JP2005149146A - Toy, data transmission method and data transmission system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To acquire required content data to be linked with contents stored in a doll. <P>SOLUTION: The toy 10 stores identification data and communication start data and has an external connection section. When connecting the toy 10 to a personal computer 20, the identification data and the communication start data are read in the personal computer 20, and the identification data is automatically transmitted to a server 30 through a network 40 on the basis of the communication start data. The server 30 determines whether or not the transmitted identification data is registered. When the identification data is registered, the contents data is transmitted to the personal computer 20. When no identification data is registered, registration application data is transmitted to the personal computer 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a toy, a data transmission method, and a data transmission system that allow only the owner of a toy having a removable storage medium to acquire various content data related to the toy.

  Conventionally, there is a storage medium that can be directly connected to a connection interface such as a PC slot and a USB connector of a personal computer. Such a storage medium generally incorporates a data storage unit such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk.

There is one in which the above-described storage medium is provided in a housing of a three-dimensional object such as an animation character or a game character (see Patent Document 1). Also disclosed is a system in which a personal computer reads out identification information stored in a storage medium using a cradle or reader device connected to the personal computer, and accesses a server of a required provider to acquire specific content data. (See Patent Documents 2 and 3). On the other hand, apart from the system related to the storage medium and content data acquisition described above, there is also a device that connects a doll to a personal computer and can control the movement of the doll based on the operation of the personal computer or data acquired from the network. (See Patent Document 4).
Utility Model Registration No. 3080552 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-187096 JP 2002-63092 A JP 2000-135384 A

  Since the storage medium according to Patent Document 1 simply has a specific three-dimensional shape, data related to the three-dimensional shape is not linked with the communication processing of the personal computer for receiving the required content data. There is a problem that it cannot be used for acquisition.

  Since the systems according to Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 require a cradle or a reader device between the personal computer and the storage medium, even if the cradle or the reader device is not provided, even if it has only the storage medium There is a problem that content data cannot be acquired. In addition, the systems according to Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 start communication processing mainly by the personal computer and include the above-described cradle or reader device, so that processing leading to content data acquisition from the server is performed. There is a problem that the content data cannot be acquired unless complicated processing is performed.

  Further, since the device according to Patent Document 4 only controls the operation of the doll based on the operation of the personal computer or data acquired from the network and does not have a storage unit for data storage, the personal computer stores the data. There is a problem in that it cannot be linked to the processing to be acquired and cannot be used for data acquisition in the same manner as the storage medium according to Patent Document 1. Furthermore, since the operation of the doll is not related to the content data, there is a problem that it is not possible to perform control to change the state of the doll in cooperation with the development of the story in the content data.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem. The identification data and the communication activation data are stored in a storage medium provided in the toy, and the toy is connected to an external device having a communication function such as a personal computer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toy, a data transmission method, and a data transmission system that can output identification data and communication activation data so as to connect to a specific communication destination and acquire necessary data.
In addition, the present invention provides a light-emitting unit, a sound output unit, and / or an operation unit in the toy, and transmits data that activates each unit from a communication destination, thereby making it possible to change the state of the toy. It is an object of the present invention to provide a toy and a data transmission method in which a toy has added value.

In order to solve the above problems, a toy according to a first aspect of the present invention is a toy including a storage unit storing data, and includes an external connection unit that can be directly connected to an external communication device, and the storage unit Stores unique identification data and communication activation data for starting communication processing of an external communication device, and enables the identification data and communication activation data to be output to the outside via the external connection unit. It is characterized by being.
The toy according to a second aspect of the present invention further includes a light emitting unit and a light emission control unit that causes the light emitting unit to emit light based on data received from outside through the external connection unit.

A toy according to a third aspect of the present invention further includes an audio output unit and an audio output control unit that outputs audio from the audio output unit based on data received from the outside via the external connection unit.
A toy according to a fourth aspect of the present invention further includes an operation unit and an operation control unit that operates the operation unit based on data received from the outside via the external connection unit.
The toy according to the fifth aspect of the present invention further includes a mounting means that can be mounted on an external mounted body.

A data transmission method according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a data transmission method in which a data transmission device determines whether or not identification data is registered and transmits data to a communication device, wherein the communication device When the connection of the toy is detected and the connection of the toy is detected, the identification data and the communication activation data are read from the toy, the identification data is transmitted to the data transmission device based on the read communication activation data, and the data transmission The apparatus determines whether or not the transmitted identification data is registered, and transmits the data relating to the toy to the communication device when the identification data is registered. To do.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data transmission method for transmitting registration application data to the communication device when the identification data is not registered.

