JP2002006864A - Karaoke sing-along music selection reserving device and automatic rental device for the same and management device for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a management side to collect the exact charge for use according to the number of music by each of customers while drastically reducing the labor burden on the management side in site of an operating form to allow a large number of the general public to jointly utilize the same KARAOKE sing-along system. SOLUTION: The KARAOKE sing-along music selection reservation device 1 of a radio remote control system has a means for setting the unit price value per KARAOKE sing-along music and a register for registering the balance value corresponding to the money left over without being used. The device subtracts the unit price value from the balance value every time the playing reservation for one piece of the music to a main body device 2 of the KARAOKE sing-along machine is made. The device sets the control state that the reservation cannot be made when the balance value falls below the unit price value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable karaoke music selection and reservation apparatus for remotely controlling karaoke music selection and performance reservation for a main apparatus of a karaoke system, an automatic renting apparatus therefor, and a management apparatus therefor. This technology is effective when applied to a pay-per-use billing system that collects usage fees according to the number of songs used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Many karaoke systems used commercially are operated by collecting a karaoke usage fee from a customer who is a user. As a means for collecting the usage fee according to the number of songs, a coin box ( There is provided a billing system based on an automatic teller machine. This billing system is configured as an accessory to the karaoke main unit, and when an amount of money equal to or more than a predetermined unit price is deposited in the coin box, the karaoke system is set to a usable state, and the deposited amount is set for each karaoke song. To the above usage unit price,
When the balance falls below the unit price, the usable state is released. By depositing an amount equal to or more than the usage unit price into the coin box, the customer can use karaoke for the number of songs corresponding to the amount of the deposit. Deposits in coin boxes are made in money, but recently, systems have been provided that allow payment by so-called electronic money, such as prepaid cards or IC cards storing money data.

[0003] In recent years, the karaoke system has been highly digitized by a microcomputer or the like, and its functions have been abundant, and its usability has been remarkably improved. The operation of karaoke song selection and performance reservation can be easily performed by a wireless remote control portable karaoke song selection reservation device using infrared communication technology. By lending the portable karaoke song selection reservation device to the customer, the customer can freely perform music selection and reservation operations and enjoy karaoke without receiving assistance from store employees. If such a karaoke system is provided with the above-mentioned charging system, the store can greatly reduce the operation labor of the karaoke system.

[0004]

However, the technology described above is effective only in a rental mode of operation in which a customer uses the karaoke system exclusively. In this mode of operation, the rented customer uses the karaoke system exclusively during the rental time, so the number of songs corresponding to the amount of money deposited in the coin box by the customer can be used only by the customer who made the deposit. . Here, there is no confusion as if your payment was mistakenly used to book another customer or you unknowingly used another customer's payment.

[0005] However, like a restaurant, for example,
In the case of an operation mode in which the same karaoke system is used jointly by an unspecified number of customers, frequent confusion is expected. Therefore, in the related art, a store employee who is the manager accepts a request song from a customer with a song title or song selection number and writes down a memo, or receives a request card with a song title or song selection number from a customer and receives the memo or A karaoke reservation operation is performed while looking at the card, and the number of songs used for each customer is counted based on the memo or card, and the karaoke fee for the number of songs used together with the food and drink fee is settled at the time of accounting. Had been.

[0006] However, having an employee concurrently accept a request music from an unspecified number of customers and make a reservation operation based on the reception increases the labor burden. The management of the number of songs used for each customer by writing memos and request cards has a large burden of organizing and counting, but is liable to be mistaken due to misreading of misprinted characters or erroneous organizing, and lacks reliability. If you don't like that burden, you'll end up with a bowl account. On the other hand, if you try to be serious and accurate, you will need a full-time karaoke employee, which will cause a greater labor burden.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide an operation mode in which an unspecified number of customers can share the same karaoke system.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a karaoke song selection reservation device, an automatic lending device thereof, and a management device thereof, which can collect an accurate usage fee according to the number of songs for each customer while greatly reducing the labor burden on the management side.

