Karaoke systems, servers, karaoke equipment and programs

Abstract

To improve the convenience of a karaoke system that uses a terminal device such as a smartphone as a remote control for a karaoke device. [Solution] The karaoke system includes a server, a terminal device, and a karaoke device. The server includes an issuing means for issuing identification information to the karaoke device and a transmitting means for transmitting room information including at least the identification information issued by the issuing means to the karaoke device. The karaoke device includes an output means for outputting the room information received from the server. The server includes an establishing means for establishing a first communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information when a connection request is received from a terminal device that has acquired the room information output by the output means. The first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke device identified by the identification information via the server.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a karaoke system, a server, a karaoke device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, it has become common to use personally owned mobile terminals such as smartphones as remote controls for karaoke machines (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-71175 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is room for improvement in karaoke systems that use terminal devices such as smartphones as remote controls for karaoke machines.

[0005] The present invention provides a technology that improves the convenience of a karaoke system in which a terminal device such as a smartphone is used as a remote control for a karaoke device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention may include the following aspects. [Aspect 1] A karaoke system comprising a server, a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and a karaoke device capable of communicating with the server, The server issuing means for issuing temporary identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information issued by the issuing means to the karaoke device; Including, the karaoke machine includes an output means for outputting the identification information received from the server; the server further includes an establishment means for, when receiving a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output by the output means, establishing a first communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information; the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; Karaoke system. [Aspect 2] The karaoke system according to aspect 1, the first communication is a two-way communication; Karaoke system. [Aspect 3] The karaoke system according to aspect 1 or 2, The karaoke device a receiving means for receiving an instruction to issue the identification information; a requesting means for requesting the server to issue the identification information when the receiving means receives an instruction to issue the identification information; Including, Karaoke system. [Aspect 4] A karaoke system according to aspect 3, the karaoke machine includes a resetting means for resetting setting information relating to performance of the karaoke machine when the issuing instruction of the identification information is accepted by the accepting means; Karaoke system. [Aspect 5] The karaoke system according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, the issuing means, in response to a request from the karaoke device, discards the issued identification information associated with the karaoke device that has requested the issuance of the identification information, and issues new identification information. Karaoke system. [Aspect 6] A karaoke system according to aspect 5, When the issued identification information is discarded, the server does not accept an operation of the karaoke device from the terminal device with which first communication has been established using the discarded identification information. Karaoke system. [Aspect 7] The karaoke system according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, A plurality of terminal devices can each establish the first communication with the server using one of the identification information. Karaoke system. [Aspect 8] A karaoke system according to aspect 7, the plurality of terminal devices include a first terminal device and a second terminal device; when operation information relating to the operation of the karaoke machine is transmitted from the first terminal device to the server using the first communication, the server transmits information corresponding to the operation information to the karaoke machine and the second terminal device, respectively; the karaoke machine executes an operation of the karaoke machine based on information corresponding to the operation information received from the server; the second terminal device updates a screen of an application for operating the karaoke machine based on information corresponding to the operation information received from the server. Karaoke system. [Aspect 9] A karaoke system according to aspect 8, the operation information includes reservation information for a song to be played by the karaoke device; Karaoke system. [Aspect 10] A karaoke system according to aspect 8, the operation information includes setting information related to performance by the karaoke device; Karaoke system. [Aspect 11] The karaoke system according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, when the server receives an instruction to display an object from the terminal device, the server transmits an instruction to display the object to the karaoke device; When the karaoke device receives an instruction to display the object, the karaoke device displays the object on a display unit of the karaoke device or a display device connected to the karaoke device. Karaoke system. [Aspect 12] The karaoke system according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, the server includes an awarding means for awarding a reward to a user; When a song is reserved by operating the terminal device, the granting means grants a reward to the user corresponding to the terminal device that reserved the song. Karaoke system. [Aspect 13] 13. The karaoke system according to claim 12, the awarding means awards a reward to the user corresponding to the terminal device that reserved the song, in accordance with at least one of the performance time of the reserved song and the scoring result; Karaoke system. [Aspect 14] The karaoke system according to aspect 1, The server and the terminal device are also capable of communicating via a second communication different from the first communication for operating the karaoke device. Karaoke system. [Aspect 15] A karaoke system according to aspect 14, comprising: the first communication is a two-way communication; the second communication is a request / response type communication; Karaoke system. [Aspect 16] 16. The karaoke system according to claim 15, the terminal device is capable of acquiring information about the user of the terminal device through the second communication; Karaoke system. [Aspect 17] A communication method for a karaoke system including a server, a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and a karaoke device capable of communicating with the server, comprising: the server issues identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; the server transmits the issued identification information to the karaoke device; the karaoke machine outputs the identification information received from the server; When the server receives a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification output in the outputting, establishing a first communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information; Including, The communication method, wherein the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke device identified by the identification information via the server. [Aspect 18] issuing means for issuing temporary identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information issued by the issuing means to the karaoke device; an establishment means for establishing a first communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information when a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output by the output means is received; Equipped with the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; server. [Aspect 19] The terminal device computer, an acquisition means for acquiring temporary identification information output by a karaoke device and capable of identifying the karaoke device; a request means for requesting establishment of a first communication with a server by using the identification information acquired by the acquisition means; an operating means for operating the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server using the established first communication; A program that functions as a means to [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of a karaoke system in which a terminal device such as a smartphone is used as a remote control for a karaoke device compared to conventional systems. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] A system configuration diagram of a karaoke system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] (a) is a hardware configuration diagram of the server, (b) is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal device, and (c) is a hardware configuration diagram of the karaoke device. [Figure 3] (a) and (b) are sequence diagrams showing an example of processing in a karaoke system. [Figure 4] 10A to 10C are diagrams showing examples of screens of a terminal device. [Figure 5] (a) and (b) are sequence diagrams showing an example of processing in a karaoke system. [Figure 6] 10A to 10E are diagrams showing examples of screens of a terminal device. [Figure 7] Sequence diagram showing an example of processing in a karaoke system [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a terminal device. [Figure 9] Sequence diagram showing an example of processing in a karaoke system [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of screens of a terminal device. [Figure 11] (a) and (b) are sequence diagrams showing an example of processing in a karaoke system. [Figure 12] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of screens of a terminal device. [Figure 13] Flowchart showing an example of server processing DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [System Configuration] <Summary> 1 is a system configuration diagram of a karaoke system SY according to one embodiment. The karaoke system SY includes a server 10, a terminal device 20, and a karaoke device 30. The terminal device 20 may be a personally owned smartphone or tablet. The karaoke device 30 is a commander installed in, for example, a karaoke room.

[0010] Although details will be described later, in this embodiment, the server 10 can communicate with the terminal device 20 and the karaoke device 30 over a network NT such as the Internet, while the terminal device 20 and the karaoke device 30 can communicate over the network NT via the server 10. In other words, the terminal device 20 and the karaoke device 30 communicate indirectly via the server 10.

[0011] In this embodiment, one or more terminal devices 20 are associated with one karaoke device 30 to form a virtual room R. Here, a virtual room RA is formed by associating terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2 with karaoke device 30A. A virtual room RB is formed by associating terminal devices 20B1 and 20B2 with karaoke device 30B.

