JP3165543U - An electronic book that can make magazines a community - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an electronic book system which can make a magazine into a community and give a sense of unity to a plurality of users. Basically, it is possible to designate a content included in a page of a book, and to input a comment related to the content, thereby making it possible to make a magazine of an electronic book into a community, and to provide a plurality of users. Based on the finding that a sense of unity can be given to The electronic book system 13 includes a terminal 11 capable of displaying an electronic book, and an electronic book server 12 connected to the terminal 11 via a communication line. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic book system. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic book system that can make a magazine a community and give a plurality of users a sense of unity.

  JP 2007-156783 A discloses an electronic book system. This electronic book system can download an electronic book to a user's terminal and display the electronic book.

JP 2007-156783 A

  The electronic book system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-156783 can download an electronic book to a user terminal. However, this system is basically intended for letting users download electronic books, not for communication between users. As a result, this system is simply a book that can be viewed on an electronic medium.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic book system that can make a magazine a community and give a plurality of users a sense of unity.

  Basically, the present invention enables the content of a book page to be specified and allows the user to input a comment related to the content, thereby making the electronic book magazine a community and enabling multiple users. Based on the knowledge that can give a sense of unity.

  A first aspect of the present invention relates to an electronic book system. The electronic book system 13 includes a terminal 11 that can display an electronic book, and an electronic book server 12 connected to the terminal 11 via a communication line.

  The electronic book server 12 includes an electronic book storage unit 21, a reception unit 22 of the electronic book server, a read processing unit 23, an information update unit 24, and a transmission unit 25 of the electronic book server. The electronic book storage unit 21 stores a page (page) image of an electronic book, content included in the electronic book, a content allocation area, and a comment associated with the content. The receiving unit 22 of the electronic book server receives information transmitted from the terminal 11. The read processing unit 23 reads information on the electronic book stored in the electronic book storage unit 21 based on the information received by the receiving unit 22 of the electronic book server. The information update unit 24 updates the information stored in the electronic book storage unit 21 based on the information received by the reception unit 22 of the electronic book server. The transmission unit 25 of the electronic book server transmits information related to the electronic book including one or more contents read by the reading processing unit 23 to the terminal 11.

  The terminal includes a receiving unit 31 of the terminal, a display unit 32, a content specifying unit 33, an input unit 34 of the terminal, and a transmitting unit 35 of the terminal. The receiving unit 31 of the terminal receives information on the electronic book transmitted from the electronic book server 12. The information relating to the electronic book includes information relating to one or a plurality of contents. The display unit 32 displays information on the electronic book based on the information on the electronic book received by the receiving unit 31 of the terminal. The content designating unit 33 designates specific content included in an electronic book including one or more contents displayed on the display unit 32 by selecting a content allocation area. The input unit 34 of the terminal inputs instructions and comments regarding the content specified by the content specifying unit 33. The transmission unit 35 of the terminal transmits an instruction and comment regarding the content input by the input unit 34 of the terminal to the electronic book server 12.

  In the electronic book system of the present invention, the content allocation area is an area including an image of the content displayed on the display unit 32 of the terminal. In the present invention, since a content allocation area exists on a page displayed on the terminal, the user can specify the content using the area. Thereby, the user can freely input a comment related to the content. Furthermore, since the comment input by the user via the terminal is transmitted to the electronic book server 12 and stored in association with the content, comments input by various users can be browsed in association with the content.

  In a preferred aspect of the electronic book system of the present invention, the electronic book server 12 further includes an icon storage unit 41 for storing icons to be displayed on the terminal 11 and a comment presence / absence determination unit 42. The comment presence / absence determination unit 42 is an element for determining the presence / absence of a comment stored in association with the content included in the electronic book storage unit 21. When the comment presence / absence determination unit 42 determines that there is a comment related to the content displayed on the terminal 11, the transmission unit 25 of the electronic book server displays an icon related to the comment on the terminal 11. To send information.

  As a result, an icon is displayed on the terminal for a content that has a comment.

  In a preferred aspect of the electronic book system of the present invention, the electronic book storage unit 21 further stores the ID of the user who posted the comment, the time of posting the comment, and the number of times the comment has been viewed, in association with the comment. The electronic book server 12 stores an icon storage unit 41 that stores a plurality of types of icons to be displayed on the terminal 11, a user information storage unit 43 that stores user information including the user ID, and the user who posted the comment. And an icon determination unit 44 for determining an icon to be displayed on the terminal using the ID, the comment posting time, and the comment browsing count. Then, the transmission unit 25 of the electronic book server transmits information for displaying the icon determined by the icon determination unit 44 to the terminal 11 in association with the comment.

  Different icons can be displayed depending on the ID of the user who posted the comment, when the comment is posted, and the number of times the comment is viewed, so that the user can select an appropriate comment.

  A preferred embodiment of the electronic book system of the present invention is that the electronic book server 12 sweeps the page image capturing unit 51 that captures the page image of the book and the page image of the book captured by the page image capturing unit 51 and includes it in the page. Content area determination unit 52 that obtains area information of the content to be displayed.

  For example, the electronic book system of this aspect can automatically grasp the content area simply by scanning a paper-based book, and can use this as the content allocation area.

  In a preferred aspect of the electronic book system of the present invention, the terminal 11 further includes a camera 53 that captures an image, and the transmission unit 35 of the terminal transmits image data of a page of a certain book captured by the camera 53 to an electronic book server. 12 to send. Then, the electronic book server 12 receives the image data of the page transmitted by the terminal 11, reads information about the received page from the electronic book storage unit 21, and transmits the information to the terminal 11.

  For example, the electronic book system of this aspect can easily obtain a comment about the content contained in the magazine when the other person's opinion is concerned while reading the magazine on paper.