[0008]

A basic invention of a karaoke song selection reservation device for achieving the above object is provided by input operation means, means for inputting karaoke selection and performance reservation from the input operation means, A portable karaoke song selection reservation device, which includes means for spatially transmitting a performance reservation signal generated by an input operation to a karaoke main unit and operating these with a built-in battery, has a value corresponding to a usage fee per karaoke song. A unit to be set as a unit price value, a balance register in which a value corresponding to the unused amount of karaoke is registered as a balance value, and a spatial propagation communication unit for performing spatial transmission of the reservation signal by two-way communication with acknowledgment processing. Processing means for subtracting the unit price value from the balance value each time transmission of the reservation signal is completed for one song;
Control means for setting a state in which the reservation signal cannot be generated or transmitted when the balance value falls below a predetermined threshold value, and output means for the balance value.

In the karaoke music selection reservation apparatus, the following requirements can be appropriately combined and implemented. (A) The unit price is used as the threshold. (B) The threshold is set by variable setting means. (C) means for displaying the balance value on a monitor as means for outputting the balance value. (D) outputting the balance value via external connection means. (E) A means for outputting a device ID (identification information) is provided. (F) A connection means and a control means for externally reading and updating the balance value are provided. (G) Control means for allowing a password to be input from the input operation means and enabling the input operation means to update the balance value only when the input password matches a predetermined registered password. . (H) registering and setting the unit price value in a register;
A connection means and a control means for externally reading and updating the set contents are provided. (I) A unit price register in which the unit price is registered and set, and a password is input from the input operation unit, and only when the input password matches a predetermined registered password, the unit operation by the input operation unit is performed. Control means for enabling a value update operation is provided. (J) A display means and an operation support means for performing an interactive karaoke music selection operation are provided. (K) means for externally acquiring table of contents information of karaoke songs, storage means for storing the acquired table of contents information, display means for performing interactive karaoke song selection operation while presenting the stored table of contents information, and operation support Means.

[0010] The invention of an automatic lending device is a device for collecting and automatically lending the karaoke music selection reservation device, wherein the means for reading the balance value from the collected karaoke music selection reservation device, and corresponding to the read balance value. Automatic payment means for automatically paying the change to be made, a stocker section for storing a karaoke song selection reservation device which has read the balance value and automatic payment processing of the change, automatic money receiving means for receiving a predetermined amount of money, An article supply means for ejecting the karaoke music selection reservation device of the stocker unit one by one in conjunction with the cash collection by the automatic money receiving means; and a balance value set to a predetermined value before the karaoke music selection reservation device is ejected. A means for updating is provided. This automatic lending device performs an ID check of the collected karaoke song selection reservation device, and includes means for prohibiting the automatic dispensation of change when an unauthorized ID is detected by this inspection, or the collected karaoke song selection device. A charging unit for supplying a charging current to a built-in battery of the reservation device; a storage unit for storing index information of karaoke music; and a unit for transferring the storage information of the storage unit to the collected karaoke selection reservation device. The provided configuration and the like can be appropriately adopted.

Further, the invention of the management apparatus is an apparatus for managing the karaoke music selection reservation apparatus, wherein the means for reading a balance value from the collected karaoke music selection reservation apparatus, the means for displaying the read balance value, Input operation means and control means for updating the balance value are provided. The management device may include a storage unit that stores the table of contents information of the karaoke songs, and a unit that transfers the information stored in the storage unit to the karaoke song selection reservation device.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS === Karaoke Song Selection Reservation Apparatus ==
= FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the karaoke song selection reservation device 1 together with the karaoke main device 2. FIG. 2 illustrates the appearance of the karaoke song selection reservation device 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, a karaoke song selection reservation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises an operation / display panel 11, a two-way wireless interface 12, a communication control unit 1,
3, a main computer 14, an auxiliary storage device 15, an external connector 16, a built-in secondary battery 17, and the like.

