Avatar management system, avatar management method, and avatar management program

Abstract

The avatar material information management device 1 includes an avatar material storage unit 3 that stores avatar material information, an avatar identification information input unit 4 that inputs identification information for an avatar to be generated, and a material selection information input unit 5 that inputs material selection information, which is information about the combination of materials required to configure an avatar. The avatar configuration information management device 2 includes an avatar configuration storage unit 14 that stores avatar configuration information, an avatar identification information input unit 15 that inputs avatar identification information, a configuration information input unit 16 that inputs avatar configuration information, which is information about the configuration of the avatar corresponding to the avatar identification information, an avatar configuration extraction unit 25 that extracts avatar configuration information corresponding to usage instructions, a material selection information generation unit 28 that further extracts material selection information from the extracted avatar configuration information, and a material selection information output unit 30 that outputs the material selection information to the avatar material information management device 1.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology that restricts the creation and use by third parties of avatars used in external services, etc. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, with the improvement in the processing power of computers and other electronic devices, IT services such as games and social networking services (SNS) have increasingly used two-dimensional and three-dimensional computer graphics. These services not only use icons and avatars that resemble fictional characters, but also increasingly use unique avatars that are based on the characteristics of real people, such as users, and that are somewhat abstractly represented. This has the effect of increasing the user's sense of immersion in the game world, for example, by having the protagonist, an avatar that represents the user's characteristics, compete against enemy characters. Similarly, using an avatar that abstractly represents the user as an icon representing the user on SNS is expected to have the effect of promoting interaction between users in a virtual space that feels similar to the real world.

[0003] Patent documents 1 and 2 both disclose technology for using avatars that resemble the actual appearance of the player or co-player in computer games that use head-mounted displays to represent virtual spaces. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-012509 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-139673 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] On the other hand, because avatars are composed of electronic data, they are technically easy to copy, and there is a risk that well-designed avatars will be copied by others. This issue is problematic not only in terms of design protection, but also from the perspective of personal rights, such as the possibility of others impersonating a specific user. However, neither Patent Document 1 nor Patent Document 2 discloses any technology to prevent imitation by others.

[0006] Furthermore, with the current availability of a wide variety of games, social networking services, and other services, users are increasingly using avatars across multiple services. However, because avatar specifications (e.g., data format, data size, resolution) typically differ between services, users are required to prepare a separate avatar for each service. This is true even when a user wishes to use a common avatar design across multiple services, placing an excessive burden on the user. Furthermore, avatars designed to reflect the user's characteristics must be modified after the fact to accommodate changes in appearance or hairstyle as the user grows. In this case, the specific configuration of the avatar must be modified for each service, which is extremely cumbersome.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can efficiently prevent third parties from creating and using avatars that do not have the authority to use them when managing avatars used in external services, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the avatar management system according to claim 1 is an avatar management system that manages avatar material information, which is information about avatar materials that are components of an avatar, and avatar configuration information, which is information describing the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information, and includes: avatar material storage means that stores a plurality of pieces of avatar material information in a state where the pieces of avatar material information are associated with identification information; avatar material extraction means that extracts avatar material information to be used for generating an avatar from the plurality of pieces of avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage means based on material selection information, which is information regarding the selection of avatar material information; and material information output means that externally outputs output material information including the avatar material information extracted by the avatar material extraction means; and and an avatar configuration information management device including: avatar configuration storage means for storing avatar configuration information, the avatar configuration information including at least identification information of avatar material information used to generate an avatar, in association with identification information of an avatar to be generated based on the avatar configuration information; avatar configuration extraction means for extracting avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar to be generated from the avatar configuration information stored in the avatar configuration storage means based on the identification information of the avatar to be generated; avatar configuration output means for outputting information including the avatar configuration information extracted by the avatar configuration extraction means to the outside; material selection information generation means for generating material selection information based on the avatar configuration information extracted by the avatar configuration extraction means; and material selection information output means for outputting information including the material selection information generated by the material selection information generation means to the avatar material management means.

[0009] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the avatar management system according to claim 2 is characterized in that, in the above invention, it further comprises transaction generation means for generating transaction information including information about a person authorized to use the avatar to be generated, which is recorded in a distributed ledger on a distributed network corresponding to an avatar token, which is a non-fungible token corresponding to the avatar to be generated; output instruction means for instructing to output the transaction information to the distributed network; usage authority information acquisition means for acquiring usage authority information, which is information about a person authorized to use the avatar to be generated, from the information recorded on the distributed network corresponding to the avatar token corresponding to the avatar to be generated; identity determination means for determining whether or not there is identity between a person who has requested the generation of a specific avatar and a person authorized to use the specific avatar included in the information acquired by the information acquisition means; and processing stop instruction means for instructing at least one of the avatar material extraction means and the avatar configuration extraction means to stop the extraction process when the identity determination means does not determine that there is identity.

[0010] Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, the avatar management system of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the above invention, the avatar configuration information management device further comprises configuration information input means for inputting new avatar configuration information to be stored in the avatar configuration storage means, similarity determination means for comparing the new avatar configuration information input by the configuration input means with other avatar configuration information stored in the avatar configuration storage means to determine whether they are similar, and configuration information storage processing means for instructing the avatar configuration storage means to store the new avatar configuration information when the similarity determination means determines that the new avatar configuration information is not identical to and not similar to the other avatar configuration information.