In the data transmission method according to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the toy includes a light emitting unit, the data transmitting device transmits data for causing the light emitting unit to emit light to the communication device, and the communication device is transmitted. The data is output to the toy.
In a data transmission method according to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the toy includes an audio output unit, the data transmission device transmits data for outputting audio from the audio output unit to the communication device, and the communication device includes: The transmitted data is output to the toy.
In the data transmission method according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the toy includes an operation unit, the data transmission device transmits data for operating the operation unit, and the communication device transmits the transmitted data. It outputs to the said toy, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  In a data transmission method according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the data relating to the toy is content data relating to any of a manga, animation, game, or movie in which a character relating to the shape of the toy appears, And transmitting data for operating the operating unit according to the action of the character in the scene of the content data to be transmitted.

  A data transmission system according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is a data transmission system in which a data transmission device determines whether or not identification data has been registered and transmits data to a communication device. A connecting portion capable of connecting a toy; a detecting means for detecting connection of the toy to the connecting portion; and when the detecting means detects connection of the toy, identification data and communication activation data from the toy And data transmitting means for transmitting the identification data to the data transmitting apparatus based on the communication activation data read by the data reading means, wherein the data transmitting apparatus registers the transmitted identification data. Determining means for determining whether or not the identification data is registered, and when the determining means determines that registration of the identification data is performed, Characterized in that it comprises a data transmitting means for transmitting to the vessel.

  In the first invention, since the storage unit of the toy stores the communication activation data, when the toy is connected to the external device, the communication activation data is output to the external device and the communication processing in the external device is automatically performed. The toy cooperates with the process related to data acquisition. Furthermore, since the toy includes an external connection portion that can be directly connected to the external device, the toy can be connected to the external device without having an intermediate connection device such as a cradle, and the connection between the toy and the external device is facilitated. Toys include dolls, shaped objects, structures, vehicles, and miscellaneous goods, and dolls include animals, fictional creatures, robots, anthropomorphized objects, etc. in addition to human-shaped objects.

In the 2nd invention and the 8th invention, it becomes possible to make a toy light-emit because a toy is provided with the light emission part which light-emits by the data from a data transmitter, and the expression form to the exterior of a toy becomes abundant. In addition, when the toy is a doll, if the light emitting unit is arranged at a position corresponding to the eyes of the doll, a position corresponding to the face, etc., the light emission can be used for one method of expressing the emotion of the doll. When arrange | positioning inside a doll, it is preferable to form the outer peripheral part of a doll with a transparent material so that light emission can be visually recognized from the outside.
In the third and ninth inventions, the toy is provided with a sound output unit that outputs sound by data from the data transmitting device, so that sound can be output from the toy, and the expression form to the outside of the toy is further abundant. become.

In the fourth invention and the tenth invention, it becomes possible to operate the operation part provided in the toy by the data from the data transmitting device, and various forms of expression to the outside are made by changing the form, state, etc. of the toy. it can. The operating unit includes an odor generating unit that generates an odor, a color changing unit that changes the appearance color of the toy, a vibrating unit that generates vibration, and a driving unit that drives a part or all of the toy. When generating odors, it is preferable to dissolve the odor element that generates odors by heat at the heat generating part, and when changing the appearance color, the outer periphery of the toy is colored according to heat. It is preferable that the outer peripheral portion is heated by the heat generating portion using a material whose material changes. Furthermore, when driving a part or all of the toy, the outer peripheral part of the toy is configured by combining a plurality of movable parts, or is made of a flexible material, and the movable part or the outer peripheral part is configured by the driving part. It is preferable to drive.
In the fifth invention, by providing the mounting means, the user can wear the toy and attach the toy to the personal belongings of the user, which can contribute to prevention of toy loss and toy. Can be used as a kind of decoration, and the added value of toys can be increased.

In the sixth invention and the twelfth invention, the communication device communicates with the data transmission device using the identification data and communication activation data stored in the toy, so that the processing related to communication can be performed automatically and smoothly. It becomes like this. In addition, the data transmission device has data relating to the toy, and when the transmitted identification data is registered, the data transmission device transmits the data relating to the toy to the communication device. Therefore, the communication device performs communication processing in cooperation with the toy. Data related to toys can be acquired.
In the seventh invention, when the identification data is not registered, the registration application data is transmitted, so that the process related to the user registration can be performed smoothly. Further, since data serving as content is not transmitted until registration is completed, the value of the transmitted data can be increased and security related to data transmission can be ensured.