  In a preferred aspect of the electronic book system of the present invention, the content includes an image of clothes, and the electronic book server 12 stores a user information including a user ID and a user avatar. The apparatus further includes a clothing image generation unit 55 that creates an image of the avatar wearing clothes using the avatar and clothes images.

  If you don't consider the actual appearance and the combination of clothes, the appetite of the single item is different from the actual usefulness. However, according to the above aspect, it is possible to grasp the feeling that the user actually came and to evaluate the combination with other clothes and accessories. For this reason, it is possible to provide an electronic book system that is very interesting to users.

  In the electronic book system of the present invention, an allocation area is provided in the content, and the user can specify the content. Therefore, the magazine of the electronic book can be made a community, and a sense of unity can be given to a plurality of users.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an electronic book system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a certain page of a book. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a page image of an electronic book displayed on the terminal. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a mode in which comments stored in association with each content can be browsed. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state of processing in the content area determination unit 52. FIG. 5A shows an image before sweeping. FIG. 5B shows an example of the processed image after the sweep. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an embodiment (computer) of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an embodiment (game machine) of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention (a mobile phone with a computer graphic function). FIG. 9 is a photograph replacing a drawing showing an example in which a page image is displayed on a terminal for displaying an electronic book. FIG. 10 is a photograph replacing a drawing showing an example of a page image on which icons and comments are displayed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the form described below. The present invention includes modifications appropriately made within the scope obvious to those skilled in the art from the following embodiments. In addition, the present invention can appropriately adopt all configurations and operations related to the electronic book system at the time of filing.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an electronic book system of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an electronic book system 13 of the present invention includes a terminal 11 that can display an electronic book, and an electronic book server 12 connected to the terminal 11 via a communication line. Thereby, the terminal 11 and the electronic book server 12 can exchange data.

  An example of the terminal 11 is a portable electronic book called an electronic book. The terminal 11 may be a portable computer, a cellular phone, a portable game machine, or a PDA. The electronic book server 12 includes a computer constituting the server. The server 12 has an input / output unit, a control unit, a calculation unit, and a storage unit. These elements are connected by a bus or the like so that information can be exchanged. That is, when predetermined information is input from the input / output unit, the control unit reads a control program stored in the main memory of the storage unit. And a control part reads the data memorize | stored in the memory | storage part suitably according to the instruction | indication of the control program, and performs a predetermined calculation in a calculating part. Then, the calculation result is temporarily stored in the storage unit and output from the input / output unit. The terminal also has the same configuration as above.

  An electronic book server 12 shown in FIG. 1 includes an electronic book storage unit 21, a reception unit 22 of an electronic book server, a read processing unit 23, an information update unit 24, a transmission unit 25 of an electronic book server, and an icon storage. A section 41, a comment presence / absence determination section 42, a user information storage section 43, an icon determination section 44, a page image capture section 51, a content area determination section 52, and a clothing image generation section 55. The electronic book server 12 of the present invention may have any one of the above configurations. In addition, the electronic book server 12 of the present invention may include elements other than the configuration described above.

  The electronic book storage unit 21 is an element for storing a page image of an electronic book, content included in the electronic book, a content allocation area, and a comment related to the content. A database in the server functions as the electronic book storage unit 21. A preferred database is a relational database. A preferred database stores an electronic book, a page, a page image, content included in the electronic book, an allocation area of each content on the page, and a comment associated with the content in association with each other. The preferred electronic book storage unit 21 further stores the ID of the user who posted the comment, the time of posting the comment, and the number of times the comment has been viewed, in association with the comment.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a page of a book. This page contains photos of multiple clothes as content. In the example of FIG. 2, a description of the clothing is written in text in association with a picture of the clothing that is the content.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a page image of an electronic book displayed on the terminal. This example is based on the page shown in FIG. The page image may be an image obtained by scanning a paper medium. The page image may be originally electronically drawn. In the present invention, the page image is preferably a scanned paper medium. As shown in FIG. 3, a photograph (image) showing each product on this page exists as content. That is, this page includes a plurality of contents 61. Although not normally displayed on the terminal, a content allocation area 62 is allocated to each content as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, this allocation area 62 preferably does not overlap with other content allocation areas 62.

  FIG. 4 shows a display example of a mode in which comments stored in association with each content can be browsed. In FIG. 4, an icon 64 is displayed on the content image for the content in which the comment is stored. The type and color of the icon 64 may be different in relation to a comment or the like. When a specific icon 64 is selected, a comment 65 stored in association with the icon is displayed. An example of a comment related to the content is Twitter (registered trademark).

  The receiving unit 22 of the electronic book server is an element for receiving information transmitted from the terminal 11. Usually a server is equipped with a transceiver. For this reason, a well-known thing can be used suitably for the receiving part 22 of the electronic book server of this invention.

  The reading processing unit 23 is an element for reading information on the electronic book stored in the electronic book storage unit 21 based on the information received by the receiving unit 22 of the electronic book server. For example, the electronic book server 12 receives information indicating that an icon 64 has been selected from the terminal 11. Then, the electronic book server 12 reads the comment 65 stored in association with the icon 64 from the electronic book storage unit 21 and transmits it to the terminal 11. Then, the display unit of the terminal 11 displays the comment 65 in association with the icon 64.

  The information update unit 24 is an element for updating the information stored in the electronic book storage unit 21 based on the information received by the reception unit 22 of the electronic book server. For example, it is assumed that a user displays a page of an electronic book on the terminal 11 and inputs a comment specifying a certain content. Then, the terminal 11 transmits the designated content and the input comment to the electronic book server. Then, the information update unit 24 stores the received comment in association with the designated content. At this time, it is preferable that the ID of the content provider is also stored. Since the information update unit 24 exists, comments from the user are accumulated.

  The transmission unit 25 of the electronic book server is an element for transmitting information related to the electronic book including one or more contents read by the reading processing unit 23 to the terminal 11.