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, an avatar management method according to claim 4 is an avatar management method for managing avatar material information, which is information about avatar materials that are components of an avatar, and avatar configuration information, which is information describing the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information, the avatar management method including: an avatar material storage step for storing a plurality of pieces of avatar material information in a state in which the pieces of avatar material information are associated with identification information; an avatar material extraction step for extracting avatar material information to be used for generating an avatar from the plurality of pieces of avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage step based on material selection information, which is information regarding the selection of avatar material information; and a material information output step for outputting to the outside output material information including the avatar material information extracted in the avatar material extraction step. the information described above includes an avatar configuration information management step including an avatar configuration storage step of storing the avatar configuration information, which includes at least information regarding identification information of avatar material information used to generate an avatar, in association with identification information of an avatar to be generated based on the avatar configuration information; an avatar configuration extraction step of extracting, based on the identification information of the avatar to be generated, the avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar to be generated from the avatar configuration information stored in the avatar configuration storage step; an avatar configuration output step of outputting information including the avatar configuration information extracted in the avatar configuration extraction step to the outside; and a material selection information generation step of generating the material selection information to be used in the avatar material extraction step based on the avatar configuration information extracted in the avatar configuration extraction step.

[0012] In addition, in order to achieve the above object, the avatar management method of claim 5, in the above invention, further includes an output destination information acquisition step for acquiring output destination information, which is information regarding the output destination in the avatar material extraction step and the avatar configuration output step, and is characterized in that in the avatar material extraction step, avatar material information that conforms to the specifications of the output destination is extracted based on the output destination information acquired in the output destination information acquisition step.

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, an avatar management program according to claim 6 is an avatar management program that causes a computer to manage avatar material information, which is information about avatar materials that are components of an avatar, and avatar configuration information, which is information describing the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information, and includes an avatar material information management function including an avatar material storage function that stores a plurality of pieces of avatar material information in association with identification information, an avatar material extraction function that extracts avatar material information to be used for generating an avatar from the plurality of pieces of avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage function based on material selection information that is information regarding the selection of avatar material information, and a material information output function that outputs output material information including the avatar material information extracted in the avatar material extraction function to an external device; and the avatar configuration information storing function storing the avatar configuration information, which includes at least information relating to the identification information of avatar material information used to generate an avatar, in association with the identification information of an avatar to be generated based on the avatar configuration information; an avatar configuration extraction function extracting the avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar to be generated from the avatar configuration information stored by the avatar configuration storage function based on the identification information of the avatar to be generated; an avatar configuration output function outputting information including the avatar configuration information extracted by the avatar configuration extraction function to the outside; and a material selection information generation function generating the material selection information to be used in the avatar material extraction function based on the avatar configuration information extracted by the avatar configuration extraction function. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, when managing avatars used in external services, etc., it is possible to efficiently prevent third parties who do not have the authority to use the avatars from creating and using them. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an avatar management system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an avatar management system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, examples that are considered to be the most appropriate embodiments of the present invention will be described, and it goes without saying that the contents of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific examples shown in the present embodiments. Of course, any configuration that achieves similar functions and effects, even if it is a configuration other than the specific configuration shown in the embodiments, is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0017] (Embodiment 1) First, an avatar management system according to the first embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the avatar management system according to the first embodiment includes an avatar material information management device 1 that manages avatar material information, which is information about the materials that make up an avatar, and an avatar configuration information management device 2 that manages avatar configuration information, which is information describing the configuration of each avatar. The avatars managed by the avatar management system according to the first embodiment are configured to form an avatar as a whole by combining multiple parts, and the avatar material information management device 1 manages the avatar material information, which is information such as electronic data that makes up the avatar elements, which are the multiple parts, while the avatar configuration information management device 2 manages the avatar configuration information, which includes information about how the multiple parts are combined to form an avatar.

[0018] The avatar material information management device 1 includes an avatar material storage unit 3 that stores avatar material information, an avatar identification information input unit 4 that inputs identification information for an avatar to be generated, a material selection information input unit 5 that inputs material selection information, which is information about a combination of materials required to configure an avatar, a user information input unit 6 that inputs user information, which is information about the user of the avatar to be generated, a usage authority information acquisition unit 7 that acquires usage authority information, which is information about a person who has the authority to use the avatar, from a distributed ledger associated with an avatar token, which will be described later, an identity determination unit 8 that determines whether the user information and the usage authority information are identical, and a processing unit 9 that performs a processing when the identity determination unit 8 does not determine that the user information and the usage authority information are identical. the avatar material extraction unit 10 extracts necessary avatar material information from the avatar material storage unit 3 based on the material selection information; an output material information generation unit 11 generates output material information that is to be output to an external service in which the avatar is used, the output material information being information that includes at least the avatar material information extracted by the avatar material extraction unit 10; an encryption processing unit 12 encrypts the output material information; and a material information output unit 13 that outputs the encrypted output material information to an external service (for example, an external service in which the avatar is used).