[0012] In the following description, when describing a plurality of terminal devices, they will be referred to as terminal device 20A1, etc., and when describing matters common to the plurality of terminal devices, they will be referred to as terminal device 20. Similarly, when describing a plurality of karaoke devices, they will be referred to as karaoke device 30A, etc., and when describing matters common to the plurality of karaoke devices, they will be referred to as karaoke device 30.

[0013] <Server 10> 2(a) is a hardware configuration diagram of the server 10. The server 10 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13, and these components are electrically connected via a communication bus inside the server 10. The server 10 may be configured by one information processing device, or may be configured by multiple information processing devices that can communicate with each other.

[0014] The communication unit 11 executes communication with other devices. The server 10 communicates various information with the terminal devices 20 and 30 over the network NT via the communication unit 11. Any known communication method can be used as appropriate. As will be described in detail later, for example, the server 10 is capable of two-way communication with the terminal device 20 based on WebSocket or the like. Also, for example, the server 10 is capable of HTTP communication with the terminal device 20. Also, for example, the server 10 is capable of two-way communication with the karaoke device 30 based on WebSocket or the like.

[0015] The memory unit 12 stores various information. This may be implemented as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs related to the server 10 executed by the control unit 13, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information related to program calculations (arguments, arrays, etc.). Alternatively, it may be implemented as a combination of these.

[0016] In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 stores various information for managing the karaoke system SY. As will be described in detail later, the storage unit 12 stores the IDs of the karaoke devices 30 (device IDs such as UDIDs and unique identifiers for identifying the karaoke devices 30, such as MAC addresses) in association with the IDs (room IDs) of the virtual rooms R in a table format (table 12a). The room ID is an example of temporary identification information for identifying the karaoke devices 30. The temporary identification information may be an identification number that is updated in response to an issuance request, as in the case of the room ID in this embodiment, or may be in other forms. For example, the temporary identification information may be configured by combining the ID (e.g., MAC address) of the associated karaoke device 30 with the number of issuances, the issuance date, etc. For example, if the temporary identification information associated with the karaoke device 30 with ID "kd1-1" at a certain time is "kd1-1," and the reset button of the reception unit 34 (described later) is pressed, the server 10 may issue a new temporary identification information "kd1-2." The same applies to the combination of the ID of the karaoke device 30 and the issuance date.

[0017] The storage unit 12 also stores the IDs of the rooms R in association with the user IDs in a table (table 12b). As a result, the terminal device 20 (the user ID of the user using the terminal device 20) and the karaoke device 30 (the ID of the karaoke device 30) are essentially associated with each other via the room IDs in the server 10. For example, the control unit 13 can determine, via the room ID (rm1), that the karaoke device 30 identified by ID (kd1) and the karaoke device 30 identified by user IDs (usr1, usr2) form a virtual room. The storage unit 12 may also store singing histories for each virtual room R (or karaoke device 30), singing histories and scoring histories for each user (user ID), and karaoke setting information for each virtual room R (room ID). The storage unit 12 also stores various information necessary for providing karaoke services, such as music sound source data and lyric data.

[0018] The control unit 13 processes and controls the overall operations related to the server 10. The control unit 13 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). The control unit 13 realizes various functions related to the server 10 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the storage unit 12. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 12 is specifically realized by the control unit 13, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 13. Note that the control unit 13 is not limited to being single, and multiple control units 13 may be provided for each function. A combination of these may also be used.

[0019] <Terminal device 20> 2(b) is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 has a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, a control unit 23, a display unit 24, and an operation unit 25, and these components are electrically connected inside the terminal device 20 via a communication bus.

[0020] The communication unit 21 executes communication with other devices. Any known communication method can be used as appropriate. The terminal device 20 communicates various information with the server 10 over the network NT via the communication unit 21.

[0021] The storage unit 22 stores various information. This may be implemented as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs related to the terminal device 20 executed by the control unit 23, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information related to program calculations (arguments, arrays, etc.). Alternatively, it may be implemented as a combination of these.

[0022] The control unit 23 processes and controls the overall operations related to the terminal device 20. The control unit 23 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). The control unit 23 realizes various functions related to the terminal device 20 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the storage unit 22. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 22 is specifically realized by the control unit 23, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 23. Note that the control unit 23 is not limited to being single, and multiple control units 23 may be provided for each function. A combination of these may also be used.

[0023] The display unit 24 may be a display that displays various information. The operation unit 25 may be a touch panel or physical buttons that accept user operations.

[0024] <Karaoke machine 30> 2(c) is a hardware configuration diagram of the karaoke device 30. The karaoke device 30 has a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, a reception unit 34, and an input / output interface 35, and these components are electrically connected within the karaoke device 30 via a communication bus.

[0025] The communication unit 31 communicates with other devices. Any known communication method can be used as appropriate. The karaoke device 30 communicates various information with the server 10 over the network NT via the communication unit 31.

[0026] The storage unit 32 stores various information. This may be implemented as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs related to the karaoke device 30 executed by the control unit 33, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores information (arguments, arrays, etc.) temporarily required for program calculations. Alternatively, it may be implemented as a combination of these.

[0027] The control unit 33 processes and controls the overall operations related to the karaoke device 30. The control unit 33 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). The control unit 33 realizes various functions related to the karaoke device 30 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the storage unit 32. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 32 is specifically realized by the control unit 33, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 33. Note that the control unit 33 is not limited to being single, and multiple control units 33 may be provided for each function. A combination of these may also be used.

[0028] The reception unit 34 receives user operations. In this embodiment, the reception unit 34 includes a physical reset button. For example, if the karaoke device 30 is installed in a karaoke bar, when a staff member at the bar presses the reset button on the reception unit 34, the karaoke device 30 resets its karaoke settings and requests a new room ID from the server 10. In other words, the reception unit 34 is an example of a reception means for receiving an instruction to issue a room ID. The input / output interface 35 connects the karaoke device 30 to a monitor 41, a speaker 42, and a singing microphone 43. Note that the reception of requests for karaoke settings and issuance of a new room ID is not limited to physical buttons. For example, an instruction to reset the karaoke settings may be sent to the karaoke device 30 from a specific information processing device (such as a PC installed in the karaoke bar). Alternatively, an instruction to reset the karaoke settings may be sent to the karaoke device 30 from an information processing device (such as a PC in the karaoke bar). A request to issue a room ID may be sent from the specific information processing device to the karaoke device 30 or the server 10.

[0029] [System-wide processing example] <Establishment of communication between server 10 and terminal device 20> The process for establishing communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20, which is used by the terminal device 20 to operate the karaoke device 30, will be described.

[0030] In the following process, two-way communication based on WebSocket or the like is established between the server 10 and the terminal device 20. However, the communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 used by the terminal device 20 to operate the karaoke device 30 may be pseudo-two-way communication using request / response communication such as HTTP. Furthermore, it is assumed that HTTP communication is possible between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 when the process described below is started. It is assumed that HTTP communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 is possible when the terminal device 20 installs an application AP described below, for example. In other words, information for accessing the server 10 may be included in the program of the application AP described below.