  In the eleventh invention, since the data relating to the toy is content data of a manga, animation, game, or movie in which a character relating to the shape of the toy appears, only those who have a toy can use the toy and the communication device. The required content data can be acquired using the, and the value of the content data is increased. In addition, a new value is added to the toy by playing a role of content data acquisition. Further, the data transmission device transmits data for operating the toy operating unit in accordance with the character's behavior in the content data to be transmitted. Therefore, the toy is linked to the character's behavior in the content data received and reproduced by the communication device. The content data including toys can be enjoyed in many ways. In addition, when transmitting data collectively to a communication device, the data transmission device preferably transmits content data to which data for operating the operating unit is added where the character acts, and when transmitting by streaming It is preferable to transmit data for operating the operating unit when transmitting content data of a scene where the character acts.

  In the first invention, since the storage unit of the toy stores the communication activation data, communication can be started using the communication activation data and necessary data can be automatically and smoothly acquired. In addition, since the external connection unit that can be directly connected to the external device is provided, it is possible to connect to the external device without using an intermediate connection device such as a cradle, and the configuration related to communication can be simplified.

In the 2nd invention and the 8th invention, a toy is equipped with the light emission part which light-emits by the data from a data transmission device, can light-emit by the transmitted data, and can improve the form of expression to the outside.
In the third and ninth inventions, the toy is provided with a voice output unit that outputs a voice based on data from the data transmission device, so that the voice can be appealed to the outside, and the expression form of the toy is increased. it can.
In the fourth invention and the tenth invention, the toy is provided with an operation unit that is operated by data from the data transmission device, so that the state and form of the toy can be changed based on the transmitted data, and the expression form of the toy Can be diversified.
In the fifth invention, since the toy has a mounting means, it becomes possible for the owner to wear the toy directly, to attach the toy to the owner's belongings, and to prevent the toy from being lost. A toy can be used as a kind of decoration.

In the sixth invention and the twelfth invention, since the communication device communicates with the data transmission device using the identification data and communication activation data stored in the toy, communication is easily established automatically with the specific data transmission device. Further, when the identification data is registered, the data related to the toy can be obtained smoothly by the communication device.
In the seventh invention, when the identification data is not registered, the registration application data is transmitted, so that the process related to the user registration can be performed smoothly and the data related to the toy is transmitted until the registration is completed. Since this is not done, the value of toy data can be increased.

  In the eleventh aspect of the invention, since the data relating to the toy is content data such as manga, animation, game, movie, etc. in which the character relating to the shape of the toy appears, only the person who has the toy has toy and communication The required content data can be acquired using the device, and a new value called content data acquisition can be added to the toy. In addition, since the data transmission device transmits data for operating the toy operation unit in accordance with the behavior of the character in the content data to be transmitted, the toy is operated in conjunction with the behavior of the character in the content data and the content data is multifaceted. You can enjoy it.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a data transmission system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The data transmission system 1 of the present embodiment connects a toy 10 to a connection unit 21 provided on one side of a portable personal computer 20 that is an external communication device, so that a specific server 30 is connected via a network 40. A communication connection with a (Web server or FTP server) is established so that necessary data can be acquired from the server 30 by the personal computer 20.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the toy 10. The toy 10 is in the form of a doll, and a doll body 10a as an outer peripheral part is formed by combining a synthetic resin body part 10b and a synthetic resin head part 10c formed integrally with a torso, arms and legs. doing. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the head portion 10c is attached to the body portion 10b so as to be movable back and forth and right and left with respect to the body portion 10b.

  Specifically, the body part 10b has an opening 10g formed at the end of the head 10c on the attachment side, and a spherical recess 10f communicating with the opening 10g. Further, the head 10c has a spherical shape in which a neck 10h that is narrower than the inner diameter of the opening 10g of the body 10b is protruded on the attachment side to the body 10b, and the head 10c is rotatably fitted in the recess 10f of the body 10b at the end of the neck 10h. A rotating part 10i is provided. Therefore, the toy 10 can mechanically perform an operation of swinging the head 10c back and forth and right and left by the rotation of the rotation unit 10i with respect to the recess 10f. In addition, the metal piece 10k attracted with respect to magnetic force is attached to the downward top part of the rotation part 10i of the head 10c.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the toy 10 is provided with a ring portion 10e at the top of the head portion 10c, and a strap 12 that can be connected in an annular shape is attached to the ring portion 10e. The strap 12 functions as a mounting means, and can be mounted on the neck of the owner of the toy 10 corresponding to an external mounted body or the grip portion of the bag of the owner. Thus, since the owner can wear the toy 10 with the strap 12, the toy 10 can be used as a kind of ornament.

  Furthermore, the toy 10 has an external connection portion 11 projecting from the leg side end of the body portion 10b. The external connection unit 11 has a terminal shape corresponding to a standard related to USB (Universal Serial Bus).

