Karaoke System

Abstract

To provide a user with an opportunity to increase new repertoires.SOLUTION: A Karaoke system (1) includes: a first user specifying unit (21) that specifies a user having requested presentation of a recommended musical piece; a first age specifying unit (41) that specifies the current age of the user by referring to user information; a prescribed period specifying unit (42) that specifies a prescribed period in childhood from the current age of the user; a second user specifying unit (43) that specifies another user having sit with the user in the prescribed period; a second age specifying unit (44) that specifies the age of the other user at that time in the prescribed period; a third user specifying unit (45) that specifies an adult user who was an adult in the prescribed period from the age of the other user at that time; a musical piece extraction unit (46) that extracts a musical piece that the adult user sang when he / she sit with the user from a singing history of the adult user; and a musical piece presenting unit (22) that presents the extracted musical piece to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Karaoke systems that recommend songs based on songs registered on a user's mobile device are known. One such karaoke system has been proposed that recommends songs based on the genre, mood, lyrics, etc. of songs registered on the user's MP3 player (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Another karaoke system has been proposed that recommends songs to a user based on a list of songs previously listened to on the user's smartphone and a classification list that classifies songs previously sung by the user by genre (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-049626 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-208367 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, users often remember the lyrics and melodies of songs they listened to as children. For example, if a user frequently went to karaoke booths with their family when they were children, they may naturally remember the songs their parents often sang. Therefore, if the system could recommend songs that the user's parents often sang when they were children, it could encourage the user to add new songs to their repertoire. However, the karaoke systems described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 do not have such a function.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a karaoke system that can provide users with an opportunity to add new songs to their repertoire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The main invention for achieving the above object is a karaoke system that manages user information including age information of users, and is characterized by comprising: a first user identification unit that identifies a user who has requested the presentation of recommended songs; a first age identification unit that identifies the user's current age by referring to the user information; a predetermined time period identification unit that identifies a predetermined time period in the user's childhood from the user's current age; a second user identification unit that identifies other users who were present with the user at the predetermined time period; a second age identification unit that identifies the ages of the other users at the predetermined time period; a third user identification unit that identifies adult users who were adults at the predetermined time period from the ages of the other users at the time period; a song extraction unit that extracts songs sung by the adult user when present with the user from the adult user's singing history; and a song presentation unit that presents the songs extracted by the song extraction unit to the user as recommended songs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the user's current age is calculated, and the ages at the time of other users who were present at karaoke with the user at a specified time when the user was a child are calculated from the user's current age. Adult users such as parents who were already adults at the specified time are identified from the ages of the other users at the time, and songs sung by adult users who were present with the user when the user was a child are extracted. Thus, songs that the user often listened to as a child are presented to the user as recommended songs, providing the user with an opportunity to add new songs to their repertoire. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a karaoke system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a functional block diagram of a karaoke system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3]FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing operation of the karaoke system of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a karaoke system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] First Embodiment A karaoke system according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of the karaoke system according to the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the karaoke system according to the first embodiment. For the sake of convenience, the functional block diagram of Figure 2 shows functional blocks for realizing specific processing, but it is assumed that the system also includes the components that a karaoke system normally includes.

[0010] 1, in the karaoke system 1, a server device 30 and a karaoke device 10 are communicatively connected via a network 5 such as the Internet, and a paired remote control device 20 is communicatively connected to the karaoke device 10. The server device 30 is provided with a user information database 31, a login history database 32, and a singing history database 33. The server device 30 refers to the various databases to respond with various information in response to requests from the karaoke device 10 or the remote control device 20, and registers the information from the karaoke device 10 and the remote control device 20 in the various databases.

