JP2007034787A - Rental software distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide viewing full of presence by making it possible to appreciate rental contents in a karaoke shop terminal installed in a karaoke shop. <P>SOLUTION: A rental shop terminal is provided with a hard disk 8 stored with the map information of karaoke shops, a CPU 11 for selecting desired rental software and a desired karaoke shop and requesting distribution to a content server 2, a printer 14 for printing the map information of the selected karaoke shop, and a rental software distribution request means for requesting the distribution to the content server 2. The karaoke shop terminal is provided with an interface 27 for receiving the rental software transmitted from the content server 2, a main recording part 29 for storing the received rental software, a reproducing part 32 for reading and reproducing the stored rental software, and a control part 28 for deleting at least the rental software stored in the main recording part 29 when reproduction is ended. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rental software distribution system for distributing rental software to a plurality of playback terminals connected via a network, and more particularly to a rental software distribution system suitable for distributing rental software to a karaoke terminal for playback. Is.

  In recent years, rental systems for video software and music software have become generally established, and many have been developed nationwide. The rental of video software at rental video stores in the past was mainly video cassette tape, but recently, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) has become popular, and DVD software for rental has been replaced with shelves in place of video cassette tape. It has come to occupy many.

  Hereinafter, such rentable video software and music CD (Compact Disc) are collectively referred to as rental software or simply software.

  The rental software rental system is that users register their membership by bringing their ID card, etc. to the rental video store, and a membership card is issued by this membership registration, and the desired software is borrowed based on this card. Most are.

  The software rented in this way can be viewed many times at home or the like during a predetermined period as long as a predetermined rental fee prescribed by the rental video store is paid. However, the rental software after viewing had to be brought to the rental video store that borrowed it, and it was also cumbersome to receive censorship when returning it.

  Therefore, in order to eliminate the troublesome lending and return labor, a technique for distributing rental software to a home, for example, by a rental system provided with a rental server has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

As with the rental system described in Patent Document 1, it has become possible to distribute desired software to a specific place for personal viewing as the data communication network such as the Internet spreads. This is largely due to the development of broadband technology. In particular, in network transmission using optical fibers, high-speed data transmission of about 100 Mbps is possible, so that it is preferable for users to handle higher-quality video / audio data with more choices.
JP 2002-42234 A

  As mentioned above, in order to rent rental software at a rental video store, it is necessary to bring ID cards necessary to become a member of the store, and it goes without saying that it is troublesome. When renting software outside the area where the user resides, for example, at a rental video store on a business trip, the procedures for registration and issuance of membership cards are cumbersome despite being used only once. It is inconvenient to always carry identification cards with you.

  On the other hand, in the conventional rental system described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to receive software distribution in a terminal device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a PC) at home or the like. For example, after viewing the software, the borrowed software must be returned to the distribution source via the network, so that operations such as reception and reply by the user are required.

  Although the rental system using this network connection has the advantage that the user does not have to go to the rental video store, the work of returning (replying) is still left, especially the operation of the PC For users who are unfamiliar with this, the burden of the work is large. In addition, if the reply process is not completed normally and the usage period is exceeded, payment of arrears is required, and there are still aspects that cannot be used easily.

  Furthermore, even if it is convenient to distribute software to ordinary homes, etc., ordinary homes usually do not have large-scale audiovisual equipment that can be reproduced with a sense of reality, and can be viewed simply on a PC or TV receiver. In other words, even high-quality video / audio software cannot be watched with a sense of reality and lacks satisfaction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and its purpose is to enable a user to go to a karaoke store equipped with high-quality video / audio equipment and view rental software. Thus, it is possible to provide a rental software distribution system that allows users to appreciate software with realistic video and sound, and reduces the complexity of procedures by eliminating the need to return software after viewing.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides:
A content server (2) for storing rental software, a rental shop terminal installed for each of one or more rental shops (A, B, C), and for each of one or more karaoke shops (4, 5, 6) A rental software distribution system in which an installed karaoke shop terminal (20) is connected via a network (1),
The rental shop terminal
Map information storage means (8) storing map information indicating the location of the one or more karaoke shops;
Rental software selection means (11) for selecting desired rental software by an operator;
Karaoke shop terminal selection means (11) for selecting a karaoke shop terminal installed in a desired karaoke shop by the operator;
Map information printing means (14) for reading out and printing map information related to the selected karaoke shop from the map information storage means;
Rental software distribution request means (11) for reading out the selected rental software from the content server and requesting distribution to the selected content server and the selected karaoke shop terminal to be distributed to the selected karaoke shop terminal. Prepared,
The content server
Rental software transmission means for transmitting rental software selected based on the distribution request to the selected karaoke shop terminal when a distribution request is supplied from the rental software distribution request means of the rental shop terminal,
The karaoke shop terminal is
Rental software receiving means (27) for receiving rental software transmitted from the content server when a distribution request is supplied from the rental software distribution request means of the rental shop terminal;
Rental software storage means (29) for storing the received rental software;
Rental software playback means (32) for reading out and playing back the stored rental software;
The present invention provides a rental software distribution system comprising rental software deletion means (28) for deleting at least rental software stored in the rental software storage means when the reproduction is completed.