[0019] The avatar configuration information management device 2 includes an avatar configuration storage unit 14 that stores avatar configuration information (or the modified avatar configuration information if modification information is input), an avatar identification information input unit 15 that inputs avatar identification information, a configuration information input unit 16 that inputs avatar configuration information that is information about the configuration of the avatar corresponding to the input avatar identification information, a modification information input unit 17 that inputs modification information that modifies the content of previously input avatar configuration information, and a storage unit 18 that stores the avatar configuration information input via the configuration information input unit 16 (or the modified avatar configuration information after modification information is input). a configuration information storage processing unit 19 that instructs the avatar configuration storage unit 14 to store the newly input avatar configuration information in a state in which the newly input avatar configuration information is associated with the avatar's identification information based on the determination result of the similarity determination unit 18; an avatar token generation unit 20 that has a correspondence relationship with the avatar related to the avatar configuration information instructed to be stored by the configuration information storage processing unit 19 and generates an avatar token that is a non-fungible token corresponding to the avatar; the avatar material information management device 1 includes a transaction generation unit 21 that generates a transaction to be stored in a block in a distributed ledger corresponding to the avatar token as information including information about a person authorized to use the avatar; an electronic signature unit 22 that generates an electronic signature, which is data proving that the generation and output of the information included in the transaction is in accordance with the intentions of the holder of the avatar token; an output unit 23 that outputs the transaction and the electronic signature to a distributed network associated with the avatar token; an avatar generation instruction input unit 24 that inputs an avatar generation instruction from a person who wishes to generate and use an avatar; an avatar composition extraction unit 25 that extracts avatar composition information corresponding to the usage instruction; an encryption processing unit 26 that encrypts the extracted avatar composition information; a composition information output unit 27 that outputs the encrypted avatar composition information to an external party (e.g., an external service that uses avatars); a material selection information generation unit 28 that further extracts material selection information from the extracted avatar composition information; an encryption processing unit 29 that encrypts the extracted material selection information; and a material selection information output unit 30 that outputs the encrypted material selection information to the avatar material information management device 1.

[0020] Next, the components of the avatar material information management device 1 will be described. The avatar material storage unit 3 stores avatar material information, which is information about the avatar materials that make up an avatar, in association with their identification information. Avatar materials are the component parts that make up an avatar, and include, for example, components corresponding to physical parts such as eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hairstyle, skin, and the base body of the entire body (a basic structure including the head, torso, limbs, etc., preferably including not only information about the surface shape, such as skin, but also information about the internal structure, such as bones and weights), components corresponding to body attachments such as clothing, shoes, hats, and accessories, backgrounds displayed with the avatar body when the avatar is in use, special items displayed separately from the avatar body, and music data such as background music played when the avatar is displayed. Avatar material information refers to electronic data of these components. Preferably, one or more pieces of avatar base information are prepared for each component, and preferably multiple pieces are prepared. The avatar material storage unit 3 stores avatar material information in association with identification information, and has the function of outputting the avatar material information necessary to construct an avatar based on the identification information provided by the avatar material extraction unit 10.

[0021] The avatar identification information input unit 4 is used to input avatar identification information, which is information identifying the avatar to be generated. The avatar identification information input to the avatar identification information input unit 4 is used to identify the target when the usage authority information acquisition unit 7 acquires usage authority information.

[0022] The material selection information input unit 5 is used to input material selection information, which is information about a combination of avatar materials used as the components of an avatar. Specifically, the material selection information is information including identification information associated with each piece of avatar material information used as the components of an avatar. In the first embodiment, the material selection information is output from the material selection information output unit 30 provided in the avatar configuration information management device 2. The input material selection information is output to the avatar material extraction unit 10 and used in the process of extracting avatar material information from the avatar material storage unit 3.

[0023] The user information input unit 6 is used to input user information, which is information about the user of the avatar to be generated. The user information input by the user information input unit 6, together with the avatar identification information input by the avatar identification information input unit 4 and the usage authority information acquired by the usage authority information acquisition unit 7, is used by the identity determination unit 8 as material for determining the identity between the person who requested the generation of the avatar and the person who has usage authority.

[0024] The usage authority information acquisition unit 7 is for acquiring usage authority information, which is information regarding the usage authority of the avatar to be generated. Specifically, the usage authority information acquisition unit 7 has a function of acquiring usage authority information regarding the avatar to be generated by referring to the content of transactions recorded in blocks in the distributed ledger that correspond to the avatar token that is in correspondence with the avatar to be generated. The usage authority information acquisition unit 7 outputs the acquired usage authority information to the identity determination unit 8, and the identity determination unit 8 determines whether the user related to the user information input by the user information input unit 6 is the same as the person who has usage authority included in the usage authority information.

[0025] The identity determination unit 8 is configured to determine whether or not there is identity between the person who requested the generation of a specific avatar identified by the identification information input via the avatar identification information input unit 4 (in the first embodiment, the person identified by the user information input via the user information input unit 6 is presumed to be the person who requested the avatar generation, but such a person may be identified by other means) and the person who has the right to use the specific avatar. Specifically, the identity determination unit 8 has a function of comparing the authorized user identified by the usage authority information with the person who requested the avatar generation presumed from the user information input via the user information input unit 6, determining whether or not there is identity between the two, and then outputting the determination result to the processing stop instruction unit 9.

[0026] The processing stop instruction unit 9 instructs at least one of the avatar material extraction unit 10 and the avatar configuration extraction unit 25 to stop the extraction process, depending on the determination result of the identity determination unit 8. When the processing stop instruction unit 9 issues an instruction, the avatar material extraction unit 10 stops the process of extracting avatar material information, and the avatar configuration extraction unit 25 also stops the process of extracting avatar configuration information. The functions of the identity determination unit 8 and the processing stop instruction unit 9 enable the avatar management system according to the first embodiment to prevent unauthorized persons from creating and using avatars. The instruction from the processing stop instruction unit 9 may be output to both the avatar material extraction unit 10 and the avatar configuration extraction unit 25. However, since preventing the output of either the avatar material information or the avatar configuration information to an external service can prevent illegal avatar creation and use by external services, the processing stop instruction may be output to only one of the avatar material extraction unit 10 and the avatar configuration extraction unit 25.