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the toy 10. In the toy 10, the control unit 13, the storage unit 14, the light emitting unit 15, the vibration unit 16, the sound output unit 17, and the movable drive unit 18 are arranged inside the doll main body 10 a, and the units 13 to 18 are connected from the external connection unit 11. The extended data transmission is connected to the internal bus 19 for data transmission. Although not shown, the toy 10 is also provided with a power line extending from the external connection unit 11 to each unit 13 to 18, and when connected to an external communication device, each unit 13 is connected from the communication device through the external connection unit. ˜18 is fed, and no power source is provided inside.

  The control unit 13 controls the operations of the units 14 to 18 and the input / output of data with the outside. That is, the control unit 13 controls the output of the storage unit 14 so that the external communication device can read the data stored in the storage unit 14 when the toy 10 is connected to the external communication device. In addition, processing such as address designation for writing and synchronization control for a write request from the outside is performed so that data received from the outside can be stored in the storage unit 14. In addition, the control unit 13 performs processing for transmitting to the light emitting unit 15 light emission data received from the outside as the light emission control unit (hereinafter referred to as “light emission data”).

  Further, the control unit 13 performs a process of transmitting vibration data (hereinafter referred to as “vibration data”) received from the outside as an operation control unit to the vibration unit 16. Further, the control unit 13 performs processing for transmitting to the audio output unit 17 audio output data (hereinafter referred to as “audio data”) received from the outside as the audio output control unit 17. At the same time, the movable drive unit 18 is transmitted to the movable drive unit 18 data (hereinafter referred to as “drive data”) for causing the movable drive unit 18 to drive the head 10c received from the outside as an operation control unit. Process.

  In this embodiment, the storage unit 14 uses a semiconductor memory, and stores identification data and communication activation data in advance. The identification data is data corresponding to a toy-specific number for identifying the toy 10 from other toys. In this embodiment, numbers such as “10000” and “10001” are used. Therefore, there is only one toy 10 storing the identification data “10000” in the world, and there is only one toy 10 storing the identification data “10001” in the world.

  The communication activation data is automatic activation type program data that defines contents for starting communication processing of an external communication device. The communication activation data of the present embodiment specifies the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the Web page of the server 30 shown in FIG. 1 as a communication connection destination, and the server of the provider with which the external communication device communicates (see FIG. When a communication connection with the server 30 is established via (not shown), a process for accessing the Web page of the server 30 is defined. The storage unit 14 secures a free capacity for storing data other than the identification data and the communication activation data, and can store various data received from the outside.

  In the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 15 uses a light emitting diode (LED), and emits light when receiving light emission data. The light emitting units 15 are respectively attached to portions corresponding to both eyes 10d of the head 10c shown in FIG. 2 so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit 15 can express the state in which both eyes of the toy 10 shine from the appearance. Yes. The vibration unit 16 corresponds to an operation unit using a vibration element in this embodiment, and performs vibration (operation) when vibration data is received. In addition, the vibration part 16 is arrange | positioned inside the body part 10b, and can express the state where the body of a doll is trembling from the appearance by the vibration of the vibration part 16.

  In the present embodiment, the audio output unit 17 uses a semiconductor that emits a plurality of types of electronic sounds, and emits a type of electronic sound corresponding to the received audio data when the audio data is received. The audio output unit 17 is disposed inside the body part 19b.

  The movable drive unit 18 corresponds to an operating unit, and is a box-like one disposed so as to face the rotating unit 10i of the head 10c as shown in FIG. 4A, and the left and right first electromagnetic coils 18a. In addition to the second electromagnetic coil 18b, a front and rear third electromagnetic coil 18c and a fourth electromagnetic coil 18d are provided as shown in FIG. When the movable drive unit 18 receives the drive data, the movable drive unit 18 performs an operation of exciting the first electromagnetic coil 18a through the fourth electromagnetic coil 18d in order. By exciting in this way, the metal piece 10k of the head 10c is sequentially drawn from the first electromagnetic coil 18a to the fourth electromagnetic coil, and as a result, the head 10c is tilted back and forth.

  As described above, the toy 10 according to the present embodiment enables light emission, vibration, sound output, and tilt of the head 10c based on various data such as light emission, vibration, sound output and driving from the outside. A doll enables a form and a state that expresses emotions.

  On the other hand, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the personal computer 20 to which the toy 10 is connected. The personal computer 20 has a configuration in which a CPU 23, a hard disk 24, a RAM 25, a ROM 26, a display interface unit 27, an audio interface unit 28, and a communication unit 29 are connected to an internal PC bus 20c extending from a connection unit 21 provided in a housing 20a. I have to. Although not shown, the personal computer 20 is also provided with a power supply line that is connected to an external commercial power source and supplies power to each of the units 21 to 29, and supplies power to devices connected to the connection unit 21. It also makes it possible.