[0031] In this embodiment, it is assumed that two-way communication based on WebSocket or the like is possible between the server 10 and the karaoke device 30 when the process described below is started. For example, when the karaoke device 30 is installed in a karaoke room, the server 10 and the karaoke device 30 are set up to enable two-way communication, and the connection between them can be maintained thereafter. When information is sent from the karaoke device 30 to the server 10, a unique identifier for identifying the karaoke device 30 (such as a device ID such as a UDID or a MAC address; hereinafter referred to as "device ID, etc.") may be included as information for identifying the sender.

[0032] FIG. 3(a) is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing performed by the karaoke system SY, and shows an example of processing performed between the server 10 and the karaoke device 30.

[0033] In step S101, the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30 detects that a reset button included in the reception unit 34 has been pressed. The reset button included in the reception unit 34 is pressed, for example, by a karaoke store employee. For example, the karaoke store employee presses the reset button included in the reception unit 34 after a customer finishes using a karaoke room and before the next customer uses that karaoke room.

[0034] In step S102, the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30 resets setting information related to the performance of the karaoke device 30. The setting information reset here may include performance-related settings such as key, microphone volume, accompaniment volume, guide volume, whether or not to provide a guide, microphone effect, etc. The setting information reset here may also include display settings on the monitor 41, such as whether or not to provide a score and the size of the captions displayed on the monitor 41. The setting information reset here may also include setting information related to settings that can be adjusted by operating the remote control of the terminal device 20, which will be described later.

[0035] In step S103, the control unit 33 transmits a request for issuing a room ID to the server 10 via the communication unit 31. This request may include the device ID, etc., and the current room ID. The request for issuing a room ID also serves as a request to close the virtual room identified by the current room ID. As will be described in detail later, this room ID is used by the terminal device 20 to operate the karaoke device 30 identified by the room ID via the server 10.

[0036] When the control unit 13 of the server 10 receives the request for issuing a room ID from the karaoke device 30 via the communication unit 11, the control unit 13 issues a room ID in step S104. If an issued room ID exists, the control unit 13 discards it and issues a new room ID.

[0037] In step S105, the control unit 13 stores the issued room ID in association with the room. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the control unit 13 stores the ID of the karaoke device 30 that sent the request to issue a room ID in association with the newly issued room ID in the table 12a of the storage unit 12. At the same time, the control unit 13 deletes information about the discarded room ID from the table 12a.

[0038] In step S106, the control unit 13 transmits the room ID generated in step S104 to the karaoke device 30. Then, in step S107, the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30 generates a two-dimensional code, such as a QR code (registered trademark), containing the received room ID as information. The two-dimensional code contains at least the room ID information issued in S104. That is, the two-dimensional code contains at least the room ID information as readable information. Note that although the control unit 33 generates the two-dimensional code in this example, a barcode or the like containing the room ID information may also be generated. Note that the control unit 13 of the server 10 may generate a two-dimensional code containing the room ID as information and transmit image data of the code to the karaoke device 30. That is, the server 10 may transmit image data, such as a two-dimensional code, containing the room ID as information to the karaoke device 30, or may transmit character string data indicating the room ID before being encoded to the karaoke device 30.

[0039] Furthermore, the information sent from the server 10 to the karaoke device 30 may include information other than the room ID. For example, the information sent from the server 10 to the karaoke device 30 may include a deep link for transitioning to a specific screen of an application AP described later, or a link to a web page for downloading the application AP described later. These links may be used, for example, when the terminal device 20 reads the two-dimensional code displayed on the karaoke device 30 with an application other than the application AP described later. Information about these links may also be included in the two-dimensional code generated in S107.

[0040] Furthermore, the two-dimensional code generated in S107 may include information that allows the server 10, upon receiving an instruction from the terminal device 20, to identify the karaoke device 30 to which the instruction is to be sent in processes such as song selection, remote control operation, and item support, which will be described later. This information may be, for example, the device ID of the karaoke device 30 described above. Alternatively, if two-way communication such as WebSocket is established between the server 10 and the karaoke device 30, the two-dimensional code may include information that identifies the connection established between the server 10 and the karaoke device 30 to which the instruction is to be sent. By including this information in the two-dimensional code, the server 10, upon receiving an instruction to operate the karaoke device 30 from the terminal device 20, can transmit the instruction to the appropriate karaoke device 30.

[0041] In step S108, the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30 outputs the generated two-dimensional code. That is, the control unit 33 outputs the information (room ID) received from the server 10. Specifically, the control unit 33 outputs the two-dimensional code to the monitor 41 via the input / output interface 35 and causes it to be displayed. The two-dimensional code may continue to be displayed on the monitor 41 until the reset button of the reception unit 34 is pressed again. In this case, the two-dimensional code displayed on the monitor 41 is updated every time the reset button of the reception unit 34 is pressed. If the karaoke device 30 itself has a display unit, the two-dimensional code may be displayed on that display unit.

[0042] Fig. 3(b) is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing in the karaoke system SY, illustrating an example of processing performed between the server 10 and the terminal device 20. Figs. 4(a) to 4(c) are diagrams showing example screens of the terminal device 20.

[0043] In step S201, the control unit 23 of the terminal device 20 starts up the application AP. The application AP is an application for operating the karaoke device 30 by the terminal device 20 and for checking user information. For example, the control unit 23 reads out and executes the program of the application AP stored in the storage unit 22, thereby starting and executing the application AP. Once the application AP has started up and the user has logged in, a screen 401 shown in FIG. 4(a) may be displayed on the display unit 24. The screen 401 has a connect button 401a for enabling communication with the karaoke device 30 via the server 10.

[0044] When the connect button 401a is selected, the control unit 23 reads the two-dimensional code in step S202. The control unit 23 causes the display unit 24 to display a screen 402 shown in Fig. 4(b). The control unit 23 acquires the room ID issued in S104 by reading the two-dimensional code displayed on the monitor 41 using an imaging unit (not shown). Furthermore, if the two-dimensional code includes information other than the room ID described above, the control unit 23 also acquires that information.

[0045] In step S203, the control unit 23 transmits a connection request to the server 10 via the communication unit 21. This connection request requests a connection for communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20, which are used to operate the karaoke machine 30 via the server 10. At this time, communication between the terminal device 20 and the server 10 may be performed via HTTP communication. The information transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server 10 may include the room ID acquired by the control unit 23 in S202 and information for identifying the terminal device 20 that is the transmission source (for example, the user ID of the user logged in to the application AP). The information transmitted from the terminal device 20 to the server 10 may also include the device ID of the karaoke machine 30, which can be acquired by scanning a two-dimensional code.

[0046] In this embodiment, as described above, the application AP has information for accessing the server 10. Therefore, the control unit 23 of the terminal device 20 can make a connection request to the server 10 even if the information acquired from the two-dimensional code does not include information for accessing the server 10. In other words, the two-dimensional code output by the karaoke device 30 does not need to include information for accessing the server 10.

