Public address systems that enhance the public address experience

Abstract

To provide a loudspeaker broadcast server that provides a more favorable loudspeaking experience to listeners in a loudspeaker space.SOLUTION: In a public address system 1, a data management server 20, which is a public address broadcasting server, is connected to one or more loudspeaker devices 11 installed in one or more public address spaces 10, respectively, and holds a plurality of sound sources. A mobile communication terminal 15 residing inside the public address space 10 receives character information related to characters transmitted via the Internet network in connection with web searches, SNS postings, etc., and identifies sound sources related to the character information from the plurality of sound sources as broadcast sound sources. Then, by transmitting the broadcast sound source to the loudspeaker device 11, the loudspeaker device 11 is caused to reproduce the broadcast sound source.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a public address system that enhances the public address experience in a public address space. [Background technology]

[0002] Public address systems have been used to deliver audio information to people staying or passing through a specific space. Public address systems include one or more public address devices such as audio amplifiers and speakers, and output and amplify audio in the space (public address space) in which the public address devices are installed. Public address systems are installed in a variety of spaces visited by an unspecified number of people or a specified number of people, such as city streets, public transportation stations, public facilities such as parks, shops, office buildings, and factories, and are also called public address systems.

[0003] A public address system is generally operated by storing audio data relating to predetermined sound sources such as background music and playing back the audio data according to a schedule (regular broadcasting), or by playing back and broadcasting audio data relating to the voice of a speaker input from a microphone. Examples of public address systems are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3. In such public address systems, analog audio signals are generally transmitted via speaker lines also known as 100V lines, but transmitting digitized audio signals via Ethernet cables (LAN cables) conforming to the IEEE802 standard is also becoming more common. Public address systems using Ethernet cables enable more detailed public address broadcasting using IP speakers that can be individually identified by IP addresses. [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2009-071775 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2009-055282 [Patent Document 3] Patent Publication No. 2007-067465 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a public address system that can provide listeners in a public address space with a more preferable public address experience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The loudspeaker server is connected to one or more loudspeaker devices installed in each of one or more loudspeaker spaces, holds multiple sound sources, receives text information related to text sent via the Internet by mobile communication devices present in the loudspeaker spaces in connection with web searches, SNS posts, etc., identifies a sound source from the multiple sound sources that is related to the text information as a broadcast sound source, and transmits the broadcast sound source to the loudspeaker device, causing the loudspeaker device to play the broadcast sound source. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a public address system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a loudspeaker in a loudspeaker system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a database that manages, for each loudspeaker, location information indicating the installation location of the loudspeaker in association with the loudspeaker. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which a mobile communication terminal in a public address system includes a web server for receiving web services, and a data management server holds sound source data. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation flow for causing the data management server to broadcast, from a public address system, sound source data related to information searched for by a user on the web. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of advertising audio data stored in association with metadata in the data management server. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of advertising audio data stored in association with metadata in the data management server. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of advertising audio data stored in association with metadata in the data management server. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example in which a data management server is connected to a plurality of advertiser clients via the Internet network in a public address system. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of placing advertising audio data and charging the advertiser. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a database that stores advertising audio data and metadata in association with advertiser clients that are senders of the data. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a database showing advertising fees for advertising audio data. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of billing information compiled for advertisers corresponding to advertiser clients using a database showing advertising fees. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operational flow in which the data management server receives a search query from a web server. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example in which a plurality of loudspeaker areas are allocated to a certain location having a certain size. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a fee table showing broadcasting fees for each loudspeaker area. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation flow of area-specific advertising broadcasting. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a schedule including a broadcast timetable for each loudspeaker area and time period. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of an operational flow of broadcasting linked to a person's movement. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an example of an operational flow of broadcasting linked to a person's movement. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing an example of an operational flow of broadcasting linked to posting on SNS. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a database in which, for each message posted to an SNS, location information of the sender (portable communication terminal) of the character data of the message is associated with a tag indicating the content of the message posted to the SNS. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a database in which, for each message posted to an SNS, location information of the sender (mobile communication terminal) of the character data of the message is associated with a hash tag included in the message. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an example of an operational flow in which the data management server receives character data of a message posted to an SNS from a web server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a public address system 1 according to the embodiment. The public address system 1 includes one or more audio devices 11 installed in a public address space 10. Each of the public address devices 11 includes an audio amplifier and a speaker, and amplifies audio obtained by playing back audio data and outputs the amplified audio from the speaker. As an example, the public address device 11 uses audio data stored on a recording medium such as a CD (Compact Disc), an SD card, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive) as its sound source and plays back the audio data. As an example, the public address device 11 has a microphone, and uses the voice of a speaker input from the microphone as its sound source, generating audio data from the voice and playing it back. The public address space 10 is an area having a certain size in which the public address devices 11 are installed and amplified by the public address devices 11. Examples of loudspeaker space 10 include designated outdoor areas in town (for example, parks, squares, intersections, etc.), designated indoor or outdoor areas managed by designated administrators (stadiums, each floor of a shopping mall, each floor of an office building, schools, research institutes, government buildings, factories, etc.), etc.

[0009] The public address space 10 includes one or more cameras 12 for acquiring the situation in the public address space 10 as video data. An example of the camera 12 is a surveillance camera installed in the public address space 10 together with the public address system 11. An example of the camera 12 is a camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) or drone that is programmed to fly within the public address space 10. For example, if the public address space 10 is an intersection, the camera 12 may be a surveillance camera installed on a pole or the like on the road to monitor the intersection. For example, if the public address space 10 is inside a building such as a shopping mall, the camera 12 may be a surveillance camera installed on the ceiling or the like of the building. Each camera 12 is individually driven to pan, tilt, zoom, and perform other operations for capturing images, capture images of subjects within the public address space 10, and generate video data that can be stored in an internal recording medium or transmitted to an external device. The camera 12 is driven to take photographs such as pan, tilt and zoom in conjunction with the loudspeaker operation of the loudspeaker device 11, and can take photographs of the subject, generate video data, and store it in an internal recording medium or transmit it to the outside.

[0010] The public address space 10 includes one or more microphones 13 for acquiring the situation in the public address space 10 as audio data. An example of the microphone 13 is a microphone installed in the public address space 10 together with the public address system 11. For example, when the public address space 10 is outdoors, such as in a park or at an intersection, the microphone 13 may be installed on a support such as a utility pole. For example, when the public address space 10 is inside a building such as a shopping mall, the microphone 13 may be installed on a structural element such as a wall, pillar, or ceiling of the building. The microphone 13 is oriented in a sound collection direction within the public address space 10, collects audio within the public address space 10, generates audio data, and can store the data in an internal storage medium or transmit it externally. The microphone 13 collects audio in conjunction with the loudspeaker operation of the public address system 11, generates audio data, and can store the data in an internal storage medium or transmit it externally.