  The icon storage unit 41 is an element for storing icons to be displayed on the terminal 11. The icon storage unit 41 preferably stores a plurality of types of icons to be displayed on the terminal 11. Note that the terminal 11 stores information related to the icon image, and the icon storage unit 41 may store an ID of an icon stored in the terminal 11.

  The comment presence / absence determination unit 42 is an element for determining the presence / absence of a comment stored in association with the content included in the electronic book storage unit 21. When the comment presence / absence determination unit 42 determines that there is a comment related to the content displayed on the terminal 11, the transmission unit 25 of the electronic book server displays an icon related to the comment on the terminal 11. Send information. Then, an icon 64 is displayed on the image of the content 61 as shown in FIG.

  The user information storage unit 43 is an element for storing user information including the user ID. The user information storage unit 43 preferably stores user information including the user ID and the user avatar. When the electronic book server is connected to the terminal 11, the electronic book server acquires the ID of the user associated with the terminal 11. Since the user information storage unit 43 stores the user ID, it is possible to perform arithmetic processing according to the user ID. In addition, when the electronic book server 12 receives a comment from the terminal 11, it can change the type and color of the icon displayed in association with the comment by storing the comment in association with the user ID. it can. For example, when the user's ID is a commercial ID (for example, an ID beginning with 5), an icon picture can be used as an abacus picture.

  The icon determination unit 44 is an element for determining an icon to be displayed on the terminal using the ID of the user who posted the comment, the comment posting time, and the comment browsing count.

  The transmission unit 25 of the electronic book server transmits information for displaying the icon determined by the icon determination unit 44 to the terminal 11 in association with the comment. Then, the terminal 11 can display the comment 65 in association with the icon 64 as shown in FIG.

  The page image capturing unit 51 is an element for capturing a page image of a book. The electronic book server 12 should just be connected with the scanner or the imaging | photography part, for example.

  The content region determination unit 52 is an element for obtaining the region information of the content included in the page by sweeping the page image of the book captured by the page image capturing unit 51. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state of processing in the content area determination unit 52. FIG. 5A shows an image before sweeping. FIG. 5B shows an example of the processed image after the sweep.

  The clothing image generation unit 55 is an element for creating an image in which an avatar wears clothes using an image of the user's avatar and clothes.

  The terminal shown in FIG. 1 includes a terminal reception unit 31, a display unit 32, a content designation unit 33, a terminal input unit 34, a terminal transmission unit 35, and a camera 53.

  The receiving unit 31 of the terminal is an element for receiving information related to an electronic book including one or more contents transmitted from the electronic book server 12.

  The display unit 32 is an element for displaying information about the electronic book based on the information about the electronic book received by the receiving unit 31 of the terminal.

  The content designating unit 33 is an element for designating specific content included in an electronic book including one or more contents displayed on the display unit 32 by selecting a content allocation area. The terminal 11 has an input device such as a cross key. For example, an instruction icon exists on the display unit. The instruction icon moves on the display unit in response to an input from the cross key. When the instruction icon is moved with the cross key and the selection information is input in a state where the instruction icon is located in an allocation area of a certain content, the content is designated.

  The input unit 34 of the terminal is an element for inputting an instruction and a comment regarding the content specified by the content specifying unit 33. The display unit 32 may be a touch panel, and the display unit may also be a part of the input unit 34. In this case, the content can be easily specified by designating an image related to the displayed content.

  The terminal transmission unit 35 is an element for transmitting instructions and comments regarding the content input by the terminal input unit 34 to the electronic book server 12.

  The camera 53 is an element for taking an image. A camera or a photographing unit provided in a portable terminal is already known. Therefore, in the present invention, a known camera can be adopted as appropriate.

  Next, an operation example of the electronic book of the present invention will be described.

Creation of electronic book data For example, a server operator presses a page with a book on the imaging section of a scanner. Then, the scanner is driven. Then, the imaging unit of the scanner scans a certain page of the book and obtains a page image of the book. Then, the page image of the book obtained by the scanner is transmitted to the electronic book server, and the page image capturing unit 51 stores the received page image of the book in the electronic book storage unit 21. At this time, the server operator may input information about the page taken into the server, and the electronic book storage unit 21 may store the input information. Examples of information about the captured page are the title, number of pages, and genre of the book that contains the page.

  For example, it is assumed that the page image of the book captured by the page image capturing unit 51 includes a portion shown in FIG. In this case, the content area determination unit 52 sweeps (scans) the image for each row (or for each column). For example, average color information is obtained for each pixel. A book includes a background, a content image, and text. The background portion is usually the color used for the end portion or the like, or is a white background. In addition, there is usually a part where the background can be seen in the part where the text exists. Therefore, when the image is swept and a color different from the background color continues for a predetermined pixel or more, that portion may be recognized as a region where the content image exists. On the other hand, the text portion may also be recognized by using a function in known OCR software. Then, the electronic book server 12 performs an operation for determining a content allocation area. For example, since the electronic book server 12 knows the position where the image related to the content exists, the area where the image exists may be set as the content allocation area. Furthermore, the electronic book server 12 knows the position of the content and the position of the text. Some users may not be able to specify the content image accurately. On the other hand, the text part may be linked. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, the electronic book server 12 is assigned an area including an image (or photo) indicating the content and not including a text portion for each content. Arithmetic processing may be performed so as to be an area. By doing so, it is possible to instruct the content while making use of the links attached to the characters.