  According to the present invention, since the rental software is distributed from the content server to the karaoke shop terminal provided in the desired karaoke shop by the user's borrowing application at the rental shop, the user can karaoke You can watch rental software in a karaoke room equipped with a karaoke shop terminal that can be played at a high quality and lively when you visit the shop.

  Further, since the distributed rental software is erased after viewing the rental software, it is not necessary to return the rental software and the complexity is reduced.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an outline of a rental software distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is installed in a rental video store (hereinafter referred to as a rental shop) and is operated by a user and a store clerk who borrow software. FIG. 3 is a system block diagram of a karaoke shop terminal provided in a karaoke store (hereinafter referred to as karaoke shop) to which rental software is distributed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the rental software distribution system, rental shops A, B, and C of the same business affiliated store are connected via a network 1 such as the Internet, and information on rental software can be shared with each other. It is possible.

  The network 1 is connected to a content server 2 that is shared and managed by, for example, a distribution movie company or a rental shop, and stores rental software divided into various genres. The content server 2 is divided into, for example, distribution film companies, production years, actors, genres, and the like, so that desired rental software can be obtained according to requests from rental shops A, B, and C. It can be read.

  The network 1 is connected to karaoke shops 4, 5, and 6 each having a network built around the karaoke center 3, and is used from a rental shop terminal of the one rental shop as described later. It is possible to obtain vacant room information of karaoke shops that can.

  Rental shops A, B, and C each have rental shop terminals as shown in FIG. 2 and are connected to a bus line connected via an interface (I / F) from the network 1 to the hard disk 8, RAM 9, ROM 10, A CPU 11, an input unit 12 such as a keyboard and a mouse, a monitor 13, and a printer 14 are connected, and these are controlled by the CPU 11.

  The hard disk 8 stores various usage data such as contracted customer information, rental software highlight scenes, and map information for confirming the location of the karaoke shop. The ROM 10 stores system information for managing the entire rental shop terminal, and the RAM 9 temporarily stores rental information and customer management information.

  On the monitor 13, map information of a karaoke shop selected from the hard disk 8 based on input information from the input unit 12, vacant information of a karaoke room, and the like are displayed.

  Here, the whole structure of a karaoke shop terminal is demonstrated based on FIG. For example, the information center 21 that provides karaoke information required by the storage-type karaoke shop terminal 20 adds accompaniment music information, lyric character information, and chorus information for a large number of songs, and chorus information. It has a large-capacity recording unit 23 that stores still image information, and is stored in a database for each song. The accompaniment music information is information for driving an electronic musical instrument and is formatted according to the MIDI (Musical Instruments Digital Interface) standard.

  The center control unit 24 controls the entire information center 21, and the karaoke information in the recording unit 23 is distributed from the interface 25 to a predetermined karaoke shop terminal 20 via the public telephone line 26 as necessary. The The information center 21 can place a plurality of karaoke shop terminals under management, and in the example of FIG. 3, only one of them is shown.

  Karaoke information distributed from the information center 21 is taken into the terminal via the interface 27 on the karaoke shop terminal 20 side. The control means 28 consists of a microcomputer, for example, and controls the karaoke shop terminal 20 whole. The main storage unit 29 is a storage unit for storing a large number of karaoke information distributed from the information center 21, that is, MIDI information, lyric character information, chorus information, and still image information, and stores a large amount of data. The storage medium has a large storage capacity, such as a hard disk.

  The movie information storage unit 30 stores, for example, music and movie information that cannot be distributed due to copyright restrictions, and is read out by the playback unit 32 in response to a request from the control unit 28. An input unit 31 composed of a keyboard and a remote control device is an input means for inputting music information when a user selects music.