[0011] As shown in Table 1, the user information database 31 manages user information for each user ID (user identification information) of the karaoke system 1. The user information includes the user's date of birth (age information), gender, login password, name, avatar, address, etc. For example, the user ID "ID****U1" of user U1 is associated with the date of birth "April 30, 1988," the user ID "ID****U2" of user U2 is associated with the date of birth "August 15, 1958," the user ID "ID****U3" of user U3 is associated with the date of birth "October 20, 1961," and the user ID "ID****U4" of user U4 is associated with the date of birth "September 1, 1985." [Table 1]

[0012] As shown in Table 2, the login history database 32 manages login history for each user ID of the karaoke system 1. The login history includes the device ID of the karaoke device 10 that the user has previously logged in to, the login date and time, the logout date and time, etc. For example, the user ID "ID****U1" of user U1 is associated with the device ID "ID****K1", the login date and time "May 1994, 13:15", and the logout date and time "May 1994, 15:08", and the user ID "ID****U1" of user U1 is associated with the device ID "ID****K2", the login date and time "July 1994, 16:35", and the logout date and time "July 1994, 18:26". [Table 2]

[0013] As shown in Table 3, the singing history database 33 manages singing history for each user ID of the karaoke system 1. The singing history includes the song IDs of songs that the user has sung in the past, the date and time when singing ended, etc. Note that the singing history may also include the date and time when singing started instead of the date and time when singing ended. For example, the user ID "ID****U1" of user U1 is associated with the song ID "ID****M1" and the date and time when singing ended "May 2005, 18:28", and the user ID "ID****U1" of user U1 is associated with the song ID "ID****M2" and the date and time when singing ended "May 2005, 18:41". [Table 3]

[0014] The karaoke device 10 registers the user ID of the person who made the reservation and the song ID of the reserved song, which are transmitted from the remote control device 20, in a reservation list. The song IDs are read out in the order of registration, and the reserved songs are played and output, with lyrics captions and background images displayed on the monitor 11 in sync with the performance and output of the reserved songs. The karaoke device 10 mixes the karaoke performance sound signal and the singing voice signal input from the microphone 12 in a mixer, and this mixed signal is amplified by an amplifier and output from the speaker 13. After the performance of the reserved song is finished, the karaoke device 10 manages the song ID and the singing end date and time for each user ID as a singing history in an optional memory.

[0015] The remote control device 20 is provided with a touch panel display. A login screen for the karaoke system 1 and a search screen for reserved songs are displayed on the display of the remote control device 20. The remote control device 20 accepts login and logout operations via the login screen, and accepts search and reservation operations for reserved songs via the search screen. When a user logs in to the karaoke system 1 by operating the remote control device 20, various information such as user information, login history, singing history, etc. managed in various databases of the server device 30 is applied to the karaoke device 10 and the remote control device 20.

[0016] When logging in to the karaoke system 1, a user ID and password are entered into the login screen of the remote control device 20, and the remote control device 20 transmits a login request, the user ID, the password, and the device ID of the paired karaoke device 10 to the server device 30. The server device 30 refers to a user information database 31, extracts user information including an avatar, name, etc. from the combination of the user ID and password received together with the login request, and returns the extracted information to the remote control device 20. The server device 30 also newly registers the user ID, device ID, and login date and time in a login history database 32. The remote control device 20 manages user information such as an avatar in an arbitrary memory, allowing the user to log in to the karaoke system 1.

[0017] When logging out of the karaoke system 1, the user selects their own avatar on the login screen of the remote control device 20 and presses the logout button, which causes a logout request and user ID to be sent from the remote control device 20 to the server device 30. The server device 30 extracts from the login history database 32 any empty fields in the user ID received together with the logout request that have not registered a logout date and time, and identifies the device ID of the karaoke device 10 associated with the empty field. The server device 30 then transmits a singing history request and the user ID to the karaoke device 10, registers the logout date and time in the empty field in the login history database 32, and logs the user out of the karaoke system 1.

[0018] As described above, the karaoke device 10 stores singing histories for each user ID in an arbitrary memory, and extracts the singing history corresponding to the user ID received together with the singing history request. The karaoke device 10 then transmits the singing history response and the singing history to the server device 30, and the server device 30 registers the singing history received together with the singing history response from the karaoke device 10 in the singing history database 33. In this way, every time a user logs out of the karaoke system 1, the user's singing history stored in the singing history database 33 of the server device 30 is updated.