[0047] In step S204, the control unit 13 of the server 10 checks the room ID. The control unit 13 checks whether the room ID transmitted from the terminal device 20 is associated with the ID of the karaoke device 30 in the table 12a of the storage unit 12. Here, if the room ID is associated with the ID of the karaoke device 30, the room ID is deemed valid. If the room ID is not associated with the ID of the karaoke device 30, the room ID is deemed invalid. For example, if a room ID associated with the ID of a certain karaoke device 30 is discarded due to the issuance of a new room ID, the discarded room ID is invalid.

[0048] If the room ID transmitted from the terminal device 20 is valid, the control unit 13 associates the room ID with the user ID associated with the application AP of the terminal device 20 that transmitted the room ID, and stores them in the table 12b of the storage unit 12 (see FIG. 2(a)). As a result, the server 10 associates the terminal device 20 with the karaoke device 30 via the room ID.

[0049] In step S205, the control unit 13 responds to the terminal device 20 that connection with the karaoke device 30 is permitted. If the room ID is invalid in S204, the control unit 13 responds to the terminal device 20 that connection with the karaoke device 30 has failed, and disconnects the connection between the terminal device 20 and the server 10 (the communication connection used to operate the karaoke device 30). The disconnection may be initiated by either the terminal device 20 or the server 10. The terminal device 20 may disconnect the connection with the server 10 upon receiving a response from the server 10 that connection has failed. Alternatively, the server 10 may respond to the terminal device 20 that connection with the karaoke device 30 has failed and disconnect the connection.

[0050] In step S206, the control unit 23 of the terminal device 20 displays a predetermined screen on the display unit 24. For example, the control unit 23 displays a screen 403 on the display unit 24, as shown in FIG. 4(c), which notifies the user that the connection with the karaoke device 30 has been successful.

[0051] In this way, communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 is established. In subsequent communications, the terminal device 20 transmits to the server 10 operation information for operating the karaoke device 30 and information (user ID) for identifying the terminal device 20 that is the sender of the information. The control unit 13 of the server 10, which receives this information, identifies the room ID corresponding to the user ID of the terminal device 20 that is the sender from the table 12b, identifies the ID of the karaoke device 30 associated with the identified room ID from the table 12a, and transmits the operation information received from the terminal device 20 to the identified karaoke device 30. This allows the terminal device 20 to operate the karaoke device 30.

[0052] In the case of two-way communication based on WebSocket, once a connection between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 is established, the connection between them is maintained as long as the room ID is valid. In other words, a highly real-time connection is maintained between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 as long as the room ID is valid. In addition, the server 10 holds connection information (such as a session ID) unique to each client (terminal device 20) with which two-way communication based on WebSocket is established.

[0053] Note that if the reset button on the reception unit 34 of the karaoke device 30 is pressed while two-way communication based on WebSocket is established between the server 10 and the terminal device 20, the room ID is discarded and a new room ID is issued. As a result, the room ID used when establishing the connection between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 becomes invalid, and a release command is sent from the server 10 to the terminal device 20, disconnecting the two-way communication between them. Alternatively, the server 10 does not have to actively send a release command to the terminal device 20. In this case, the server 10 may notify the terminal device 20 of an error indicating that operation of the karaoke device 30 is not possible at the timing when the terminal device 20 sends information for operating the karaoke device 30 to the server 10 after the room ID has become invalid.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple terminal devices 20 can read the two-dimensional code displayed on the monitor 41, allowing each of the multiple terminal devices 20 to communicate with the karaoke device 30 via the server 10. Therefore, when a group uses a karaoke room in which a karaoke device 30 is installed, each user can operate the karaoke device 30 using their own terminal device 20. At this time, the information transmitted from each terminal device 20 to the server 10 is linked to the user ID corresponding to each terminal device 20. Since the storage unit 12 associates the user ID with the ID of the karaoke device 30 via the room ID, the server 10 can determine that the received information was transmitted from a terminal device 20 and that it is intended to operate which karaoke device 30.

[0055] <Song selection> Fig. 5 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the karaoke system SY. Figs. 6(a) to 6(d) are diagrams showing example screens of the terminal device 20. The following describes the processing by the karaoke system SY when a user operates the terminal device 20 to reserve a song to be played on the karaoke device 30. In this embodiment, when one of the multiple terminal devices 20 reserves a song, the reservation results are shared with the other terminal devices 20.

[0056] 5(a) shows a processing example in which the terminal device 20A1 reserves a song and the reservation result is shared with the karaoke device 30A and another terminal device 20A2. Here, the server 10 and each of the terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2 communicate with each other through the two-way communication established by the processing example shown in FIG. 3. In the following explanation, it is assumed that the user IDs corresponding to the terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2 are usr1 and usr2, respectively, and the ID corresponding to the karaoke device 30A is kd1 (see tables 12a and 12b in FIG. 2).

[0057] In step S301, the control unit 23 of the terminal device 20A1 transmits reservation information to the server 10 via the communication unit 21. The reservation information may include, for example, the ID of the song to be reserved. The reservation information may also include information such as whether the guide vocal is on or off, whether the scoring function is on or off, and the key height. In addition to the reservation information, information for identifying the terminal device 20A1 as the transmission source (here, the user ID), information for identifying the virtual room R to which the terminal device 20A1 belongs (room ID), and information for identifying the karaoke device 30 as the transmission destination may be transmitted from the terminal device 20A1 to the server 10.

[0058] 6(a) shows a screen 601 in which a button 601a for searching for songs on the application AP has been selected. For example, the user of the terminal device 20A1 can search by artist name, song title, or lyrics, or select songs based on categories such as genre, era, or new songs.

[0059] As an example, the flow of selecting a song by song title search will be described. When a song title search button 601b is selected on screen 601, the control unit 23 causes a song title search screen 602 (FIG. 6(b)) to be displayed on the display unit 24. When text is entered into a search box 602a on screen 602, search results are displayed. When a song displayed as a search result is selected, the control unit 23 causes a song details screen 603 (FIG. 6(c)) to be displayed on the display unit 24. When a reservation button 603a is selected on screen 603, reservation information is sent from the karaoke device 30A to the server 10.

[0060] In step S302, the control unit 13 of the server 10 updates the reservation list. The control unit 13 manages a reservation list for each room ID, for example. The reservation list is a list of song IDs of reserved songs. The reservation list may include a list of song IDs of songs waiting to be played, a list of song IDs of songs that have finished being played, a list of song IDs of songs currently being played, and a list of song IDs of canceled songs. The reservation list may also include song names, singer names, and singer IDs corresponding to song IDs, as well as the ID, nickname, and user icon of the user who made the reservation. The control unit 13 updates the reservation list associated with the target room ID based on the received reservation information. In this embodiment, the information sent from the terminal device 20 to the server 10 includes the user ID and room ID. The control unit 13 refers to the table 12a. If the room ID (rm1) included in the information from the terminal device 20A1 is associated with one of the karaoke devices 30 (i.e., the room ID is valid), the control unit 13 updates the reservation list for that room ID based on the information sent in step S301. If the information sent from the terminal device 20 to the server 10 includes a user ID but not a room ID, the following can be done. The control unit 13 refers to table 12b to identify the room ID (rm1) corresponding to the user ID (usr1) corresponding to the terminal device 20A1 that sent the reservation information in step S301. Then, the control unit 13 refers to table 12a and, if the room ID (rm1) is associated with one of the karaoke devices 30 (i.e., the room ID is valid), updates the reservation list for that room ID based on the information sent in step S301. The reservation list may include the song ID, the user ID corresponding to the terminal device 20 that sent the reservation information, and other information included in the reservation information (such as guide vocal on / off, scoring function on / off, key height, etc.).

