which the operation terminal 4 is another embodiment, will be described. Here, the configuration other than the operation terminal 4 is the same as that of the first or second embodiment, and the following operation terminal 20 is applied to the configuration shown in the first or second embodiment. It is possible to

First, in the operation terminal 4, the display unit 6
This is a configuration in which all the lyrics are sequentially displayed according to the performance. The lyrics to be displayed at this time may be stored in advance in a song memory or the like, or the lyrics data may be transferred and displayed from the karaoke apparatus main body 1 in accordance with the performance. In this case, as in the related art, the lyrics may be displayed on the monitor 3 or may be displayed only on the operation terminal 4. In this way, the user can sing while watching the lyrics displayed on the display unit 6 of the operation terminal 4, and can sing without standing in a store or the like.

It is also possible to provide the operation terminal 4 with a function as the microphone 2. That is, a microphone is built in the operation terminal 4. As a result, the user can perform both music selection and singing with the operation terminal 4 alone.

In addition, the operation terminal 4 may be provided with a speaker. At the time of music selection, if a melody or the like of the music displayed on the display unit 6 is output from the speaker, the user can more easily select music. In addition to or in place of this speaker, an earphone may be provided to make it easier to hear the performance of the start of the music even during noise.

FIG. 5 shows a so-called portable telephone terminal (operation terminal) such as a PHS or a portable telephone.
This is an example in which 30 is used instead of the operation terminal 4.
As shown in FIG. 6, the portable telephone terminal 30 has a display unit 6.
Originally provided with a monitor (display unit) 31, operation keys (designating means) 32, and the like, and can be diverted as the operation terminal 4 to perform the same functions (displaying a music list and selecting and specifying music). Is quite possible. The microphone (voice input means) 33 of the portable telephone terminal 30
It is also possible for the user to sing a song by using, and to output a melody or the like of the music by the speaker (output means) 34 at the time of music selection. Also in this case, the lyrics may be sequentially displayed on the monitor 31 according to the performance. In the portable telephone terminal 30 in this case, similarly to the operation terminal 4, the song memory unit storing the song data may be built in the portable telephone terminal 30 itself, or the karaoke apparatus main body 1 or the host apparatus 10 And so on. When such a portable telephone terminal 30 is used as an operation terminal, when data is transmitted and received between the karaoke apparatus main body 1 or the host apparatus 10 such as music data, and in some cases, performance data and lyrics data, a telephone call is performed. As in the case of the public telephone line, communication may be performed through a public telephone line or by making a call to a dedicated line or the like set at a lower fee or free of charge compared to the public telephone line. In this case, the karaoke apparatus main body 1 or the receiving apparatus separately installed in the store where the karaoke apparatus is installed or the host apparatus 10 can communicate with the portable telephone terminal 30. Further, the portable telephone terminal 30 may be provided with a signal output unit or the like similar to that of a remote controller or the like, and the PHS-type portable telephone terminal 30 may have a transceiver function provided for itself. Use and karaoke device body 1
The receiving side may also be provided with a receiving device to perform music selection and data transmission / reception via wireless communication. Also, in such a case, if the earphone is connected to the portable telephone terminal 30, it is possible to reliably hear the performance of the start of the music even in the noise.

Since the present invention is based on the theme of selecting music using the operation terminal 4 or the portable telephone terminal 30, the karaoke system A in each of the above embodiments is not departed from the gist of the invention. , B, for example, the karaoke apparatus main body 1, the microphone 2, the monitor 3, the operation terminal 4, or the portable telephone terminal 30, etc., may have other configurations as appropriate. It is also possible to construct the karaoke system with any combination of configurations, or select configurations as needed.

Also, for example, the operation terminal 4 and the portable telephone terminal 30 shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 5 are merely examples. There may be. In particular, in the case of inputting characters of a music piece or the like, it is effective that the operation keys 7 have an arrangement of Japanese syllabary keys or alphabet keys.

Further, instead of the portable telephone terminal 30, a portable communication terminal having no microphone or speaker can be used as the operation terminal. In this case or the like, the designating means may be configured to be capable of inputting with a touch pen or the like instead of the operation keys.

In the above embodiment, the display unit 6
Although an example of the music data to be displayed is described above, any display item may be displayed. Similarly, in the case where a music piece search can be performed, any search method may be used.