[0019] 2, the remote control device 20 includes a first user identification unit 21 and a music presentation unit 22. The server device 30 includes a first age identification unit 41, a predetermined time period identification unit 42, a second user identification unit 43, a second age identification unit 44, a third user identification unit 45, and a music extraction unit 46. As described above, the server device 30 includes a user information database 31, a login history database 32, and a singing history database 33. The remote control device 20 and the server device 30 may communicate with each other via the karaoke device 10 or directly.

[0020] The first user identification unit 21 of the remote control device 20 identifies the user who has requested the presentation of recommended music. In this case, the first user identification unit 21 identifies the user from an input operation on the menu screen of the remote control device 20. Specifically, the user selects their own avatar from the main menu of the remote control device 20, presses the "Recommended Music for You" button, and presses the "Songs I Listened to as a Childhood" button from the recommended music menu. Then, the user ID "ID****U1" is identified from the avatar selected by user U1, and the user ID "ID****U1" is transmitted from the remote control device 20 to the server device 30 as a recommended music request.

[0021] The first age identification unit 41 of the server device 30 identifies the current age of the user by referring to the user information. In this case, the first age identification unit 41 refers to the user information database 31, extracts the date of birth from the user information associated with the user ID received as the song recommendation request, and identifies the current age of the user from this date of birth and the current date. Specifically, the current age of user U1, "34 years old," is identified from the date of birth of user U1, "April 30, 1988," associated with user ID "ID****U1" in the user information database 31, and the current date, "May 20, 2022."

[0022] If the user's current age is equal to or greater than a predetermined age, the predetermined period identification unit 42 identifies a predetermined period in the user's childhood based on the user's current age. While any age can be set as the predetermined age, it is set here to the age at which the user begins to feel nostalgic for the songs their parents sang to them as a child, for example, 32 years old, 20 years after graduating from elementary school. Childhood refers to the time when a person has many opportunities to spend time with their parents, from the age at which they become conscious of things until they graduate from elementary school, for example, from the age of 5 to 12. Specifically, the period from April 30, 1993 to April 29, 2000, when user U1, currently 34 years old, was between the ages of 5 and 12, is identified as the predetermined period in the user's childhood.

[0023] The second user identification unit 43 identifies other users who were present with the user U1 during a predetermined period. In this case, the second user identification unit 43 references the login history database 32 and extracts a login period and device ID that fall within the predetermined period from the login period associated with the user ID. Other user IDs whose login period overlaps with the login period and whose device ID matches are identified. In other words, users U2-U4, such as parents, siblings, and relatives, who logged in to the karaoke system 1 at the same time as user U1 when user U1 was between the ages of 5 and 12, are identified.

[0024] Specifically, from the login histories associated with the user ID "ID****U1" of user U1, login histories that include login dates and times and logout dates and times within the predetermined period from "April 30, 1993" to "April 29, 2000" are extracted from the login history database 32. Next, other login histories whose device IDs match the extracted login history of user U1 and whose login periods from the login dates and times to the logout dates and times overlap are extracted from the login history database 32. Other user IDs "ID****U2," "ID****U3," and "ID****U4" associated with the other login histories are identified.

[0025] The second age determination unit 44 determines the ages of other users at the time of a predetermined period. In this case, the second age determination unit 44 references the user information database 31, extracts the dates of birth from the user information associated with the other user IDs, and determines the ages of the other users at the time from the dates of birth and the predetermined period. Specifically, the date of birth "August 15, 1958" associated with "ID****U2," the date of birth "October 20, 1961" associated with "ID****U3," and the date of birth "September 1, 1985" associated with "ID****U4" are extracted. The ages of user U2 at the time of the predetermined period from "April 30, 1993" to "April 29, 2000" are determined to be "34 to 41 years old," the ages of user U3 at the time of the predetermined period from "April 30, 1993" to "April 29, 2000" are determined to be "31 to 38 years old," and the ages of user U4 at the time of the predetermined period from "April 30, 1993" to "April 29, 2000" are determined to be "34 to 41 years old," the ages of user U3 at the time of the predetermined period from "April 30, 1993" to "April 29, 2000" are determined to be "7 to 14 years old."

