JP2007164078A - Music playback device and music information distribution server - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve effective information distribution and information acquisition as regards musical piece data being played back by a music playback device. <P>SOLUTION: In the music playback device 10, an instruction reception section 26 receives a playback instruction for the musical piece data from a user. A musical piece recognition section 40 reads identification information needed to specify the musical piece data instructed to be played back from the musical piece data. An identification information transmission section 44 transmits the identification information to a predetermined server. A musical piece information reception section 46 receives a musical piece information document wherein at least one of a document or image related to the musical piece data is embedded in a predetermined document description language using a hyperlink as the result of collation by the server based upon the identification information from the server. A display processing section 24 displays at least one of the document and the image related to the musical piece data in an arrangement determined in the musical piece information document on the basis of the musical piece information document. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a music playback device and a music information distribution server. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for providing additional information in an apparatus for reproducing music.

  In recent years, a so-called portable audio player capable of reproducing encoded music data has become popular as one of portable information terminals. In terms of hardware, there are various specifications for each manufacturer in terms of capacity and format, such as storing music data in a non-volatile memory and storing music data in a small hard disk. In many cases, music data encoded in a compressed format such as MP3 includes index information indicating the content of the music such as a music name, a player name, a recording destination album name, a performance time, and a music number. In a portable audio player having a small liquid crystal panel, the above-mentioned index information is displayed on the liquid crystal panel regarding the music being played.

Even in a desktop computer, a music CD can be reproduced using a built-in CD drive. In addition, a technique is known in which index information including a song name, a player name, an album name, and the like of a song recorded on a music CD is automatically acquired from a music database on the Internet (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).
[Online], Gracenote, [Search February 10, 2004], Internet <URL: http://www.gracenote.com/gn_japan/patents.html>

  Here, the index information of a large number of songs registered in the database is simply information that has already been made public, such as the song names of those songs, in a fixed format, and the information itself There is no room for creation by a third party. In terms of the value and usefulness of the information, it is only possible to obtain the advantage that the user does not have to manually enter the index information such as the song title, and the user cannot obtain new discoveries from the information. Absent.

  Also, how to use and display the index information is left to the application program on the information acquisition side, and there is no room for creation on the information provider side in terms of display mode.

  The inventor has made the present invention based on the above recognition, and an object of the present invention is to realize a technique capable of providing additional information to a user who uses a device for reproducing music.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a music playback device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an instruction receiving unit that receives a music data playback instruction from a user, and identification information required to specify the music data for which the playback instruction has been issued. As a result of collation based on the identification information in the music recognition unit to read from the music data, the identification information transmission unit that transmits the identification information to a predetermined server, and at least one of the text and the image related to the music data, A music information receiving unit that receives a music information document embedded in a predetermined document description language using a hyperlink from a server, and at least one of a sentence and an image related to music data based on the music information document And a display processing unit that displays on the screen in an arrangement defined in the document.

  “Music data” is music data encoded in a compression format such as MP3, and generally forms one file in units of music. The “predetermined document description language using a hyperlink” is, for example, HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).

  This music reproducing device is, for example, a portable audio player. However, it is not necessarily realized with a single hardware configuration, and at least a part of the functions may be separated into external hardware to constitute the whole.

  According to this aspect, in the music playback device, the music information document including information related to the music to be played back is automatically acquired from the server and can be displayed on the screen. The music information document is described in a document description language such as HTML, and the visual expression method and arrangement of sentences and images are defined. In this way, the user can automatically acquire and view the latest information from various related media simply by instructing the reproduction of music. Therefore, the music playback device can be used as a latest information acquisition tool, an information sharing tool, or a communication tool, not just as a device for music playback.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a music information distribution server. This music information distribution server is necessary for specifying music data for a music information document in which at least one of a sentence and an image related to music data is embedded in a predetermined document description language using a hyperlink. Based on the received music identification information, a music information storage unit stored in association with the music identification information, an identification information receiving unit that receives the music identification information of the music data from the terminal that is instructed to reproduce the music data by the user, and The music specifying unit that extracts the music information document of the music data corresponding to the identification information from the music information storage unit, and the sentence and the image related to the music data by transmitting the extracted music information document to the user terminal A document transmission unit that displays at least one of them on the screen of the terminal in an arrangement defined in the music information document.

  According to this aspect, since the identification information of the music to be played back is received from the music playback device, the currently playing music can be specified, and a music information document including information related to the music is transmitted to the music playback device. be able to. The music information document is described in a document description language such as HTML, and the visual expression method and arrangement of sentences and images are defined. As described above, since the music piece being reproduced on the user side can be recognized on the server side, information on various media in relation to the music piece can be distributed to the user. In this way, it is possible to effectively distribute the latest information, share information, or provide a communication area based on music recognition.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, or the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention are mutually replaced between methods, apparatuses, systems, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, data structures, and the like. This is effective as an embodiment of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize effective information distribution and information acquisition in relation to music data being played back by a music playback device.

Example 1
In this embodiment, the music information distribution server transmits a music information document described using HTML to the music playback device, and the music playback device displays the description content of HTML on the liquid crystal screen. In the music information document, useful information related to the music and information on other recommended music related to the music are described together with a visual arrangement including an image. Conventionally, computer programs that automatically acquire index information such as song title, album name, performer name, performance time, genre, etc. from a predetermined server are known, but such information has room for creation by a third party. There is no minimum necessary information. The information distributed or acquired by the present embodiment has room for creation by a third party in useful information related to music, images, visual arrangement, etc., and various music information documents can be considered. Therefore, the user can automatically acquire a wide variety of latest information that he / she is interested in through the music playback device, and the server management side can effectively distribute the various information to the user through the music playback device.

  FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a music playback device. The music reproducing device 10 includes a liquid crystal screen 12 on the front surface, and information on music data being reproduced, useful information related to the music, a reproduction state, and the like are displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12. These display formats are defined in the music information document described in HTML. The music reproducing device 10 includes an instruction receiving unit 26 including a cross key 18, an enter key 22, and a cancel key 20 below the liquid crystal screen 12. The user operates the cross key 18, the enter key 22, and the cancel key 20 to use the music playback device 10. For example, when the cross key 18 is used to instruct the scroll up / down / left / right and the enter key 22 is pressed, the music data on the cursor starts to be played, and when the user presses the cancel key 20, the music data is stopped. On the upper part of the music reproducing device 10, an antenna 16 for wireless communication with the music information distribution server and an audio output terminal into which the earphone 14 is inserted are provided. That is, the music reproducing device 10 is connected to the music information distribution server by wireless communication via the antenna 16 and transmits / receives information related to the music data. The user views music using the earphone 14.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the basic configuration of the music playback device and the music information distribution server. As shown in the drawing, the music reproducing apparatus 10 and the music information distribution server 100 connected via a network constitute an entire system. First, the music reproducing apparatus 10 will be described, and then the music information distribution server 100 will be described.

  The music playback device 10 includes a content storage unit 34, a playback processing unit 36, an audio output unit 32, a display processing unit 24, a language interpretation unit 38, a music recognition unit 40, an identification information transmission unit 44, a transmission / reception unit 42, and a music information reception unit. 46, an instruction receiving unit 26, and a control unit 30. The music reproducing device 10 is connected by wireless communication between the transmission / reception unit 42 and the access point 52 via the antenna 16, and transmits / receives data to / from the music information distribution server 100 via the access point 52 and the Internet 50.

  The configuration of the music playback device 10 and the music information distribution server 100 is realized by a CPU, a memory, a program loaded in the memory, etc. in terms of hardware components. Draw functional blocks. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

  The user instructs the music reproducing apparatus 10 to operate by operating the instruction receiving unit 26. The instruction receiving unit 26 sends the instruction received from the user to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 controls the operation of each unit based on the received instruction. For example, when the user selects a specific piece of music from a menu displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 and gives a reproduction instruction, the reproduction processing unit 36 reads the selected piece of music data from the content storage unit 34 and reproduces it. The content storage unit 34 holds a plurality of music data. The audio reproduced by the reproduction processing unit 36 is output from the audio output unit 32.

  The music information receiving unit 46 reads a music information document in which useful information related to the music data is described from the transmission / reception unit 42 or the content storage unit 34 into the memory when the user gives an instruction to reproduce the music data. . The music information document is described in a document description language using a hyperlink such as HTML or XML. The document description language used in the present embodiment is HTML used for visually displaying information such as a music title and related images on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the music playback device 10.

  When the instruction receiving unit 26 receives an instruction to reproduce music data from the user, the music recognizing unit 40 reads identification information necessary for identifying the music data for which the reproduction instruction has been issued from the music data. At this time, the display processing unit 24 displays a list of a plurality of music data stored in the content storage unit 34 in a file browser format. For example, the display processing unit 24 displays a plurality of pieces of music data in a tree form in units of performers or albums, and the instruction receiving unit 26 displays a reproduction instruction selected from the displayed tree in units of music, units of performers, Received from the user in any of album units. The music recognizing unit 40 reads the music identification information for specifying the music data when the reproduction instruction for each music is given, and performs the performance for specifying the performer when the reproduction instruction is given for each music player. The user identification information is read out, and when there is a reproduction instruction for each album, the album identification information for specifying the album is read out. The music identification information, the player identification information, and the album identification information may be stored in the music data, or may be stored in the content storage unit 34 in the form of a table associated with the music data. The identification information transmitting unit 44 transmits the music identification information, the player identification information, the album identification information, and the user identification information to the music information distribution server 100.

  The music information receiving unit 46 receives a music information document corresponding to the identification information from the music information distribution server 100 as a result of collation based on the identification information in the music information distribution server 100. In the music information document, useful information related to the music data is described in text, and files such as image data and audio data are specified and embedded in a hyperlink format in a document description language such as HTML. Yes. Therefore, the “music information document” is not limited to a single data, and may be configured as a set of a plurality of data such as an HTML file and a file such as image data or audio data.

  In the music information document, there is a case in which the music data specified by the identification information transmitted to the music information distribution server 100 and the information of other music data having the same genre, performer, recording album, and the like are embedded. . For example, text data is embedded in the latest information on the music activity status regarding the performer of the music, or the image data and audio data of the performer and album jacket are specified to be linked to the HTML file. A set of the HTML file and image data and audio data is transmitted from the music information distribution server 100 as a music information document.

  The music information document may include information on acquaintances, friends, and other users who are friends (hereinafter referred to as “buddy”) designated in advance by the user. The user can register one or more buddies in the buddy list set on the music information distribution server 100. In such a case, the song name, performer name, album name of the song data currently being played on the terminal used by the registered buddy, and the frequency at which the number of playbacks exceeds a predetermined number or a predetermined frequency on the terminal used by the buddy. Information such as a song name, a player name, an album name, and a song name, a player name, and an album name of song data recommended and specified in advance by a buddy are embedded. When the user transmits the user identification information of another user who wants to register as a buddy to the music information distribution server 100 via the instruction receiving unit 26, his / her user identification information and other information are displayed in the buddy list stored in the music information distribution server 100. The user identification information of each user is registered in association with each other. The music information document received by the music information receiving unit 46 from the music information distribution server 100 is stored in the content storage unit 34.

