JP4748096B2 - Content processing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a content processing apparatus, method and program for recording or reproducing content such as music and video.

  In recent years, character breeding games for nurturing temporary characters and enjoying the growth process have been embodied in various forms. For example, it is possible to interact with a portable game machine that nurtures a character by repeating breeding work such as feeding or exercising the character displayed on the liquid crystal panel, or with the character to be bred Application software for personal computers.

In addition, for example, in Patent Document 1, information distribution in which a character image that is played back on an information terminal device together with the downloaded music is nurtured according to a history of downloading music content such as karaoke from the information distribution device to the information terminal device. A system is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-231880

  However, as can be seen from the fact that the boom of the portable game machine described above was temporary, the period during which the user is enthusiastic about “nurturing characters” is not so long, and these games are bored by the user. There is an easy problem. Therefore, in addition to the element of “character development”, a mechanism that does not easily bore the user is desired.

  In the information distribution system described above, entertainment is enhanced by adding another game element of character development to the performance of the music. The character trained in this system is an information terminal from which music is downloaded. A user who is attached to the device and enjoys playing music on the same information terminal device can only be involved in breeding the same character unless the character information is initialized. Therefore, there is a problem that when the character being nurtured gets bored, the interest is reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a content processing apparatus and method that allow a user to enjoy character development and to enhance the entertainment so that the user is not bored easily. The object is to provide a program for a content processing apparatus.

The content processing apparatus of the present invention reproduces a virtual character based on the processing unit that reads out the content stored in the storage unit and specific information corresponding to the content from the storage unit, and the specific information A character information generation unit that generates character information for reproduction, and a reproduction unit that reproduces content stored in the storage unit. The character information includes identification information for identifying the owner of the character. Including the second character information including identification information of a second user different from the first user, and the character information The generation unit newly generates first character information corresponding to the first user according to the second character information, and the reproduction unit , Playing the first character information together with the content.

Three configuration examples of the content processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<First configuration example>
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a first configuration example of a content processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 includes a processing unit 1, a recording unit 2, a playback unit 3, a user interface unit 4, a character information generation unit 5, and a character memory 6.

  The processing unit 1 performs content reproduction processing or recording processing in accordance with a user instruction input from the user interface unit 4.

  When the content reproduction process is performed, the content selected according to the user's instruction is read from the content recorded in the recording unit 2 and is reproduced by the reproduction unit 3. At this time, character information generated corresponding to the content is also reproduced together with the content in the character information generation unit 5 described later. For example, when the content and character are reproduced as images in the reproduction unit 3, the content and the character may be displayed on the same screen, or the character may appear before or after the content is reproduced. good. When the reproducing unit 3 includes a plurality of display devices, the content and the character may be displayed independently on different screens.

  When content recording processing is performed, the character information generated corresponding to the content is recorded in the recording unit 2 along with the content. For example, the content data and the character information data may be combined and recorded in the same file, or may be recorded as separate files.

  The recording unit 2 records the content and character information supplied from the processing unit 1 according to the writing control of the processing unit 1, and the recorded content to the processing unit 1 according to the reading control of the processing unit 1. Output. For example, it may be configured using a fixed storage device such as a hard disk device, or may be configured using a removable recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk or an IC card, and its reading device and writing device. Also good.

  The reproduction unit 3 reproduces content and character information according to the control of the processing unit 1. For example, a display device that reproduces image information, a speaker that reproduces audio information, and the like are included, and images and audio corresponding to content and character information are reproduced by these devices.

  The user interface unit 4 includes input devices such as switches, buttons, a mouse, a keyboard, and a microphone, for example, and transmits instructions given from the user to the processing unit 1 by a predetermined operation on these input devices. Further, the processing result of the processing unit 1 may be output to the user by an output device such as a display device, a lamp, or a speaker.

  The character information generation unit 5 generates character information according to specific information attached to the content recorded or reproduced by the processing unit 1. The character information includes information for causing the reproduction unit 3 to reproduce a virtual character image or sound corresponding to the content.

  When the specific information attached to the content is information related to the price of the content, the character information may be generated according to the price information. For example, whether or not the price of the content has reached a predetermined price is determined according to the price information, and character information corresponding to the determination result is generated. If the price of the content exceeds a certain level, character information such as dressing the character's costume may be generated.