A user browses an electronic book. A user of the terminal 11 takes a picture of a page with a book with the camera 53. Then, the transmission unit 35 of the terminal transmits image data of a page of a certain book photographed by the camera 53 to the electronic book server 12. Then, the electronic book server 12 receives the image data of the page transmitted by the terminal 11. The electronic book server 12 analyzes the received image data and determines which page is stored in the electronic book storage unit 21. At this time, the content included in the received page is recognized by performing the same process as the creation of the electronic book data described above, and stored in the electronic book storage unit 21 using information on the type of content and the display area of the content. You may perform matching with a page. At this time, page matching may be performed using information on the types and positional relationships of a plurality of contents. And the electronic book server 12 reads the information regarding the received page from the electronic book memory | storage part 21 using the information regarding the matched page. The information related to this page includes information for causing the terminal 11 to display a certain page of the electronic book. This information may include icons and comments. This information may further include information related to the content allocation area.

  When the terminal 11 accesses the electronic book server 12, the electronic book server 12 may transmit information for displaying a screen related to the electronic book. In addition, after the terminal 11 accesses the electronic book server 12, you may make it input a user's ID suitably. Then, since the electronic book server 12 stores information related to the user in association with the user ID, various services can be provided. The information displayed on the terminal 11 may include, for example, titles of a plurality of electronic books. Information indicating that the terminal 11 has selected an electronic book is transmitted to the electronic book server 12. Then, the electronic book server 12 transmits data relating to the cover image and table of contents of the selected electronic book. The terminal 11 that has received these data can display the cover and table of contents information of the selected electronic book on the display unit.

  When the user decides to purchase an electronic book, purchase information is input to the terminal 11 from the input device of the terminal 11. Then, the terminal 11 transmits purchase information to the electronic book server 12. Upon receiving the purchase information, the electronic book server 12 stores that the electronic book has been purchased in association with the user ID. When there is a request for browsing the electronic book from the terminal 11 using the user ID, information for displaying the electronic book is transmitted to the terminal 11.

  When the user's terminal 11 selects a certain page, the electronic book server 12 that has received the information from the electronic book storage unit 21 reads the page image of the book, the content included in the electronic book, and the content allocation area. , And a comment associated with the content is read out and transmitted to the terminal 11. At this time, if there is a comment regarding the content included in the page, the electronic book server 12 selects an icon as appropriate, and also displays information about the icon so as to be displayed superimposed on the content. Send to.

  The terminal 11 that has received information from the electronic book server 12 displays information about a certain page on the display unit. In this way, the user can browse the electronic book.

The user inputs a comment to the electronic book. As described above, an image relating to a certain page of the book on the display unit of the terminal 11 is displayed. This image includes one or more contents. Although not displayed on the display unit, an area is assigned to each content. For example, when the display unit is a touch panel, touching an image of a content of interest (for example, clothes) instructs the content. When content is instructed, a comment input field such as Twitter (registered trademark) is displayed on the display unit. Then, the user enters characters into the comment input field via the input unit. Then, a comment related to a certain content is input to the terminal 11. When the user decides to transmit the content, the user selects a transmission button displayed on the display unit. Then, the terminal 11 receives a transmission instruction. Then, the terminal 11 transmits a comment to the electronic book server 12 together with the user ID and information regarding a certain content. This comment may be forwarded to the Twitter (registered trademark) site as a tweet on Twitter (registered trademark).

  In the above description, Twitter (registered trademark) is taken as an example. However, in order to input a comment, a known system can be used as appropriate. Other examples of comment input are Evernote (registered trademark) and Facebook (registered trademark).

Update of Electronic Book Data The electronic book server 12 receives a comment together with the user ID and information related to a certain content (content identification information) transmitted from the terminal 11. Then, the electronic book server 12 stores the received comment in the electronic book storage unit 21 and updates the electronic book data. At this time, the comment and the ID of the user who provided the comment are also stored in association with the identification information of a certain content. Note that the electronic book storage unit 21 preferably updates the number of times the comment is viewed.

Icon Adjustment The terminal 11 in which the system of the present invention is installed is a mode in which content is displayed on the display unit of the terminal 11, and when there is a comment regarding the content, some icon is displayed on the display unit. Can be selected. When this mode is selected, a certain page of the electronic book is displayed on the display unit, and an icon is displayed superimposed on the content image. The icon may be displayed only when there is a comment related to the content.

  Further, the type or color of the displayed content may change based on the user ID. For example, when the content posted on the electronic book is an individual user, pictograms may be displayed as icons. By using pictograms as icons indicating individuals, access to pictogram providing sites can be increased. Moreover, since a specific pictogram will be displayed only to the friend who has downloaded the specific pictogram, it can be displayed that it is the comment which the friend posted.

  For example, when the amount of comments stored in association with a certain content is greater than or equal to a threshold value, it is difficult to display the content on the terminal instead of displaying icons related to all comments. Therefore, a threshold value is stored in the storage unit, and the number of comments stored in association with a certain content is compared. When the number of comments stored in association with a certain content exceeds a threshold value, processing for reducing icon display is performed. For example, the user information storage unit 43 stores a user evaluation rank in association with the user ID. Then, comments from users with a low evaluation are deleted until the number of comments falls below the threshold. In addition, the electronic book server has a clock that measures the current time. Then, the current time is compared with the comment posting time, and processing is performed so as not to display icons from the oldest to a predetermined number. Further, the number of times the comment has been viewed is stored, and processing is performed so that the icon is not displayed for a comment having a low number of times viewed. By doing in this way, even if a plurality of comments are gathered, only icons related to comments that are of high interest to the user can be displayed on the terminal 11.

The avatar display The user information storage unit 43 includes the user ID and the user avatar. The user information storage unit 43 may store a user's face photo or face image. Further, the user information storage unit 43 is any one of the user's gender, height, body shape, three size, weight, caricature, photograph of clothes owned, clothes image, clothes image already purchased, and accessory image. The above may be stored. And the clothing image generation part 55 reads a user's avatar information from the user information storage part 43 using a user's ID. And it processes so that a user may wear the clothes designated as contents. This processing may be performed, for example, by partially expanding or reducing the image according to the body shape. Then, for example, the clothing image generation unit 55 generates an image showing a state in which the user wears the designated clothing. Then, the obtained image is transmitted to the terminal 11. Then, for example, the avatar wearing the content 61 is displayed so as to be superimposed on the content 61.

