Karaoke device

Abstract

To provide a Karaoke device that allows Karaoke store staff to avoid selecting songs that are unlikely to get people excited.SOLUTION: A Karaoke device includes: a table storage section that stores a likability table that maps staff identification information of staff members to likability of each song by a staff member; an identification section that identifies the staff member who is on duty at the time of the search, when a song that a user wishes to sing is searched for; a determination section that determines whether or not the Karaoke performance of the searched song is possible, based on the likability of the searched song that is mapped to the staff identification information of the identified staff member; and a presentation section that presents the determination result to the user if the Karaoke performance is determined to be impossible.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a karaoke machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Karaoke establishments where customers can enjoy singing karaoke using karaoke devices include karaoke snack bars and karaoke bars, where staff serve customers (so-called night establishments).

[0003] There is known a technique for presenting already sung songs to customers who enter a night club.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a karaoke device that can display the title of a song that has already been played on a monitor TV. Patent Document 2 discloses a karaoke device that creates a message informing the user that another user has recently sung a certain song, and displays the message to the user together with a list of recommended songs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-198388 [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-049097 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] By the way, while staff at night clubs can get excited when familiar or favorite songs are sung at karaoke, they are unsure of how to respond when songs they do not know or do not like are sung at karaoke, making it difficult for them to get excited.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a karaoke machine that enables karaoke store staff to avoid selecting songs that are difficult to get customers excited about. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One invention for achieving the above object is a karaoke device installed in a karaoke store where staff serve customers, the karaoke device having: a table storage unit for storing a likability table that associates staff identification information with the likability of each song for the staff; an identification unit for identifying a staff member who is on duty at the date and time of a search when a customer searches for a song that he or she wishes to sing karaoke; a judgment unit for determining whether or not the searched song can be performed as karaoke based on the likability of the searched song that is associated with the staff identification information of the identified staff member; and a presentation unit for presenting the judgment result to the customer when it is determined that the searched song cannot be performed as karaoke. Other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and drawings. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the staff of a karaoke store can avoid selecting songs that are unlikely to get the crowd excited. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a karaoke device according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a karaoke main unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 11 is a diagram showing a staff information table stored in a table storage unit according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a favorability table stored in a table storage unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a shift table stored in a table storage unit according to the embodiment; [Figure 6]4 is a flowchart showing a process of the karaoke device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen of the remote control device according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a screen of a remote control device according to the first modification. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a screen of a remote control device according to Modification 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] <Embodiment> A karaoke device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. The karaoke device according to this embodiment is installed in a karaoke establishment, such as a night establishment, where staff serve customers.

[0012] ==Karaoke Equipment== A karaoke machine is a machine for playing karaoke songs and for allowing customers to sing karaoke. As shown in FIG. 1, a karaoke machine K includes a karaoke main unit 10, a speaker 20, a display device 30, a microphone 40, and a remote control device 50.

[0013] The karaoke main unit 10 performs various controls related to karaoke performance and singing, such as karaoke performance control of the selected song, display control of lyrics and background images, and processing of audio signals input through the microphone 40. The speaker 20 is configured to emit sound based on the sound emission signal from the karaoke main unit 10. The display device 30 is configured to display videos and images on a screen based on the signal from the karaoke main unit 10. The microphone 40 is configured to convert the voice uttered by the user into an analog audio signal and input it to the karaoke main unit 10. The remote control device 50 has a screen and is a device for performing various operations on the karaoke main unit 10.

[0014] 2, the karaoke machine 10 according to this embodiment includes a storage means 10a, a communication means 10b, an input means 10c, a performance means 10d, and a control means 10e. Each of these components is connected to a bus B via an interface (not shown).

[0015] [Storage means] The storage means 10a is a large-capacity storage device that stores various types of data. The storage means 10a stores music data.

[0016] The song data is provided with song identification information for identifying each song. The song identification information is information unique to each song, such as a song ID for identifying the song. The song data includes accompaniment data, reference data, etc. The accompaniment data is data that is the source of the karaoke performance sound. The reference data is data that indicates the singing melody of the song performed at karaoke, and is used when evaluating the karaoke singing by the customer.