[0026] The third user identification unit 45 identifies adult users who were adults at a predetermined time based on the ages of other users at the time. In this case, the third user identification unit 45 uses an age value obtained by adding a certain age to the minimum age of the user at the predetermined time as a criterion, and identifies adult user IDs of other users whose ages at the time were equal to or greater than the age value. The certain age is set to the age at which one can get married or the age at which one generally starts a family. Specifically, user U1's ages were between 5 and 12 years old between the predetermined time period of "April 30, 1993" and "April 29, 2000," and user IDs "ID****U2" and "ID****U3," which are 30 years old or older, are identified by adding a certain age of 25 to the minimum age of 5 years. Note that adult user IDs may also be identified by simply comparing the ages of other users at the time with age values ​​that are likely to be parents.

[0027] The music extraction unit 46 extracts music pieces sung when the adult user and the adult user were present from the adult user's singing history. In this case, the music extraction unit 46 references the singing history database 33 and identifies, from among the singing end dates and times associated with the adult user's user ID, a singing end date and time that falls within the user's login period during a predetermined period. The music ID associated with this singing end date and time is then extracted from the singing history database 33. Specifically, the second user identification unit 43 extracts 42 login histories of user U1 from the login history database 32 during the predetermined period from April 30, 1993 to April 29, 2000.

[0028] Song IDs whose singing end dates and times associated with adult user IDs "ID****U2" and "ID****U3" are included in the 42 login histories from the login date and time to the logout date and time are extracted by song extraction unit 46 from singing history database 33. At this time, a total of 46 song IDs are extracted, including song ID "ID****X1" with 38 extracted entries, song ID "ID****X2" with 36 extracted entries, song ID "ID****X3" with 30 extracted entries, song ID "ID****X4" with 28 extracted entries, song ID "ID****X5" with 16 extracted entries, song ID "ID****X6" with 12 extracted entries, and 40 other songs with less than 12 extracted entries.

[0029] The music presentation unit 22 of the remote control device 20 presents the music extracted by the music extraction unit 46 to the user as recommended music. In this case, the server device 30 transmits music IDs of 46 songs as a recommended music response to the remote control device 20. At this time, the number of extractions may be added to the music IDs, or the music IDs may be numbered in order of the number of extractions. The music presentation unit 22 then refers to a music index database (not shown), and displays attribute information such as the song title and artist name corresponding to the music IDs on the display of the remote control device 20 as a list of "songs I listened to as a child."

[0030] The processing of each part of the server device 30, the remote control device 20, and the karaoke device 10 may be realized by software using a processor, or may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit or the like. When a processor is used, the processor reads and executes programs stored in memory to perform various processes. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is used. Furthermore, the memory is configured by one or more storage media such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory) depending on the application.

[0031] The processing operation of the karaoke system of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flow diagram showing an example of the processing operation of the karaoke system of the first embodiment. Note that the symbols in Fig. 2 will be used as appropriate in the description. Also, the following flow diagram is merely an example and can be modified as appropriate.

[0032] 3, when a recommended song is requested, the first user identification unit 21 identifies the user from an input operation on the menu screen (step S01), and the user ID is transmitted from the remote control device 20 to the server device 30 as a recommended song request (step S02). The first age identification unit 41 extracts the date of birth associated with the user ID from the user information database 31, and identifies the user's current age from the date of birth and the current date (step S03). If the user's current age is equal to or greater than a predetermined age (e.g., 32 years old) (Yes in step S04), the predetermined time period identification unit 42 identifies a predetermined time period when the user was a child (step S05).