  When the transmission / reception unit 42 cannot communicate with the music information distribution server 100 due to some reason or environmental condition, the music information reception unit 46 does not send the music information document corresponding to the identification information from the music information distribution server 100. It is detected from the content storage unit 34 and read. If the music information document corresponding to the identification information does not exist in the content storage unit 34, a general-purpose music information document is read from the content storage unit 34. The general-purpose music information document includes, for example, initial display positions, character forms, color combinations, and other visual display forms when displaying information such as a song name, a player name, and an album name on the liquid crystal screen 12. Definitions are described, and useful information and links to image data or audio data are not described.

  The music information receiving unit 46 sends the music information document received from the music information distribution server 100 or the music information document read from the content storage unit 34 to the language interpretation unit 38. The language interpretation unit 38 recognizes the content of information related to the music data and the display format thereof according to the description content in the document description language in the music information document. That is, the language interpretation unit 38 recognizes texts and images such as music titles, performer names, album names, and related information to be displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 from the music information document, and arranges each information on the liquid crystal screen 12. Recognizes display formats such as character modification. The language interpretation unit 38 sends the recognized information and the display format thereof to the display processing unit 24. The display processing unit 24 displays each data such as texts and images related to the music data received from the language interpretation unit 38 on the liquid crystal screen 12 according to the display format. In addition, when the music information document includes information on other music related to the music to be reproduced or information on other music specified in relation to the buddy, the display processing unit 24 is positioned as a recommended music. It is displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 in an arrangement defined in the music information document.

  Next, the music information distribution server 100 will be described. The music information distribution server 100 includes a transmission / reception unit 102, an identification information receiving unit 104, a music specifying unit 106, a music information storage unit 108, a document transmission unit 110, a user list storage unit 112, and a reproduction information recording unit 114. The transmission / reception unit 102 transmits / receives data to / from the music reproducing device 10 via the Internet 50 and the access point 52.

  The identification information receiving unit 104 receives the music identification information of the music data instructed to be reproduced and the user identification information of the user from the music reproduction device 10 instructed to reproduce the music data by the user. The identification information receiving unit 104 receives the music identification information when the reproduction instruction is given in units of music in the music reproducing device 10, but receives the player identification information when the reproduction instruction is given in units of performers. When the reproduction instruction is given for each album, the album identification information is received. When a plurality of songs are continuously played back by the song playback device 10, the song identification information of the song is transmitted before and after the next song playback is started, and the song identification information is received by the identification information receiving unit 104. .

  The music information storage unit 108 stores in advance music information documents corresponding to a large number of music in association with music identification information, player identification information, and album identification information of each music. The music information storage unit 108 further stores, for each piece of music data, information on the genre, information on the performer, and information on the recording album in association with the music identification information of the music data. The genre information is, for example, a music genre name such as rock, pop, jazz, or classic. The performer information is, for example, a performer name or a performance group name. The information on the recording album is, for example, the album name and the release date.

  The music information storage unit 108 stores useful information for each music, useful information for each performer, and useful information for each album as information related to the music data. The useful information includes, for example, the latest information on music, performers, and albums provided by a record company, and information sent to the online community such as electronic bulletin boards and chats about the music, performers, and albums via the Internet 50. is there. Such information is stored in the music information storage unit 108 in the form of text data or image data that has been previously formatted in a predetermined format by the administrator of the music information distribution server 100. The music information document in which these pieces of information are embedded is stored in the music information storage unit 108 in association with the music identification information, the player identification information, and the album identification information.

  The music information storage unit 108 includes user areas allocated for each user, and information for each user is stored in each user area. For example, music identification information, player identification information, and album identification information received from the user's music playback device 10 are stored in the user area as information indicating the music currently being played back by the user. Further, the music identification information, the player identification information, and the album identification information received from the music reproduction device 10 of the user are accumulated, and the music having a large number of accumulations of these identification information indicates the music having a high reproduction frequency of the user. Is stored in the user area. In addition, when recommendation designation information is received for a specific music piece from the user's music playback device 10, the music piece information, the player identification information, and the album identification information of the music piece are used as information indicating the recommended music piece. It is stored in the user area of the storage unit 108.

  Based on the music identification information received from the music playback device 10, the playback information recording unit 114 indicates music identification information indicating the music data currently being played back on each user's terminal, and music data having a high playback frequency on each user's terminal. The music identification information and the information related to the music recommended and designated by each user are stored in the music information storage unit 108 in association with the user identification information of the user at the transmission source.

  The user identification information received from the music reproducing device 10 by the identification information receiving unit 104 is stored in the user list storage unit 112. When the identification information receiving unit 104 receives the user identification information of another user received as a registration request to the buddy list from the music playback device 10, the user identification information is associated with the requesting user as a buddy list. Records in the user list storage unit 112.