  Further, the character information may be generated according to information regarding the type of the content attached to the content. For example, it is determined according to this type of information whether the content type corresponds to a predetermined type, and character information corresponding to the determination result is generated. Explaining music content as an example, from music genre information (or related information) attached to the music content, the genre of the music content corresponds to a predetermined genre (rock, jazz, enka, classic, etc.) It is determined whether or not to perform, and character information corresponding to the determination result is generated. For example, when it is determined that the content is enka, character information is generated so that the costume of the character is a kimono.

  Further, the character information may be generated in accordance with information relating to the past number of copies of the content accompanying the content. For example, it is determined according to the information on the number of times of copying whether or not the number of times of copying the content has reached a predetermined number of times, and character information is generated according to the determination result. If the number of times of copying exceeds a certain level, character information that makes the character a twin may be generated.

  In addition, character information may be newly generated according to previously generated character information attached to the content. For example, character information is not changed for attributes that do not change such as price and type, and character information is updated accordingly for attributes that change such as the number of copies and the number of reproductions of content. Information related to the number of times the content is played or copied is updated each time the content is played or copied, and the image or sound of the character changes when the number of times played or copied reaches the specified number. Such character information may be generated.

  In addition, the character information generation unit 5 may include identification information for identifying the owner of the character in the generated character information. By attaching identification information to the content, for example, when an illegally copied content is found, it is possible to identify the owner of the character who performed the illegal copy by examining the identification information included in the character information it can.

  In addition, when the character information attached to the content includes other person's identification information, the user's character information may be generated according to the other person's character information. For example, it is determined whether or not the identification information included in the character information matches its own identification information. If the identification information does not match, information on the type, nature, state, etc. of the character included in the character information is included. In response, the user's own character information is newly generated. When the other character is a child, the character information may be generated so that his / her character becomes a child of the same age.

  In addition, when character information including identification information of another person includes information on a message issued by the character, character information may be generated such that the character responds to the message. For example, character information may be generated such that when the character of another person has issued a message “How old is?”, His / her character returns “5 years old”. The above is the description of the character information generation unit 5.

  The character memory 6 stores information necessary for the character to grow and change. When character information is generated by the character information generation unit 5, the information stored in the character memory 6 is stored as needed. It is read and used. For example, the playback unit 3 stores information necessary for playing back character images, sounds, and the like. In addition to this, the above-described identification information for identifying the owner of the character may be stored. The character memory 6 may be configured using, for example, a fixed storage device such as a hard disk device, or may be configured using a removable recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk or an IC card and its reading device. You may do it.

  Here, the operation of the content processing apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of content processing in the content processing apparatus 100 of FIG.

  Step ST1: Content to be processed is input to the processing unit 1. In the example of FIG. 1, in response to a user instruction input from the user interface unit 4, content to be processed is selected from the content stored in the recording unit 2 and read out to the processing unit 1.

  Step ST2: Character information S5 is generated according to specific information S1 accompanying the input content. That is, according to information on the price, type, number of times of copying, number of times of reproduction, etc., the character memory 6 reads character image and sound information (for example, information on the character's face, costume, voice, message, etc.). And processed to generate character information. If the character information includes other person's identification information, the character information of the person is generated according to the character information of the other person.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of further detailed processing of this character information generation step ST2. According to the flowchart of FIG. 3, it is first determined whether or not previously input character information is attached to the input content (step ST21). If not, new character information is generated (step ST22). If the input content is accompanied by character information, it is next determined whether or not the character information includes its own identification information (step ST23), and the other person's identification information is included. If so, the character information of the user is newly generated according to the information on the character type, nature, state, etc. in the character information of the other person (step ST24). Further, if the character information attached to the input content includes its own identification information, the character information is updated as necessary (step ST25). For example, the character information is updated when the number of times the content has been reproduced or copied reaches a predetermined number.

  Step ST3: A recording process or a reproduction process is performed on the input content and the character information generated corresponding to the input content. That is, in the content recording process, the updated or newly generated character information is recorded in the recording unit 2 along with the content. In the content reproduction process, the updated or newly generated character information and the character information read from the recording unit 2 along with the content are reproduced together with the content.