[0017] The storage means 10a stores lyric subtitle data for displaying lyrics corresponding to each piece of music on the display device 30 or the like in sync with the karaoke performance, background image data such as background images to be displayed on the display device 30 or the like during the karaoke performance, and attribute information of the music (song title, singer name, genre, performance time, etc.).

[0018] In this embodiment, a part of the storage area of ​​the storage means 10 a functions as a table storage unit 100 .

[0019] (Table storage section) Various tables can be stored in the table storage unit 100. The table storage unit 100 according to the present embodiment stores a staff information table, a favorability rating table, and a shift table.

[0020] -Staff information table- The staff information table registers information about staff working at the karaoke store where the karaoke device K is installed. The staff information is information about each staff member, such as the staff member's staff identification information, the staff member's facial image data, and the staff member's name. The staff identification information is information unique to each staff member, such as a staff member ID for identifying the staff member. The facial image data is data corresponding to the facial image of the staff member. As an example, the manager of the karaoke store takes a picture of the staff member's face with a camera every time a new staff member enters the store. The manager operates the remote control device 50 of the karaoke device K to select the staff registration mode, and then imports facial image data corresponding to the staff member's facial image from the camera and assigns a new staff member ID. The karaoke device K registers the imported facial image data and the assigned staff member ID in the staff information table.

[0021] 3 is an example of a staff information table. In this example, the staff IDs of ten staff members, staff S01 to S10, are associated with their respective names and face image data FI01 to FI10.

[0022] -Popularity table- In the likability table, staff identification information of staff members and the likability level of each staff member for each song are registered in association with each other. A staff member's likability level for each song is a degree of how much a staff member likes a particular song. The likability level can be determined based on the concentration level and excitement level of a particular staff member obtained when a particular song is sung at karaoke. The concentration level and excitement level can be determined using known technology.

[0023] For example, the concentration level is a degree that indicates how intently a staff member listens to a song being sung at karaoke. In general, the staff member's concentration level tends to be high when a favorite song or a song that the staff member is familiar with is sung at karaoke. Therefore, the determined concentration level can be used as a favorability rating.

[0024] As an example, the karaoke device K acquires video data corresponding to the video captured by a camera installed in the karaoke store when the song X1 is sung. The karaoke device K analyzes the acquired video data to identify the staff member who is on duty. The staff member can be identified, for example, by checking whether facial image data registered in the staff information table matches the facial image data of the person included in the video data. If there is matching facial image data, the karaoke device K identifies the staff member corresponding to the facial image data as the staff member who is on duty.

[0025] The karaoke device K determines the concentration level based on the facial expression, body movement, or emotional changes of the identified staff member (for details, see, for example, JP 2016-100033 A). The concentration level can be indicated by a numerical value such as "1 (low concentration level) to 10 (high concentration level)" or a level such as "low, medium, high." If multiple staff members are shown in the video, the karaoke device K determines the concentration level for each staff member.

[0026] After the karaoke performance of the song X1 is finished, the karaoke device K refers to the staff information table and reads out the staff ID of the staff member identified based on the face image data. The karaoke device K associates the song ID of the song X1 and the determined concentration level with the staff ID and registers them in the favorability rating table. The karaoke device K may execute the above process every time karaoke is sung during the business hours of the karaoke store, or may execute the above process only during a predetermined period or when a dedicated mode is selected.

[0027] 4 is an example of a likability table. For example, the staff ID ***S01 of staff member S01 is associated with the song ID ***X1 of song X1 and a concentration level of "2." This indicates that the concentration level determined when staff member S01 listened to the karaoke singing of song X1 was "2" (i.e., staff member S01 does not like song X1 very much).