[Computer configuration]
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an embodiment (computer) of the present invention. This embodiment relates to a computer based on computer graphics (such as a graphic computer). As shown in FIG. 6, the computer 101 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 102, a geometry calculation unit such as a geometry calculation circuit 103, a rendering unit such as a renderer 104, a texture generation unit such as a texture generation circuit 105, and an illumination processing circuit. An illumination processing unit such as 107, a display information creation unit such as a display circuit 108, a frame buffer 109, and a monitor 110 are provided. These elements are connected by a bus or the like and can transmit data to each other. In addition, a storage unit including a main memory (not shown), various tables, a work memory 111 serving as a work area, a texture memory 112 storing textures, and the like may be included. The hardware constituting each unit is connected via a bus, for example. The storage unit may be configured by a RAM such as a VRAM, a CR-ROM, a DVD, a hard disk, or the like.

  A central processing unit (CPU) 102 is a device for controlling a program or the like for generating an image. The work memory 111 may store data used by the CPU 102, a display list, and the like. Then, the CPU 102 may read a program or the like stored in the main memory and perform a predetermined process. However, the predetermined processing may be performed only by hardware processing. For example, the CPU 102 reads polygon data as world coordinate three-dimensional object data from the work memory 111 and outputs the polygon data to the geometry calculation circuit 103. Specifically, a processor having a main processor, a coprocessor, a data processor, four arithmetic operation circuits, a general-purpose operation circuit, or the like as appropriate. These are connected by a bus or the like so that signals can be exchanged. In addition, a data expansion processor for expanding compressed information may be provided.

  The geometry calculation circuit 103 is a circuit for performing coordinate conversion or the like on the input polygon data to data in a viewpoint coordinate system with the viewpoint as the origin. The geometry calculation circuit 103 outputs the processed polygon data to the renderer 104. Specific geometry operation circuits include a geometry processor, coprocessor, data processor, four arithmetic operation circuit, or general-purpose operation circuit connected to the main processor through a bus.

  The renderer 104 is a circuit or device for converting polygon unit data into pixel unit data. The renderer 104 outputs data in units of pixels to the texture generation circuit 105. Specific examples of the renderer 104 include a data processor, four arithmetic operation circuits, or a general-purpose arithmetic circuit connected to the main processor through a bus.

  The texture generation circuit 105 is a circuit for generating a texture color in units of pixels based on the texture data stored in the texture memory 112. The texture generation circuit 105 outputs pixel unit data having texture color information to the illumination processing circuit 107. Specific examples of the texture generation circuit 105 include a data processor connected to the main processor through a bus, a four arithmetic operation circuit, or a general-purpose operation circuit.

  The illumination processing circuit 107 is a circuit for performing shading on a polygon having texture color information using a normal vector, a barycentric coordinate, and the like in pixel units. The illumination processing circuit 107 outputs the shaded image data to the display circuit 108. Specific examples of the illumination processing circuit 107 include a data processor connected to the main processor through a bus, a four arithmetic operation circuit, or a general-purpose operation circuit. Then, information relating to light may be appropriately read out from a table stored in the memory and the like to perform shading.

  The display circuit 108 is a circuit for writing the image data input from the illumination processing circuit 107 to the frame buffer 109, reading the image data written in the frame buffer 109, and controlling it to obtain display image information. The display circuit 108 outputs the display image information to the monitor 110. Specific examples of the display circuit include a drawing processor, a data processor, four arithmetic operation circuits, and a general-purpose operation circuit connected to the main processor through a bus.

  The monitor 110 is a device for displaying a computer graphics image in accordance with input display image information.

  Since the computer according to the present invention includes the image generation device according to the present invention as a renderer, a texture generation circuit, and a display device, the scale of hardware can be reduced by sharing the circuit elements in these devices. In addition, by applying the geometry part to 2D vector images, it is possible to perform geometry conversion on 2D vector images, and shape transformation and scaling by matrix operations can be performed on vector images without adding dedicated hardware or software operations. Can be done. In addition, 2D and 3D display commands that have been treated as separate objects can be handled in a unified manner, and the composition of these 2D / 3D images can be performed at the same time. The situation which becomes complicated can be prevented effectively.

[Computer operation]
Hereinafter, an operation example of generating an image using a computer will be described. The CPU 102 reads polygon data from the work memory 111 and outputs the polygon data to the geometry calculation circuit 103. The geometry calculation circuit 103 performs processing such as coordinate conversion of the input polygon data into data of a viewpoint coordinate system with the viewpoint as the origin. The geometry calculation circuit 103 outputs the processed polygon data to the renderer 104. The renderer 104 converts polygon unit data into pixel unit data. The renderer 104 and the texture generation circuit 105 generate a texture color in units of pixels based on the texture data stored in the texture memory 112. The texture generation circuit 105 outputs pixel unit data having texture color information to the illumination processing circuit 107. The illumination processing circuit 107 shades a polygon having texture color information using a normal vector, barycentric coordinates, etc. in pixel units. The illumination processing circuit 107 outputs the shaded image data to the display circuit 108. The display circuit 108 writes the image data input from the illumination processing circuit 107 into the frame buffer 109, reads out the image data written into the frame buffer 109, and obtains display image information. At the same time, 2D / 3D synthesis processing can be performed by using information such as an edge buffer. The display circuit 108 outputs the display image information to the monitor 110. The monitor 110 displays a computer graphics image according to the input display image information.