  The connection portion 21 has a terminal shape conforming to the USB standard, and allows the external connection portion 11 of the toy 10 to be directly connected. In addition, the connection unit 21 can output various data to the outside under the control of the CPU 23 and can also receive various data from the outside. The hard disk 24 stores various data and programs. In this embodiment, the hard disk 24 stores a communication program and a content reproduction program in addition to a program related to the operating system and various application programs.

  The communication program defines processing for connecting to a provider server related to communication of the personal computer 20 according to a preset communication protocol and processing for accessing various servers connected to the network 40 via the provider. . Note that a general communication program is usually that the personal computer 20 receives a user operation and causes the CPU 23 to perform the above-described processing. However, the communication program according to the present embodiment is stored in the communication activation data stored in the toy 10. Based on this, the CPU 23 can automatically establish the communication connection to the server 30 and automatically perform the processing until the read identification data is transmitted to the server 30 as described later.

  The content playback program is a program that defines the content to be played back by the personal computer 20 on the content data transmitted from the server 30 as will be described later, and displays data related to images included in the content data on the display screen 20b. And a process of outputting data related to the audio of the content data from the speaker 22 are defined. Further, in the content reproduction program, the content data of the present embodiment is appropriately attached with light emission data, vibration data, audio data, and drive data as will be described later, and processing for outputting each data to the outside via the connection unit 21 It is also specified that the CPU 23 perform the above.

  In this embodiment, the CPU 23 functions as a detection unit that detects whether or not the toy 10 is connected to the connection unit 21 based on an operating system stored in the hard disk 24. Further, when the CPU 23 detects that the toy 10 is connected to the connection unit 21, the CPU 23 functions as a data reading unit that reads identification data and communication activation data stored in the toy 10. Further, the CPU 23 also functions as a transmission unit that activates a communication program based on the read communication activation data and transmits identification data to the server 30.

  Further, when registration application data is transmitted from the server 30 as will be described later, the CPU 23 receives data related to registration input by a keyboard and a mouse (not shown) or the like, and based on the communication program, the server 30 Processing to send to. Further, when menu data is transmitted from the server 30 as will be described later, the CPU 23 accepts data of contents selected by a keyboard and a mouse (not shown) or the like and sends a transmission request for requesting content data to the communication program. Based on this, a process of transmitting to the server 30 is also performed.

  The display interface 27 is connected to the display screen 20b, and performs processing for displaying data received through the PC internal bus 20c on the display screen 20b. The audio interface unit 28 is connected to the speaker 22 and performs a process of outputting data received through the PC internal bus 20c as audio from the speaker 22. The communication unit 29 connects a communication cable connected to the network 40 such as the Internet, and performs processing for transmitting and receiving data related to communication. The RAM 25 temporarily stores various data related to the processing of the CPU 23, and the ROM 26 stores processing contents independent of the operating system of the CPU 23.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an internal main part of the server 30. The server 30 corresponds to a data transmission device that transmits data. In this embodiment, a server computer is applied to the manga, animation, game, movie, software demonstration video, or software that appears as a character related to the shape of the toy 10. The content data related to any of the videos related to the help guide and the data related to the toy 10 such as the light emission data and vibration data of the toy 10 are transmitted. The server 30 has a configuration in which a communication connection unit 31, a CPU 32, a RAM 33, a ROM 34, and a hard disk 35 are connected to a server internal bus 36.

  The hard disk 35 stores various programs and data. In this embodiment, the hard disk 35 stores a server communication program, a determination program, menu data, registration application data for registration application, a registration table, and various content data. Note that newly created content data is stored in the hard disk 35 as needed.

  The server communication program stipulates that the CPU 32 perform processing for performing communication with the outside, processing for transmitting various data in response to access from the outside, and the like. Specifically, the server communication program is a process for receiving identification data from the outside, a process for transmitting menu data or registration application data to the access source based on an instruction of the determination program, and various content data based on contents selected according to the menu data. Defines a process for causing the CPU 32 to perform the process of transmitting the message to the access source.

  The menu data is data relating to the contents displayed on the display screen 20b of the personal computer 20 shown in FIG. 7, and the first selection button 50a “View from first episode” on the display screen 20b, “Continued from previous time”. A second selection button 50b called "view from", a third selection button 50c called "view update", and a fourth selection button 50d called "game", which can be selected with a keyboard or a mouse. doing. The registration application data is data relating to the contents displayed on the display screen 20b of the personal computer 20 shown in FIG. 8, and the “name”, “address”, “phone number”, “mail address” and personal computer 20 are displayed on the display screen 20b. “Transmission property setting” that allows data to be transmitted to the keyboard is displayed so that it can be input with a keyboard or a mouse.