[0028] In addition, there may be cases where one staff member listens to the karaoke singing of one song multiple times. Here, even if a song is not to his / her liking at first, he / she may come to like it after listening to it many times, while even if a song is to his / her liking, he / she may get tired of listening to it because it is frequently sung in karaoke. Therefore, the karaoke device K can overwrite the likability registered in the likability table with the latest likability. For example, in a state where the likability table of FIG. 4 is stored, the latest concentration level of the staff member S01 determined when listening to the karaoke singing of the song X1 by a certain customer is "5". In this case, the karaoke device K can change the concentration level "2" in the likability table of FIG. 4 to "5".

[0029] Alternatively, the karaoke device K can register a plurality of liking ratings in association with one staff member identification information and one song identification information. For example, in a state where the liking rating table of FIG. 4 is stored, assume that the concentration rating of staff member S01 who listened to a karaoke performance of song X1 by a certain customer was "5". In this case, the karaoke device K can register a concentration rating of "5" in association with the staff member ID ***S01 and song ID ***X1 in the liking rating table of FIG. 4, together with a concentration rating of "2". When registering a plurality of liking ratings in association with one staff member identification information and one song identification information in this way, the karaoke device K may also register information on the date and time when each liking rating was obtained (for example, the year, month, day, and time).

[0030] -Shift table- The shift table registers the start date and time and the end date and time of each staff member working at the karaoke store where the karaoke device K is installed. For example, staff identification information, start date and time, and end date and time are registered in association with each other in the shift table. The start date and time and the end date and time are, for example, a year, month, day, and time. As an example, the manager of the karaoke store operates the remote control device 50 of the karaoke device K to select the shift registration mode, and then inputs the start date and time and the end date and time requested by the staff member along with the staff ID of the staff member. The karaoke device K registers the input staff ID, start date and time, and end date and time in the shift table.

[0031] FIG. 5 is an example of a shift table. In this example, the start date and time and the end date and time of work for each of staff members S01 to S10 are registered in association with each other. For example, staff member S01 is scheduled to start work at 18:00 on June 10, 2023, and end work at 21:00. Note that, although only the start date and time and the end date and time of work for a specific date (June 10, 2023) are registered in the example of FIG. 5, the start date and time and the end date and time of work for a single staff member for multiple dates may be registered in advance.

[0032] [Communication means / input means] The communication means 10b provides an interface for communicating with the remote control device 50. The input means 10c is configured to allow the customer to input various operations. The input means 10c is a button or the like provided on the karaoke machine main unit 10. Alternatively, the remote control device 50 may function as the input means 10c.

[0033] [Means of performance] Based on the control of the control means 10e, the performance means 10d performs karaoke performance of music pieces and processes audio signals input through the microphone 40. The performance means 10d includes a sound source, a mixer, an amplifier, etc. (none of which are shown).

[0034] [Control Means] The control means 10e performs various controls in the karaoke device K. The control means 10e includes a CPU and a memory (neither of which are shown in the figures). The CPU realizes various functions by executing programs stored in the memory.

[0035] In this embodiment, the control means 10e functions as a specification unit 200, a determination unit 300, and a presentation unit 400 by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory.

[0036] (Specific part) When a customer searches for a song he or she wishes to sing karaoke, the identification unit 200 identifies the staff member who is on duty at the time and date when the search is performed.

[0037] A customer visiting a karaoke store where karaoke device K is installed operates remote control device 50 to select a song that he or she wishes to sing karaoke. Specifically, the customer operates remote control device 50 to input the song name and singer name. Remote control device 50 searches for songs based on the input song name and singer name, and displays the song names and other information of candidate songs on the screen. The customer selects a song displayed on the screen (if there are multiple candidates, select one song from them).

[0038] Here, when the remote control device 50 searches for a song, the identification unit 200 refers to the work start date and time and the work finish date and time in the shift table, and identifies the staff member who is working at the time when the song search is performed (i.e., the staff member whose work start date and time and the work finish date and time include the time when the song search is performed). The identification unit 200 outputs the staff member identification information of the identified staff member to the determination unit 300.