[0033] The second user identification unit 43 identifies other users who were with the user at karaoke during the predetermined period (step S06). In this case, the login period included in the predetermined period among the login periods associated with the user ID and the device ID are extracted from the login history database 32. Furthermore, other user IDs whose login periods overlap with the user ID and whose device IDs match are identified. The second age identification unit 44 extracts the dates of birth associated with the other user IDs from the user information database 31, and identifies the ages of the other users at the time from the dates of birth and the predetermined period (step S07).

[0034] If the age of the other user at the time is equal to or greater than a reference age value (e.g., 30 years old) (Yes in step S08), the third user identification unit 45 identifies the user ID of the user who was an adult at the predetermined time period (step S09). The song extraction unit 46 extracts the song ID of the song sung when an adult user, such as a parent, was present with the user from the adult user's singing history (step S10). In this case, the song extraction unit 46 identifies from the singing history database 33, among the singing end dates and times associated with the adult user ID, the singing end date and time that falls within the user's login period at the predetermined time period. Furthermore, the song extraction unit 46 extracts the song ID associated with the singing end date and time from the singing history database 33.

[0035] A song ID is transmitted from server device 30 to remote control device 20 as a recommended song response (step S11). When remote control device 20 receives the song ID from server device 30, song presentation unit 22 extracts attribute information such as the song title and artist name corresponding to the song ID from the song index database (step S12). Then, song presentation unit 22 displays the song attribute information as a recommended song on the display of remote control device 20 (step S13). In this way, songs that the user's parents or other relatives sang when the user was a child are identified, and these songs are recommended to the user.

[0036] As described above, the karaoke system 1 of this embodiment determines the user's current age, and from the user's current age, determines the ages at the time of other users who were present at karaoke with the user at a specified time when the user was a child. Adult users such as parents who were already adults at the specified time are identified from the ages of the other users at the time, and songs sung by adult users who were present with the user when the user was a child are extracted. Therefore, songs that the user often listened to as a child are presented to the user as recommended songs, providing the user with an opportunity to add new songs to their repertoire.

[0037] Second Embodiment Next, a karaoke system according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram of the karaoke system according to the second embodiment. The karaoke system according to the second embodiment differs from the karaoke system according to the first embodiment in that it recommends songs that were sung by adult users of the same gender who were present with the user when the user was a child. Therefore, a description of the configuration of the karaoke system according to the second embodiment that is the same as that of the karaoke system according to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 4, the karaoke system 2 of the second embodiment is configured to provide recommended songs taking into consideration the gender of the user. The remote control device 50 is provided with a first user identification unit 51 and a song presentation unit 52. The server device 60 is provided with a first age identification unit 71, a predetermined time period identification unit 72, a first gender identification unit 73, a second user identification unit 74, a second age identification unit 75, a second gender identification unit 76, a third user identification unit 77, and a song extraction unit 78. The server device 60 is also provided with a user information database 61, a login history database 62, and a singing history database 63.

[0039] The first gender identification unit 73 identifies the gender of the user by referring to the user information. In this case, the first gender identification unit 73 refers to the user information database 61 and identifies the gender of the user from the user information associated with the user ID received as the recommended song request. Specifically, the gender of user U1 associated with the user ID "ID****U1" in the user information database 61 is identified as "male."

[0040] The second gender identification unit 76 identifies the gender of the other user by referring to the user information. In this case, the second gender identification unit 76 refers to the user information database 61 and identifies the gender of the other user from the user information associated with the other user ID identified by the second user identification unit 74. Specifically, the other user IDs "ID****U2," "ID****U3," and "ID****U4" are identified. The gender "male" associated with the user ID "ID****U2," the gender "female" associated with the user ID "ID****U3," and the gender "male" associated with the user ID "ID****U4" are identified.