Further, the music data and the like are displayed on the operation terminal 4 and the portable telephone terminal 30, but it is also possible to display this on the monitor 3.

Other than this, any configuration may be adopted as long as it does not deviate from the gist of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the above-described configurations may be appropriately selectively combined. No.

[0048]

As described above, according to the karaoke system of the present invention, the user can specify a music piece from the list displayed on the display section of the operation terminal by the specifying means. Is unnecessary. As a result, when updating the music list, it is only necessary to update the data to be displayed on the display unit, and it is possible to greatly reduce the labor and cost for updating and the like as compared with a conventional list like a book. In addition, since the operation of selecting and determining the music can be performed on the display unit such as a monitor, it is not necessary to input the chord symbols as in the past, saving the trouble of operation and greatly preventing operation errors. , Resulting in excellent usability. Further, in such a system, if at least a part of the lyrics of the music can be displayed on the display unit of the operation terminal, it is easy to confirm and select the music. further,
If the desired music piece can be searched by the operation terminal by the search means, the music piece can be easily searched.
In addition, the output means provided in the operation terminal plays a part of the selected music piece and outputs a sound, whereby the music piece can be confirmed. In addition, a mobile phone terminal as an operation terminal
By using a communication terminal, for example, in a store or the like,
A portable telephone terminal / communication terminal possessed by each user can be used as an operation terminal. The mobile phone terminal / communication terminal originally includes operation keys, a display unit such as a monitor, an antenna for performing communication, and the like.The mobile phone terminal further includes a microphone and a speaker. It can be easily diverted (utilized) as an operation terminal.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a karaoke system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an appearance of an operation terminal used in the karaoke system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of display contents on a display unit of the operation terminal.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing another example of the karaoke system according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the operation terminal.

6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the operation terminal in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Karaoke apparatus main body 2, 33 Microphone (voice input means) 4 Operation terminal 6 Display part 7, 32 Operation keys (designation means) 10 Host apparatus 30 Portable telephone terminal (operation terminal) 31 Monitor (display part) 34 Speaker (output) means)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04Q 9/00 331 H04B 7/26 109H F-term (Reference) 5D077 BB03 BB05 CA02 CA11 CB03 DC12 DE13 HC05 HC17 HC26 5D108 BA04 BB03 BC12 BD02 BD06 BD12 BD15 BG01 BG06 BH01 5E501 AA18 AB03 CC02 EA12 EB05 FA02 FA05 FA13 FA23 FB46 5K048 BA02 EB02 EB14 HA04 HA06 5K067 AA21 BB04 BB28 DD53 EE02 EE10 FF23 FF25 HH23

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A karaoke apparatus comprising: an operation terminal for designating a music piece to be played; and a karaoke apparatus main body for playing the music piece specified by the operation terminal and outputting a voice input by voice input means. A system, wherein the operation terminal displays a list of songs that can be played on the karaoke apparatus main body, and a designation for selecting and designating a song to be played from the songs displayed on the display. And a karaoke system. 2. The karaoke system according to claim 1, wherein data of a tune that can be played by said karaoke apparatus main body is stored in said operation terminal or said karaoke apparatus main body. 3. The karaoke system includes a host device that is installed separately from the karaoke device main body,
The main body of the karaoke apparatus and the host apparatus can communicate with each other via a communication unit, and transfers the music piece specified by the operation terminal to the host apparatus, and the specified music piece transferred from the host apparatus side. 2. The karaoke system according to claim 1, wherein the performance data is returned to the karaoke apparatus main body, so that the karaoke apparatus main body plays the designated music based on the performance data. 4. The music data that can be played in the karaoke apparatus main body is stored in the host device, and the operation terminal generates a list of the music based on the music data transferred from the host device. 4. The karaoke system according to claim 3, wherein the karaoke system is configured to display. 5. The karaoke system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is capable of displaying at least a part of the lyrics of the music piece. 6. The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation terminal includes a search unit for searching for a tune that can be played on the karaoke apparatus main body. system. 7. The operation terminal according to claim 1, further comprising: an output unit that plays a part of a selected song among the songs displayed on the display unit and outputs a sound.
7. The karaoke system according to any one of items 1 to 6. 8. The karaoke system according to claim 1, wherein the operation terminal is a portable telephone terminal or a portable communication terminal.