[0039] Alternatively, when the remote control device 50 searches for a song, the identification unit 200 instructs a camera installed in the karaoke store to take a picture of the karaoke store. The camera transmits a video of the karaoke store to the karaoke device K. The identification unit 200 acquires face image data of a person in the karaoke store by analyzing the received video. The identification unit 200 compares face image data registered in the staff information table with the acquired face image data of the person, and extracts matching face image data. The identification unit 200 can identify a staff member corresponding to the extracted face image data as a staff member who is on duty at the date and time when the song search is performed. The identification unit 200 outputs staff member identification information associated with the face image data of the identified staff member to the determination unit 300.

[0040] (Judgment Department) The determination unit 300 determines whether the searched song can be played as karaoke based on the popularity rating of the searched song associated with the staff member identification information of the identified staff member.

[0041] The determination unit 300 refers to the popularity rating table and acquires the popularity ratings associated with the music identification information of the music searched by the remote control device 50 and the staff identification information output from the identification unit 200. If there are multiple staff identification information identified, multiple popularity ratings will be acquired. Thus, the determination unit 300 can obtain statistics such as an average value of the multiple popularity ratings. If multiple popularity ratings are associated with the identified staff identification information and the music identification information of the searched music, the determination unit 300 may acquire all of the multiple popularity ratings, or may acquire only one popularity rating, such as the latest popularity rating.

[0042] The determination unit 300 determines that karaoke performance is not allowed if the acquired favorability rating satisfies a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition is a preset condition such as "the concentration level is less than 6," "the average concentration level is 5 or less," or "the proportion of the concentration levels less than 5 among the multiple concentration levels is 50% or less of the total."

[0043] For example, if the predetermined condition is "average concentration level is 5 or less," the determination unit 300 determines that "karaoke performance is not possible" if the acquired average value of the likeability satisfies the predetermined condition, and determines that "karaoke performance is possible" if the acquired average value of the likeability does not satisfy the predetermined condition. The determination unit 300 outputs the determination result to the presentation unit 400.

[0044] It should be noted that, for staff identification information of staff who have just started working at the store, there may be cases where the song identification information of the searched song is not associated with a preference rating (i.e., the song identification information and preference rating are not registered in the preference rating table). In this case, the determination unit 300 can determine whether or not the searched song can be played as karaoke based on a predetermined preference rating that has been set in advance. The predetermined preference rating is a level that has been set in advance, such as "5."

[0045] (Presentation part) If it is determined that karaoke performance is not permitted, the notifying unit 400 notifies the customer of the determination result.

[0046] The judgment result can be presented in various ways. For example, the presentation unit 400 can display a message such as "The song X1 you selected is not recommended for the staff currently on duty" on the screen of the remote control device 50 as the judgment result. Alternatively, the presentation unit 400 can emit a sound corresponding to the above message from the speaker 20.

[0047] The presentation unit 400 refers to the determination result output from the determination unit 300, and if the determination result indicates that karaoke performance is not possible, the presentation unit 400 presents the determination result. On the other hand, if the determination result indicates that karaoke performance is possible, the presentation unit 400 does not execute any particular process.

[0048] ==About the operation of the karaoke device K== Next, a specific example of the operation of the karaoke device K in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Fig. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation of the karaoke device K. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a screen of the remote control device 50. In this example, it is assumed that the table storage unit 100 stores the likability table shown in Fig. 4 and the shift table shown in Fig. 5.

[0049] A customer U visiting a karaoke store where a karaoke device K is installed operates a remote control device 50 to input the name of a song X1 that the customer wishes to sing. The remote control device 50 searches for the song X1 based on the input song name (search for song X1; step 10).

[0050] When the remote control device 50 searches for the song X1, the identification unit 200 identifies the staff member who was on duty at the time and date when the search for the song X1 was performed (identifying the staff member who was on duty; step 11). The identification unit 200 outputs the staff identification information of the identified staff member to the determination unit 300.

[0051] The judgment unit 300 judges whether the searched song X1 can be played as karaoke based on the favorability rating of the searched song X1 associated with the staff identification information of the staff member identified in step 11 (judging whether the song X1 can be played as karaoke; step 12).