The operation / display panel 11 serves as input operation means, and has an input unit 111, a display unit 112, and a display control unit 113. In the input unit 111, ten keys, cursor keys, function keys, and the like are centrally arranged. The display unit 112 is configured using a liquid crystal display of a dot matrix display system, and
Is displayed under the control of the display control unit 113.

The two-way wireless interface 12 performs spatial transmission of two-way communication using infrared signals. The communication control unit 13 uses the bidirectional wireless interface 12 to, for example, IrDA (Infrared Data Association)
Execute the bidirectional communication procedure according to the standard. The two-way communication procedure also includes an acknowledgment process for receiving a response signal from a communication partner (karaoke main unit 2) and confirming the establishment of transmission. Transmission confirmation by so-called answer back is performed.

The main computer 14 has a RAM, an RO,
A so-called one-chip microcomputer incorporating peripheral circuit devices such as M and EEP-ROM,
While controlling the basic control and processing of the entire device 1,
Applied control and processing for realizing the above-described solution are executed by a program. The above-mentioned balance register and the register serving as the unit price setting means are also configured by using the peripheral circuit device in the main computer 14.

The auxiliary storage device 15 is a large-capacity flash memory or HDD (fixed magnetic storage device), and stores large-capacity data such as table of contents information of karaoke music. The external connector 16 serves as an external connection means, and is constituted by an exposed type terminal group in order to easily and quickly perform an external connection operation. The connector 16 is connected to the main computer 1.
Along with 4, balance register and unit price setting means (register)
And means for externally performing read and write updates such as. In the external connector 16, current-carrying terminals for supplying a charging current to the built-in secondary battery 17 are also assembled.
The connector 16 also has a LAN connection terminal.

=== Karaoke Main Unit === The karaoke main unit 2 is a main part of the karaoke system. The main unit 2 includes a display 21 and a speaker 2
2, a microphone 23, a main computer 24 for overall control of the entire device 2, an HDD 25, a DVD-ROM device 26,
In addition to the basic components such as a video processor 27, an audio processor 28, and an operation / display panel 29, a two-way wireless interface 32 and a communication control unit 33 for executing spatial propagation communication with the karaoke song selection reservation device 1 described above. Is provided. Thereby, it corresponds to the so-called answer-back wireless remote control operation. Although not shown, the karaoke main unit 2 is also provided with a LAN connection terminal.

=== Relationship Between Karaoke Song Reservation Device 1 and Karaoke Body Device 2 === Communication Control Procedure Executed by Wireless Interface 12 and Communication Control Unit 13 of Karaoke Song Reservation Device 1, and Karaoke Body Device The two-side wireless interface 32 and the communication control procedure executed by the communication control unit 33 conform to each other's standards. For example, a general-purpose one conforming to the above-mentioned IrDA standard is adopted as the standard. Thus, the karaoke song selection reservation device 1
Can be adapted to various karaoke systems only by changing unique setting items such as a device ID and a password. Therefore, the karaoke song selection reservation device 1 can be provided to the distribution market as an independent product, not as an accessory of the specific karaoke main device 2.

=== Operation of Karaoke Music Selection Device === The operation of the above-described karaoke music selection reservation device 1 will be described based on a basic usage example. The store, which is the administrator of the karaoke facility, lends a karaoke selection reservation device in which a predetermined balance value is registered in advance to a customer who wants to use karaoke at an amount corresponding to the balance value. The customer performs karaoke music selection and reservation operation by himself using the equipment borrowed by the customer. Thereby, customers can enjoy karaoke freely. At this time, the balance value registered in the device borrowed by the customer decreases by a preset unit price value each time a performance reservation for one song is made using the device.

Each customer who uses karaoke borrows a karaoke song selection reservation device in advance, and makes his / her own reservation using the device borrowed by him. For a reservation made by another customer, only the registered balance value of the device borrowed by that customer is reduced, but not the registered balance value of the device borrowed by the customer. Therefore, here, even in an operation mode in which the same karaoke system is used jointly by an unspecified number of customers, their own payment is mistakenly used for reservation of another customer, or payment of another customer There is no confusion such as using without knowing the minute.