[0011] The loudspeaker space 10 includes a mobile communication terminal 15 carried by a person 14 (user 14) who is a person within the loudspeaker space 10 and who listens to the loudspeaker broadcast from the loudspeaker device 11. An example of the mobile communication terminal 15 is a terminal such as a mobile phone or smartphone that can connect to an Internet network via cellular communication such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 5G or LAN (LAN Area Network) communication such as Wi-Fi.

[0012] Public address system 1 has a data management server 20 that can communicate with public address devices 11, cameras 12, microphones 13, and mobile communication terminals 15 via the Internet. As shown in Figure 1, public address system 1 has multiple public address spaces 10, and data management server 20 is interconnected with public address devices 11, cameras 12, microphones 13, and mobile communication terminals 15 in each public address space 10 via the Internet.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the public address system 11. The public address system 11 comprises a processing system 111, an output system 112, and a communication system 113. The processing system 111 is interconnected with the output system 112 and the communication system 113 using a wired interface such as a bus or a cable, or a wireless interface. The communication system 113 is a subsystem including a communication circuit that communicates via the Internet network. The public address system 11 transmits and receives data to and from the data management server 20 via the communication system 113. The communication system 113 receives audio data to be loudspeaker-broadcast from the data management server 20.

[0014] For loudspeaker broadcasting, the processing system 111 receives audio data received via the communication system 113, reproduces the audio data, and outputs it to the output system 112. The processing system 111 is a subsystem that performs processing such as changing and amplifying the frequency characteristics of the audio signal obtained by reproducing the audio data, and outputs the processed signal to the output system 112. The processing system 111 includes an equalizer 111a that changes the frequency characteristics of the audio signal according to the settings for each frequency band, and an audio power amplifier 111b that amplifies the audio signal according to the volume setting.

[0015] The output system 112 is a subsystem that receives an audio signal from the processing system 111 and outputs the audio signal. The output system 112 includes one or more speakers 112a positioned at various locations within the loudspeaker space 10, and each speaker 112a outputs audio.

[0016] When the output system 112 includes a plurality of speakers 112a, the processing system 111 can perform routing settings for the audio signals to determine from which speaker 112a the audio signals should be output. The processing system 111 performs the routing settings and outputs the audio signals to one or more specified speakers 112a. For example, each speaker 112a is assigned identification information (e.g., an IP address) that uniquely identifies it, and the processing system 111 specifies the identification information of one or more speakers 112a that it wants to broadcast from in the routing settings.

[0017] The camera 12 is an imaging device that includes an imaging element such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor, and is oriented so that the imaging direction is in a direction that captures part or all of the interior of the loudspeaker space 10 in which the camera 12 is installed, outside the housing of the camera 12. The camera 12 connects to the Internet via a LAN such as Wi-Fi or via cellular communication, and communicates data with the data management server 20. The camera 12 transmits video data of the captured video to the data management server 20, and at the same time, performs control based on the data received from the data management server 20.

[0018] The microphone 13 is equipped with a microphone element such as a dynamic microphone or a condenser microphone, and is directed in a direction that is outside the housing of the microphone 13 and that allows it to pick up sound from within the loudspeaker space 10 in which the microphone 13 is installed. The microphone 13 connects to the Internet via a LAN such as Wi-Fi or via cellular communication, and communicates data with the data management server 20. The microphone 13 transmits audio data of the picked-up sound to the data management server 20, and at the same time performs control based on the data received from the data management server 20.

[0019] An operating system (OS) and applications are installed on the mobile communication terminal 15. The applications include, for example, a web browser. The mobile communication terminal 15 includes a display unit including an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL display, or the like. The mobile communication terminal 15 includes an input unit including a keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like. The mobile communication terminal 15 may be equipped with a touch screen that integrates the display unit and input unit, displays information, and accepts touch input operations. The mobile communication terminal 15 connects to the Internet network via a LAN such as Wi-Fi or via cellular communication, and communicates data with the data management server 20. The mobile communication terminal 15 transmits information related to user operations accepted from the input unit to the data management server 20 via the application, and performs control based on the data received from the data management server 20.

[0020] The data management server 20 is a web server that provides web services to clients by communicating data with them via the Internet. The clients include a public address system 11, a camera 12, a microphone 13, and a mobile communication terminal 15. The data management server 20 is equipped with a recording medium such as an HDD or SSD, and stores various data on the recording medium.

[0021] (location management) The data management server 20 manages the location and position of each loudspeaker device 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the data management server 20 includes a database 30 that manages each loudspeaker device 11 in association with location information indicating its installation location. The database 30 is stored in a storage medium of the data management server 20. Identification information (e.g., a unique name or IP address) of each loudspeaker device 11 is registered in the database 30, and the identification information and location information are associated with each other. An example of location information is location information such as longitude and latitude acquired by a positioning system using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as a Global Positioning System (GPS). In this case, the loudspeaker device 11 is equipped with the positioning system and transmits its own identification information to the data management server 20 along with location information including longitude and latitude acquired by its own positioning system. The data management server 20 then associates the received identification information with the location information and registers them in the database 30. An example of the location information is location information acquired by an indoor positioning system using beacon signals such as Bluetooth, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), ultrasound, geomagnetism, UWB (Ultra Wide Band) signals, etc. In this case, the loudspeaker 11 is equipped with the indoor positioning system and transmits its own identification information along with the location information acquired by its own positioning system to the data management server 20, and the data management server 20 associates the received identification information with the location information and registers them in the database 30. An example of the location information is location information manually input by a user such as an administrator of the loudspeaker 11. In this case, the data management server 20 connects to a client used by the user via the Internet, accepts input of the identification information and location information of the loudspeaker 11 from the client, and registers the input identification information and location information in the database 30.

[0022] (Web service: linked broadcasting with mobile communication devices) An example of a web service is a loudspeaker broadcast service from loudspeaker 11 linked to a mobile communication terminal. Data management server 20 identifies sound source data corresponding to actions taken on the web by user 14 in loudspeaker space 10 using mobile communication terminal 15, and causes loudspeaker 11 to broadcast the sound source data. As shown in FIG. 4 , loudspeaker system 1 includes web server 40 that enables mobile communication terminal 15 to receive web services, and data management server 20 stores multiple pieces of sound source data 21 in a storage medium. Data management server 20 references information transmitted to web server 40 by mobile communication terminal 15 via an app, selects sound source data related to the information from sound source data 21, and broadcasts the selected sound source data from loudspeaker 11.