  Based on the music identification information received by the identification information receiving unit 104, the music specifying unit 106 includes a genre, a performer, or a recording destination album between the music information document of the music data corresponding to the identification information and the music data. Information on other common music data is extracted from the music information storage unit 108. The music identification unit 106 identifies the user identification information of the buddies recorded in the user list storage unit 112 corresponding to the user identification information received by the identification information receiving unit 104, and the music currently being played on the terminal of the buddy Data, music data whose number of reproductions on the terminal used by the buddy exceeds a predetermined number, information on music data recommended and designated by the buddy is identified from the music information storage unit 108, and the music information document is positioned as recommended music information Embedded in a predetermined area.

  The music identification unit 106 uses the music identification information, the player identification information, the album identification information received by the identification information receiving unit 104, useful information for each music, useful information for each player, and useful information for each recording album. Is extracted from the music information storage unit 108, and the extracted useful information is embedded in a predetermined area of the music information document. When a plurality of music information documents corresponding to or related to a certain music are specified from the music information storage unit 108, they may be integrated into one HTML file by the music specifying unit 106, or by the music specifying unit 106. May be selected at random.

  The document transmission unit 110 transmits the music information document extracted from the music information storage unit 108 by the music identification unit 106 to the music reproduction device 10 of the user who is the transmission source of the music identification information. In the music information document, useful information related to the music and information on recommended music are also embedded. As a result, texts and images related to the music data can be displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the music playback device 10 in an arrangement defined in the music information document.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows display contents on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the music reproducing device 10. On the liquid crystal screen 12, images and texts related to the music data being reproduced are arranged and displayed as defined in the music information document. In the image column 120, the image of the performer of the music data being reproduced and the jacket image of the album in which the music is recorded are displayed. The image data is specified as a hyperlink in the HTML file of the music information document. In the song name column 122, the song name of the song data being reproduced is displayed in text. In the performer name column 124, the performer name of the music data being reproduced is displayed in text. In the album name column 126, the album name of the album in which the music data being reproduced is recorded is displayed as text. In the performance time column 128, the performance time of the music data being played back is displayed as text, and the time display varies as playback progresses.

  In the useful information column 130, useful information related to the music data being reproduced is displayed in text. In the buddy list column 132, information related to each buddy that has been designated as a buddy in advance by the user of the music reproducing device 10 and registered in the buddy list is displayed. The buddy list column 132 includes a first buddy column 134, a second buddy column 136, and a third buddy column 138. In each buddy column, the name of the song being played by each buddy and the name of the song that the buddy often listens to, The buddy's recommended song name is displayed in text.

  As described above, texts and images related to the music being played are displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the music playback device 10, but the display form of these display items and arrangements is not constant, and each player plays music. Different display items and arrangements for each album are defined in the music information document. Thereby, unlike the conventional portable audio player in which the music titles are always displayed in a fixed arrangement, the user can enjoy not only auditorily but also visually. Further, music information can be transmitted with a free layout and free ideas for service providers and record companies that provide music information documents.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows a buddy list table. The buddy list 140 shown in the figure is stored in the user list storage unit 112. The buddy list 140 includes a user column 142 and a buddy column 144. The user column 142 stores user identification information of a user who registers a buddy, and the buddy column 144 responds to the user who instructs the buddy registration. The user identification information is stored.

  FIG. 5 shows the format of music identification information. The music identification information 150 includes a combination of performer identification information 152, album identification information 154, and music number 156. In the example of this figure, the first five digits “AAAAAA” is the player identification information 152, the next four digits “0001” is the album identification information 154, and the last two digits “01” is the song. Number 156. As described above, if a part of the music identification information 150 is extracted, the performer or album of the music can be specified, so that the correspondence can be easily managed. For example, in the case of extracting another piece of music in which the performer is common with the music indicated by the music identification information 150 of “AAAAAA000101”, the other music having the music identification information of “AAAAAA” in the first five digits is extracted. That's fine. For example, when extracting another song recorded in the same album as the song indicated by the song identification information 150 of “AAAAAA000101”, another song having the song identification information whose first 6-9 digits are “0001” is selected. Extract it.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram of a table storing the correspondence relationship between the music identification information and the music information document. The music information document table 170 shown in this figure is stored in the music information storage unit 108. The music information document table 170 includes a music field 172 and a music information document field 174. The music field 172 stores music identification information in the format shown in FIG. The music information document field 174 stores the file name of the music information document corresponding to the music identification information stored in the music field 172. The music information document mainly includes an HTML file and an image file.

  FIG. 7 is a table showing the correspondence between recommended songs for each user. The registered music table 160 shown in this figure is stored in the music information storage unit 108. The registered song table 160 includes a user column 162, a first registered song column 164, a second registered song column 166, and a third registered song column 168. User identification information is stored in the user column 162 for each user, and each recommended song corresponding to the user is stored in each of the first registered song column 164, the second registered song column 166, and the third registered song column 168. . The first registered music column 164 stores the music identification information of the music currently being reproduced for each user. The second registered music column 166 stores the music identification information of the music that is played back with high frequency for each user. The third registered music column 168 stores the music identification information of the music recommended and specified for each user. The music specified in the third registered music field 168 may be stored together with evaluation values of several stages by the user. The contents of the registered song table 160 are created for each user and updated as appropriate. The contents of the above registered song table 160 may be set to either public or private by the user. When set to private, the content is not embedded in the music information document to be displayed on the music playback device 10 of another user.