[0061] It is also possible that the room ID corresponding to the ID (kd1) of the karaoke device 30A has been updated from rm1 (for example, updated to rm3) after the terminal device 20A1 acquired the room ID (rm1). In this case, the control unit 13 cannot find the room ID (rm1) by referring to the table 12a, and may therefore determine that the room ID (rm1) has become invalid and send a cancellation command to the terminal device 20. At this time, the control unit 13 may also update the personal history information of the user of the terminal device 20 that sent the reservation information and store it in the storage unit 12 (see <Historical Information for Each User> described later).

[0062] In step S303, the control unit 13 transmits the updated reservation list to the karaoke device 30A, the terminal device 20A1, and the terminal device 20A2. For example, the control unit 13 transmits the reservation list to the karaoke device 30A, which is the destination, using information for identifying the karaoke device 30, which is included in the information received in step S301. Also, for example, the control unit 13 refers to table 12b and transmits the reservation list to the user ID (usr2) associated with the same room ID (rm1) as the terminal device 20A1, which is the source of the reservation list. In other words, the server 10 identifies the device, which is the destination, based on the information received from the terminal device 20A1 in step S301 and / or information managed by the server 10.

[0063] In step S304, karaoke machine 30A, terminal device 20A1, and terminal device 20A2 each update the reservation list stored in the device based on the received information. In this way, the reservation list is managed by server 10, and any updates to the list are shared through two-way communication between server 10 and terminal devices 20A1, 20A2 and karaoke machine 30A.

[0064] Furthermore, the reservation list can be checked using the application AP on the terminal device 20. Fig. 6(d) shows a screen 604 for checking the reservation list. For example, when the reservation list button 601c is selected on the screen 601, the screen 604 is displayed.

[0065] In this embodiment, the reservation list is also transmitted from the server 10 to a terminal (terminal device 20A2) other than the terminal (terminal device 20A1) that reserved the song via two-way communication. Therefore, the status of the reserved songs can be confirmed in high real time at each terminal.

[0066] FIG. 5(b) shows an example of processing when the karaoke device 30 starts playing a song, the reservation list managed by the server 10 is updated, and the list is shared by the terminal device 20A1 and the terminal device 20A2.

[0067] In step S305, the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30A starts playing the reserved song. The control unit 33 deletes the song that has started to be played from the reservation list stored in the storage unit 32. The control unit 33 stores the song that has started to be played as the song currently being played.

[0068] In step S306, the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30A notifies the server 10 via the communication unit 31 that performance has started. This notification may include a device ID, a room ID, and the song ID (or a list including song IDs) of the song that has started to be played. In step S307, the control unit 13 of the server 10 updates the reservation list. The control unit 13 identifies the room ID corresponding to the karaoke device 30A that notified the start of performance, and updates the reservation list for the identified room ID. The information sent from the karaoke device 30A in step S306 may include a room ID. If not, the control unit 13 may refer to the table 12a to identify the room ID corresponding to the karaoke device 30A that sent the information. Specifically, when updating the reservation list, the control unit 13 deletes the song that has started to be played, i.e., the song that was at the top of the reservation list, from the list. The control unit 13 also stores the song that has started to be played as the song currently being played.

[0069] In step S308, the control unit 13 of the server 10 transmits the updated reservation list to the terminal devices 20A1, 20A2 and the karaoke device 30A via the communication unit 11. The control unit 13 refers to tables 12a and 12b to identify the terminal devices 20A1, 20A2 and the karaoke device 30A associated with the room ID identified in S307, and transmits the reservation list. The control unit 13 may also transmit information about the song currently being played to the terminal devices 20A1, 20A2 and the karaoke device 30A. In step S309, the control units 23 of the terminal devices 20A1, 20A2 and the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30A update the reservation list.

[0070] When the performance ends in step S310, the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30A notifies the server 10 via the communication unit 31 in step S311 that the performance has ended. This notification may include the device ID of the karaoke device 30, the room ID, the song ID of the song that has finished being played (or a list including the song ID), and the performance time. In step S312, the control unit 13 of the server 10 updates the performance history. The control unit 13 manages the performance history, for example, for each room ID, and stores it in the storage unit 12. Thereafter, in step S313, the control unit 13 of the server 10 transmits the performance history to the terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2 via the communication unit 11.

[0071] In step S314, the terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2 update the performance history. Fig. 6(e) shows a screen 605 for checking the performance history. Information about the songs played in room R is displayed.

[0072] In this way, even when the performance history is updated as the performance progresses in the karaoke device 30, the performance history can be checked in high real time on each of the terminal devices 20 constituting the same virtual room R.

[0073] <Remote control operation> Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the karaoke system SY. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the terminal device 20. In this embodiment, the terminal device 20 can remotely operate the karaoke device 30. For example, the terminal device 20 can set performance-related settings such as key, microphone volume, accompaniment volume, guide volume, whether or not to provide a guide, microphone effects, etc., as well as whether or not to provide scoring, and the size of the captions displayed on the monitor 41. In the following description, it is assumed that the user IDs corresponding to the terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2 are usr1 and usr2, respectively, and the ID corresponding to the karaoke device 30A is kd1 (see tables 12a and 12b in Fig. 2).

[0074] In step S401, the control unit 23 of the terminal device 20A1 instructs the server 10 to update the settings via the communication unit 21. For example, when a button 801a for increasing the microphone volume is selected on the screen 801 of FIG. 8, the control unit 13 instructs the server 10 to update the settings to increase the microphone volume. The information instructing the setting update includes an opcode and its command value, and can include instructions related to the performance, such as key, microphone volume, accompaniment volume, guide volume, whether or not to provide a guide, and microphone effects, as well as instructions regarding whether or not to provide a score and the size of the captions displayed on the monitor 41. For example, the information instructing the setting update includes an opcode indicating an instruction to change the microphone volume and the value of the microphone volume after the change. In addition to the information instructing the setting update, information for identifying the terminal device 20A1 as the transmission source (here, a user ID), information for identifying the virtual room R to which the terminal device 20A1 belongs (a room ID), and information for identifying the karaoke device 30 as the transmission destination (such as a device ID) can also be transmitted from the terminal device 20A1 to the server 10.