[0027] The avatar material extraction unit 10 extracts avatar material information to be used for generating an avatar from the information stored in the avatar material storage unit 3, based on the material selection information input by the material selection information input unit 5. Specifically, the avatar material extraction unit 10 has a function of extracting, from the avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage unit 3, avatar material information that matches the identification information associated with each piece of avatar material information included in the material selection information.

[0028] The output material information generation unit 11 is for generating output material information that includes the avatar material information extracted by the avatar material extraction unit 10. The output material information generation unit 11 preferably generates output material information that includes the output material information, identification information associated therewith, and identification information of the avatar to be generated. By including the avatar identification information, it becomes possible to facilitate matching processing with material selection information separately output from the avatar configuration information management device 2 at the external service that is the output destination.

[0029] Encryption processing unit 12 is for encrypting the output material information generated by output material information generation unit 11. Specifically, encryption processing unit 12 has a function of encrypting the output material information using, for example, a private key. The private key used for encryption is preferably unique to avatar material information management device 1 and is preferably separate from the private key used for encryption by encryption processing units 26 and 29 of avatar configuration information management device 2, which will be described later. By using different private keys for encryption processing, even if one of the private keys is leaked and either the output material information or the avatar configuration information is decrypted, it is possible to prevent the avatar itself from being illegally generated.

[0030] Material information output unit 13 outputs the output material information encrypted by encryption processing unit 12 to an external service where an avatar is to be generated and used. The output material information output by material information output unit 13 is decrypted using a public key by the destination external service, and is combined with avatar configuration information separately output from configuration information output unit 27 of avatar configuration information management device 2 to perform avatar generation processing. The generated avatar is used within the external service.

[0031] Next, the components of the avatar configuration information management device 2 will be described. The avatar configuration storage unit 14 is for storing avatar configuration information, which is information about the configuration of avatars that were previously input and whose registration was approved by the similarity determination unit 18. The avatar configuration information refers to all information necessary to configure an avatar using avatar material information, and preferably includes at least material selection information, which is information about which avatar material information to select from the avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage unit 3. In addition, it preferably includes information about the position of each avatar material when configuring the avatar, information about the orientation of each avatar material (such as the orientation and rotation of the avatar material), information about scaling if scaling each avatar material, and color information for changing the color tone. However, for avatar material information corresponding to the eyes, nose, mouth, etc., whose position and orientation (such as the orientation and rotation of the avatar material) are predetermined, the avatar material information may be configured with a simple configuration that includes only material selection information. Specifically, the avatar configuration storage unit 14 stores avatar configuration information that is input via the configuration information input unit 16 (described later) and is determined by the similarity determination unit 18 to be non-identical or dissimilar to other avatar configuration information, and has the function of outputting the avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar when an avatar generation instruction is given by the avatar generation instruction input unit 24.

[0032] Avatar identification information input unit 15 is used to input identification information corresponding to an avatar to be generated using new avatar configuration information when registering the new avatar configuration information. When avatar configuration information is determined to be dissimilar or non-identical to other avatar configuration information and stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14, the avatar identification information is also stored in a format associated with the avatar configuration information. The avatar identification information is used to identify the target avatar in each process in avatar material information management device 1 and avatar configuration information management device 2. For example, avatar identification information input unit 4 of avatar material information management device 1 is configured to receive input via avatar identification information input unit 15 and input avatar identification information corresponding to a specific avatar from among the avatar configuration information stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14 in association with the avatar configuration information.

[0033] Configuration information input unit 16 is used to input avatar configuration information to be registered when registering new avatar configuration information. After similarity determination unit 18 determines that the input avatar configuration information is not identical or dissimilar, the input avatar configuration information is stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14 in a state associated with the avatar identification information.

[0034] Modification information input unit 17 is used to input modification information, which is information necessary for modification when modifying avatar configuration information stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14. Regarding the modification information input by modification information input unit 17, similarity determination unit 18 performs a process of determining whether the modified avatar configuration information is identical to other avatar configuration information, and if it is determined to be dissimilar or not identical, avatar configuration storage unit 14 stores the avatar configuration information that has been modified based on the modification information, replacing the previous avatar configuration information.

[0035] Similarity determination unit 18 is configured to determine whether or not an avatar configured based on newly input avatar configuration information can be registered when the avatar configuration information is newly input. Specifically, similarity determination unit 18 compares the input avatar configuration information with all of the avatar configuration information stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14 to determine whether or not the avatar configuration information is similar. If the result of the similarity determination indicates that the avatar configuration information is completely identical to other avatar configuration information stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14, or that the avatar configuration information is similar overall despite some differences, the similarity determination unit outputs a determination result to configuration information storage processing unit 19. If the result of the similarity determination indicates that the avatar configuration information is neither identical to nor similar to other avatar configuration information stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14, the similarity determination unit also outputs a determination result to configuration information storage processing unit 19.

[0036] Note that similarity determination unit 18 may use any criterion for determining similarity, and may, for example, simply determine that the avatar configuration information is "similar" when the proportion of identical pieces of avatar material information included in the avatar configuration information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, or may determine that the avatar configuration information is "similar" when multiple pieces of avatar configuration information corresponding to parts that make a strong visual impression (eyes, hair (hairstyle), etc.) match. Furthermore, similarity determination unit 18 according to the first embodiment preferably has a function to determine whether the corrected avatar configuration information is identical or similar to other avatar configuration information not only when new avatar configuration information is input, but also when correction information is input for avatar configuration information that has already been determined to be non-identical or non-similar and stored, and output the determination result to configuration information storage processing unit 19.