  As described above, the buddy list 140, the music information document table 170, and the registered music table 160 are created. When the identification information receiving unit 104 receives the user identification information and the music identification information from the music reproducing device 10, the music specifying unit 106 extracts the music information document corresponding to the received music identification information from the music information document table 170 and receives it. A buddy corresponding to the user identification information is extracted from the buddy list 140, and a recommended song corresponding to the user identification information of the buddy is extracted from the registered song table 160 and embedded in a predetermined area of the song information document. Thereby, the useful information of the text and the image related to the music being reproduced by the user can be visually displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the music reproducing device 10 during the reproduction of the music. The user can not only enjoy music, but also acquire the latest information and know recommended music of friends who have a high possibility of having a common taste. Other songs that are closely related to the music being played will also be introduced. Thereby, the liquid crystal screen 12 of the music playback device 10 can be effectively used not only as a display area for music titles but also as a display area for new music information that always matches the user's preference.

(Example 2)
In the present embodiment, information other than music data, for example, peripheral information such as recommendations and savings related to music and performers is stored in the server as music content, and these information is provided to the user who is playing the music. Music content as peripheral information of music is composed of text data and image data, and has value and usefulness along with the music itself. In this way, by providing visual information to a user who is playing music with a device such as a portable audio player, a playback environment different from conventional music playback can be provided. For example, even for music that the user listens to for the first time in several years, the latest information related to the music is sent from the server, so that the user can enjoy a new way to enjoy music, which is highly convenient.

  FIG. 8 shows a basic configuration of a music information distribution system according to the second embodiment. In the music information distribution system 1000 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of music playback devices 1010 and 1012 that are portable audio players, a music information distribution server 1018, a content server 1020, and a provider terminal 1022 are connected via the Internet 1016. Configured. The music playback device 1010 has a wireless communication function and is connected to the Internet 1016 via an access point 1014. The music player 1012 is connected to the Internet 1016 via the cradle 1013 when placed on a so-called cradle. In addition to the network communication function, the cradle 1013 may have, for example, a function of charging the music playback device 1012, a function of connecting to a computer to synchronize data, and a function of connecting to an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse. The network communication function may be a wireless communication function. Although the plurality of music playback devices 1010 and 1012 are shown as two portable audio players in the drawing for the sake of convenience, in practice, a large number of music playback devices can be connected simultaneously. Also, since the music playback device 1010 and the music playback device 1012 have the same functions except for the communication method for connecting to the music information distribution server 1018, the music playback device 1010 will be described below. Description is omitted.

[Portable audio player]
The music playback device 1010 incorporates a storage device such as a small hard disk or a large-capacity nonvolatile memory, and can store a large number of music data in the storage device. In addition, the music playback device 1010 includes a small liquid crystal panel. In addition to index information such as the name of the music being played, the name of the album, the name of the performer, and the performance time, the peripheral information related to the music is displayed on the liquid crystal panel. Is displayed as visual information. The contents of index information and peripheral information of music and the arrangement on the screen are defined in the music information document, and are downloaded from the music information distribution server 1018 to the music playback device 1010 when the music is played back.
The user of the music playback device 1010 can operate the music playback device 1010 to create a favorite music information document and store the music information document in the music information distribution server 1018. The music information document is a so-called extended playlist, which is an extension of a playlist formed by combining a plurality of songs according to the user's preference. A so-called play list in the past includes index information such as song names, album names, performer names, and performance times of a plurality of songs, and order information indicating the playback order of these songs. A playlist is created and referred to in a portable audio player or jukebox software on a computer in order to continuously play a plurality of songs in a favorite order. That is, when a user collects favorite songs, determines a favorite order, creates a playlist, and reproduces songs according to the playlist, the user can appreciate the favorite songs in the favorite order.
In this way, the usefulness of playlists is that each user can collect and enjoy only their favorite songs, not only by album units or performer units, but also by album units or performer units. is there. It is also useful when a playlist other than the creator refers to the playlist. In other words, referring to a playlist created by a person with similar preferences has the same effect as obtaining recommendation information by the playlist creator, and a new favorite song can be known through such recommendation. This is because the possibility is high.

[playlist]
In the music information document (hereinafter referred to as “expanded playlist”) in this embodiment, information such as text and images as peripheral information related to the music is added in addition to information as a conventional playlist. ing. The extended playlist is described in a document description language such as HTML or XHTML, and a visual expression method and arrangement of sentences and images are defined using tags defined in the document description language. The peripheral information added to the extended playlist is, for example, useful information about the music or the player or information on other related music, and the information is arranged in the form of sentences and images. It is described with information. Sentences and images related to the music are displayed in correspondence with the music in such a manner that an image "B" is displayed on the screen when the music "A" is played in the extended playlist. May be specified. In addition, when a song that is not stored in the song playback device 1010 is specified among a plurality of songs specified in the extended playlist, what kind of text or image is displayed on the screen at the playback timing of the song. It may be specified whether to display or how to operate.
Conventionally, computer programs that automatically acquire index information such as song title, album name, performer name, performance time, genre, etc. from a predetermined database server are known, but such information can be created by a third party. There is no necessary minimum information. The extended playlist in the present embodiment has room for creation by a third party in useful information related to music, images, visual arrangement, etc., and a wide variety of extended playlists can be considered. Therefore, the user can automatically acquire a wide variety of latest information that he / she is interested in through the music playback device, and the server management side can effectively distribute the various information to the user through the music playback device. Useful information related to a song includes information provided by the player or sales company of the song. Therefore, every time a user plays a song, the song or the player is not only for normal viewing. You can get the latest information about