If the registered balance value of the karaoke song selection reservation device falls below the unit price, reservation with the device cannot be performed. At this point, if the customer wants to continue using karaoke, the device for which reservation cannot be performed is returned to the store, and a predetermined amount of money is paid in advance as in the first case, and a device with a predetermined balance value registered is rented again. . If the customer wants to use up the karaoke, he only returns the device.
The store that has received the return confirms the registered balance value of the returned device, and if the balance remains, refunds a change in an amount corresponding to the balance.

[0023] Thus, the customer can pay the usage fee exactly for the number of songs used by the customer. In addition, the store only needs to settle the account when renting and returning the karaoke song selection reservation device, so that it is not necessary to use memos and request cards, and it is possible to accurately charge for the number of songs used for each customer. Can be collected. Furthermore, by lending the above-described karaoke song selection reservation device to the customer, all the operations of karaoke song selection and reservation can be entrusted to the customer, so that the customer can freely work without worrying about the trouble of the employee. The user can enjoy the use of karaoke, and the employee can concentrate on the original service work without being busy receiving requests and performing karaoke reservation operations.

The karaoke selection reservation device returned by the customer re-registers a predetermined balance value at the store to prepare for the next lending. At this time, re-registration of the balance value is performed by a specific person identified by a password (password) in a specific operation procedure. Similarly, a specific person identified by a password (password) performs a specific operation procedure for a unit price per song.

As described above, the karaoke song selection reservation device of the present invention can greatly reduce the labor burden on the management side even in an operation mode in which the same karaoke system is shared by an unspecified number of customers. Accurate usage fees can be collected according to the number of songs for each customer.

In order to simplify the change settlement of the karaoke song selection reservation apparatus, the balance value at the time of lending may be set to be an integral multiple of the unit price. However, in order to ensure the return and collection of the above karaoke song selection reservation device, the balance value is not zero when the balance value is below the unit price value, and the value that requires change payment remains, that is, the fraction must be always It is good to set the balance value at the time of lending so that it remains. This is because the fractional amount has a collateral effect of promoting return.

In this case, in the above description of the operation, a state in which the reservation signal cannot be generated or transmitted is set when the balance value falls below the unit price value. If the setting is made such that a predetermined threshold value larger than the value is interrupted, the change amount at the time of return can be uniformly increased. Thereby, the security effect of the return promotion can be further enhanced. The threshold value can be set according to the business environment such as the customer class, using variable setting means that can be changed from the outside, for example, a nonvolatile memory protected so that only a specific administrator can perform the rewriting operation. It is desirable to set.

=== Automatic Lending Device === FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of an automatic lending device 4 that is effective for lending the above-mentioned karaoke song selection reservation device. The automatic lending device 4 shown in FIG. 1 is a device for collecting and automatically lending the karaoke song selection reservation device 1 described above, and its main part is a cash automatic payment device 41 having a function of receiving and changing money, a fixed form. It is constituted by a circulating supply type automatic article supply device 42 for receiving and collecting the articles and re-supplying the collected articles. Both devices 41 and 42 are linked to each other.

A control device 43 and a charging device 44 are incorporated in the automatic article supply device 42. The control device 43 is configured using a microcomputer, controls the operation of the automatic article supply device 42, controls the collected karaoke song selection reservation device 1, performs ID inspection, reads and updates the balance value, and checks the balance value. And the like. Although not shown, the control device 43 includes a LAN interface for performing data communication with an external host device such as the karaoke main unit 2, and table of contents information of the latest karaoke music acquired via the LAN interface. And a means for transferring the table of contents information stored in the storage device to the karaoke selection reservation device 1. The charging device 44 is provided to supply a charging current to the built-in secondary battery of the karaoke song selection reservation device 1.