[0037] Configuration information storage processing unit 19 instructs avatar configuration storage unit 14 to perform storage processing for avatar configuration information that similarity determination unit 18 has determined to be neither identical nor similar to other avatar configuration information already stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14. Specifically, configuration information storage processing unit 19 outputs avatar configuration information that similarity determination unit 18 has determined to be non-identical or dissimilar to avatar configuration storage unit 14, and instructs avatar configuration storage unit 14 to store the avatar configuration information. Note that, in the first embodiment, configuration information storage processing unit 19 preferably generates avatar configuration information that reflects the contents of the modification information, even when similarity determination unit 18 determines that avatar configuration information that has been modified by applying modification information is non-identical or dissimilar, and outputs the modified avatar configuration information to avatar configuration storage unit 14 to perform storage processing.

[0038] The configuration information storage processing unit 19 issues necessary instructions based on the determination result by the similarity determination unit 18, thereby preventing duplicate registration of avatar configuration information that is identical or similar to each other as avatars. This protects the person who first came up with the idea of ​​an avatar design, etc., and prevents a third party from improperly using an avatar with a well-designed design, etc.

[0039] The avatar token generation unit 20 generates an avatar token, which is a non-fungible token corresponding to the avatar generated by the avatar configuration information, for the avatar configuration information for a new avatar that is input via the configuration information input unit 16, determined by the similarity determination unit 18 to be dissimilar to other avatar configuration information, and stored in the avatar configuration storage unit 14. A "non-fungible token" refers to a so-called NFT (Non-Fungible Token), i.e., a token that has unique data and therefore cannot be substituted for other tokens, and is issued, for example, based on ERC721, a standard of Ethereum (registered trademark). The avatar token in this first embodiment is issued based on ERC721 or another predetermined standard, and is configured such that information about the user of the corresponding avatar and information such as feature point information extracted from an original image of the corresponding avatar are stored on a blockchain.

[0040] The avatar token generated by the avatar token generation unit 20 represents the usage authority of the corresponding avatar, and the person who has the usage authority of the corresponding avatar holds the avatar token. Specifically, at the time of generation by the avatar token generation unit 20, the holder is the person who created the avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar, and this fact is recorded. If the usage authority is subsequently set to a third party, the avatar token is transferred to the third party, and it is recorded that the ownership authority of the avatar has been transferred. Note that, when a single usage authority is set for a single avatar, only one avatar token is generated. However, when multiple usage authority users are set or will be set in the future, it is preferable to generate multiple avatar tokens according to the number of usage authority users.

[0041] "Blockchain" is a technology that uses encryption technology to synchronize data between multiple computers that make up a distributed network. Specifically, each block is made up of a collection of information about tokens, such as agreed-upon transaction records, and information for connecting to other blocks (information from the previous block), and a blockchain is made up of multiple blocks linked together. Even if data is tampered with on one of the multiple computers, the correct data is selected by majority vote among the other computers, making it extremely difficult to destroy or tamper with data.

[0042] The correspondence between an avatar token and an avatar is in the form of associating the identifier of the avatar token with the identification information of the avatar (identification information may be attached to each avatar, or identification information (such as name) of the person the avatar is intended for may be used). Note that the correspondence between an avatar and an avatar token is generally one-to-one, but for example, if usage rights are to be granted to multiple people, it is preferable to generate multiple avatar tokens according to the number of rights granted to one avatar.

[0043] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the blocks constituting the distributed ledger corresponding to the generated avatar tokens preferably record the details of the usage rights of the avatar (such as the usage period and the range of services that can be used) in addition to transaction records relating to the transfer of ownership of the avatar tokens. These pieces of information are converted into transactions, which are information that are output to the distributed network by the transaction generation unit 21.

[0044] The avatar token may be generated by the avatar token generation unit 20 itself, or may be generated by an external system that is directly or indirectly connected to the avatar token generation unit 20 by issuing a predetermined command to the external system. The specific format of the avatar token is not limited to one that complies with the ERC721 standard of Ethereum (registered trademark), and any format may be used as long as it is non-fungible and the transaction history is stored on the blockchain.

[0045] The transaction generation unit 21 has a function of generating transactions to be stored in blocks in the distributed ledger, and corresponds to an example of information generation means in the claims. Specifically, the transaction generation unit 21 generates, as transaction contents, information regarding the change of the holder name of the avatar token, as well as information regarding the content of the usage rights of the avatar (such as the usage period and the range of services that can be used).

[0046] The electronic signature generation unit 22 has a function of generating an electronic signature, which is data that proves that the creation and output of information included in a transaction complies with the intentions of the avatar token holder. Specifically, the electronic signature generation unit 22 has a function of generating a hash value of the transaction generated by the transaction generation unit 21 and encrypting the hash value with a private key held by the avatar token holder to generate an electronic signature. Note that a "hash value" is a fixed-length value obtained by applying a specific calculation procedure to the original data. Because the calculation procedure is irreversible, it is considered impossible to restore the original data from the hash value. Furthermore, a "private key" is a sequence of numbers used in the encryption process that can be decrypted using a corresponding "public key." Note that, in the first embodiment, the transaction generation unit 21 and the electronic signature generation unit 22 are configured to generate the transaction and electronic signature, which are one form of ownership change information, by themselves. However, this is not a limitation, and the transaction generation unit 21 and the electronic signature generation unit 22 may simply have a function of instructing an external device to generate the transaction and electronic signature.