  Further, the determination program is a content that causes the CPU 32 to update the content of the registration table 51 shown in FIG. The content that allows the CPU 32 to determine whether or not the identification data transmitted based on the content is registered is defined. Further, when it is determined that the transmitted identification data is registered in the determination program, a process for causing the CPU 32 to perform an instruction to transmit menu data to the server communication program is performed. Further, when it is determined that the transmitted identification data is not registered in the determination program, the CPU 32 performs a process of giving an instruction to transmit the registration application data to the server communication program.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a data structure of content data stored in the hard disk 35. In the content data of the present embodiment, for example, when the content is a manga, the toy 10 shown in FIG. 2 appears as a character and causes various actions according to the progress of the story. In this content data, light emission data, sound data, drive data, and vibration data are appropriately added to data locations P1 to P6 corresponding to the scene where the character (toy 10) takes action from the first to the last of the story. It has a configuration.

  For example, light emission data is added to a data location P1 corresponding to a scene where a character is surprised in a comic story, and light emission data, vibration data, audio data, and drive data are added to a data location P3 of a scene where the character is pleased. ing. By adopting such a data structure for content data, it is possible to appropriately emit light of the toy 10, voice output, vibration, and movement of the head 10c in conjunction with the action of the character in the manga story. Users can enjoy manga content in many ways.

  When all or a part of the content data described above is transmitted to the personal computer 20 in a lump, additional portions such as light emission data and audio data are reproduced as the content data is reproduced in the personal computer 20. Occasionally, light emission data, audio data, and the like are output to the toy 10 based on the contents specified in the content reproduction program, and the contents of the content data and the light emission, audio output, etc. of the doll are reliably linked. On the other hand, even when the content data is transmitted to the personal computer 20 by streaming, the light emission data and the audio data added together with the required portion of the content data to be transmitted are transmitted, and the content of the content data to be reproduced and the light emission of the doll Audio output etc. are reliably linked.

  Further, the CPU 32 updates the contents of the registration table 51 shown in FIG. 9 based on the registration-related data transmitted from the outside based on the above-described determination program. In the registration table 51, “0” is written in the identification data (“10000”, “10002”, etc.) of the toy 10 to be manufactured and the “registration” column in advance. The CPU 32 overwrites “1” in the “registration” column of the identification data to which the data related to registration has been transmitted. Further, the CPU 32 appropriately writes in the fields such as “name” and “address” based on the data related to the registration, and also writes the data transmission status of the registered user up to the previous time in a column not shown in FIG. .

  Further, the CPU 32 functions as a determination unit that determines whether or not the transmitted identification data has been registered. In the process related to this determination, the “registration” column of the registration table 51 is “1”. Or “0”. Further, when the CPU 32 determines that the transmitted identification data is registered, the CPU 32 returns the menu data based on the above-described communication program and the content selected by the menu data. It functions as a data transmission unit that transmits content data corresponding to the transmission request. If the CPU 32 determines that the transmitted identification data is not registered, the CPU 32 performs a process of transmitting registration application data based on the communication program described above.

  6 is connected to the network 40 to accept various data and accept identification data as data accepting means, and also performs output processing related to transmission of content data, menu data, and registration application data. . The RAM 33 temporarily stores various data related to processing, and the ROM 34 stores necessary data.

Next, a series of processes related to data transmission in the data transmission method according to the data transmission system 1 having the above-described configuration will be described based on a first flowchart shown in FIG.
First, the CPU 23 of the personal computer 20 detects the connection of the toy 10 to the connection unit 21 (S1). When the connection of the toy 10 is not detected (S1: NO), the connection to the toy 10 is waited for. When the connection of the toy 10 is detected (S1: YES), the CPU 23 of the personal computer 20 reads the identification data and the communication activation data from the toy 10 (S2), and establishes a communication connection with the server 30 based on the communication activation data. Then, the identification data is transmitted to the server 30 (S3).

  The server 30 determines whether or not the transmitted identification data is registered (S4). When the identification data is not registered, the server 30 transmits registration application data to the personal computer 20, and the personal computer 20 is data (registration data) related to the required registration application that is input to the registration application data with a keyboard or a mouse. Is transmitted to the server 30 (S5). The server 30 completes the registration for the unregistered identification data based on the transmitted registration data (S6). When the identification data registration determination (S4) includes identification data registration, or when the above-described identification data registration is completed (S6), the server 30 transmits the required content data to the personal computer 20, The personal computer 20 receives and reproduces the transmitted content data (S7). At the time of transmitting the content data described above, the added light emission data and audio data are also transmitted.