  As described above, according to the content processing apparatus 100 of FIG. 1, a game element for nurturing a character associated with the content is newly added to the normal enjoyment of reproducing the content. Can be increased.

  Further, since the character to be trained is not a character attached to the content processing apparatus but a character that moves and grows with the content, the user is given an opportunity to enjoy a character with a different breeding state every time different content is played. Can do. For this reason, compared with the case where only one character is nurtured, character nurturing can be made hard to get tired of.

  Further, by including the identification information of the character owner in the character information, it becomes possible to trace the user who has illegally copied the content, so that copyright infringement of the content can be suppressed.

  In addition, when one's own character information is newly generated according to the other person's character information, only his own character may be reproduced. It is possible to give the user a feeling that the characters are communicating with each other. For example, when the character of the other person is a teacher type, the user's character is set as a student type in accordance with this, and this is displayed together with the teacher type character. Further, for example, when the other person's character is issuing a message “How much?”, The user's own character that issues a message “raise” is displayed together with the other person's character. As described above, since it is possible to communicate with other users who record and reproduce content through the virtual character reproduced in the reproduction unit 3, it is possible to further enhance the entertainment of the user.

<Second configuration example>
Next, a second configuration example of the content processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. In the second configuration example, character information is generated according to time information and position information.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a second configuration example of the content processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 includes a processing unit 1, a recording unit 2, a playback unit 3, a user interface unit 4, a character information generation unit 5a, a character memory 6, a time information generation unit 7, and a position information generation unit 8. The same reference numerals in FIG. 4 and FIG. 1 denote the same components.

  The time information generation unit 7 generates time-related information, for example, information related to time, information related to the time zone of the day (such as morning and afternoon), information related to the day of the week, information related to the month, and information related to the season. The position information generation unit 8 generates information regarding the geographical position of the content processing apparatus 101. For example, position information may be generated using a GPS (global positioning system) mechanism that measures a geographical position in accordance with a signal from a geostationary satellite or the like.

  In addition to the same function as the character information generation unit 5 described above in FIG. 1, the character information generation unit 5 a adds time information generated by the time information generation unit 7 and position information generated by the position information generation unit 8. Accordingly, it has a function of generating character information.

  For example, when content is processed on a summer night, character information for wearing a yukata on the character is generated. In addition, when content is processed in Hawaii, character information for wearing an Aloha shirt on the character is generated.

  Further, when the content reproduction process is performed, the character mode may be changed according to the time information or the position information during the reproduction. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the content reproduction process in the content processing apparatus 101 of FIG. 4, and shows a detailed example of the process of step ST3 in FIG.

  According to the content reproduction processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, after the reproduction of the content is started (step ST31), it is determined whether or not the time indicated by the time information of the time information generation unit 7 has reached a predetermined time. If the predetermined time has been reached (step ST32), the character information being reproduced is changed according to the predetermined time (step ST33). For example, if the playback time reaches 12:00 in the middle of the night, the costume of the character is changed to pajamas.

  Next, it is determined whether or not a change has occurred in the location area of the content processing apparatus 101 indicated by the position information of the position information generation unit 8 (step ST34). Accordingly, the character information is also changed (step ST35). For example, when the content processing apparatus 101 that is playing content related to professional baseball moves from one region to another, the mark of the baseball cap to be put on the character is changed according to the professional baseball team in each region.

  After the time information determination (step ST32) and the location determination (step ST34) described above are performed, whether or not the content playback has reached the end point and the user interface unit 4 instructs the end of the content playback. It is determined whether or not it has been performed (step ST36). If it is determined that the content has been played back, the playback process is terminated (step ST37). If it is determined that the content is to be played back again, the process returns to step ST32.

  According to the content processing apparatus 101 of FIG. 4 having the above-described configuration, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of FIG. 1 and to change the character information according to the time and place where the content is processed. Therefore, various variations are given to the character breeding pattern, and the entertainment of the user can be further enhanced.