[0047] The output unit 23 instructs the transaction generated by the transaction generation unit 21 and the electronic signature generated by the electronic signature generation unit 22 to be output to a distributed network associated with the avatar token. The output unit 23 functions as one aspect of the output instruction means in the claims. In this embodiment, the output unit 23 is configured to directly output the transaction and the electronic signature, but may also be configured to only instruct other components (including those external to the avatar management system) to output the transaction. In this embodiment, the output unit 23 is directly or indirectly connected to the distributed network and is configured to be able to output predetermined data to the distributed network. The distributed network generates a hash value of the output transaction and compares it with data obtained by decrypting the electronic signature using a public key (= the hash value of the transaction). If the two values ​​differ, the distributed network determines that the transaction is not made by the owner of the tangible object and rejects registration. If the two values ​​match, the distributed network determines that the transaction is made by the owner and stores the information composed of the transaction in a block constituting the distributed ledger. The transaction output by the output unit 23 includes information regarding the change of ownership, and by outputting the transaction to the distributed network, this information is stored in the blocks that make up the distributed ledger established on the distributed network.

[0048] Avatar generation instruction input unit 24 is used to generate an avatar using an external service and input an avatar generation instruction from a person who wishes to use the generated avatar. In this embodiment 1, it is preferable that the input to avatar generation instruction input unit 24 is a mode in which information for identifying the person issuing the instruction is also input in addition to the avatar generation instruction itself. In this embodiment 1, user information is preferably generated based on information regarding the person issuing the instruction and output to user information input unit 6.

[0049] When an avatar generation instruction is input via the avatar generation instruction input unit and a stop instruction is not issued by the processing stop instruction unit 9, avatar configuration extraction unit 25 extracts avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar related to the generation instruction from the avatar configuration information stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14. Specifically, avatar configuration extraction unit 25 has a function of extracting, based on the identification information of the avatar related to the generation instruction, the avatar configuration information stored in association with the identification information.

[0050] Encryption processing unit 26 is for encrypting the avatar configuration information extracted by avatar configuration extraction unit 25. Specifically, encryption processing unit 26 has a function of encrypting the avatar configuration information using, for example, a private key. The private key used for encryption is preferably unique to avatar configuration information management device 2 and is preferably separate from the private key used by encryption processing unit 12. By performing encryption using different private keys, even if one of the private keys is leaked and either the output material information or the avatar configuration information is decrypted, it is possible to prevent the avatar itself from being illegally generated.

[0051] Configuration information output unit 27 outputs information including the avatar configuration information extracted by avatar configuration extraction unit 25, specifically information obtained by encrypting the avatar configuration information, to an external service that generates and uses an avatar. The information output by configuration information output unit 27 is decrypted using a public key by the external service to which it is output, and is combined with avatar material information (output material information) separately output from material information output unit 13 of avatar material information management device 1 to perform avatar generation processing, and the generated avatar is used by the external service.

[0052] Material selection information generation unit 28 generates material selection information, which is information regarding the combination of materials necessary to configure an avatar, based on the avatar configuration information extracted by avatar configuration extraction unit 25. The avatar configuration information includes information regarding avatar material information used to generate the avatar, and preferably information regarding the placement of the avatar material information within the avatar, and material selection information generation unit 28 has a function of extracting information regarding the avatar material information from this information, and generating material selection information in a state in which it is associated with identification information of the avatar to be generated.

[0053] The encryption processing unit 29 is for encrypting the material selection information generated by the material selection information generation unit 28. Specifically, the encryption processing unit 29 has a function of encrypting the avatar configuration information using, for example, a private key. As with the encryption processing unit 26, it is desirable that the private key used for encryption by the encryption processing unit 29 is unique to the avatar configuration information management device 2, and that it is preferably separate from the private key used by the encryption processing unit 12.

[0054] The material selection information output unit 30 outputs information including the material selection information generated by the material selection information generation unit 28, specifically information obtained by encrypting the material selection information, to the material selection information input unit 5 of the avatar material information management device 1. The output information is decrypted by the material selection information input unit 5 and used as material selection information.

[0055] Next, advantages of the avatar management system according to the first embodiment will be described. The avatar management system according to the first embodiment does not manage the avatars themselves, but rather manages them separately: avatar material information relating to the components of the avatar, and avatar configuration information describing the configuration of the avatar. Because an avatar cannot be generated with only one of these pieces of information, the avatar management system according to the first embodiment manages these two pieces of information separately. This has the advantage that, even if one of the avatar material information and the avatar configuration information is leaked, it can efficiently prevent unauthorized third parties from creating and using avatars improperly. To ensure this advantage, it is preferable that the avatar material information management device 1 and the avatar configuration information management device 2 are physically separated from each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, they may be configured on the same computing device (such as a server) with a firewall function. Furthermore, some of the components of avatar material information management device 1 and / or avatar configuration information management device 2 may be provided on a separate device, or all of the components of transaction generation unit 21, output unit 23, identity determination unit 8 and processing stop instruction unit 9 may be included in avatar material information management device 1 or avatar configuration information management device 2, or a separate device consisting of only these components may be provided. Also, in terms of handling avatars in external services, it is preferable to store data related to the avatar only while the external service is being used, and delete all data on the generated avatar itself, avatar material information, and avatar configuration information after use of the external service has ended.