[0023] (1. Search-linked) As an example, the data management server 20 broadcasts, from the loudspeaker 11, audio data related to information searched for by the user 14 via an app on the mobile communication terminal 15. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a detailed operational flow. The mobile communication terminal 15 is equipped with an app for performing web searches, such as a web browser. The app accepts input of keywords (characters) to be searched from the user 14, transmits the input characters as a search query to the web server 40, and receives and displays the search results returned from the web server 40. The search query includes character data of the keywords entered by the user 14. The web server 40 is a search server that has the function of returning search results indicating information on web pages corresponding to the search query to the sender of the search query. In this embodiment, the mobile communication terminal 15 transmits the search query, which is transmitted to the web server 40 via the app, to the data management server 20 (S10). When the data management server 20 receives a search query (S11), it identifies the sound source data 21 corresponding to the received search query (S12), identifies the loudspeaker device 11 that should broadcast the sound source data 21 (S13), and transmits the identified sound source data 21 to the identified loudspeaker device 11 (S14).

[0024] In S10, mobile communication terminal 15 transmits its own location information along with a search query to data management server 20. An example of the location information is location information such as longitude and latitude acquired by a positioning system using GNSS such as GPS. In this case, mobile communication terminal 15 is equipped with the positioning system and transmits the search query to data management server 20 along with the location information including longitude and latitude acquired by the positioning system equipped therein. An example of the location information is location information acquired by an indoor positioning system using beacon signals such as Bluetooth, RFID, ultrasonic waves, geomagnetism, UWB signals, etc. In this case, mobile communication terminal 15 is equipped with the indoor positioning system and transmits the search query to data management server 20 along with the location information acquired by the positioning system equipped therein.

[0025] In S12, the data management server 20 selects, for example, a song corresponding to the search query from the sound source data 21. For example, the sound source data 21 includes song data corresponding to multiple background music pieces, and each song data piece is assigned a title. In S12, the data management server 20 identifies song data whose title includes characters included in the search query. For example, if the search query includes the characters "summer," the data management server 20 identifies song data whose title includes "summer" (S12).

[0026] In S12, the data management server 20 selects, for example, an advertising audio source corresponding to the search query from the audio source data 21. For example, the audio source data 21 includes audio data corresponding to multiple advertisements. In S12, the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data relevant to characters included in the search query. For example, each advertising audio data has metadata related to the advertisement, and the data management server 20 compares the characters included in the search query with the metadata to identify advertising audio data having highly relevant metadata. FIG. 6 shows an example of advertising audio data stored in association with metadata in the data management server 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the data management server 20 stores multiple advertising audio data, and metadata related to location and name is associated with each advertising audio data. The location metadata is metadata indicating a location related to the corresponding advertising audio data, for example, metadata indicating the location where the target advertised by the advertising audio data is located. The location metadata is, for example, location information such as longitude and latitude obtained by a GNSS-based positioning system or location information obtained by an indoor positioning system. Name metadata is metadata indicating a name associated with the corresponding advertising audio data, such as metadata indicating the name of the target advertised by the advertising audio data. In the example shown in FIG. 6, audio data 01 is audio data related to a voice advertising a curry house located at location "aaaaaaa." In S12, the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data whose name metadata includes characters included in the search query. For example, if the search query includes the character "ramen," the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data 02 whose name metadata includes "ramen." The data management server 20 also references the location information of the mobile communication terminal 15 received along with the search query, compares the location indicated by the location information with the location indicated by the location metadata, and identifies only advertising audio data having location metadata related to a location within a predetermined range from the location indicated by the location information.For example, when a search query containing the characters "ramen" is received from a mobile communication terminal 15 having location information "xxxxxx", the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data that has location metadata indicating a location within a specified range from the location indicated by the location information "xxxxxx" and whose name metadata includes "ramen".

[0027] In S12, the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data relevant to the characters included in the search query. For example, each advertising audio data has metadata related to an advertisement, and the data management server 20 compares the characters included in the search query with the metadata to identify advertising audio data with highly relevant metadata. FIG. 7 shows an example of advertising audio data stored in association with metadata in the data management server 20. As shown in FIG. 7, the data management server 20 stores multiple advertising audio data, and metadata related to location, industry, and keywords is associated with each advertising audio data. The location metadata is metadata indicating a location related to the corresponding advertising audio data and is the same as the location metadata described with reference to FIG. 6. The industry metadata is metadata indicating an industry related to the corresponding advertising audio data, for example, metadata indicating the industry of the target advertised by the advertising audio data. The keyword metadata is metadata indicating keywords related to the corresponding advertising audio data, for example, metadata indicating keywords used to advertise the target advertised by the advertising audio data. In the example shown in FIG. 7, for example, audio data 01 is audio data related to audio advertising a restaurant located at location "bbbbbbb." In S12, the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data whose keyword metadata includes characters contained in the search query. For example, if the search query includes the characters "Chinese," the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data 02 whose keyword metadata includes "Chinese." The data management server 20 also estimates and identifies the industry the user is searching for from the characters included in the search query. For example, if the search query includes the characters "food," the data management server 20 determines that the user is searching for a restaurant, and identifies only advertising audio data that has restaurant industry metadata attached.Furthermore, the data management server 20 refers to the location information of the mobile communication terminal 15 received together with the search query, compares the location indicated by the location information with the location indicated by the location metadata, and identifies only advertising audio data having location metadata relating to a location within a predetermined range from the location indicated by the location information. Combining the above, for example, when a search query including the words "hearty lunch" is received from a mobile communication terminal 15 having location information "xxxxxx", the data management server 20 may identify advertising audio data having location metadata indicating a location within a predetermined range from the location indicated by the location information "xxxxxx", whose industry metadata is "restaurant" and whose keyword metadata includes "hearty".

[0028] In S12, the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data relevant to the characters included in the search query. For example, each piece of advertising audio data has metadata related to advertisements, and the data management server 20 compares the characters included in the search query with the metadata to identify advertising audio data with highly relevant metadata. FIG. 8 shows an example of advertising audio data stored in association with metadata in the data management server 20. As shown in FIG. 8, the data management server 20 stores multiple pieces of advertising audio data, and metadata related to location and audio content is associated with each piece of advertising audio data. The location metadata indicates the location associated with the corresponding advertising audio data and is the same as the location metadata described with reference to FIG. 6. The audio content metadata indicates the audio content of the corresponding advertising audio data, and is, for example, text information obtained by converting the audio content of the corresponding advertising audio data into text. The audio related to the advertising audio data may be converted into text using speech-to-text technology. In S12, the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data whose audio content metadata includes the characters included in the search query. For example, if the search query contains the characters "business trip, hotel," the data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data 03 whose audio content metadata includes "business trip, hotel." The data management server 20 also references the location information of the mobile communication terminal 15 received along with the search query, compares the location indicated by the location information with the location indicated by the location metadata, and identifies only advertising audio data whose location metadata is related to a location within a predetermined range from the location indicated by the location information. Combining the above, for example, if a search query containing the characters "station front hotel business trip" is received from a mobile communication terminal 15 with location information "xxxxxx," the data management server 20 may identify advertising audio data whose location metadata indicates a location within a predetermined range from the location indicated by the location information "xxxxxx" and whose audio content metadata includes "station front hotel business trip."