[0052] If it is determined that karaoke performance is not possible (Y in step 13), the presentation unit 400 presents the result of the determination to the customer U (presentation of the determination result, step 14). The karaoke device K repeats the processes from step 11 to step 14 every time a new song is searched for (Y in step 15).

[0053] Specifically, assume that the date and time when the search for song X1 was performed (hereinafter, "current date and time T1") is 19:40 on June 10, 2023. In this case, the identification unit 200 refers to the arrival date and time and the departure date and time in the shift table shown in FIG. 4, and identifies five staff members S01, S04, S05, S09, and S10 as staff members who are working at the current date and time T1. The identification unit 200 outputs the staff IDs (ID***S01, ID***S04, ID***S05, ID***S09, ID***S10) of the five identified staff members to the determination unit 300.

[0054] 5, the determination unit 300 acquires the concentration levels associated with the song ID of song X1 and the staff ID output from the identification unit 200. In this example, the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S01 are "2," the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S04 are "1," the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S05 are "5," the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S09 are "2," and the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S10 are "8." The determination unit 300 calculates an average value of the acquired concentration levels, "3.6."

[0055] If the acquired favorability rating satisfies a predetermined condition, the determining unit 300 determines that the karaoke performance is not allowed. In this example, it is assumed that the predetermined condition is set to be "average concentration level is 5 or less."

[0056] In this case, the determination unit 300 determines that the acquired average concentration level of “3.6” satisfies the predetermined condition, that is, that “karaoke performance is not possible.” The determination unit 300 outputs the determination result to the presentation unit 400.

[0057] In response to the determination that karaoke performance is not permitted, presentation unit 400 displays a message on the screen of remote control device 50 indicating that singing karaoke of song X1 is not recommended (see FIG. 7).

[0058] As is clear from the above, the karaoke machine K according to this embodiment is installed in a karaoke shop where staff serve customers. The karaoke machine K includes a table storage unit 100 that stores a preference level table in which staff identification information of staff members is associated with the preference level of each song of the staff member, an identification unit 200 that identifies a staff member who is on duty at the time of searching when a customer searches for a song that the customer wants to sing karaoke, a determination unit 300 that determines whether the searched song can be performed as karaoke based on the preference level of the searched song associated with the staff identification information of the identified staff member, and a presentation unit 400 that presents the determination result to the customer when it is determined that the song cannot be performed as karaoke.

[0059] Such a karaoke device K can determine whether or not a searched song can be performed as karaoke based on the staff's preference rating for each song. If the preference rating is low, it is highly likely that the song is unknown to the staff or is not to their liking. In such a case, the karaoke device K determines that the song cannot be performed as karaoke and displays the determination result to the customer. A customer who sees the determination result can know in advance that the song that he or she is about to sing is a song that is unlikely to excite the staff. This allows the customer to take action such as selecting a different song. In other words, the karaoke device K according to this embodiment can avoid selecting a song that is unlikely to excite the staff of the karaoke store.

[0060] Furthermore, when the popularity rating of the searched song associated with the staff member identification information of the specified staff member is not included in the popularity rating table, the determination unit 300 of the karaoke device K according to the present embodiment can determine whether the searched song can be played as karaoke based on a preset popularity rating. With this karaoke device K, even if the popularity rating of the searched song is not registered for some staff members, it is possible to determine whether the searched song can be played as karaoke.

[0061] <Variation 1> In a karaoke store, the staff working there may change during the day. Therefore, even if a certain song has a low preference rating for the staff currently working, it may be highly preferred by a staff member who works at a different time. In this modified example, an example is described in which the judgment result is presented taking into consideration a case in which the staff changes. The table storage unit 100 according to this modified example stores the shift table described in the embodiment.

[0062] (Specific part) When it is determined that the karaoke performance of the searched song is not possible, the identifying unit 200 according to this modification refers to the shift table and checks whether there has been a change in staff within a predetermined time from the current date and time. If there has been a change in staff, the identifying unit 200 identifies a new staff member who will be working at the new date and time.