[0041] The third user identification unit 77 identifies adult users of the same gender as the user who were adults at a predetermined time based on the user's gender, the genders of the other users, and the ages of the other users at the time. In this case, the third user identification unit 77 identifies adult user IDs whose ages at the time were equal to or greater than the age value and whose genders match the user's. Specifically, the ages of user U1 during the predetermined time period from "April 30, 1993" to "April 29, 2000" were between 5 and 12 years old, and user IDs "ID****U2" and "ID****U3" whose ages are 30 years old or older, calculated by adding a minimum age of 5 years to a certain age of 25 years, are identified. Since the gender "male" is associated with the user ID "ID****U1," the user ID "ID****U2" associated with the gender "male" is identified from the user IDs "ID****U2" and "ID****U3."

[0042] As described above, according to the karaoke system 2 of the second embodiment, songs that the user often listened to as a child and that are sung by adult users of the same gender as the user are presented to the user as recommended songs. Since songs that are easy for the user to sing are recommended, the user can be provided with an opportunity to add new songs to their repertoire.

[0043] In the above embodiments, the music extraction unit extracts songs sung when the user and an adult user are present from the adult user's singing history, but the extraction may exclude songs already included in the user's singing history. That is, song IDs registered as the user's singing history in the singing history database are excluded, and then the music extraction unit extracts song IDs from the singing history database. In this case, the user will already be singing songs sung by adult users such as their parents, and there is no need to recommend them because they will not contribute to an increase in the user's repertoire.

[0044] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the specified period determination unit determines whether the user's current age is above a specified age, but it may also be possible to determine a specified period in childhood from the user's current age without determining whether the user's current age is above a specified age.

[0045] In each of the above embodiments, the functional block of the server device may be provided in the karaoke device, and the process of recommending recommended songs may be carried out between the remote control device and the karaoke device.

[0046] In each of the above embodiments, the remote control device may be any electronic device capable of communicating with the server device, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a game console, or a personal computer.

[0047] In the above embodiment, a function for presenting recommended music may be added by installing a program in the remote control device and the server device. The program is stored in a storage medium. The storage medium is not particularly limited, and may be a non-transitory storage medium such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a flash memory.

[0048] Although the present embodiment has been described, other embodiments may be obtained by combining the above-described embodiments and modifications in whole or in part.

[0049] Furthermore, the technology of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be variously modified, substituted, or altered within the scope of the spirit of the technical idea. Furthermore, if the technical idea can be realized in a different way due to technological advances or other derived technologies, it may be implemented using that method. Therefore, the claims cover all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical idea. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] 1, 2: Karaoke system 20, 50: Remote control device 21, 51: First user identification unit 22, 52: Music presentation section 30, 60: Server device 41, 71: First age-specific section 42, 72: Predetermined period identification part 43, 74: Second user identification unit 44, 75: Second age-specific section 45, 77: Third user identification unit 46, 78: Music extraction section 73: First Gender Identification Section 76: Second Gender Identification Section

Claims

1. A karaoke system that manages user information including age information of users, a first user identification unit that identifies a user who has requested presentation of recommended music; a first age determination unit that determines the current age of the user by referring to the user information; a predetermined period identification unit that identifies a predetermined period in a user's childhood based on the user's current age; a second user identification unit that identifies other users who were present with the user during a predetermined period; a second age specification unit that specifies the age of another user at a predetermined time; a third user identification unit that identifies an adult user who was an adult at a predetermined time based on the ages of other users at the time; a song extraction unit that extracts songs sung by the adult user when the adult user is present with the user from the singing history of the adult user; a music presentation unit that presents the music extracted by the music extraction unit to the user as recommended music.

2. The karaoke system of claim 1, characterized in that the third user identification unit uses an age value obtained by adding a certain age to the minimum age of the user at the specified time as a criterion, and identifies adult users whose ages at the time of other users are equal to or greater than the age value.

3. a first gender identification unit that identifies the gender of the user by referring to the user information; a second gender identification unit that identifies the gender of another user by referring to the user information; The karaoke system described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the third user identification unit identifies adult users who are the same gender as the user and were adults at a specified time based on the user's gender, the gender of other users, and the ages of the other users at the time.

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