  Based on the music selection information input from the input unit 31, the playback unit 32 plays back the MIDI information, lyrics character information, chorus information, and still image information read from the main storage unit 29 via the control unit 28. Is. The reproduced accompaniment music, chorus and the like are mixed by the mixer unit 34 and then amplified by the amplification unit 36 together with the user's singing voice input from the microphone 35 and output from the speaker 37 as sound.

  Simultaneously with the reproduction of the selected music piece, the moving image information selected according to the music type is read from the moving image information storage unit 30 to the reproduction unit 32, and the reproduction unit 32 displays the moving image information on the display 38. The lyric text information replayed in is displayed in superpose.

  Next, the operation of the rental software distribution system configured as described above will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. The content server 2 sequentially stores new content that can be rented from each movie distributor. First, a user who goes to the rental shop A shown in FIG. 1 selects a desired medium from the library selection screen shown in FIG. 4 displayed on the monitor 13 for increasing the number of rental shops arranged in the rental shop A. In the present embodiment, a case where this user is a resident of Saitama Prefecture and is used in Shibuya, Tokyo will be described.

  If this user is already a member of the rental shop, the acquired rental software can be borrowed on the spot by inputting the acquired ID and password (step S2). The order of input operations is not particularly limited. If you are a visitor, you can get a temporary ID and password.

  As shown in FIG. 4, “DVD”, “video tape”, “CD”, “distribution”, and the like are displayed on the monitor 13. In addition, by inputting a search keyword such as a desired video title, it is possible to check rentable software managed by the rental shop. Here, when the user selects “distribution” using the input unit 12 (step S3), a content selection screen shown in FIG. 5 is displayed. Of course, it goes without saying that the same content menu is displayed not only when “delivery” is selected but also when “DVD”, “videotape”, and “CD” are selected.

  In FIG. 5, genres such as “war”, “historic play”, “opera”, “animation”, “pops”, and “action” are displayed as genres (step S4), and the user selects, for example, “war”. (Step S5) and the next screen (not shown) display the title of each war movie and the individual information such as the playback time and actor of each title. When a title is further selected, one or more thumbnails associated with the title are displayed on the monitor 13. Here, each thumbnail corresponds to a software chapter, and when one thumbnail is selected, a moving image of a highlight scene in the corresponding chapter is reproduced. This moving image is stored in the hard disk 8 of the rental shop terminal and is suitable for urging the user to rent.

  Next, the monitor 13 shifts to the karaoke shop selection screen shown in FIG. 6 (step S6). When the user selects “Udagawa area” from the screen shown in FIG. 6 (step S7), the karaoke shop in the Udagawa area (referred to as “karaoke shop 4” in this embodiment) is selected, as shown in FIG. A screen is displayed on the monitor 13. Here, when the user number and the usage time are input, the usage status of the karaoke room of the karaoke shop 4 is returned as information (step S8).

  If you cannot select a karaoke shop or karaoke room in this Udagawa area, go back to the karaoke shop information in the menu of FIG. 6 and select another area, for example, “Dogenzaka area”. The operation may be repeatedly executed to select an appropriate place (steps 7 to 10).

  Then, when this decision (selection of karaoke shop 4) is performed, the reservation of the karaoke shop 4 is completed when an approval process (step S11) for paying a usage fee is performed at the rental shop A. With this determination, the rental shop terminal prints and issues a karaoke shop reservation slip as shown in FIG. If necessary, it is also possible to print the ID and password. Further, the guide map of the karaoke shop 4 can be printed out, and map data as shown in FIG. 11 stored in the hard disk 8 is printed by the printer 14 by executing the map output (step S12).

  When the approval process is performed in step S11, the distribution request is transmitted to the content server 2 (step S13) and confirmed by the content server 2 (step S14). The rental software reserved in the main storage unit 29 of the karaoke shop terminal installed in the karaoke shop 4 reserved by the content server 2 is distributed (step S15), and the distribution information is also managed in the rental shop A. As sent. Thereby, software distribution and distribution information are reliably managed.

  Regarding the data distribution of rental software having such copyright, the content server 2 manages the distribution status of each rental shop in detail, so that management of unauthorized use of the rental software and copyright fees can be individually managed. Is possible.

  When the rental software data is distributed to the karaoke shop 4, the ID and password are attached to the rental shop A when a distribution request is made. Therefore, the same ID and password are also attached to the distributed rental software.