[0029] In S13, the data management server 20 refers to the location information received from the mobile communication terminal 15 and the database 30, and identifies one or more loudspeakers 11 that are located within a predetermined range from the location of the mobile communication terminal 15. If there are multiple loudspeakers 11 that are located within a predetermined range from the location of the mobile communication terminal 15, the multiple loudspeakers 11 are identified (S13).

[0030] In S14, the data management server 20 transmits the sound source data 21 identified in S12 to the loudspeaker 11 identified in S13. In S14, the data management server 20 generates an audio stream of the sound source data 21 using a streaming protocol such as RTP (Realtime Transport Protocol), and transmits it to the loudspeaker 11.

[0031] The loudspeaker 11 receives the sound source data 21 sent from the data management server 20 (S15) and plays it back (S16), thereby making a loudspeaker broadcast to the loudspeaker area 10.

[0032] The data management server 20 may receive the advertising audio data from advertisers for a fee. In this case, the data management server 20 stores advertising audio data sent from multiple advertisers and charges the advertisers for the advertising audio data according to the number of times the advertising audio data is identified in S12 and transmitted in S14. As shown in FIG. 9, the data management server 20 is connected to multiple advertiser clients 40 via the Internet. Each advertiser client 40 is operated by a specific advertiser and includes a personal computer (PC) or other device that can access the data management server 20 via an application such as a web browser. The advertiser client 40 has the function of accepting input of advertising audio data and metadata for the moment-by-moment audio data from advertisers and transmitting the input advertising audio data and metadata to the data management server 20. For example, the advertiser client 40 accepts input of location metadata, name metadata, industry metadata, keyword metadata, and audio content metadata for each advertising audio data, associates the advertising audio data with the metadata, stores the associated data, and transmits the data to the data management server 20.

[0033] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of submitting advertising audio data and charging the advertiser. The advertiser client 40 submits an advertisement by transmitting the audio data and metadata input by the advertiser to the data management server 20 (S30). The data management server 20 receives the advertising audio data and metadata (S31), and, as shown in FIG. 11, stores the advertising audio data and metadata in association with the advertiser client 40 that sent them (S32).

[0034] The data management server 20 performs processes S12 to S14 on the multiple pieces of advertising audio data stored in S32. The data management server 20 identifies advertising audio data in S12 and counts each transmission in S14 to calculate the number of times each piece of advertising audio data has been identified and transmitted (i.e., the number of times the advertising audio data has been broadcast from the loudspeaker 11) (S33), calculates the advertising fee to be charged to the advertiser according to the number of times (S34), and performs a billing process to collect the advertising fee from the advertiser (S35).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 12, the data management server 20 has a database 31 that indicates advertising fees for advertising audio data. The advertising fee is a fixed amount for each broadcast of the advertising audio data. For example, it is a fixed amount per broadcast. The advertising fee may be set at different prices depending on the type of advertising audio data. As shown in FIG. 12(a), the advertising fee may be set at different prices depending on, for example, the length of the audio related to the advertising audio data (audio obtained by playing the advertising audio data). In the example shown in FIG. 12(a), the longer the audio, the higher the broadcast cost for the advertising audio data. Furthermore, for example, the advertising fee may be set at different prices depending on the metadata attached to the advertising audio data. For example, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the advertising fee may be set based on the number of keywords included in the keyword metadata associated with the advertising audio data. In the example shown in FIG. 12(b), the higher the number of keywords included in the keyword metadata, the higher the broadcast cost for the advertising audio data. This is based on the idea that a higher advertising fee is charged for advertisements with more keywords attached in order to increase the opportunities for the advertising audio data to be broadcast. In addition to the elements of audio length and keywords shown in Figures 12(a) and 12(b), different advertising fees may be determined depending on other elements or combinations of these. One example of such other element is the location indicated by location metadata associated with the advertising audio data. That is, different advertising fees may be determined depending on the location indicated by the location metadata. For example, a higher advertising fee may be set for a location with a higher average number of people passing through per unit time. For example, the data management server 20 may perform image analysis on the video captured by the camera 12 within each loudspeaker space 10 to determine the degree of congestion per unit time (e.g., per hour), and set a higher advertising fee for each of the multiple loudspeaker spaces 10 as the degree of congestion increases. For example, the data management server 20 may analyze the audio picked up by the microphone 13 within each loudspeaker space 10 to determine the degree of congestion per unit time (e.g., per hour), and set a higher advertising fee for each of the multiple loudspeaker spaces 10 as the degree of congestion increases.

[0036] The data management server 20 counts the advertising audio data broadcast in S33, totals the advertising fees set for each piece of advertising audio data, and totals the advertising fees to be collected for each advertiser (S34). The data management server 20 stores the results of the calculation in S34 as billing information. FIG. 13 shows an example of the billing information calculated in S34 for the advertiser corresponding to the advertiser client 40-1. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the data management server 20 counts and totals (S33, S34) the fact that advertising audio data 001, which is stored in association with the advertiser 40-1 and has an advertising fee set to 50 yen, has been broadcast three times, and advertising audio data 002, which is stored in association with the advertiser 40-1 and has an advertising fee set to 150 yen, has been broadcast two times, generating the billing information for the advertiser 40-1. In S34, the data management server 20 may generate the calculated billing information periodically, for example, once a month.

[0037] The data management server 20 performs a billing process for the corresponding advertiser client 40 based on the billing information generated in S34 (S35). As an example of the billing process, the data management server 20 may, for example, refer to the billing information to generate an electronic invoice and send it to the advertiser client 40 (S35). As an example of the billing process, the data management server 20 may electronically credit the advertising fee amount indicated in the billing information and send a notification message to the advertiser client 40 that the credit payment has been made (S35).

[0038] (1. Search-linked variant) According to S10 to S11, mobile communication terminal 15 transmits a search query to data management server 20 (S10), and data management server 20 receives the search query from mobile communication terminal 15 (S11). However, data management server 20 may receive the search query from web server 40, which receives the search query for a web search. In this case, mobile communication terminal 15 only needs to transmit the search query to web server 40. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation flow in this case. As in S10, mobile communication terminal 15 transmits its own location information to web server 40 (S40). Web server 40 performs a web search based on the received search query (S41, S42) and forwards the received search query and location information to data management server 20 (S43). Data management server 20 receives the forwarded search query and location information (S44) and executes the processes of S12 to S14 using the search query and location information.