[0063] The current date and time is the date and time when the song search was performed. The predetermined time is set in advance to a certain time, such as 30 minutes or 1 hour.

[0064] If it is determined that the karaoke performance of the searched song is not possible, the identifying unit 200 checks whether or not there is a date and time registered within a predetermined time from the current date and time among the start date and time and end date and time of each staff member in the shift table. If there is a date and time registered within the predetermined time from the current date and time, the identifying unit 200 determines that there will be a staff change within the predetermined time from the current date and time, and identifies that date and time as the date and time to be changed. If there are multiple dates and times registered within the predetermined time from the current date and time, the identifying unit 200 identifies one of the dates and times as the date and time to be changed.

[0065] When the changed date and time is identified (i.e., when there is a change in staff), the identification unit 200 newly identifies the staff who will be working on the changed date and time. The process of identifying the staff is the same as the process described in the embodiment.

[0066] Specifically, as described in the embodiment, it is assumed that the average concentration level "3.6" acquired by the determination unit 300 satisfies the predetermined condition, that is, it is determined that "karaoke performance is not allowed." In this case, the identification unit 200 refers to the shift table shown in FIG. 5 and checks whether there is a change in staff within a predetermined time from the current date and time T1 (19:40 on June 10, 2023). In this example, it is assumed that the predetermined time is one hour.

[0067] Here, according to the shift table shown in Figure 5, the dates and times registered within one hour of the current date and time T1 are the departure date and time of staff ID ***S04 (staff S04) "20:00 June 10, 2023", the departure date and time of staff ID ***S09 (staff S09) "20:00 June 10, 2023", the arrival date and time of staff ID ***S02 (staff S02) "20:00 June 10, 2023", and the arrival date and time of staff ID ***S03 (staff S03) "20:00 June 10, 2023".

[0068] Therefore, the identification unit 200 determines that there will be a staff change within a predetermined time from the current date and time, and identifies "June 10, 2023, 20:00" as the changed date and time T2. The identification unit 200 also refers to the start date and time and the end date and time in the shift table shown in FIG. 5, and newly identifies five staff members S01, S02, S03, S05, and S10 as staff members who will be working at the changed date and time T2. The identification unit 200 outputs the staff IDs (ID***S01, ID***S02, ID***S03, ID***S05, ID***S10) of the five identified staff members to the determination unit 300.

[0069] (Judgment Department) The determination unit 300 according to this modification determines again whether the retrieved song is karaoke playable based on the popularity rating of the retrieved song associated with the staff identification information of the newly identified staff member.

[0070] The determination process in this modification is the same as the process described in the embodiment. Specifically, the determination unit 300 refers to the favorability rating table shown in FIG. 5 and acquires the concentration levels associated with the song ID of song X1 and the staff ID output from the identification unit 200. In this example, the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S01 are "2", the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S02 are "9", the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S03 are "6", the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S05 are "5", and the concentration levels associated with song IDs ***X1 and ID***S10 are "8". The determination unit 300 calculates the average value of the acquired concentration levels to be "6.0".

[0071] If the acquired favorability rating satisfies a predetermined condition, the determining unit 300 determines that the karaoke performance is not allowed. In this example, it is assumed that the predetermined condition is set to be "average concentration level is 5 or less."

[0072] In this case, the determination unit 300 determines that the acquired average concentration level of “6.0” does not satisfy the predetermined condition, that is, that “karaoke performance is acceptable.” The determination unit 300 outputs the determination result to the presentation unit 400.

[0073] (Presentation part) When it is determined again that karaoke performance is permitted, the presenting unit 400 according to this modified example presents information indicating the time when karaoke performance will be permitted, together with the determination result that karaoke performance is not permitted.

[0074] The information indicating the time when karaoke performance is permitted is determined based on the current date and time and the date and time when the staff member is to be changed. The presentation process in this modification differs from the embodiment only in the information that is presented.