[0075] In step S402, the control unit 13 of the server 10 updates the setting information. The control unit 13 of the server 10 manages various setting information for each room ID and stores it in the storage unit 12. In this embodiment, the information sent from the terminal device 20 to the server 10 includes a user ID and a room ID. The control unit 13 refers to the table 12a, and if the room ID (rm1) included in the information from the terminal device 20A1 is associated with one of the karaoke devices 30 (i.e., if the room ID is valid), the control unit 13 updates the setting information of the karaoke device 30 corresponding to the room ID (rm1). Note that if the information sent from the terminal device 20 to the server 10 includes a user ID but not a room ID, the following can be done. The control unit 13 identifies the room ID (rm1) corresponding to the user ID (usr1) corresponding to the terminal device 20A1 that sent the instruction in step S401, and if the room ID (rm1) is associated with one of the karaoke devices 30 (i.e., if the room ID is valid), updates the setting information of the karaoke device 30 corresponding to the room ID (rm1). Here, when the control unit 13 receives an instruction to increase the microphone volume, for example, it updates the microphone volume of the karaoke device 30 in the corresponding room. As described in step S302, when the control unit 13 determines that the room ID (rm1) corresponding to the user ID (usr1) corresponding to the terminal device 20A1 that sent the instruction in step S401 is invalid, it may send a release command to the terminal device 20.

[0076] In step S403, the control unit 13 of the server 10 transmits the updated setting information to the karaoke device 30A and the terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2 via the communication unit 11. The information indicating the updated setting information includes the opcode and its command value described in the description of step S401. For example, the control unit 13 transmits the updated setting information to the karaoke device 30A, which is the destination, using information for identifying the karaoke device 30, which is included in the information received in step S301. For example, the control unit 13 references table 12b and transmits the updated setting information to the terminal device 20A1, which corresponds to the user ID (usr2) associated with the same room ID (rm1) as the terminal device 20A1, which is the source of the setting information. That is, the server 10 identifies the destination device based on the information received from the terminal device 20A1 in step S301 and / or information managed by the server 10.

[0077] In step S404, the control unit 13 of the karaoke device 30A changes the settings of the karaoke device 30A based on the received setting information. For example, if the microphone volume is updated in step S402, the karaoke device 30A changes the settings to increase the microphone volume.

[0078] In step S405, the control units 23 of the terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2 update the remote control operation screen (screen 801) based on the received setting information. For example, if an instruction to increase the microphone volume is given in S401, the microphone volume is increased by +1 on the screens 801 of the terminal devices 20A1 and 20A2.

[0079] In this way, in this embodiment, multiple terminal devices 20 establish two-way communication with the server 10, so that when any of the terminal devices 20 operates the remote control, the settings of the karaoke device 30 can be confirmed in high real-time on each terminal device 20.

[0080] <Support function> Fig. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the karaoke system SY. Fig. 10(a) and Fig. 10(b) are diagrams showing example screens of the terminal device 20. In this embodiment, the terminal device 20 is capable of cheering with items such as stamps (item cheering) and cheering with text (comment cheering).

[0081] 10(a) shows a screen 1001 for sending an item support, and FIG. 10(b) shows a screen 1002 for sending a comment support. As shown on screen 1001, when sending an item support, one of a number of items can be selected and sent. The storage unit 12 of the server 10 can store the storage address of image data of each item in association with identification information.

[0082] In step S501, the control unit 23 of the terminal device 20 transmits a cheer command via the communication unit 21. In the case of an item cheer, the cheer command may include information for identifying the selected item. For example, if item 1 is selected on screen 1001 and the send item button 1001a is selected, the cheer command may include information for identifying item 1 (e.g., ID, item name, etc.). On the other hand, in the case of a comment cheer, the cheer command may include information on the selected or entered text. For example, if the text "Awesome!" is selected on screen 1002 and the send comment button 1002a is selected, the cheer command includes text data corresponding to "Awesome!". The cheer command may also include the user name, the user's nickname, etc.

[0083] In step S502, the control unit 13 of the server 10 transmits the cheering information to the karaoke device 30 via the communication unit 11. The method of identifying the destination karaoke device 30 and the method of determining whether the room ID is valid may be the same as those described in steps S302 and S402 above. In the case of item cheering, the cheering information may include information for identifying the item, image data of the item, and a storage address on the server 10 for the image data of the item. In the case of comment cheering, the cheering information may include text data of the text to be displayed on the monitor 41.

[0084] In step S503, the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30 outputs an object (item and / or text) to the monitor 41 based on the cheering information. For example, the karaoke device 30 displays the object in an area of ​​the display screen of the monitor 41 other than the area where the lyrics are displayed while a song is being played. In addition, if the cheering command includes the user's nickname or the like, the nickname or the like may be displayed together with the object (close to the object).

[0085] <Reward Granting> The karaoke system SY may include a function for awarding rewards to users. Figures 11(a) and 11(b) are sequence diagrams showing an example of processing by the karaoke system SY. Figures 12(a) and 12(b) are diagrams showing example screens of the terminal device 20. Examples of rewards include points and coupons, and the following describes the process of awarding points.

[0086] FIG. 11(a) shows the process from the server 10 awarding points to a user who has reserved a song and finished singing it. When the control unit 33 of the karaoke device 30 finishes playing the song in S601, the control unit 33 transmits singing data to the server 10 via the communication unit 31 in S602. For example, the singing data may include song identification information (ID), performance time, and audio data captured by the microphone 43 during the performance. Furthermore, if the karaoke device 30 can identify the user ID of the user who reserved the song of the singing data, the singing data may also include the user ID. For example, if the reservation list received in S303 of FIG. 5 includes the user ID of the user who reserved the song, the karaoke device 30 can identify the user ID of the user who reserved the song of the singing data. The karaoke device 30 may transmit singing data for the portion of the song that has finished being played to the server 10 while the song is being played. Alternatively, the karaoke device 30 may perform scoring on its own and transmit the scoring results to the server 10.

[0087] In S603, the control unit 13 of the server 10 performs a determination process regarding point awarding. For example, the control unit 13 determines to award points when the performance time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time or when the scoring result is equal to or greater than a predetermined score.

[0088] In S604, the control unit 13 assigns points. For example, the memory unit 12 stores a table in which user IDs are associated with points. The control unit 13 updates the points stored in the memory unit 12. In this case, the control unit 13 determines which user ID the singing data transmitted in step S602 corresponds to based on information accompanying the singing data from the karaoke device 30 and / or a reservation list it manages, and specifies which user ID the points should be assigned to.

[0089] 11(b) shows the process when a user checks his / her own points. In S701, the control unit 23 of the terminal device 20 requests point information from the server 10 via the communication unit 21. For example, when the "My Page" button is selected on the song search screen (see FIG. 6), the remote control screen (see FIG. 8), or the play screen (see FIG. 10), the control unit 23 requests point information from the server 10.

[0090] In S702, the control unit 13 of the server 10 transmits the point information to the terminal device 20 via the communication unit 11. The control unit 13 refers to a table in which user IDs and points are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 12, obtains the current points assigned to the user ID corresponding to the terminal device 20 that requested the point information, and returns the value to the terminal device 20.

[0091] In S703, the control unit 23 of the terminal device 20 updates the display screen. For example, if the "My Page" button is selected in S701 to request point information from the server 10, the control unit 23 displays the current points when displaying the screen 1201 shown in Fig. 12(a).