  Since the computer according to the present invention includes the image generation device according to the present invention as a renderer, a texture generation circuit, and a display device, the scale of hardware can be reduced by sharing the circuit elements in these devices. In addition, by applying the geometry part to 2D vector images, it is possible to perform geometry conversion on 2D vector images, and shape transformation and scaling by matrix operations can be performed on vector images without adding dedicated hardware or software operations. Can be done. In addition, 2D / vector and 3D display commands that have been handled as separate objects can be handled in a unified manner, and the 2D / 3D and vector images can be combined simultaneously. Therefore, it is possible to effectively prevent the system from becoming complicated.

[Game console configuration]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an embodiment (game machine) of the present invention. The embodiment represented by this block diagram can be suitably used particularly as a portable, home or business game machine. Therefore, in the following, it will be described as a game machine. Note that the game machine shown in the figure may include at least the processing unit 200 (or may include the processing unit 200 and the storage unit 270, or the processing unit 200, the storage unit 270, and the information storage medium 280). These blocks (for example, the operation unit 260, the display unit 290, the sound output unit 292, the portable information storage device 294, and the communication unit 296) can be arbitrary constituent elements.

  The processing unit 200 performs various processes such as control of the entire system, instruction instruction to each block in the system, game processing, image processing, and sound processing. The function of the processing unit 200 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.) or ASIC (gate array, etc.) and a given program (game program).

  The operation unit 260 is for the player to input operation data. The function of the operation unit 260 can be realized by, for example, a controller including a lever, a button, an outer frame, and hardware. In particular, in the case of a portable game machine, the operation unit 260 may be formed integrally with the game machine body. Processing information from the controller is transmitted to the main processor via a serial interface (I / F) or bus.

  The storage unit 270 is a work area such as the processing unit 200 or the communication unit 296. In addition, programs and various tables may be stored. The storage unit 270 may include, for example, a main memory 272, a frame buffer 274, and a texture storage unit 276, and may also store various tables. The function of the storage unit 270 can be realized by hardware such as ROM and RAM. Examples of the RAM include VRAM, DRAM, and SRAM, and may be appropriately selected depending on the application. A VRAM or the like constituting the frame buffer 274 is used as a work area for various processors.

  An information storage medium (storage medium usable by a computer) 280 stores information such as programs and data. The information storage medium 280 can be sold as a so-called game cassette. The function of the information storage medium 280 can be realized by hardware such as an optical disk (CD, DVD), a magneto-optical disk (MO), a magnetic disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or a memory (ROM). The processing unit 200 performs various processes based on information stored in the information storage medium 280. The information storage medium 280 stores information (program or program and data) for executing means of the present invention (this embodiment) (particularly, blocks included in the processing unit 200). Note that the information storage medium 280 is not necessarily required when information such as programs and data is stored in the storage unit. Part or all of the information stored in the information storage medium 280 is transferred to the storage unit 270 when the system is powered on, for example. In addition, as information stored in the information storage medium 280, program code for performing predetermined processing, image data, sound data, display object shape data, table data, list data, and instructions for instructing the processing of the present invention Information including at least two of information, information for processing according to the instruction, and the like.

  The display unit 290 outputs an image generated according to the present embodiment, and functions thereof are CRT (CRT), LCD (Liquid Crystal), OEL (Organic Electroluminescent Device), PDP (Plasma Display Panel), or HMD. It can be realized by hardware such as (head mounted display).

  The sound output unit 292 outputs sound. The function of the sound output unit 292 can be realized by hardware such as a speaker. The sound output is processed by a sound processor connected to the main processor or the like via a bus, for example, and output from a sound output unit such as a speaker.

  The portable information storage device 294 stores player personal data, save data, and the like. Examples of the portable information storage device 294 include a memory card and a portable game device. The functions of the portable information storage device 294 can be achieved by known storage means such as a memory card, flash memory, hard disk, and USB memory.

  The communication unit 296 is an arbitrary unit that performs various controls for communicating with the outside (for example, a host device or other image generation system). The function of the communication unit 296 can be realized by various processors, hardware such as a communication ASIC, a program, or the like.

  The program or data for executing the game machine may be distributed from the information storage medium included in the host device (server) to the information storage medium 280 via the network and the communication unit 296.

  Examples of the processing unit 200 include a game processing unit 220, an image processing unit 230, and a sound processing unit 250. Specifically, a main processor, a coprocessor, a geometry processor, a drawing processor, a data processor, four arithmetic circuits, a general-purpose arithmetic circuit, and the like can be given. These are appropriately connected by a bus or the like so that signals can be exchanged. In addition, a data expansion processor for expanding compressed information may be provided.

  Here, the game processing unit 220 accepts coins (price), sets various modes, progresses the game, sets a selection screen, and positions and rotation angles of objects (rotation angles around the X, Y, or Z axes). , Processing to move the object (motion processing), processing to determine the position of the viewpoint (virtual camera position) and line-of-sight angle (virtual camera rotation angle), processing to place objects such as map objects in the object space, Operation data from the operation unit 260 includes various game processes such as a hit check process, a process for calculating game results (results, results), a process for a plurality of players to play in a common game space, or a game over process. Or based on personal data, stored data, game programs, etc. from the portable information storage device 294.

  The image processing unit 230 performs various types of image processing in accordance with instructions from the game processing unit 220 and the like. The sound processing unit 250 performs various types of sound processing in accordance with instructions from the game processing unit 220.

  All of the functions of the game processing unit 220, the image processing unit 230, and the sound processing unit 250 may be realized by hardware, or all of them may be realized by a program. Alternatively, it may be realized by both hardware and a program. The image processing unit 230 includes one including a geometry calculation unit 232 (three-dimensional coordinate calculation unit) and a drawing unit 240 (rendering unit).