[0039] The data management server 20 may store multiple audio sources in different languages ​​for the same broadcast content of the audio data 21, and select the audio source by selecting the language according to the language of the search query. In this example, in S12, the data management server 20 determines the language of the received search query and selects the audio data 21 in the determined language. For example, as audio sources for advertising the same restaurant, advertising audio 01J broadcasting in Japanese "Please enjoy the supreme curry made by Mr. XX, the Indian owner" and advertising audio 01E broadcasting the same content in English "Enjoy best curry ever Mr. XX from India cooks" may be stored in the data management server 20 in correspondence with each other. When the search query contains "curry" in Japanese, advertising audio 01J may be selected, and when the search query contains "curry" in English, advertising audio 01E may be selected (S12).

[0040] The metadata of the audio source data 21 may include attributes of people who are expected to be the target audience for the audio source. Examples of attributes include nationality, gender, and age. For example, audio source data 21 to be broadcast to minors includes the metadata "Age: Under 20." For example, audio source data 21 to be broadcast to men includes the metadata "Gender: Male." For example, audio source data 21 to be broadcast to Japanese people includes the metadata "Nationality: Japanese." In this example, the search query includes attribute information indicating the attributes of the user of the mobile communication terminal 15 (S10). As an example, the mobile communication terminal 15 may store user account information including user privacy information such as an email address, name, age, gender, and nationality, and the mobile communication terminal 15 may transmit the search query together with information indicating the user attributes, such as age, gender, and nationality, included in the user account information (S10). In S12, the data management center 20 refers to the user attribute information included in the received search query and selects audio source data 21 that matches the attributes, such as age, gender, and nationality, included in the attribute information. For example, when the search query includes attribute information indicating that the gender is male, the sound source data 21 to which the metadata "gender: male" is attached is selected (S12).

[0041] In S12, the data management server 20 may generate a voice corresponding to the search query (S11) in response to the search query received (S12) rather than identifying pre-stored sound source data 21. As an example, the search query includes characters related to a place name entered by the user 14. Also, as an example, the search query includes the name of a public transportation station entered by the user 14. For example, the search query may include a place name entered by the user 14 as a destination or stopover for sightseeing or a business trip, or a station name entered to search for public transportation transfer information to travel to the destination or stopover. Although not shown, the data management server 20 is connected via the Internet to an external server that manages public transportation information such as timetable information, transfer information, and information on delays and cancellations. In S13, the data management server 20 extracts the place name or station name included in the search query, sends the search query including the place name or station name to the external server, and generates voice data (sound source data 21) from the returned public transportation information. The data management server 20 may use text-to-speech technology to generate, as sound source data 21, voice data corresponding to the text data included in the public transportation information.

[0042] (1. Search-linked supplement) When the data management server 20 identifies a plurality of pieces of advertising broadcast data that meet the conditions in S12, it may transmit some or all of the advertising broadcast data to the loudspeaker 11 to be broadcast (S14). When transmitting two or more pieces of advertising broadcast data to the loudspeaker 11 in S14, the data management server 20 may determine the broadcast order based on predetermined conditions, and transmit the two or more pieces of advertising broadcast data to the loudspeaker 11 in order so that they are broadcast in this order (S14).

[0043] Furthermore, when the data management server 20 identifies multiple pieces of advertising broadcast data that meet the conditions in S12, it may transmit one piece of advertising broadcast data with a higher priority to the loudspeaker 11 for broadcast (S14). In this example, priorities may be set for multiple pieces of advertising broadcast data (sound source data 21) to which overlapping metadata is attached. The priorities may be set, for example, according to the pricing when the advertising broadcast data was submitted. That is, for example, in an auction format, the higher the price of the advertising broadcast data submitted, the higher the priority may be set. In this example, when the data management server 20 identifies multiple pieces of advertising broadcast data that meet the conditions in S12, it identifies the advertising broadcast data with the highest priority from among the advertising broadcast data and transmits it to the loudspeaker 11 (S14).

[0044] In S11, when the data management server 20 receives multiple search queries per unit time from multiple mobile communication terminals 15 owned by multiple users 14, the data management server 20 may identify sound source data 21 corresponding to some of the search queries by, for example, selecting and discarding these multiple search queries (S12). As an example, the data management server 20 compares the characters contained in the multiple received search queries, and if duplicate characters are included, identifies sound source data 21 associated with those characters. As an example, the data management server 20 ranks the characters that are duplicated in the multiple received search queries according to the number of overlaps, identifies the sound data 21 associated with the highest-ranked character, and transmits that sound data 21 to the loudspeaker 11 (S12, S14). For example, if 10 search queries are received per unit time (S11), and three of the search queries contain the character "curry" repeatedly and two of the search queries contain the character "ramen" repeatedly, then "curry" may be given the highest ranking, and audio data 21 related to "curry" may be identified and transmitted to the loudspeaker 11 (S12, S14). As an example, the data management server 20 ranks the characters that are contained repeatedly in the received search queries according to the number of overlaps, identifies multiple pieces of audio data 21 related to multiple characters in order from the character with the highest ranking up to a predetermined rank (for example, up to third place), and transmits the multiple pieces of audio data 21 to the loudspeaker 11 (S12, S14). For example, if 20 search queries are received per unit time (S11), and five search queries contain the word "curry" repeatedly, four search queries contain the word "ramen" repeatedly, and two search queries contain the word "Italian" repeatedly, the search queries can be ranked in the order of "curry," "ramen," and "Italian," and audio data 21 related to "curry" can be identified and transmitted to the loudspeaker 11, followed by audio data 21 related to "ramen" which can be transmitted to the loudspeaker 11, and finally audio data 21 related to "Italian" which can be transmitted to the loudspeaker 11 (S12, S14).In this way, the loudspeaker device 11 can loudly broadcast the sound source data 21 related to the first-ranked "curry," the sound source data 21 related to the second-ranked "ramen," and the sound data 21 related to the third-ranked "Italian" in that order.

[0045] (2. Area-specific advertising broadcasting) The data management server 20 has an area-specific advertising broadcasting function that accepts advertisement audio data from multiple advertisers in a location that is assigned multiple loudspeaker areas 10, each having a loudspeaker 11, and broadcasts the advertisement audio data from some or all of the multiple loudspeaker areas 11 depending on conditions. As shown in FIG. 15, multiple loudspeaker areas 10 (loudspeaker areas 10-1 to 10-4) are assigned to a certain location 50 having a certain size. The location 50 may be, for example, an indoor facility such as a shopping mall, or an outdoor facility such as a park. The loudspeaker areas 10-1 to 10-4 are equipped with loudspeaker devices 11-1 to 11-4, respectively.