  The user goes to the karaoke shop 4 with the above-mentioned karaoke shop reservation slip and relying on the map on which the location of the karaoke shop 4 is recorded. Then, after completing the store entry procedure, the karaoke shop terminal 20 is activated and, for example, “distributed video” is selected from the reproduction mode selection screen displayed on the display 38 as shown in FIG. 9 (step S16).

  Then, by inputting the ID and password obtained at the rental shop A from the input unit 31 (step S17), the rental software distributed from the content server 2 and stored in the main storage unit 29 is played back by the playback unit 32, It can be viewed on the display 38 and the speaker 37 (step S18). Thereby, the karaoke shop terminal 20 can enjoy viewing of rental software full of realism with high-quality video / sound that cannot be experienced in ordinary households.

  When the reproduction of the rental software is finished (step S19), the karaoke shop terminal 20 transmits the end information to the rental shop A (step S20), and the rental shop terminal of the rental shop A receives this end information and executes the confirmation work. (Step S21).

  Next, in the karaoke shop terminal 20, after receiving the confirmation completion notification from the rental shop terminal of rental shop A, all information related to the rental software stored in the hard disk 8 by a program command of the karaoke shop terminal 20 after a predetermined time. Is deleted (step S22).

  Then, the deletion information is transmitted to the rental shop A and the content server 2 by executing this erasing process, and it is confirmed that the rental software is correctly managed (steps S23 and S24).

  The content server 2 may be configured so that the copyright fee of the used work can be paid to the copyright association as necessary.

  According to the present embodiment, the rental software is distributed from the content server 2 to the karaoke shop terminal provided in the desired karaoke shop by the rental application of the rental software by the user's rental shop terminal. The person can go to the reserved karaoke shop and watch the rental software in a karaoke room equipped with a karaoke shop terminal capable of high quality and realistic reproduction.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the rental software delivered is configured to be completely erased after viewing the rental software, so that the user does not have to return the rental software and complexity is reduced. Copyright protection and management can be ensured.

  The present invention is useful for a rental software distribution system in which a content server storing rental software and a plurality of karaoke terminals are respectively connected via a network.

1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an outline of a rental software distribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a system block diagram of a rental shop terminal. It is a system block diagram of a karaoke shop terminal. It is an example of the library selection screen displayed on the monitor of a rental shop terminal. It is an example of the content selection screen displayed on the monitor of a rental shop terminal. It is an example of the karaoke shop selection screen displayed on the monitor of a rental shop terminal. It is an example of the screen for investigating the empty situation of the karaoke room displayed on the monitor of a rental shop terminal. It is an example of the karaoke shop reservation slip printed with the printer. It is an example of the reproduction | regeneration mode selection screen displayed on the display of a karaoke shop terminal. It is a system sequence diagram of the rental software distribution system which is an embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of the guidance map of a karaoke shop printed with the printer of a rental shop terminal.

Explanation of symbols

1 Network 2 Content Server 3 Karaoke Center 4, 5, 6 Karaoke Shop A, B, C Rental Shop

Claims (1)

Rental where a content server for storing rental software, a rental shop terminal installed in each of one or more rental shops, and a karaoke shop terminal installed in each of one or more karaoke shops are connected via a network. A software distribution system,
The rental shop terminal
Map information storage means storing map information indicating the location of the one or more karaoke shops;
Rental software selection means for selecting desired rental software by the operator,
Karaoke shop terminal selection means for selecting a karaoke shop terminal installed in a desired karaoke shop by the operator,
Map information printing means for reading out and printing map information related to the selected karaoke shop from the map information storage means;
Rental software distribution request means for reading out the selected rental software from the content server and requesting distribution to the selected karaoke shop terminal for distribution to the selected karaoke shop terminal,
The content server
Rental software transmission means for transmitting rental software selected based on the distribution request to the selected karaoke shop terminal when a distribution request is supplied from the rental software distribution request means of the rental shop terminal,
The karaoke shop terminal is
Rental software receiving means for receiving rental software transmitted from the content server when a distribution request is supplied from the rental software distribution request means of the rental shop terminal;
Rental software storage means for storing the received rental software;
Rental software playback means for reading out and playing back the stored rental software;
A rental software distribution system comprising: rental software deletion means for deleting at least rental software stored in the rental software storage means when the reproduction ends.

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