<Third configuration example>
Next, a third configuration example of the content processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing a third configuration example of the content processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. 6 includes a processing unit 1a, a recording unit 2, a reproduction unit 3, a user interface unit 4, a character information generation unit 5, a character memory 6, and a communication unit 9, and the content processing apparatus 102 shown in FIG. The same reference numerals denote the same components.

  The communication unit 9 performs processing for exchanging content and character information with other content processing devices and content supply servers that supply content to these content processing devices. The communication method is arbitrary, and for example, either wired or wireless communication method may be used. Also, communication via a network such as the Internet may be used.

  In addition to the same functions as the processing unit 1 described above in FIG. 1, the processing unit 1 a selects a desired content from the content recorded in the recording unit 2 in response to a user instruction input to the user interface unit 4. A content is selected, and the selected content is transmitted from the communication unit 9 to another content processing device or a content supply server that supplies the content to these content processing devices. In addition, the communication unit 9 is controlled to access other content processing devices and content supply devices, and the content stored in these devices is downloaded as content to be processed, other content processing devices and content supply In response to a download request from the device, processing for providing the content recorded in the recording unit 2 to these devices may be performed.

  According to the content processing apparatus 102 of FIG. 6 having the above-described configuration, it is possible to achieve the same effect as that of FIG. 1, and exchange and sharing of content with other content processing apparatuses and content supply servers. It becomes possible. Accordingly, it is possible to further improve the entertainment of the user, such as the ability to grow characters or exchange characters in cooperation with other users.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, part or all of the configuration of the content processing apparatus shown as an example in each of the above-described embodiments can be realized by a processing apparatus such as a computer that executes processing according to a program. This program may be stored in a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory, or a recording medium such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk or a magneto-optical disk, and read by the processing device as needed to execute processing. . Alternatively, a program may be stored in a server device that can communicate by wired or wireless communication means, and the processing device may download the program as needed to execute processing.

  The character information recorded in the recording unit 2 in association with the content may include direct information used for character reproduction (for example, character image information, audio information, etc.), or these direct information. Indirect information (for example, information on numbers associated with each pattern of the character) may be included instead. In the latter case, the data amount of character information is reduced as compared with the case where image information and audio information are included.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the 1st structural example of the content processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an example of content processing in the content processing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the production | generation process of the character information in the flowchart of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the 2nd structural example of the content processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an example of content reproduction processing in the content processing apparatus of FIG. 4. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the 3rd structural example of the content processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a ... Processing part, 2 ... Recording part, 3 ... Playback part, 4 ... User interface part, 5, 5a ... Character information generation part, 6 ... Character memory, 7 ... Time information generation part, 8 ... Position information generation part , 9 ... Communication part

Claims (10)

A processing unit that reads content stored in the storage unit and specific information corresponding to the content from the storage unit;
A character information generation unit that generates character information for reproducing a virtual character based on the specific information;
A playback unit for playing back the content stored in the storage unit;
With
The character information includes identification information for identifying the owner of the character,
When the first user intends to reproduce the content accompanied by the second character information including the identification information of the second user different from the first user as the specific information,
The character information generation unit newly generates first character information corresponding to the first user according to the second character information,
The content reproduction apparatus, wherein the reproduction unit reproduces the first character information together with the content. The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific information includes information indicating a price of the content. The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific information includes information indicating a type of the content. The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific information includes information indicating a number of times the content is copied. The character information generating unit, when including the identification information of the second character information is said second user, and the information of the second message character emitted reproduced by the character information, of the message based on the information, the content processing apparatus according to claim 1 for generating the first character information. The storage unit stores, as the specific information, information indicating the number of times the content has been played back by the processing unit.
The character information generation unit updates information indicating the number of times the content is reproduced when the reproducing unit reproduces the content, and the image or sound of the character changes based on the updated information indicating the number of reproductions. The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character information is generated. The content processing apparatus further includes a time information generation unit that generates time information,
The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character information generation unit generates character information based on the time information. The content processing apparatus further includes a position information generation unit that generates information on a geographical position,
The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the character information generation unit generates character information based on the position information generated by the position information generation unit. The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a communication unit that exchanges the content and the character information with another content processing apparatus. The content processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit stores the generated character information in the storage unit in association with the content.

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