[0046] The data management server 20 sets a broadcasting fee for each loudspeaker area 10, and stores a broadcasting fee schedule 32 as shown in Fig. 16. As shown in Fig. 16, different broadcasting fees may be set for each time period for each loudspeaker area 10. This is based on the idea of ​​setting a higher broadcasting fee for time periods when, statistically, more people (potential listeners of the broadcast) are passing through the loudspeaker area.

[0047] 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operational flow of area-specific advertising broadcasting. The advertiser client 40 accepts input of advertising audio data and metadata of the advertising audio data from the advertiser, holds the input advertising audio data and metadata, and transmits them to the data management server 20 (S50). The metadata includes desired broadcast area information indicating the loudspeaker area 10 in which it is desired to broadcast advertising audio data corresponding to the price list 32, and desired broadcast time period information indicating the time period in which it is desired to broadcast advertising audio data corresponding to the price list 32.

[0048] The data management server 20 receives advertising audio data and metadata from the advertiser client 40 (S51) and stores the advertising audio data and metadata in association with each other (S52). The data management server 20 references each piece of metadata associated with one or more pieces of advertising audio data received from one or more advertiser clients 40 in accordance with S51, and creates a schedule for broadcasting each piece of advertising audio data (S53). In S53, the data management server 20 generates a schedule 33 including a broadcast timetable for each loudspeaker area 10 and time period, as shown in FIG. 18, based on the desired broadcast area information and desired broadcast time period information included in each piece of metadata. The data management server 20 transmits each piece of advertising audio data to the loudspeaker 11 in accordance with the schedule 33 (S54). Upon receiving the advertising audio data, the loudspeaker 11 plays the advertising audio data and broadcasts it within its own loudspeaker area 10 (S55, S56). According to the example of FIG. 18, for example, the data management server 20 transmits advertising broadcast data 04 to the loudspeaker 11 located in the loudspeaker area 10-4 during the time period from 9:00 to 10:00, and transmits advertising audio data 02 to the loudspeaker 11 located in the loudspeaker area 10-2, advertising broadcast data 01 to the loudspeaker 11 located in the loudspeaker area 10-3, and advertising broadcast data 03 to the loudspeaker 11 located in the loudspeaker area 10-4 during the time period from 12:00 to 13:00.

[0049] Furthermore, the data management server 20 calculates the broadcasting fee for each advertiser based on the fee schedule 32 and the schedule 33 (S57), and performs a billing process to collect the broadcasting fee from the advertiser client 40 (S58). For example, in the example of Figures 16 and 18, the advertising audio data 04 is scheduled to be broadcast for 700 yen (9:00 to 10:00 in loudspeaker area 10-4) and 600 yen (13:00 to 14:00 in loudspeaker area 10-3). Therefore, the data management server 20 calculates the amount to be collected from the advertiser client 40 that has submitted the advertising audio data 04 as 1,300 yen (S57), and performs a billing process to collect 1,300 yen from the advertiser client 40 (S58). The data management server 20 performs this calculation and billing process for each advertiser client 40 that has submitted advertising audio data (S57). As an example of the billing process, the data management server 20 may generate an electronic invoice for the amount to be charged and send it to the advertiser client 40 (S58). As an example of the billing process, the data management server 20 may electronically settle the amount to be charged by credit card and send a notification message to the advertiser client 40 that the credit card settlement has been made (S58).

[0050] (3. Broadcasting linked to people's movements) In a location where a plurality of loudspeaker areas 10 each having a loudspeaker 11 are allocated, the data management server 20 notifies the user 14 of the mobile communication terminal 15 who has entered the loudspeaker area 10 in conjunction with the user 14 moving about the location. 14The data management server 20 stores location metadata for each piece of sound source data 21 in accordance with the metadata received from the advertiser client 40, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. The mobile communication terminal 15 is equipped with a positioning system using GNSS such as GPS, or an indoor positioning system using beacon signals such as Bluetooth, RFID, ultrasonic waves, geomagnetism, UWB signals, etc., and constantly acquires its own location information at predetermined time intervals using these positioning systems. The mobile communication terminal 15 constantly transmits its own location information to the data management server 20 at predetermined time intervals (S60). The data management server 20 constantly receives the location information of the mobile communication terminal 15 at predetermined time intervals (S61), and identifies the loudspeakers 11 within a predetermined range of the location of the mobile communication terminal 15 (the location indicated by the location information) (S62). In S62, the data management server 20 refers to the database 30 and determines whether there is a loudspeaker 11 within a specified range of the location of the mobile communication terminal 15 at a specified time interval, and identifies the loudspeaker 11 when a positive determination is made.

[0051] The data management server 20 identifies broadcast data to be amplified from the loudspeaker 11 identified in S62 (S63). In S63, the data management server 20 references the location metadata as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 and identifies sound source data 21 having location metadata indicating a location within a predetermined range of the location of the mobile communication terminal 15 (the location indicated by the location information). The data management server 20 transmits the identified sound source data 21 to the loudspeaker 11 identified in S62 (S64), and the loudspeaker 11 receives and plays the sound source data 21, thereby broadcasting loudspeaker data from the corresponding loudspeaker area 10 (S65, S66). In S66, the loudspeaker 11 may play the received sound source data 21 one or more predetermined times and then end the broadcast. Alternatively, in S66, the loudspeaker 11 may repeatedly play the received sound source data 21 until the mobile communication terminal 15 leaves the loudspeaker area 10. 20, after transmitting the sound source data 21 (S64), the data management server 20 continuously references the location information received from the mobile communication terminal 15 at predetermined time intervals, and determines whether the location of the mobile communication terminal 15 is still within a predetermined range of the location of the loudspeaker 11 (S67). The determination in S67 is made at predetermined time intervals. If it is determined in S67 that the location of the mobile communication terminal 15 has moved out of the predetermined range of the location of the loudspeaker 11 (S67: Yes), the data management server 20 transmits a stop message to the loudspeaker 11 instructing it to stop broadcasting (S68). Upon receiving the stop message, the loudspeaker 11 stops the repeated playback of the sound source data (S69, S70).

[0052] In S63, the data management server 20 may refer to information previously transmitted by the mobile communication terminal 15 to the web server 40 through the app, and select and identify sound source data related to that information from the sound source data 21. In this case, the mobile communication terminal 15 and / or the web server 40 are configured to maintain a history of information transmitted to the web server 40 through the app. As an example, the web server 40 is a web search server as described above, and the web server 40 accumulates a history of search queries received through the app. The app accumulates a history of search queries input by the user 14 and transmitted to the web server 40. As an example, the web server 40 is a web server for an online shopping site where products can be purchased online, and is a web server that accepts input from the user 14, such as product searches, registration of candidate products for purchase (registration of a wish list), and purchase orders for products. In this case, the app accesses the web server 40 and transmits request messages to the web server 40, such as product searches, registration of candidate products for purchase, and purchase orders, in response to input from the user 14. The app accumulates a history of product searches, registration of candidate products, product purchase orders, etc. entered by the user 14. The web server 40 accumulates a history of product searches, registration of candidate products, product purchase orders, etc. sent to the web server 40 via the app.