  The geometry calculation unit 232 performs various geometry calculations (three-dimensional coordinate calculation) such as coordinate conversion, clipping processing, perspective conversion, or light source calculation. Then, the object data (after the perspective transformation) after the geometry processing (object vertex coordinates, vertex texture coordinates, luminance data, or the like) is stored in the main memory 272 of the storage unit 270 and saved, for example.

  The drawing unit 240 draws the object in the frame buffer 274 based on the object data after the geometry calculation (after perspective transformation) and the texture stored in the texture storage unit 276.

  Examples of the drawing unit 240 include a texture mapping unit 242 and a shading processing unit 244. Specifically, it can be implemented by a drawing processor. The drawing processor is connected to a texture storage unit, various tables, a frame buffer, a VRAM, and the like via a bus and further connected to a display.

  The texture mapping unit 242 reads the environment texture from the texture storage unit 276, and maps the read environment texture to the object.

  The shading processing unit 244 performs shading processing on the object. For example, the geometry processing unit 232 performs light source calculation, and obtains the luminance (RGB) of each vertex of the object based on the light source information for shading processing, the illumination model, the normal vector of each vertex of the object, and the like. Based on the luminance of each vertex, the shading processing unit 244 obtains the luminance of each dot on the primitive surface (polygon, curved surface) by, for example, phone shading or goo shading.

  An example of the geometry calculation unit 232 includes a normal vector processing unit 234. The normal vector processing unit 234 may perform a process of rotating the normal vector of each vertex of the object (in a broad sense, the normal vector of the object surface) with a rotation matrix from the local coordinate system to the world coordinate system. .

  The game machine of the present invention includes the image generating device of the present invention in the image processing unit. As a result, the circuit elements can be shared, and the control destination from the game processing unit 220 can be unified with respect to the image processing. By combining the processing unit for vector, 2D, and 3D image processing into one, it is possible to System control can be avoided and the complexity of the system can be reduced. If the configuration of the game machine is used as appropriate, it is possible to obtain a device that can also function as an image display device in a slot machine, a pachinko gaming machine, or the like.

[Basic operation of game console]
When the system is turned on, part or all of the information stored in the information storage medium 280 is transferred to the storage unit 270, for example. A game processing program is stored in, for example, the main memory 272, and various data is stored in the texture storage unit 276, a table (not shown), or the like.

  Operation information from the operation unit 260 is transmitted to the processing unit 200 via, for example, a serial interface or a bus (not shown), and sound processing and various image processing are performed. The sound information processed by the sound processing unit 250 is transmitted to the sound output unit 292 via the bus and released as sound. Also, save information stored in a portable information storage device 194 such as a memory card is transmitted to the processing unit 200 via a serial interface or bus (not shown), and predetermined data is read from the storage unit 170.

  The image processing unit 230 performs various image processing in accordance with instructions from the game processing unit 220 and the like. Specifically, the geometry calculation unit 232 performs various geometry calculations (three-dimensional coordinate calculation) such as coordinate conversion, clipping processing, perspective conversion, or light source calculation. Then, the object data (after the perspective transformation) after the geometry processing (object vertex coordinates, vertex texture coordinates, luminance data, etc.) is stored in the main memory 272 of the storage unit 270 and saved, for example. Next, the drawing unit 240 draws the object in the frame buffer 274 based on the object data after the geometry calculation (after perspective transformation) and the texture stored in the texture storage unit 276.

  The information stored in the frame buffer 274 is transmitted to the display unit 290 via the bus and drawn. In this way, it functions as a game machine having computer graphics.

  Since the game machine of the present invention has the image generation device of the present invention in the image processing unit, the hardware scale can be reduced by sharing circuit elements and the like, and the vector, 2D, and 3D image processing unit is unified. As a result, it is possible to reduce the wasteful hardware / control processing by preventing the system from becoming complicated. As described above, since development / manufacturing costs and power consumption can be reduced, the present invention is particularly suitable for portable game machines and the like.

[Configuration of mobile phone]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention (a mobile phone with a computer graphic function). The embodiment shown in this block diagram can be suitably used particularly as a mobile phone with a three-dimensional computer graphic function, particularly as a mobile phone with a game function or a mobile phone with a navigation function.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the mobile phone includes a control unit 221, a memory unit 222 that stores a program and image data for the control unit 221, and serves as a work area such as a control unit and a communication unit, and a wireless A wireless communication function unit 223 for communication, an imaging unit 224 such as a CCD camera that captures still images and moving images and converts them into digital signals, and an LCD display for displaying images and characters Unit 225, operation unit 226 including numeric keys and various function keys, voice input unit 227 such as a microphone for voice calls, voice output unit 228 for outputting sounds such as a receiver and a speaker, and the mobile phone A battery 229 for operating the terminal and a power supply unit 230 that stabilizes the battery 229 and distributes the battery 229 to each functional unit are included.

The control unit 201 performs various processing such as control of the entire mobile phone system, instruction instruction to each block in the system, game processing, image processing, and sound processing. The function of the control unit 221 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.) or ASIC (gate array, etc.), or a given program (game program).

  More specifically, the control unit includes an image processing unit (not shown), and the image processing unit includes a geometry calculation unit such as a geometry calculation circuit and a drawing unit (renderer). Furthermore, a texture generation circuit, an illumination processing circuit, or a display circuit may be provided. Furthermore, the drawing processing circuit in the computer or game machine described above may be provided as appropriate.

  Since the mobile phone of the present invention includes the image generation device of the present invention as a geometry calculation unit and a drawing unit included in the control unit, the hardware scale can be reduced by sharing circuit elements and the like. By unifying the 3D image processing unit, it is possible to prevent a situation where the system is complicated, thereby reducing unnecessary hardware / control processing. As described above, since development / manufacturing costs and power consumption can be reduced, the present invention is suitably used for small-sized telephones such as mobile phones.