  Therefore, in the personal computer 20, any content of manga, animation, movie, or game is appropriately displayed on the display screen 20 b by reproducing the content data, and a required sound is output from the speaker 22. Furthermore, since the personal computer 20 outputs the utterance data and voice data added to the transmitted content data to the toy 10 in accordance with the progress of the story, the toy 10 connected to the personal computer 20 progresses the content. Since the user performs light emission, voice output, etc. in accordance with the action of the character according to the user, the user can enjoy the effects of the content and the toy 10 in cooperation.

FIG. 12 is a second flowchart showing a detailed processing procedure in the server 30 for the processes (S4) to (S7) in the first flowchart of FIG.
When the server 30 receives the identification data (S10), the server 30 determines whether or not the identification data is registered based on the registration table 51 of FIG. 9 (S11). When it is determined that the identification data is not registered, that is, when the “registration” column is “0” (S11: NO), the server 30 transmits the registration application data relating to the display contents of FIG. (S12) It is determined whether registration data is received from the personal computer 20 (S13).

  If registration data is not received (S13: NO), the process waits until registration data is received. If registration data is received (S13: YES), the server 30 writes the received registration data in the registration table and identifies data. Is registered (S14). If the identification data is registered (S11: YES) or after the identification data is registered (S14), the server 30 next transmits the menu data relating to the display contents of FIG. 7 to the personal computer 20 (S15). ).

  Thereafter, the server 30 determines whether or not the content (selection data) selected as a transmission request by the personal computer 20 for the menu data has been received from the personal computer 20 (S16), and if the selection data is not received (S16: NO), while waiting for processing until it is received, when selection data is received (S16: YES), the server 30 transmits content data corresponding to the selected content to the personal computer 20 (S17).

  Therefore, since the data transmission system 1 according to the present invention automatically establishes a communication connection to the server 30 simply by connecting the toy 10 to the personal computer 20, the communication processing burden on the user is reduced. In addition, since the content data cannot be acquired without registration, the security related to the transmission of the content data is ensured. Furthermore, since the user cannot acquire the content data unless the toy 10 is owned, the rarity and availability of the content data can be improved. Furthermore, by transmitting the menu data to the user side, the user can easily obtain the required content data.

  The data transmission system 1 is not limited to the above-described form, and various modifications can be applied. For example, in the toy 10, either or both of the body part 10b and the head part 10c may be formed of a transparent synthetic resin, and in this case, the light emission inside can be identified from the appearance. Therefore, the light emitting unit 15 may be arranged inside the toy 10. In addition, the toy 10 may be configured such that a part other than the head part 10c is separated from the body part 10b and is movable with respect to the body part 10b, and such a part is movable by the movable drive unit 18. Is possible. Further, the audio output unit 17 may output different audio corresponding to a plurality of audio data, and the content data may have a data structure including different types of audio data depending on the scene.

  Furthermore, the toy 10 is not formed by combining a plurality of parts, but a doll body is formed of a flexible synthetic resin or synthetic rubber, and the movable drive unit 18 has a motor and a cam mechanism. The doll may be operated by flexing a part of the doll body using a mechanical mechanism. Moreover, the toy 10 may operate the part formed with the metal material using the metal material for a part. Furthermore, the toy 10 is provided with an odorant that emits an odor when melted and a heat generating part that dissolves the odorant based on dissolution data from the outside, and adds the dissolution data to a required portion of the content data, It is also possible to generate an odor from the toy 10 in conjunction with the above. Furthermore, the toy 10 applies a material whose color changes according to temperature to the outer peripheral portion, and also provides a heat generating portion that generates heat on the outer peripheral portion based on the color change data, and adds the color change data to a required portion of the content data. By doing so, the color of the appearance of the toy 10 can be changed in conjunction with the content.

  In addition to the strap 12, the toy 10 can use mounting means such as a key holder and a chain, and the mounting means can be omitted. Furthermore, you may make it project from another location other than the leg part of the external connection part 11 projected from the toy 10. FIG. Furthermore, the toy 10 can be applied to various communication devices such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) having a communication function in addition to the personal computer 20, a mobile phone, and a PHS compatible phone. When connecting to a communication device, it is necessary to change the external connection unit 11 to specifications according to the connection (PC card specifications related to PCMCIA, IEEE 1394, etc.). In addition, the storage unit 14 of the toy 10 stores data for the first few episodes of content data consisting of the first half of the content data or a plurality of episodes in advance, and stores the toy 10 connected to the personal computer 20. When the reproduction of the data is completed, the second half of the content data or the remaining several episodes of data can be transmitted from the server 30. In this case, the data for the first half or the first few episodes of the content data can be reproduced by simply connecting the toy 10 to the personal computer 20 without communicating with the server 30. Furthermore, the toy 10 may be formed into an animal, a fictional creature, a robot, an anthropomorphic doll, or may be formed into a shape such as a modeled object, a structure, a vehicle, or a miscellaneous goods other than the doll.