[Download extended playlist]
The music information distribution server 1018 detects an operation such as the start of music playback in the music playback device 1010, and transmits an extended playlist to the music playback device 1010 at that timing. The operations in the music playback device 1010 detected by the music information distribution server 1018 are, for example, operations such as a user's playback start instruction, an extended playlist download instruction, an extended playlist update instruction, and an automatic update of the extended playlist. Such as operation. When these operations are performed, the music playback device 1010 transmits predetermined detection information to the music information distribution server 1018. When the music information distribution server 1018 that has received the detection information detects each operation based on the detection information, the music information distribution server 1018 transmits the corresponding extended playlist to the music playback device 1010 triggered by the detection. The detection information includes, for example, a user ID that is information for identifying a user, a playlist ID that is information for identifying a playlist, and a music ID that is information for identifying music. The song ID may be an ID that is unique among all the songs, or may be an ID that is given in the form of a song number in the extended playlist. The music information distribution server 1018 that has received the detection information from the music playback device 1010 specifies the extended playlist to be transmitted based on the user ID and the playlist ID included in the detection information, and the specified extended playlist. Is returned to the music playback device 1010. The music information distribution server 1018 records the music ID included in the detection information as a reproduction history in association with the user ID. Thereby, the information regarding the reproduction | regeneration frequency for every music is accumulate | stored. Similarly, the music information distribution server 1018 records the playlist ID included in the detection information as a reference history in association with the user ID. The reproduction history and the reference history are valuable information along with the music data and the peripheral information of the music, and the reproduction history or the reference history can be used for evaluation of the music and the extended playlist.
When music is played back when the music playback device 1010 is offline, the playback history and reference history are stored in the music playback device 1010. When the music playback device 1010 is online, the playback history and reference history stored up to that point are distributed. It is transmitted to the server 1018 and stored in the music information distribution server 1018.

[Expanded playlist community]
The extended playlist is shared by a plurality of users in the music information distribution server 1018 based on the permission of the user who is the creator. The user sets whether or not to release his own extended playlist stored in the music information distribution server 1018. The extended playlist set to be public can be downloaded from a user other than the user who created the playlist. Only the user who is the creator can download the extended playlist set as private. The music information distribution server 1018 records a reference history for an extended playlist downloaded by a user other than the creator, so that the higher the number of downloads, the higher the evaluation of the expanded playlist, or the user who is the creator The evaluation of can be made high. An extended playlist created by a user with a high evaluation may be further evaluated. Each user can create various extended playlists as if creating a homepage and publish them on the music information distribution server 1018.

[Information transmission through an extended playlist]
The extended playlist may be provided with an area in which a sentence or image of useful information related to music or a player included in the playlist is embedded. The text or image embedded in the area may be text or an image specified by the user who is the creator of the extended playlist, or may be text or an image provided by a music provider or a player. Good. When the provider of useful information updates the provided content, the latest information can be distributed to the user who downloads the extended playlist. In particular, music players and music providers can use an extended playlist as an advertising medium.
The content server 1020 stores music data for sale and useful information related to music. A music provider that sells music data or a music performer operates the provider terminal 1022 and transmits music data, useful information, and the like to the content server 1020 via the Internet 1016 to provide its own content. In FIG. 8, the content server 1020 and the music information distribution server 1018 are configured separately, but may be configured integrally.
When a user downloads and plays back an extended playlist created by another user, the user can download and purchase from the content server 1020 a song that the user does not own among the songs included in the extended playlist. .

[Create extended playlist]
The user can create an extended playlist by operating the music playback device 1010. The extended playlist may be created online or offline. When the extended playlist is created when online, the created extended playlist is stored in the music information distribution server 1018 as it is. The extended playlist created when the music playback device 1010 is offline is stored in the music playback device 1010 so far when the music playback device 1010 is online, that is, when connected to the music information distribution server 1018. One or more extended playlists are collectively transmitted to the music information distribution server 1018 and stored in the corresponding area of the user. Further, not only the expanded playlist newly created in the music playback device 1010 but also the extended playlist with updated contents are similarly transmitted to the music information distribution server 1018, and the music playback device 1010 and the music information distribution server are transmitted. The content of the extended playlist is synchronized with 1018.
As for the playlist ID, the music information distribution server 1018 generates a unique ID when an extended playlist is created online, and the music playback device 1010 generates an ID when an extended playlist is created offline. To do. When the music playback device 1010 generates a playlist ID, the ID is made unique among all users by generating a unique ID including a user ID as a part of the playlist ID.
The extended playlist is created in such a manner that the user selects one of a plurality of templates prepared in advance and the music information is embedded on the selected template. Therefore, the user can easily create a playlist even through a device such as the music playback device 1010 having relatively few buttons and the like. The plurality of templates may be stored in advance in the music playback device 1010, or may be stored in the music information distribution server 1018 and downloaded prior to creation of the extended playlist. In addition to text information, the extended playlist includes moving content such as animations and moving images that are played during performance. A template is a file like a mount in which text, title, pattern, color, layout, etc. are initially specified based on individual designs, and images and text are placed at the locations specified in the template as the mount. An extended playlist is formed by embedding. When the user does not select a template, the simplest template such as a blank sheet prepared as an initial setting is automatically specified.

[Semi-automatic creation of extended playlist]
An extended playlist can also be created by semi-automatic processing. When the user inputs a text as a generation condition, for example, “Natsu Shonan in Japan” and transmits it to the music information distribution server 1018, the music information distribution server 1018 uses useful information of a plurality of music stored in the content server 1020. Among the plurality of extended playlists stored in the music information distribution server 1018, useful information and extended playlists that approximate the generation conditions are extracted by vector search. Of the useful information or extended playlist that approximates the generation conditions, a predetermined number of pieces of useful information or extended playlists are presented to the user from the top. A new extended playlist is generated by combining the songs selected by the user in the order specified by the user among the presented songs. The visual configuration of this extended playlist is created in the usual way using a template.