[0075] Specifically, in the above example, 20 minutes after the current date and time T1 (June 10, 2023, 19:40) (June 10, 2023, 20:00; changed date and time T2), some of the staff will be changed, and as a result, the obtained favorability rating will no longer satisfy the specified condition, meaning that karaoke performance will be permitted.

[0076] Therefore, based on the determination result of the determination unit 300 that "karaoke performance is permitted", the presentation unit 400 displays a message on the screen of the remote control device 50 indicating that singing karaoke of the song X1 is not currently recommended, and that singing karaoke will be recommended in 20 minutes (see FIG. 8). In this example, "20 minutes later" is an example of information indicating the time when karaoke performance will be permitted.

[0077] As is clear from the above, in the karaoke device K according to this modification, the table storage unit 100 stores a shift table in which the start date and time and the end date and time of each staff member are registered. When the identification unit 200 determines that the karaoke performance of the searched song is not possible, it refers to the shift table and checks whether the staff member has changed within a predetermined time from the current date and time, and if the staff member has changed, it newly identifies the staff member who is working at the changed date and time. The determination unit 300 re-determines whether the karaoke performance of the searched song is possible based on the staff identification information of the newly identified staff member and the favorability rating of the searched song associated with it. When it is again determined that the karaoke performance is possible, the presentation unit 400 presents information indicating the time when the karaoke performance is possible together with the determination result that the karaoke performance is not possible. With such a karaoke device K, it is possible to re-determine whether the karaoke performance is possible taking into account the case where the staff member is changed, and when the karaoke performance is possible, it is possible to present information indicating the time.

[0078] <Variation 2> In the embodiment, the example has been described in which it is determined whether or not a song that a customer wishes to sing karaoke can be performed. Meanwhile, suppose that the customer operates the remote control device 50, inputs a part of the song title, and issues an instruction to execute a search. In this case, the remote control device 50 searches for songs according to the part of the song title that was input. Meanwhile, since there are many songs with partial matching song titles, there is a possibility that a plurality of songs will be obtained by the search. Therefore, the karaoke device K according to this modified example is capable of determining whether or not karaoke can be performed for each song, and presenting the determination result for each song.

[0079] (Judgment Department) When a plurality of songs are found, the determination unit 300 according to this modification determines whether or not each song can be played by karaoke.

[0080] The determination unit 300 according to this modification performs the same process as in the embodiment for each searched song. Specifically, it is assumed that the remote control device 50 searches for songs X1 to X5 according to a part of the song name input by the user U. In this case, the determination unit 300 determines whether or not each of songs X1 to X5 is suitable for karaoke performance based on the favorability rating associated with the staff identification information of the identified staff member.

[0081] Here, it is assumed that the result of the determination process is that songs X1, X3, and X5 are determined to be “unsuitable for karaoke performance,” and songs X2 and X4 are determined to be “suitable for karaoke performance.” The determination unit 300 outputs the determination result to the presentation unit 400.

[0082] (Presentation part) When there are a plurality of songs that have been determined to be unsuitable for karaoke performance, the presenting section 400 according to this modification presents the determination result for each song.

[0083] The judgment result can be presented in various ways. For example, the presenting unit 400 can display a list of the searched song titles on the screen of the remote control device 50, and add a special icon (for example, "NG" or "X") to the song titles of the songs that are judged to be unsuitable for karaoke performance.

[0084] In the above example, based on the determination result of "karaoke not allowed" from the determination unit 300, the presentation unit 400 displays icons (NG) indicating that karaoke is not recommended for songs X1, X3, and X5 in the list of searched song names displayed on the screen of the remote control device 50 (see FIG. 9). A customer looking at the list can recognize from the icons which songs are not recommended for karaoke singing, and can select songs other than those.

[0085] As is clear from the above, in the karaoke device K according to this modification, when there are multiple searched songs, the judgment unit 300 judges whether or not each song can be karaoke-played, and when there are multiple songs that have been judged as not suitable for karaoke-playing, the presentation unit 400 can present the judgment result for each song. With this karaoke device K, even when there are multiple searched songs, it is possible to present the judgment result that each song cannot be karaoke-played.