[0053] In S63, the data management server 20 receives the history information from the mobile communication terminal 15 or the Web server 40, and refers to the history information and the metadata (name metadata, industry metadata, keyword metadata, and audio content metadata) assigned to each piece of sound source data 21 as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 to identify sound source data 21 having metadata that matches the history information. For example, if the user 14 previously performed a web search for "ramen" and the history information includes the character "ramen," sound source data 21 whose metadata includes "ramen" is identified as sound source data to be broadcast. Also, for example, if the user 14 registered "camera" as a potential purchase item and the history information includes "camera," sound source data 21 whose metadata includes "camera" is identified as sound source data to be broadcast.

[0054] (4. Broadcasts linked to SNS posts) The data management server 20 broadcasts within the amplification area 10 in conjunction with content posted to a social networking service (SNS) by users 14 within the amplification area 10 via their mobile communication terminals 15. In this example, the mobile communication terminals 15 are equipped with an SNS app. The SNS app accepts text input from the users 14 and transmits text data relating to the input character string (text) to the web server 40 as an SNS post. The web server 40 is an SNS server and has the function of publishing SNS posts based on the text data received from the app. As described above, the mobile communication terminals 15 are equipped with a positioning system using a GNSS such as GPS, or an indoor positioning system using beacon signals such as Bluetooth, RFID, ultrasonic waves, geomagnetism, UWB signals, etc., and acquire their own location information using these positioning systems.

[0055] 21 is a flowchart showing an example of the operational flow of broadcasting linked to an SNS post. Mobile communication terminal 15 transmits text data of the SNS post, which is to be sent to web server 40 via an app, along with its own location information to data management server 20 (S80). Upon receiving the location information and text data from mobile communication terminal 15 (S81), data management server 20 generates audio data of the sound to be broadcast based on the text data (posted text) (S82) and identifies loudspeaker devices 11 that should broadcast the audio data (S83). Data management server 20 transmits the generated sound source data to the identified loudspeaker devices 11 (S84). Loudspeaker devices 11 receive and play the sound source data, thereby broadcasting within loudspeaker area 10 (S85, 86).

[0056] As an example, the data management server 20 stores one or more keywords (broadcast keywords) to be broadcast in advance. In S82, the data management server 20 determines whether the received posted message contains any of the broadcast keywords. If so, the data management server 20 generates audio data based on the posted message. For example, the broadcast keywords may include keywords such as "fire" and "tsunami," which suggest the occurrence of a disaster. For example, the data management server 20 uses text-to-speech technology to generate audio data corresponding to the text data received in S81 (i.e., audio data corresponding to the SNS posted message) (S82). In S83, the data management server 20 references the database 30 and identifies the loudspeaker devices 11 located within a predetermined range of the location indicated by the location information received in S81 (the location of the mobile communication terminal 15). As an example, if the broadcast keyword includes "tsunami" and the character string related to the text data received in S81 is "A tsunami is coming! Get to higher ground!", audio data related to the voice "A tsunami is coming! Get to higher ground!" is generated and transmitted to the public address system 11 (S81 to S84).

[0057] As an example, in S82, if there are SNS posts with similar content from multiple mobile communication terminals 15 that are located near each other within a predetermined range within a predetermined time period (S81), the data management server 20 generates audio data related to the SNS posts. In this example, each time the data management server 20 receives character data of a posted message in S81, it accumulates the received character data and analyzes each accumulated character data to identify the posted content for each character data. For example, if the character strings related to the character data include "fire," "fire," and "black smoke," it is identified as an SNS post with content related to a fire. As shown in FIG. 22, for each posted message (received character data), the data management server 20 associates location information of the sender (mobile communication terminal 15) of the character data of the posted message with a tag indicating the identified SNS post content and accumulates the associated information (S82). Then, in S82, if there are SNS posts with the same posted content (SNS posts with the same tag) from multiple mobile communication terminals 15 within a predetermined time period, the data management server 20 generates audio data based on the character data of the SNS post. For example, in the example of FIG. 22, there are three SNS posts with the tag "fire" (i.e., SNS posts related to fires) within a predetermined time period. Therefore, the data management server 20 generates audio data based on the three SNS posts (S82). As an example, the data management server 20 may use text-to-speech technology to generate corresponding audio data from each of the multiple SNS posts and synthesize the data to generate audio data containing a series of sounds corresponding to the three posts (S82). In addition, in S83, the data management server 20 references the location information of the senders of the multiple posts and the database 30 to identify one or more loudspeaker devices 11 located within a predetermined range from the sender location of each SNS post. In a modified example, the data management server 20 may previously store audio data corresponding to tags indicating the content of the SNS posts.In this case, in S82, if there are SNS posts with the same content (SNS posts with the same tag) from multiple mobile communication terminals 15 within a predetermined time period, the data management server 20 may identify the voice data corresponding to the tag. For example, the data management server 20 may store voice data corresponding to the "fire" tag, such as "There is a fire nearby. Please evacuate immediately."

[0058] As an example, in S82, the data management server 20 generates audio data based on a hashtag included in the SNS post. For example, the data management server 20 stores one or more hashtags to be broadcast in advance. In S82, the data management server 20 determines whether the received post contains the hashtag. If the hashtag is included, the data management server 20 generates audio data based on the post. For example, the hashtag to be broadcast may include a keyword such as "#SupportMedicalWorkers," which is intended to support medical workers. For example, the data management server 20 uses text-to-speech technology to generate audio data corresponding to the text data received in S81 (i.e., audio data corresponding to the SNS post) (S82). In S83, the data management server 20 references the database 30 and identifies the loudspeaker devices 11 located within a predetermined range of the location indicated by the location information received in S81 (the location of the mobile communication terminal 15).