[Sales of song data]
The user can send the extended playlist as a greeting card or gift to an e-mail address of any person designated by the user. The music data specified in the extended play list sent as a greeting card or gift is sold to the user who is the sender in principle, and the user is charged. However, if the recipient already owns some of the songs specified in the sent extended playlist, the sender may be charged only for the songs that he did not own. The purchase right for the number of songs already owned may be given to the sender or recipient, or the fee for the number of songs already owned may be refunded to the sender. If the user himself / herself wants to purchase the music data specified in the extended playlist, the user may be charged for the price of 1.5 people instead of the price of 2 people. Billing to the sender may be executed when the recipient refers to the sent extended playlist and plays the music.
In addition, if a plurality of songs specified in the sent extended playlist includes songs that are not owned by the recipient, it is a content holder for those song data depending on the recipient's purchase desire. A configuration may be used in which a billing process is performed from the music provider to the recipient. In that case, the configuration may be such that points or an intermediary fee are given from the music provider to the sender of the extended playlist upon purchase through the extended playlist.
In addition, when a plurality of songs specified in the sent extended playlist includes songs that are not owned by the recipient, the sender sends the recipient about the song data according to the recipient's purchase request. It may be configured to charge a fee. In that case, the music providing company charges the sender. The sender purchases a plurality of pieces of music for each music piece from a music provider, and purchases it as a so-called bulk purchase at a low price. The brokerage fee can be obtained by selling this to a plurality of people.
In addition, when a plurality of songs specified in the sent extended playlist includes songs that the recipient does not own, the recipient may be given a predetermined number of listening rights for the songs. . The recipient may be configured to be charged only when he / she wishes to purchase after a predetermined number of trials.
Alternatively, the music data may be sold at a discounted rate on the condition that a link to the site of the music provider is included in the extended playlist.

[Playlist keyword]
The extended playlist may be an aspect in which a list of a plurality of music pieces related to a keyword specified by the user is displayed. In that case, while one of the songs included in the list is played, one or more other keywords related to the song being played are displayed on the screen. When the user selects one of the keywords, a new list is created by newly extracting a plurality of songs related to the selected keyword, and the list of songs is switched when playback of the currently playing song ends. A new list of music starts playing. For example, when the user inputs the keyword “summer”, the music related to the keyword is extracted and displayed on the screen as a list, and one of the music starts to be played, and the new related keyword is displayed during the playback. The character string “Hawaii” is displayed on the screen. If the user selects “Hawaii”, another list of related songs related to “Hawaii” will be extracted and displayed on the screen. When the song starts playing, a new related keyword will be displayed. The character string “Ethnic music” is displayed on the screen. In this way, by displaying a new keyword each time a song is played, a new list can be created like a daisy chain while switching designated keywords, and various songs can be played.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. This embodiment is an exemplification, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to each component and combination of processing processes, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. Hereinafter, modifications will be described.

  In the first embodiment, the user's favorite music can be recommended and specified. However, in the modification, a playlist in which a plurality of favorite music is specified along with the order of the music is stored in the music information storage unit 108. You may keep it. In that case, a buddy playlist can also be displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12 of the music playback device 10 used by the user who has registered the playlist in the buddy list as a buddy.

  The music identification unit 106 is based on the music identification information received from the music playback device 10, other users who are playing the music, other users who frequently play the music, A user or the like may be extracted from the music information storage unit 108, transmitted to the music playback device 10 of the user who has transmitted the music identification information, and displayed on the liquid crystal screen 12. As a result, the user can extract other users who share his / her music preferences and can register them as buddies.

  The music reproducing apparatus 10 according to the first exemplary embodiment exemplifies a configuration in which the music information distribution server 100 is communicatively connected by wireless communication via the antenna 16. In the modification, when the music playback device 10 is placed on a charging stand called a cradle for charging or the like, the connection is automatically switched to the music information distribution server 100 through a wired network line connected to the cradle. You may have a means. As described above, it is possible to realize the efficiency of communication and the reduction of the communication fee by detecting whether or not the music reproducing device 10 is mounted on the mounting table and switching between wired and wireless according to the presence or absence of the mounting. . Furthermore, when switching to wired, the communication method between the music playback device 10 and the music information distribution server 100 may also be switched to increase the update frequency of the playback status of buddies registered in the buddy list.

  In the first embodiment, the music identification information is used as information for specifying the music data. However, in the modification, a part of the music data, information indicating the music notes, the waveform data of the music, and the like are used. The music data may be specified. For example, the music playback device 10 transmits a part of the waveform of the music to the music information distribution server 100, and the music information distribution server 100 specifies the music based on the waveform data and determines whether or not the music data has the right to play back. You may judge. In this case, even if the music identification information is unknown, a corresponding music information document can be obtained by only transmitting a part of the data to the music information distribution server 100.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of a music reproduction apparatus. It is a functional block diagram which shows the fundamental structure of a music reproduction apparatus and a music information delivery server. It is a figure which shows typically the display content on the liquid crystal screen of a music reproduction apparatus. It is a figure which shows the table of a buddy list typically. It is a figure which shows the format of music identification information. It is a figure of the table in which the correspondence of music identification information and a music information document was stored. It is a figure of the table which shows the correspondence of the recommendation music for every user. It is a figure which shows the basic composition of the music information delivery system in Example 2. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Music reproduction apparatus, 24 Display processing part, 26 Instruction reception part, 40 Music recognition part, 44 Identification information transmission part, 46 Music information reception part, 100 Music information distribution server, 104 Identification information reception part, 106 Music identification part, 108 Music information storage unit, 110 document transmission unit, 112 user list storage unit, 114 reproduction information recording unit, 150 music identification information, 152 player identification information, 154 album identification information.