[0056] Furthermore, the avatar management system according to the first embodiment employs a configuration in which information about persons authorized to use avatars is recorded in a distributed ledger on a distributed network corresponding to the avatar token. The ownership of the avatar token is transferred in accordance with the setting or transfer of the usage rights, and information about the transfer of ownership is recorded in the distributed ledger. This configuration has the advantages that the destruction or tampering of information is prevented by blockchain technology, authentic information can be obtained when obtaining usage rights information, and fraudulent processing by unauthorized persons can be effectively stopped.

[0057] Furthermore, the avatar management system according to the first embodiment employs a configuration in which, when new avatar configuration information is stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14, a similarity determination is made between the new avatar configuration information and existing avatar configuration information, and only when the new avatar configuration information is determined to be dissimilar or non-identical is the new avatar configuration information stored in avatar configuration storage unit 14. By employing such a configuration, the first embodiment has the advantage of preventing the storage of avatar configuration information relating to an avatar with inappropriate content, such as one that plagiarizes another person's design, and thus preventing the creation and use of an avatar that plagiarizes another avatar on an external service or the like.

[0058] (Embodiment 2) Next, we will explain the avatar management system according to embodiment 2. In embodiment 2, components with the same names and symbols as those in embodiment 1 will perform the same functions as those in embodiment 1 unless otherwise specified.

[0059] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an avatar management system according to embodiment 2. As shown in Fig. 2, in addition to the configuration of embodiment 1, the avatar management system according to embodiment 2 includes an avatar material information management device 31 including an avatar material storage unit 32 that stores avatar material information corresponding to the specifications of each of a plurality of external services for which avatars are expected to be used, an output destination information acquisition unit 33 that acquires output destination information, which is information regarding the output destination of the avatar material information and avatar configuration information, and an avatar material extraction unit 34 that extracts avatar material information that matches the specifications of the output destination (for example, the external service in which the avatar is used) based on the acquired output destination information.

[0060] Like the avatar material storage unit 3 in the first embodiment, the avatar material storage unit 32 has a function for storing avatar material information, which is information about avatar materials that constitute an avatar. The avatar material information to be stored also has a function for storing avatar material information corresponding to the specifications of multiple external services for which the avatar is expected to be used. Each piece of avatar material information, which is prepared for each external service but shares the same identity as a component of the avatar, is associated with the same identification information as the identification information in the first embodiment, and is also associated with information indicating which external service the information corresponds to. For example, if two sets of avatar material information for "eye" designs of the same shape and color corresponding to the specifications of external services A and B are stored, the identification information for the "eye" design (e.g., 001) is combined with information identifying external services A and B (e.g., A and B, respectively), and the former is stored in association with the information (001, A) and the latter is stored in association with the information (001, B).

[0061] The output destination information acquisition unit 33 is for acquiring output destination information, which is information for specifying an external service in which the avatar will be used. For example, when an instruction to generate an avatar is given via the avatar generation instruction input unit 24, information specifying the external service in which the avatar will be used is also input, and the input information is transferred to the output destination information acquisition unit 33, thereby acquiring the information. More preferably, the output destination information acquisition unit 33 may acquire information by detecting that a person using the avatar has started using a specific external service. The start of use of the external service may be detected by information being transmitted from the user's device used to use the external service, or by a notification from the operator of the external service.

[0062] Similar to avatar material extraction unit 10 in the first embodiment, avatar material extraction unit 34 extracts avatar material information used to generate an avatar from avatar material storage unit 32. In the second embodiment, avatar material extraction unit 34 extracts avatar material information based on output destination information acquired by output destination information acquisition unit 33, in addition to material selection information acquired via material selection information input unit 5. In the second embodiment, multiple pieces of avatar material information having the same function, shape, etc. are stored according to the specifications of the external service, and avatar material information cannot be identified based on the identification information included in the material selection information alone. Therefore, avatar material information is identified taking into account output destination information, and appropriate avatar material information is extracted.

[0063] Next, advantages of the avatar management system according to the second embodiment will be described. The avatar management system according to the second embodiment is configured to extract and output avatar material information that conforms to specifications set by an output destination (e.g., an external service) from the avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage unit 32, based on output destination information, which is information about the output destination. Some external services that use avatars generate and use avatars with specifications that differ from those of other external services. Therefore, when an avatar with the same design is used in multiple external services, it is necessary to prepare multiple avatars that conform to different specifications despite having the same design. In contrast, by adopting a configuration in which avatar material information corresponding to each specification is stored in advance for avatars with the same design while using common avatar configuration information, the avatar management system according to the second embodiment has the advantage of eliminating the need to prepare multiple avatar configuration information and enabling efficient avatar management without increasing the volume of management data. [Industrial Applicability]

[0064] The present invention can be used as a technology for efficiently preventing the creation and use of avatars by third parties who do not have the authority to use them when managing avatars used in external services, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1, 31 Avatar material information management device 2. Avatar configuration information management device 3, 32 Avatar material storage section 4. Avatar identification information input section 5 Material selection information input section 6 User information input section 7. Usage rights information acquisition unit 8 Identity determination section 9 Processing stop instruction section 10, 34 Avatar material extraction section 11 Output material information generation unit 12, 26, 29 Encryption processing section 13 Material information output section 14 Avatar configuration memory unit 15 Avatar identification information input section 16 Configuration information input section 17 Correction information input section 18 Similarity determination section 19 Configuration information storage processing unit 20 Avatar Token Generation Unit 21 Transaction Generation Unit 22 Electronic signature generation section 23 Output section 24 Avatar generation instruction input section 25 Avatar configuration extraction unit 27 Configuration information output section 28 Material selection information generation unit 30 Material selection information output section 33 Output destination information acquisition unit