[0092] In this embodiment, communication for the terminal device 20 to acquire point information may be performed via HTTP communication. In this case, the terminal device 20 can acquire point information from the server 10 even if the terminal device 20 does not form a virtual room R with the karaoke device 30, i.e., even if the terminal device 20 does not acquire a valid room ID.

[0093] On the other hand, communications related to the operation of the karaoke device 30, such as reserving songs, operating the remote control, and supporting items, are performed through two-way communications established using a room ID associated with the virtual room R. Therefore, operation of the karaoke device 30 by the terminal device 20 is limited to the period when the terminal device 20 and the karaoke device 30 constitute the virtual room R (i.e., while the room ID acquired by the terminal device 20 is valid). In other words, if a request for issuance of a new room ID is made in the karaoke device 30 and the previously issued room ID is discarded by the server 10, the terminal device 20 that established two-way communications using the previously issued room ID will no longer be able to operate the karaoke device 30. In this way, the terminal devices 20 that can operate the karaoke device 30 are appropriately managed.

[0094] In addition to the above-described point awarding based on singing, points can also be awarded when logging in to the application AP or in response to various events. For example, when button 1201a on screen example 1201 shown in FIG. 12(a) is selected, the screen transitions to screen 1202 shown in FIG. 12(b). Screen example 1202 is a screen that displays various events. When event selection buttons 1202a and 1202b are selected, the screen transitions to the details page of each event. For example, the system may be configured so that points are awarded to the user when participation in an event is selected on the details page and the event achievement conditions are met. Furthermore, when button 1201b on screen example 1201 is selected, points are awarded randomly.

[0095] Access to each page in "My Page" can be performed through HTTP communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20. In this case, the user can access each page in "My Page" even when communication (for example, two-way communication based on WebSocket or the like) using a room ID has not been established between the terminal device 20 and the server 10.

[0096] [Server 10 processing example] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of processing by the server, which shows an example of processing when the server receives information for operating the karaoke device 30 from the terminal device 20 and then operates the karaoke device 30 based on the received information. For example, this shows the processing on the server 10 side in steps S301 to S303 in FIG. 5(a), steps S401 to S403 in FIG. 7, steps S501 to S502 in FIG. 9, etc.

[0097] In step S801, the control unit 13 receives instruction information for operating the karaoke device 30 from the terminal device 20. The instruction information includes, for example, song reservation information (S301), setting update information (S401), and cheering commands (S501). As described above, in addition to this information for operating the karaoke device 30, the instruction information also includes the user ID corresponding to the terminal device 20 that is the sender, the room ID that the terminal device 20 obtained from the karaoke device 30, and information (such as a device ID) for identifying the karaoke device 30 that is the destination of the transmission.

[0098] In step S802, the control unit 13 checks whether the room ID received in step S801 is valid. Specifically, if the room ID received in step S801 corresponds to any of the IDs of the karaoke devices 30 managed in the table 12a, the control unit 13 determines that the identified room ID is valid. On the other hand, if the room ID received in step S801 does not correspond to any of the IDs of the karaoke devices 30 managed in the table 12a, the control unit 13 determines that the identified room ID is invalid.

[0099] Step S803 is a conditional branch, and if the control unit 13 determines that the room ID is valid in step S802, it proceeds to step S804 (step S804: Yes), and if the control unit 13 determines that the room ID is invalid in step S802, it proceeds to step S808 (step S804: No).

[0100] In step S804, the control unit 13 checks the correspondence between the user ID and the room ID received in step S801.

[0101] In step S805, the control unit 13 updates the information associated with the room ID. Specifically, the control unit 13 updates the reservation list (S302) associated with the room ID, the setting information of the karaoke device 30 (S402) associated with the room ID, and the like, which are stored in the storage unit 12. Note that if the instruction information received in step S801 is a cheer command (S501), this step may be omitted.

[0102] In step S806, the control unit 13 identifies the karaoke device 30 to which the instruction is to be sent. The control unit 13 can identify the karaoke device 30 to which the instruction is to be sent using the information for identifying the destination karaoke device 30, which is included in the information received in S801. Note that instead of identifying the destination karaoke device 30 itself, the connection established between the server 10 and the destination karaoke device 30 may be identified.

[0103] In step S807, the control unit 13 transmits instruction information to the karaoke device 30. The instruction information here includes a reservation list of songs, setting information for the karaoke device 30, cheering commands, and the like.

[0104] In step S808, the control unit 13 transmits a connection release command to the terminal device 20. As a result, the connection between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 corresponding to the user ID associated with the invalid room ID is released.

[0105] [Check history information for each user] In this embodiment, the application AP allows the user to check the user's personal singing history and scoring history on "My Page." For example, when button 1201c is selected, the terminal device 20 requests the user's personal singing history information from the server 10. When the server 10 returns the user's personal singing history information to the terminal device 20 in response to the request, the application AP displays the user's personal singing history information on the display unit 24. The user's personal singing history information can be stored in the storage unit 12 of the server 10 for each user. The application AP can also similarly display the user's personal scoring history information.

[0106] The history of the screen example 605 described above is a history of songs played in the virtual room R, and is a history of songs reserved from all the terminal devices 20 that make up the virtual room R. In other words, the application AP can display two types of history: the history of the virtual room R (i.e., the history of the karaoke device 30) and the user's personal singing history.

[0107] Furthermore, the history of the screen example 605 is limited to the period when the terminal device 20 and the karaoke device 30 constitute a virtual room R (i.e., the period when communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 using the room ID is valid). On the other hand, as described above, access to each page in "My Page" is performed via HTTP communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20. Therefore, the user's personal singing history information can be confirmed even when the terminal device 20 and the karaoke device 30 do not constitute a virtual room R.

[0108] As described above, according to this embodiment, the server 10, in response to a request from the karaoke device 30, issues temporary identification information (e.g., a room ID) that can identify the karaoke device 30 that made the request, and transmits the issued identification information to the karaoke device 30 that made the request. The karaoke device 30 outputs the identification information received from the server 10. Furthermore, when the server 10 receives a connection request from the terminal device 20 that has acquired the identification information output by the karaoke device 30, the server 10 establishes communication between the server 10 and the terminal device 20 using the identification information (FIGS. 3(b) and 14). This established communication is used by the terminal device 20 to operate the karaoke device 30 identified by the identification information via the server 10.

[0109] As a result, the terminal device 20 acquires the temporary identification information output from the karaoke device 30, and thereby becomes able to operate the karaoke device 30 via the server 10. For the user of the terminal device 20, simply acquiring the identification information with the terminal device 20 (for example, by reading the two-dimensional code) enables the terminal device 20 to operate the karaoke device 30, thereby improving the convenience of a karaoke system in which a terminal device such as a smartphone is used as a remote control for the karaoke device.