[Operation example of mobile phone]
First, the voice communication operation will be described. For example, voice input to the voice input unit 227 is converted into digital information by the interface, subjected to predetermined processing by the control unit 221, and output as a radio signal from the radio communication function unit 223. Also, when receiving the other party's sound information, the wireless communication function unit 223 receives the wireless signal, undergoes a predetermined conversion process, and then is output from the audio output unit 228 under the control of the control unit 221. The

  Next, the operation and processing for processing an image are basically the same as the operation and processing in the computer or game machine described above. When processing information is input from the operation unit 224 via an interface or bus (not shown), for example, based on an instruction of the image processing unit in the control unit 221, a geometry processor or the like can change a work area such as a RAM, various tables, or the like. Is used as appropriate to perform geometry calculations. Further, the renderer of the control unit 221 performs a rendering process based on a command from the image processing unit in the control unit 221. Image information appropriately subjected to culling processing, clipping processing, anti-aliasing processing, etc. is subjected to predetermined drawing processing by a drawing processor, stored in a frame buffer, and displayed as an image on a display unit. In this way, 3D computer graphics are displayed.

  The mobile phone of the present invention includes the image generation device of the present invention as a geometry calculation unit and a drawing unit included in the control unit. Therefore, by sharing circuit elements, the hardware scale can be reduced and the system is complicated. Therefore, it is suitable for small phones such as mobile phones.

  A program for implementing the electronic book system of the present invention was created and installed on the server. This program is designed so that the electronic book system of the present invention can be implemented if the terminal has a known browser or viewer. FIG. 9 is a photograph replacing a drawing showing an example in which a page image is displayed on a terminal for displaying an electronic book. FIG. 10 is a photograph replacing a drawing showing an example of a page image on which icons and comments are displayed. As shown in FIG. 10, according to the present invention, a plurality of comments are linked on the captured book image. As a result, the present invention can make the page of the imported book a community.

  Since the present invention relates to an electronic book system, it can be used in the home appliance industry.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Terminal 12 Electronic book server 13 Electronic book system 21 Electronic book storage part 22 Receiving part of an electronic book server 23 Reading process part 24 Information update part 25 Transmission part of an electronic book server 31 Receiving part of a terminal 32 Display part 33 Content specification part 35 Terminal transmission unit 41 Icon storage unit 42 Comment presence / absence determination unit 43 User information storage unit 44 Icon determination unit 51 Page image capture unit 52 Content region determination unit 53 Camera 55 Clothing image generation unit

Claims (5)

An electronic book system (13) including a terminal (11) capable of displaying an electronic book, and an electronic book server (12) connected to the terminal (11) via a communication line,

The electronic book server (12)
An electronic book storage unit (21) for storing a page image of the electronic book, content included in the electronic book, an allocation area of the content, and a comment related to the content;
A receiving unit (22) of an electronic book server that receives information transmitted from the terminal (11);
A read processing unit (23) for reading information on the electronic book stored in the electronic book storage unit (21) based on the information received by the receiving unit (22) of the electronic book server;
An information updating unit (24) for updating information stored in the electronic book storage unit (21) based on information received by the receiving unit (22) of the electronic book server;
A transmission unit (25) of an electronic book server that transmits information related to an electronic book including one or more contents read by the read processing unit (23) to the terminal (11);

The terminal is
A receiving unit (31) of a terminal for receiving information on an electronic book including one or more contents transmitted from the electronic book server (12);
A display unit (32) for displaying information on the electronic book based on the information on the electronic book received by the receiving unit (31) of the terminal;
A content designating unit (33) for designating a specific content included in an electronic book including one or more contents displayed on the display unit (32) by selecting an allocation area of the content;
An input unit (34) of a terminal for inputting instructions and comments regarding the content specified by the content specifying unit (33);
A transmission unit (35) of a terminal that transmits instructions and comments regarding the content input by the input unit (34) of the terminal to the electronic book server (12);
Including

The content allocation area is an area including an image of the content displayed on the display unit (32) of the terminal.

Electronic book system.
The electronic book server (12)
An icon storage unit (41) for storing icons to be displayed on the terminal (11);
A comment presence / absence determination unit (42) for determining the presence / absence of a comment stored in association with the content included in the electronic book storage unit (21);
Further comprising
When the comment presence / absence determination unit (42) determines that there is a comment related to the content displayed on the terminal (11), the transmission unit (25) of the electronic book server sends the comment to the terminal (11). ) To send information to display an icon in association with the comment,
The electronic book system according to claim 1.
The electronic book storage unit (21)
In relation to the comment, the ID of the user who posted the comment, the time of posting the comment, and the number of times the comment is viewed are further stored.

The electronic book server (12)
An icon storage unit (41) for storing a plurality of types of icons to be displayed on the terminal (11);
A user information storage unit (43) for storing user information including the user ID;
An icon determination unit (44) for determining an icon to be displayed on the terminal using the ID of the user who posted the comment, the time of posting the comment, and the number of times the comment is viewed;
The transmission unit (25) of the electronic book server transmits information for displaying the icon determined by the icon determination unit (44) to the terminal (11) in association with the comment.
The electronic book system according to claim 1.

The terminal (11)
A camera (53) for taking an image;
The transmission unit (35) of the terminal transmits image data of a page of a book photographed by the camera (53) to the electronic book server (12),

The electronic book server (12)
The image data of the page transmitted by the terminal (11) is received, the received page is analyzed, information including the page image of the received page is read from the electronic book storage unit (21), and the terminal (11 )
The system of claim 1.
The content includes clothing images,

The electronic book server (12)
A user information storage unit (43) for storing user information including the user ID and the user avatar;
A clothing image generation unit (55) that creates an image of the avatar wearing the clothing using the user's avatar and the clothing image;
The system of claim 1.

Images