Claims (8)

An instruction receiving unit for receiving an instruction to reproduce music data from a user;
A music recognizing unit that reads identification information necessary for specifying the music data for which the reproduction instruction has been made, from the music data;
An identification information transmission unit for transmitting the identification information to a predetermined server;
As a result of collation based on the identification information in the server, a music information document in which at least one of a sentence and an image related to the music data is embedded in a predetermined document description language using a hyperlink is received from the server. A music information receiving unit to receive;
A display processing unit that displays on the screen at least one of a sentence and an image related to the music data based on the music information document in an arrangement defined in the music information document;
A music playback device comprising: The music information receiving unit includes the music data specified by the identification information transmitted to the server and the music in which information of other music data in which at least one of the genre, the performer, and the recording destination album is common is embedded. Receiving an information document from the server;
2. The music according to claim 1, wherein the display processing unit displays information on the other music data received by the music information receiving unit as a recommended music on the screen in an arrangement defined in the music information document. Playback device. The music information receiving unit includes music data currently being played by another user specified in advance by the user, music data in which the number of times of playback by the other user exceeds a predetermined number, and music recommended by the other user Receiving the music information document in which information on at least one of the data is embedded;
The music playback device according to claim 1, wherein the display processing unit further displays music data information of the other user as a recommended music in an arrangement defined in the music information document. The instruction receiving unit receives a reproduction instruction of the music data from a user in any one of a music unit, a player unit, and an album unit,
The music recognizing unit reads music identification information for specifying the music data when there is a playback instruction for each music piece, and performs a performance for specifying the performer when there is a playback instruction for each music player. The user identification information, and when there is a playback instruction for each album, the album identification information for identifying the album is read,
4. The music reproduction according to claim 1, wherein the music information receiving unit receives a music information document related to at least one of music data, a performer, and an album from the server. 5. apparatus. A music information document in which at least one of a sentence and an image related to music data is embedded in a predetermined document description language using a hyperlink is associated with music identification information necessary for specifying the music data. A music information storage unit for storing
An identification information receiving unit that receives the music identification information of the music data from the terminal that is instructed to reproduce the music data by the user;
A music identification unit that extracts a music information document of music data corresponding to the identification information based on the received music identification information from the music information storage unit;
A document that causes the extracted music information document to be displayed on the screen of the terminal in an arrangement defined in the music information document by transmitting the extracted music information document to the user's terminal in an arrangement defined in the music information document. A transmission unit;
A music information distribution server comprising: The music information storage unit further stores at least one of the genre information, the player information, and the recording destination album information for each piece of music data in association with the music identification information of the music data,
The music specifying unit includes other music data in which any one of a genre, a performer, and a recording destination album is shared with the music data corresponding to the music identification information received by the identification information receiving unit. Extracted from the storage,
The said document transmission part transmits the said music information document in which the description regarding the arrangement | positioning on the screen of the information of the extracted said other music data and the information was stored to the said user's terminal, It is characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The music information distribution server according to 5. A user list storage unit for storing user identification information for identifying a user in association with user identification information of another user specified by the user;
Based on the music identification information transmitted from the user's terminal, at least of the music data currently being played on each user's terminal, the music data having a high playback frequency on each user's terminal, and the music data recommended by each user A reproduction information recording unit that stores information related to any of them in correspondence with the user identification information of the user at their transmission source,
The identification information receiving unit receives the user identification information of the user together with the music identification information,
The music specifying unit specifies the other user recorded corresponding to the user identification information, and the music data currently being played back on the terminal of the other user and the number of playbacks on the terminal of the other user are predetermined. Identifying information relating to at least one of music data exceeding the number and music data recommended and designated by the other user;
The document transmission unit includes music data currently being played on the other user's terminal, music data whose number of playbacks on the other user's terminal exceeds a predetermined number, and music data recommended and designated by the other user. 7. The music information distribution according to claim 5, wherein the music information document storing at least one of the information and a description of the arrangement of the information on the screen is transmitted to the user terminal. server. The music information storage unit is a music information document in which at least one of useful information for each music, useful information for each music player, and useful information for each album in which the music is recorded is embedded as information related to music data. Is stored in correspondence with at least one of the music identification information for specifying the music, the player identification information for specifying the music performer, and the album identification information for specifying the recording album of the music. ,
The identification information receiving unit receives music identification information when the reproduction instruction is made in units of music in the user terminal, and receives player identification information when the reproduction instruction is made in units of performers, When the reproduction instruction is made in units of albums, album identification information is received,
The music specifying unit is based on any one of the music identification information, the player identification information, and the album identification information received by the identification information receiving unit, useful information for each song, useful information for each player, and Extract any useful information for each recording album,
The document transmission unit includes at least one of the extracted useful information for each piece of music, useful information for each performer, and useful information for each recording destination album, and a description of the arrangement of the information on the screen. The music information distribution server according to claim 5, wherein the music information document stored is transmitted to the terminal of the user.

Images