The stocker section 4 of the automatic lending device 4 described above.
5 stores a karaoke song selection reservation device 1 in which a predetermined balance value is registered for lending. When the automatic cash-receipt-and-payment device 41 collects a predetermined amount of money, the automatic article supply device 42 ejects one karaoke music selection reservation device 1 of the stocker unit 45 to the remote control take-out port based on the receipt. Thereby, the customer can borrow the karaoke song selection reservation device 1 in a prepaid form.

When the customer borrows the karaoke song selection reservation device 1 to the return port of the automatic lending device 4, the returned device 1 is subjected to an ID check by the control device 43 before being collected by the stocker unit 45. To If the ID of the device 1 is found to be valid by this ID inspection, the balance value is read from the device 1 and the amount corresponding to the balance value is calculated. 4
Notify 1. Automatic payment device 41 receiving this notification
Pays the change to the payout exit. On the other hand, if an illegal ID is detected in the ID inspection, the device once collected is automatically discharged, or an alarm such as a buzzer is generated.

Apparatus 1 after ID inspection and change clearing processing
Are collected and stored in the stocker unit 45. In the stocker unit 45, the control device 43 transfers the table of contents information, and the charging device 44 charges the built-in secondary battery. The control device 43 also performs a process of re-registering the balance value of the device 1 to a predetermined balance value. In this way, the returned karaoke song selection reservation device 1 is reset to the state before the first lending while being collected and stored in the stocker unit 45, and
The table of contents information for supporting the music selection operation is updated to the latest one.

Thus, the karaoke song selection reservation device is lent out to the customer in advance, the unused device is returned, and the unused change is settled. The returned balance value is returned to a predetermined value to prepare for the next lending. Can be unmanned. Therefore, the burden on the store is further reduced.

=== Management Apparatus === FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a management apparatus 5 that is effective for use in managing the karaoke song selection reservation apparatus 1 described above. The management device 5 shown in FIG. 1 includes an external connector 51 serving as connection means for the karaoke song selection reservation device 1, a LAN interface 52 for performing data communication with an external host device such as the karaoke main unit 2, and the LAN interface 52. An auxiliary storage device 53 for acquiring and accumulating the table of contents information of the latest karaoke songs acquired via the microcomputer, a microcomputer 54 for integrally controlling the entire device 5, an input unit 55, a display unit 56, etc. It comprises means for reading the balance value from the reservation device 1, means for displaying the read balance value, input operation means for updating the balance value, and control means. By using the management device 5, it is possible to easily perform the return acceptance and re-lending of the karaoke song selection reservation device 1 and update of the table of contents information with a simpler and smaller configuration than the automatic lending device 4 described above. .

[0035]

As described above, according to the karaoke song selection reservation apparatus of the present invention, even if the same karaoke system is used jointly by an unspecified number of customers, the labor burden on the management side is greatly reduced. It is possible to collect an accurate usage fee according to the number of songs for each customer while reducing the number of songs.

Further, according to the automatic lending device of the present invention, the karaoke song selection reservation device is lent out to the customer in advance, the returned device is accepted, the unused change is settled, and the returned balance value is calculated. A series of operations such as returning to a predetermined value and preparing for the next lending can be unmanned, and the burden on the management side can be further reduced.

According to the management apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to easily manage the karaoke song selection reservation apparatus such as return acceptance and re-lending with a simpler and smaller configuration than the automatic lending apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a karaoke song selection reservation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an external appearance embodiment of a karaoke song selection reservation device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of an automatic lending device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a management device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 Karaoke song selection reservation device 11 Operation / display panel (input operation means) 111 Input unit 112 Display unit 113 Display control unit 12 Two-way wireless interface 13 Communication control unit 14 Main computer 15 Auxiliary storage device (HDD) 16 External connector (external connection) Means) 17 Built-in secondary battery 2 Main device of karaoke system 21 Display 22 Speaker 23 Microphone 24 Main computer 25 HDD (auxiliary storage device) 26 DV
D-ROM device 27 Video processor 28 Audio processor 29 Operation / display panel 32 Two-way wireless interface 33 Communication control unit 4 Automatic lending device 41 Automatic payment device 42 Automatic article supply device 43 Control device 44 Charging device 45 Stocker unit 5 Management device 51 External connector 52 LA
N interface 53 auxiliary storage device 54 microcomputer 55 input unit 56 display unit