[0059] As an example, in S82, the data management server 20 generates audio data based on the hashtag included in the SNS post. In this example, the data management server 20 accumulates the received character data each time it receives character data for a post in S81, and, as shown in FIG. 23, for each post (received character data), it accumulates location information of the sender of the character data (mobile communication terminal 15) and the hashtag included in the post in association with each other (S82). Then, in S82, if there are SNS posts with the same hashtag from multiple mobile communication terminals 15 within a predetermined time period, the data management server 20 generates audio data based on the character data of the SNS posts. For example, in the example of FIG. 23, there are two SNS posts with the hashtag "#SupportMedicalWorkers" within the predetermined time period, and therefore the data management server 20 generates audio data based on the two SNS posts (S82). As an example, the data management server 20 may use text-to-speech technology to generate corresponding audio data from each of the multiple SNS posts and synthesize the audio data to generate audio data containing a series of sounds corresponding to the two posts (S82). In S83, the data management server 20 references the location information of the senders of the multiple posts and the database 30 to identify one or more public address systems 11 located within a predetermined range from the sender location of each SNS post. Alternatively, as a variant, the data management server 20 may store audio data corresponding to each hashtag in advance. In this case, in S82, if multiple mobile communication terminals 15 post SNS posts with the same hashtag within a predetermined time period, the data management server 20 may identify the audio data corresponding to the hashtag. For example, audio data corresponding to the "#SupportMedicalProfessionals" tag may be stored, which includes the phrase "Thank you, doctors and nurses, for your continued support."

[0060] When generating voice data using Text-to-Speech technology based on tags in SNS posts as shown in FIG. 22, the data management server 20 may select different voice tones depending on the tags. In this case, different voice tones may be selected depending on the tags to generate voice data using Text-to-Speech technology. For example, voice data may be generated by selecting a first voice tone (e.g., male A's voice tone) for voice corresponding to the "fire" tag, and a second voice tone (e.g., female B's voice tone) for voice corresponding to the "current events" tag. Furthermore, when generating voice data using Text-to-Speech technology based on hashtags as shown in FIG. 23, the data management server 20 may select different voice tones depending on the hashtag to generate voice data using Text-to-Speech technology. In this case, different voice tones may be selected depending on the hashtag to generate voice data using Text-to-Speech technology. For example, voice data may be generated by selecting a first voice tone (e.g., male B's voice tone) for voice corresponding to the hashtag "#supporthealthcareworkers" and a second voice tone (e.g., female C's voice tone) for voice corresponding to the hashtag "#fire."

[0061] (4. Broadcast linked to SNS posts - Variation) According to S80 to S86, mobile communication terminal 15 transmits character data related to a message posted to the SNS to data management server 20 (S80), and data management server 20 receives the character data from mobile communication terminal 15 (S81). However, data management server 20 may receive the character data from web server 40. In this case, mobile communication terminal 15 only needs to transmit a character string to web server 40. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation flow in this case. As in S80, mobile communication terminal 15 transmits its own location information to web server 40 along with the character data (S90). The web server 40 performs a process of generating and publishing an SNS post based on the received character data (S91, S92), and transfers the character data and location information of the received SNS post to data management server 20 (S93). In S93, the Web server 40 may transfer the character data of an SNS post to the data management server 20 each time it receives and processes the post for publication, or it may accumulate character data relating to multiple SNS posts that it has received and processed for publication, and transfer the accumulated character data relating to multiple SNS posts together (for example, at predetermined intervals such as once an hour, or after a predetermined number of posts such as every 30 posts) to the data management server 20. The data management server 20 receives the transferred character data and location information (S94), and executes the processes of S82 to S85 using the character data and location information.

[0062] (supplement) In the above description of the transmission of audio data by the data management server 20 (S14, S54, S64, S85), the data management server 20 generates an audio stream of the audio source data 21 using a streaming protocol such as RTP and transmits it to the loudspeaker 11. However, other methods may be used. For example, the data management server 20 may download the audio source data 21 in an encoded audio file format such as MP3 or AAC to the loudspeaker 11, and the loudspeaker 11 may temporarily store and play back the downloaded audio source data 21. Alternatively, for example, the audio source data 21 may be lightweight by including text data indicating the broadcast content but not including audio data obtained by encoding an audio signal, and the data management server 20 may transmit the audio source data 21, which is text data, to the loudspeaker 11. In this case, the loudspeaker 11 may generate and play back audio data from the received audio source data 21 (text data) using text-to-speech technology.

[0063] The loudspeaker space 10 may include a display device such as digital signage in addition to the loudspeaker device 11. The display device may be linked to the loudspeaker broadcast from the loudspeaker device 11 to supplementarily display information related to the loudspeaker broadcast. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1 Public address system 10. Public address space 11 Public address system 12 Camera 13 Microphone 15 Mobile communication devices 20 Data Management Server

Claims

1. A loudspeaker server connected to one or more loudspeaker devices installed in one or more loudspeaker spaces, It stores multiple audio sources posted by multiple advertisers, Each advertising sound source is associated with metadata related to the location, name, business type, keywords, and audio content of the advertising target, receiving character information relating to characters transmitted via an Internet network by a mobile communication terminal present in the loudspeaker space in connection with a web search or a social networking service post; A loudspeaker broadcasting server identifies, from the plurality of advertising sound sources, a sound source whose metadata corresponding to each advertising sound source matches the character information as a broadcast sound source, and transmits the broadcast sound source to the loudspeaker device, thereby causing the loudspeaker device to play back the broadcast sound source.

2. 2. The loudspeaker server of claim 1, The plurality of advertising sound sources are associated with text information in which the content of each advertising sound source is converted into text, and a loudspeaker server that identifies as the broadcast sound source a sound source whose corresponding text information matches the character information.

3. 2. The loudspeaker server of claim 1, A broadcasting cost is set for each of the plurality of advertising sound sources, The loudspeaker server performs a billing process for each advertiser based on the number of times the sound source is identified as being related to the text information within a predetermined period and the broadcasting unit price.

4. 2. The loudspeaker server of claim 1, maintaining a database indicating the location of each of the loudspeaker devices; Each of the plurality of advertising sound sources is associated with metadata relating to a position where the sound source should be broadcast; continuously receiving location information from the mobile communication terminal via an Internet network; referring to the database and the location information, and identifying a loudspeaker device to be used for loudspeaker broadcasting; Identifying the broadcast sound source by referring to the metadata and the location information; a loudspeaker server that transmits the broadcast sound source to the identified loudspeaker device;

5. A loudspeaker server connected to one or more loudspeaker devices installed in one or more loudspeaker spaces, receiving character information relating to characters transmitted via an internet network by a mobile communication terminal present in the loudspeaker space in connection with an SNS post; a loudspeaker server that generates a sound source from the character information and transmits the sound source to the loudspeaker, thereby causing the loudspeaker to reproduce the sound source;

6. 6. The loudspeaker server of claim 5, A loudspeaker server that generates the sound source from the text information using Text-to-Speech technology.

7. 6. The loudspeaker server of claim 5, maintaining a database indicating the location of each of the loudspeaker devices; a loudspeaker server that refers to the character information and the database to identify a loudspeaker device to which the loudspeaker should be broadcast, and transmits the sound source to the identified loudspeaker device;

Images