[0086] <Other> Some examples of combinations of the disclosed technical features are set out below. (1) A karaoke device installed in a karaoke store where staff serve customers, a table storage unit that stores a preference level table in which staff member identification information of staff members is associated with the preference level of each piece of music of the staff members; an identification unit that identifies a staff member who is on duty at the time when a customer searches for a song that the customer wishes to sing at karaoke; a determination unit that determines whether the searched song can be played as karaoke based on the favorability rating of the searched song associated with the staff member identification information of the identified staff member; a notification unit that notifies the customer of the determination that karaoke performance is not permitted; A karaoke device having the above configuration. (2) The karaoke device described in (1) is characterized in that, when the likability of the searched song corresponding to the staff identification information of the identified staff member is not present in the likability table, the judgment unit judges whether or not the searched song can be played as karaoke based on a predetermined likability that is set in advance. (3) The table storage unit Stores a shift table in which the start and end dates and times of each staff member are registered, The specific part is If it is determined that the karaoke performance of the searched song is not possible, the shift table is referenced to check whether there has been a change in staff within a predetermined time from the current date and time, If there is a change in staff, identify the new staff who are on duty at the time of the change, The determination unit is determining whether the retrieved song is suitable for karaoke performance again based on the popularity rating of the retrieved song associated with the staff identification information of the newly identified staff member; The presentation unit is When it is determined again that karaoke performance is permitted, the karaoke device according to (1) or (2) is characterized in that, when it is determined again that karaoke performance is not permitted, time information based on the changed date and time is presented together with the determination result that karaoke performance is not permitted. (4) when a plurality of songs are found, the determination unit determines whether each of the songs can be karaoke-played, The karaoke device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein, when there are a plurality of songs that have been determined to be unsuitable for karaoke performance, the presentation unit presents the results of the judgment for each song.

[0087] The above embodiment is presented as an example, and does not limit the scope of the invention. The above configurations can be implemented in appropriate combinations, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The above embodiment and its modifications are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims, as well as the scope and gist of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 100 Table storage section 200 Specific section 300 Judgment section 400 Presentation section K Karaoke equipment

Claims

1. A karaoke device installed in a karaoke store where staff serve customers, a table storage unit that stores a preference level table in which staff member identification information of staff members is associated with the preference level of each piece of music of the staff members; an identification unit that identifies a staff member who is on duty at the time when a customer searches for a song that the customer wishes to sing at karaoke; a determination unit that determines whether the searched song can be played as karaoke based on the favorability rating of the searched song associated with the staff member identification information of the identified staff member; a notification unit that notifies the customer of the determination that karaoke performance is not permitted; A karaoke device having the above configuration.

2. The karaoke device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the likability of the searched song associated with the staff identification information of the identified staff member is not present in the likability table, the judgment unit judges whether or not the searched song can be played as karaoke based on a predetermined likability that is set in advance.

3. The table storage unit includes: Stores a shift table in which the start and end dates and times of each staff member are registered, The specific part is If it is determined that the karaoke performance of the searched song is not possible, the shift table is referenced to check whether there has been a change in staff within a predetermined time from the current date and time, If there is a change in staff, identify the new staff who are on duty at the time of the change, The determination unit is determining whether the retrieved song is suitable for karaoke performance again based on the popularity rating of the retrieved song associated with the staff identification information of the newly identified staff member; The presentation unit is 3. The karaoke device according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined again that karaoke performance is permitted, information indicating a time when karaoke performance will be permitted is presented together with the determination result that karaoke performance is not permitted.

4. When a plurality of songs are found, the determination unit determines whether or not each of the songs can be karaoke-played, 3. The karaoke apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when there are a plurality of pieces of music that have been determined to be unsuitable for karaoke performance, the presenting unit presents the judgment results for each of the pieces of music.

Images