  Further, the server 30 may transmit the operation data such as light emission data and voice data to the menu data related to the display content shown in FIG. 7 and the registration application data related to the display content shown in FIG. . In this case, since the toy 10 operates on the menu screen or the registration application screen, selection or input of items is prompted. Further, the server 30 may transmit a video related to software demonstration content, a video related to software help content, and the like as content data. In the above-described embodiment, the communication is performed between the personal computer 20 and the server 30. However, two communication terminal devices (personal computer, The present invention can also be applied to a mode in which a toy 10 is connected to one communication terminal device to communicate with the other communication terminal device between PDAs and the like.

1 is a schematic diagram of a data transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of a toy. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a toy. (A) is the schematic which shows the action | operation of the left-right direction of a head, (b) is the schematic which shows the action | operation of the front-back direction of a head. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a personal computer. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a server. It is the schematic which shows the display screen of a menu. It is the schematic which shows the display screen of a registration application. It is a chart which shows a registration table. It is the schematic which shows the data structure of content data. It is a 1st flowchart concerning a data transmission method. It is a 2nd flowchart which concerns on the data transmission process of a server.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Data transmission system 10 Toy 11 External connection part 12 Strap 13 Control part 14 Memory | storage part 15 Light emission part 16 Vibration part 17 Audio | voice output part 18 Movable drive part 20 Personal computer 30 Server 40 Network 51 Registration table

Claims (12)

In a toy including a storage unit in which data is stored,
With an external connection that can be directly connected to external communication equipment,
The storage unit
Unique identification data and communication activation data for starting communication processing of an external communication device are stored, and the identification data and communication activation data can be output to the outside via the external connection unit. A toy characterized by A light emitting unit;
The toy according to claim 1, further comprising: a light emission control unit that causes the light emission unit to emit light based on data received from outside via the external connection unit. An audio output unit;
The toy according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an audio output control unit that outputs audio from the audio output unit based on data received from outside via the external connection unit. An operating part;
The toy according to claim 1, further comprising: an operation control unit that operates the operation unit based on data received from outside through the external connection unit.   The toy according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising mounting means that can be mounted on an external mounted body. A data transmission method in which the data transmission device determines whether or not identification data is registered and transmits data to the communication device,
The communication device is:
Detecting the connection of the toy according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When the connection of the toy is detected, the identification data and the communication activation data are read from the toy,
Transmitting the identification data to the data transmission device based on the read communication activation data,
The data transmission device includes:
Determine whether the sent identification data has been registered,
When the identification data is registered, data relating to the toy is transmitted to the communication device.   The data transmission method according to claim 6, wherein when the identification data is not registered, registration application data is transmitted to the communication device. The toy is the one according to claim 2,
The data transmission device includes:
Sending data for causing the light emitting unit to emit light to the communication device,
The communication device is:
The data transmission method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the transmitted data is output to the toy. The toy is the one according to claim 3,
The data transmission device includes:
Sending data to the communication device for outputting audio from the audio output unit;
The communication device is:
The data transmission method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the transmitted data is output to the toy. The toy is the one according to claim 4,
The data transmission device includes:
Transmitting data for operating the operating unit;
The communication device is:
The data transmission method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the transmitted data is output to the toy. The data relating to the toy is content data relating to any of a manga, animation, game, or movie in which a character relating to the shape of the toy appears.
The data transmission device includes:
The data transmission method according to claim 10, wherein data for operating the operating unit is transmitted according to an action of the character in a scene of the content data to be transmitted. A data transmission system for determining whether or not the identification data is registered by the data transmission device and transmitting data to the communication device,
The communication device is:
A connecting portion capable of connecting the toy according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
Detecting means for detecting the connection of the toy to the connecting portion;
Data reading means for reading identification data and communication activation data from the toy when the detecting means detects the connection of the toy;
Transmission means for transmitting the identification data to the data transmission device based on the communication activation data read by the data reading means,
The data transmission device includes:
A determination means for determining whether or not registration of transmitted identification data is performed;
A data transmission system comprising: a data transmission unit configured to transmit data relating to the toy to the communication device when the determination unit determines that the identification data is registered.

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