Claims

1. An avatar management system that manages avatar material information, which is information about avatar materials that are components of an avatar, and avatar configuration information, which is information describing the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information, comprising: an avatar material storage means for storing the plurality of pieces of avatar material information in association with identification information; avatar material extraction means for extracting avatar material information to be used for generating an avatar from the plurality of avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage means, based on material selection information which is information regarding selection of avatar material information; a material information output means for outputting output material information including the avatar material information extracted by the avatar material extraction means to an external device; an avatar material information management device including: an avatar configuration storage means for storing the avatar configuration information, which describes the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information, and which includes at least identification information of the avatar material information used to generate the avatar, in association with identification information of an avatar to be generated based on the avatar configuration information; an avatar configuration extraction means for extracting avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar to be generated from the avatar configuration information stored in the avatar configuration storage means based on identification information of the avatar to be generated; an avatar configuration output means for outputting information including the avatar configuration information extracted by the avatar configuration extraction means to an external device; a material selection information generating means for generating material selection information based on the avatar configuration information extracted by the avatar configuration extracting means; a material selection information output means for outputting information including the material selection information generated by the material selection information generation means to the avatar material management means; an avatar configuration information management device including: An avatar management system comprising:

2. A transaction generating means for generating transaction information including information about a person authorized to use the avatar to be generated, the transaction information being recorded in a distributed ledger on a distributed network corresponding to an avatar token, which is a non-fungible token corresponding to the avatar to be generated; output instruction means for instructing the distributed network to output the transaction information; a usage authority information acquisition means for acquiring usage authority information, which is information about a person who has the right to use the avatar to be generated, from information recorded on the distributed network corresponding to the avatar token that is in a corresponding relationship with the avatar to be generated; an identity determination means for determining whether or not there is identity between a person who has requested the generation of a specific avatar and a person who has the right to use the specific avatar included in the information acquired by the information acquisition means; a process stop instruction means for instructing at least one of the avatar material extraction means and the avatar configuration extraction means to stop extraction processing when the identity determination means has not determined that there is identity; 2. The avatar management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. the avatar configuration information management device, configuration information input means for inputting new avatar configuration information to be stored in said avatar configuration storage means; a similarity determination means for comparing the new avatar configuration information input by the configuration input means with other avatar configuration information stored in the avatar configuration storage means to determine whether they are similar; configuration information storage processing means for instructing the avatar configuration storage means to store the new avatar configuration information when the similarity determination means determines that the new avatar configuration information is not identical to and not similar to the other avatar configuration information; 3. The avatar management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

4. 1. An avatar management method for managing avatar material information, which is information about avatar materials that are components of an avatar, and avatar configuration information, which is information describing the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information, comprising: an avatar material storage step of storing the plurality of pieces of avatar material information in association with identification information; an avatar material extraction step of extracting avatar material information to be used for generating an avatar from the plurality of avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage step, based on material selection information which is information regarding selection of avatar material information; a material information output step of outputting output material information including the avatar material information extracted in the avatar material extraction step to an external device; an avatar material information management step including: an avatar configuration storage step of storing the avatar configuration information, which describes the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information and includes at least information regarding identification information of the avatar material information used to generate the avatar, in a state associated with identification information of an avatar to be generated based on the avatar configuration information; an avatar configuration extraction step of extracting, based on identification information of the avatar to be generated, avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar to be generated from the avatar configuration information stored in the avatar configuration storage step; an avatar configuration output step of outputting information including the avatar configuration information extracted in the avatar configuration extraction step to an external device; a material selection information generating step of generating the material selection information used in the avatar material extraction step based on the avatar configuration information extracted in the avatar configuration extraction step; an avatar configuration information management step including:

10. An avatar management method comprising:

5. further comprising an output destination information acquisition step of acquiring output destination information, which is information regarding an output destination in the avatar material extraction step and the avatar configuration output step; 5. The avatar management method according to claim 4, wherein in the avatar material extraction step, avatar material information conforming to the specifications of the output destination is extracted based on the output destination information acquired in the output destination information acquisition step.

6. An avatar management program that causes a computer to manage avatar material information, which is information about avatar materials that are components of an avatar, and avatar configuration information, which is information describing the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information, an avatar material storage function for storing the plurality of pieces of avatar material information in association with identification information; an avatar material extraction function that extracts avatar material information to be used for generating an avatar from the plurality of avatar material information stored in the avatar material storage function, based on material selection information that is information related to selection of avatar material information; a material information output function for outputting output material information including the avatar material information extracted by the avatar material extraction function to an external device; Avatar material information management function including an avatar configuration storage function that stores the avatar configuration information, which describes the configuration of an avatar using the avatar material information and includes at least information regarding identification information of the avatar material information used to generate the avatar, in association with identification information of an avatar to be generated based on the avatar configuration information; an avatar configuration extraction function that extracts, based on identification information of the avatar to be generated, the avatar configuration information corresponding to the avatar to be generated from the avatar configuration information stored by the avatar configuration storage function; an avatar configuration output function for outputting information including the avatar configuration information extracted by the avatar configuration extraction function to an external device; a material selection information generation function that generates the material selection information used in the avatar material extraction function based on the avatar configuration information extracted in the avatar configuration extraction function; an avatar configuration information management function including:

1. An avatar management program comprising:

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