Claims (18)

[Claims] An input operation means for inputting a karaoke selection and a performance reservation from the input operation means;
A portable karaoke song selection reservation device, which includes means for spatially transmitting a performance reservation signal generated by the above input operation to the karaoke main unit, and operates these with a built-in battery, a numerical value corresponding to a charge per karaoke song Is set as a unit price value, a balance register in which a numerical value corresponding to the unused karaoke amount is registered as a balance value, and a spatial propagation communication for executing the spatial transmission of the reservation signal by a two-way communication accompanied by an acknowledgment process. Means, processing means for subtracting the unit price value from the balance value each time transmission of the reservation signal is established for one song, and generation or reservation of the reservation signal when the balance value falls below a predetermined threshold value. A karaoke song selection reservation device, comprising: control means for setting a state in which transmission cannot be performed; and output means for outputting the balance value. 2. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, wherein the unit price value is used as the threshold value. 3. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, wherein said threshold value is set by variable setting means. 4. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, further comprising means for monitoring and displaying the balance value as said balance value output means. 5. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, wherein the balance value is output via an external connection means. 6. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, further comprising means for outputting a device ID. 7. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, further comprising a connection means and a control means for externally reading and updating the balance value. 8. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, wherein a password is input from said input operation means, and only when the input password matches a predetermined registered password. Control means for enabling the input operation means to update the balance value is provided. 9. A karaoke selection reservation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said unit price is registered and set in a register, and connection and control means for externally reading and updating the set contents. It is characterized by having. 10. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, wherein a unit price register in which said unit price value is registered and set, and a password is input from said input operation means, and is input. Control means is provided for enabling the input operation means to update the unit price only when the password matches a predetermined registered password. 11. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a display unit and an operation support unit for performing an interactive karaoke song selection operation. 12. The karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, wherein a means for acquiring table of contents information of the karaoke music from outside, a storage means for storing the acquired table of contents information, and a stored table of contents A display means and an operation support means for performing an interactive karaoke music selection operation while presenting information are provided. 13. A device for collecting and automatically renting a karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, wherein said balance value is read from the collected karaoke song reservation device, and the read balance value is read. Automatic payout means for automatically paying change corresponding to, a stocker section for storing a karaoke song selection reservation device which has read the balance value and automatic payment processing of change, and automatic money receiving means for receiving a predetermined amount of money An article supply means for discharging the karaoke music selection reservation device of the stocker unit one by one in conjunction with the money collection by the automatic money receiving means; and a predetermined value of the balance value before the karaoke music selection reservation device is discharged. An automatic lending device comprising means for updating to a value. 14. The automatic lending device according to claim 13, further comprising means for performing an ID check of the collected karaoke song selection reservation device, and prohibiting automatic payout of change when an incorrect ID is detected by the check. It is characterized by having. 15. The automatic lending device according to claim 13, further comprising: charging means for supplying a charging current to the collected internal battery of the karaoke song selection reservation device. 16. The automatic lending device according to claim 13, wherein storage means for storing table-of-contents information of karaoke songs, and information stored in the storage means are transferred to the collected karaoke selection reservation device. Means for performing the operation. 17. The apparatus for managing a karaoke song selection reservation device according to claim 1, wherein said balance value is read from the collected karaoke song reservation device, and the read balance value is displayed. And an input operation unit and a control unit for updating the balance value. 18. The management apparatus according to claim 17, further comprising: storage means for storing table-of-contents information of the karaoke music piece; and means for transferring the information stored in the storage means to the karaoke music selection reservation apparatus. .