[0110] The present invention has been described above based on the respective embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the techniques described in the respective embodiments may be appropriately combined, or the techniques of the above embodiments may be appropriately combined with known techniques. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] SY Karaoke system, 10 servers, 20 terminal devices, 30 karaoke devices

Claims

1. A karaoke system comprising a server, a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and a karaoke device capable of communicating with the server, The server issuing means for issuing temporary identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information issued by the issuing means to the karaoke device; Including, the karaoke machine includes an output means for outputting the identification information received from the server; the server further includes an establishment means for, when receiving a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output by the output means via HTTP communication, establishing a first communication different from the HTTP communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information; the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; the first communication is maintained while the temporary identification information is valid; The karaoke device a receiving means for receiving an instruction to issue the identification information; a requesting means for requesting the server to issue the identification information when the receiving means receives an instruction to issue the identification information; resetting means for resetting setting information relating to performance of the karaoke machine when the issuing instruction of the identification information is received by the receiving means; Karaoke system.

2. 2. The karaoke system according to claim 1, the first communication is a two-way communication; Karaoke system.

3. A karaoke system comprising a server, a terminal device capable of communicating with said server, and a karaoke device capable of communicating with said server, The server issuing means for issuing temporary identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information issued by the issuing means to the karaoke device; Including, the karaoke machine includes an output means for outputting the identification information received from the server; the server further includes an establishment means for, when receiving a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output by the output means via HTTP communication, establishing a first communication different from the HTTP communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information; the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; the first communication is maintained while the temporary identification information is valid; the issuing means, in response to a request from the karaoke device, discards the issued identification information associated with the karaoke device that has requested the issuance of the identification information, and issues new identification information. Karaoke system.

4. 4. The karaoke system according to claim 3, when the issued identification information is discarded, the server does not accept an operation of the karaoke machine from the terminal device with which first communication has been established using the discarded identification information; Karaoke system.

5. A karaoke system comprising a server, a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and a karaoke device capable of communicating with the server, The server issuing means for issuing temporary identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information issued by the issuing means to the karaoke device; Including, the karaoke machine includes an output means for outputting the identification information received from the server; the server further includes an establishment means for, when receiving a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output by the output means, establishing a first communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information; the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; a plurality of terminal devices can each establish the first communication with the server using one of the identification information; the plurality of terminal devices include a first terminal device and a second terminal device, when operation information relating to the operation of the karaoke machine is transmitted from the first terminal device to the server using the first communication, the server transmits information corresponding to the operation information to the karaoke machine and the second terminal device, respectively; the karaoke machine executes an operation of the karaoke machine based on information corresponding to the operation information received from the server; the second terminal device updates a screen of an application for operating the karaoke machine based on information corresponding to the operation information received from the server. Karaoke system.

6. 6. The karaoke system according to claim 5, the operation information includes reservation information for a song to be played by the karaoke device; Karaoke system.

7. 6. The karaoke system according to claim 5, the operation information includes setting information related to performance by the karaoke device; Karaoke system.

8. 6. A karaoke system according to claim 1, 3 or 5, when the server receives an instruction to display an object from the terminal device, the server transmits an instruction to display the object to the karaoke device; When the karaoke device receives an instruction to display an object, the karaoke device displays the object on a display unit of the karaoke device or a display device connected to the karaoke device.

9. 6. A karaoke system according to claim 1, 3 or 5, the server includes an awarding means for awarding a reward to a user; the awarding means awards a reward to the user corresponding to the terminal device that reserved the song when the song is reserved by operating the terminal device and the performance of the reserved song is completed on the karaoke device; Karaoke system.

10. 10. The karaoke system according to claim 9, the awarding means awards a reward to the user corresponding to the terminal device that reserved the song, in accordance with at least one of the performance time of the reserved song and the scoring result; Karaoke system.

11. 6. A karaoke system according to claim 1, 3 or 5, the server and the terminal device are also capable of communicating with each other through a second communication different from the first communication for operating the karaoke device; Karaoke system.

12. 12. The karaoke system according to claim 11, the first communication is a two-way communication; the second communication is a request / response type communication; Karaoke system.

13. 13. The karaoke system according to claim 12, the terminal device is capable of acquiring information about a user of the terminal device through the second communication; Karaoke system.

14. A communication method for a karaoke system including a server, a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and a karaoke device capable of communicating with the server, comprising: the server issues identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; the server transmits the issued identification information to the karaoke device; the karaoke machine outputs the identification information received from the server; When the server receives, via HTTP communication, a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output in the outputting, establishing a first communication different from the HTTP communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information; Including, the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; the first communication is maintained while the temporary identification information is valid; The communication method further comprises: the karaoke device receiving an instruction to issue the identification information; the karaoke machine requests the server to issue the identification information when the receiving means receives an instruction to issue the identification information; resetting setting information relating to the performance of the karaoke device when the karaoke device receives an instruction to issue the identification information through the receiving means; Including, Communication method.

15. A communication method for a karaoke system including a server, a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and a karaoke device capable of communicating with the server, comprising: the server issues identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; the server transmits the issued identification information to the karaoke device; the karaoke machine outputs the identification information received from the server; When the server receives, via HTTP communication, a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output in the outputting, establishing a first communication different from the HTTP communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information; Including, the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; the first communication is maintained while the temporary identification information is valid; The issuing step includes, in response to a request from the karaoke device, discarding the issued identification information associated with the karaoke device that requested the issuance of the identification information and issuing new identification information. Communication method.

16. A communication method for a karaoke system including a server, a terminal device capable of communicating with the server, and a karaoke device capable of communicating with the server, comprising: the server issues identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; the server transmits the issued identification information to the karaoke device; the karaoke machine outputs the identification information received from the server; When the server receives a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output in the outputting, the server establishes a first communication between the server and the terminal device using the identification information; Including, the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; a plurality of terminal devices can each establish the first communication with the server using one of the identification information; the plurality of terminal devices include a first terminal device and a second terminal device, The communication method includes: when operation information relating to the operation of the karaoke machine is transmitted from the first terminal device to the server using the first communication, the server transmits information corresponding to the operation information to the karaoke machine and the second terminal device, respectively; the karaoke machine executes an operation of the karaoke machine based on information corresponding to the operation information received from the server; the second terminal device updates a screen of an application for operating the karaoke machine based on information corresponding to the operation information received from the server; Further comprising: Communication method.

17. a server, issuing means for issuing temporary identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information issued by the issuing means to the karaoke device; an establishing means for establishing a first communication, different from HTTP communication, between the server and the terminal device using the identification information when a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output by the karaoke device is received via HTTP communication; Equipped with the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; the first communication is maintained while the temporary identification information is valid; the issuing means, in response to a request from the karaoke device, discards the issued identification information associated with the karaoke device that has requested the issuance of the identification information, and issues new identification information. server.

18. a server, issuing means for issuing temporary identification information capable of identifying the karaoke device that has made the request in response to a request from the karaoke device; a transmitting means for transmitting the identification information issued by the issuing means to the karaoke device; an establishing means for establishing a first communication between the server and the terminal device by using the identification information when a connection request from the terminal device that has acquired the identification information output by the karaoke device is received; Equipped with the first communication is used by the terminal device to operate the karaoke machine identified by the identification information via the server; the server is capable of establishing the first communication with each of a first terminal device and a second terminal device using one of the identification information; when operation information regarding the operation of the karaoke machine is transmitted from the first terminal device to the server using the first communication, the server transmits information corresponding to the operation information to the karaoke machine and the second terminal device, respectively; server.

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