JP2007072511A - Chat system, chat server, program and message exchange method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enjoy a conversation with a plurality of users regardless of the increase of participating members in a chat. <P>SOLUTION: This chat server is provided with a data storage part 312 for storing a plurality of character data; an access deciding part 314 for deciding whether or not access from a client has been performed for the first time; a character assigning part 318 for assigning character data to the client when it is decided that access has been performed for the first time, a message receiving part 320 for receiving a message from the client; a voice data generating part 322 for reading the character data of the assigned character, and for compounding the voices of the character data, and for generating voice data corresponding to the message from the client; and a voice data transmitting part 324 for transmitting the voice data to the client of the object of message exchange. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a chat system, a chat server, a program, and a message exchange method for exchanging messages between one or two or more clients.

  As a means for exchanging messages between physically separated users, there are chat, instant message and the like in addition to electronic mail. This chat or instant message is a communication service that displays conversations between clients (users) in real time for a plurality of clients connected to a communication network such as the Internet. A user can freely participate in the chat from a client such as a personal computer and can interact with a plurality of participating members in a virtual space.

  However, in such a communication service such as chat, message exchange using only character (text) data is mainly performed, and it is necessary to quickly input a keyboard while visually checking other users' messages. Therefore, there is a problem that a sufficient time cannot be secured for answering a plurality of users.

  Therefore, when multiple users access a single virtual space (group) by chat, a technology is proposed that generates a single synthesized speech from a message and provides the user with not only characters but also synthesized speech. (For example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-10-257189

  However, in the above technology, the voice synthesis is not used unless at least two users access the chat server, and the synthesized voice is not required to be seen from other users' messages. Therefore, there was a problem that it was not possible to recognize which user's message.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the conventional chat system, and the object of the present invention is to facilitate communication between users who use the chat system, despite the increase in participating members. To provide a new and improved chat system, chat server, program, and message exchange method capable of enjoying conversations with a plurality of users.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, one or two or more clients and a chat server connected to the clients via a communication network can exchange messages between the clients. A chat system that performs: the client sends a message to another client; a voice data receiver that receives voice data from the chat server; and outputs voice based on the voice data The chat server includes a data storage unit that stores a plurality of character data that are synthesized sounds for each character; an access determination unit that determines whether the access from the client is the first time; When accessing for the first time, the character data in the data storage unit is sent to the client. A character allocation unit for receiving a message from the client; reading out the character data of the allocated character from the data storage unit, synthesizing the voice of the character data, There is provided a chat system comprising: an audio data generation unit that generates audio data corresponding to a message; and an audio data transmission unit that transmits the audio data to a message exchange target client.

  The chat system supports chat between clients owned by one or more users, and performs speech synthesis based on a message (text data) input by each client. In such speech synthesis, for example, a character (speaker) such as an arbitrary person is assigned to each client, and the user can distinguish the messages of a plurality of other users according to the difference in the character, that is, the difference in speech.

  Allocation of characters by the chat system can take roughly two configurations. One is a configuration that is randomly performed on the chat server side, and the other is a configuration that selects a character on the client side. Accordingly, the character assigning unit may assign character data at random, and the chat server further includes a list sending unit for sending a list of character data to the client, and the client includes the chat server. A character selection unit that allows the user to select desired character data from the list received from the character selection unit, and the character allocation unit may allocate the character data selected by the character selection unit to the client.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a chat server connected to one or more clients via a communication network and exchanging messages between the clients: A data storage unit that stores a plurality of character data that is a synthesized sound of; an access determination unit that determines whether or not the access from the client is the first time; A character allocating unit for allocating data; a message receiving unit for receiving a message from the client; reading out the character data of the allocated character from the data storage unit, synthesizing the voice of the character data, and Voice data corresponding to the message of And the audio data transmitting section that transmits the audio data to the client's message exchanged; audio data generation unit and characterized in that it comprises a chat server is provided.

  The chat server also supports chat between clients possessed by one or more users, and performs speech synthesis based on messages (text data) input by each client. Such a data storage unit may include character speech and prosody as character data. In addition, a speech database and a prosody database can be configured individually.

  The assignment of character data to the client may be performed by associating the client identifier with the character data.

  The character assigning unit may assign character data at random. With this configuration, various characters can be assigned to each client, and conversation can be enjoyed by unexpected character assignments.

  The character assigning unit may not assign any other character data already assigned to the client to be exchanged with the message.

  With this configuration, a different character is assigned to each client, and the user can surely recognize a message from another user based on the difference in the voice of the character.

  The apparatus may further include a list transmission unit that transmits a list of character data to the client, and the character allocation unit may allocate character data selected by the client based on the list transmitted to the client to the client.

  With this configuration, a user can select a character that transmits a message as a synthesized sound to other users by himself / herself, and can appeal his / her characteristics in addition to the message. It is also possible to participate in the chat as a different person by regarding himself as a virtual person.

  In addition, the list transmission unit may automatically transmit the list when access from the client is the first time, or may transmit the list at any time in response to a request from the client (user).

  The list transmission unit may exclude the character data that the character allocation unit has already allocated to the client that is a message exchange target from the list.

  As described above, when a different character is assigned to each client, the user can surely distinguish the messages of a plurality of other users by the difference in the voice of the character. By eliminating the already assigned characters from the list, it is possible to reliably avoid duplication of characters.

  When accessing from a client for the first time, the presence or absence of assignable character data in the data storage unit is determined. If there is no assignable data, a client restriction unit is further provided for restricting chat participation of the client. Also good.

  With this configuration, it is possible to reliably avoid duplication of characters of users who participate in the chat.

  The data storage unit may further store a plurality of tone data for each character data, and the character allocation unit may allocate the character data and tone data.

  By assigning the tone data for each character data to each individual client, the user can more surely distinguish the messages of other users depending on the voice and tone of the character. In addition, in the configuration where the user can select the character and tone, in addition to the character, his / her characteristics can be appealed by the tone, and for example, his / her current feelings can be appealed by “angry tone” etc. It becomes.

  The data storage unit may further store a correspondence table in which the client and the character data are associated with each other. With this configuration, the association between the client and the character data can be referred to many times.

  The character data allocated to the character allocation unit may be maintained for a predetermined period.

  The character assigned to the client should not change while the chat continues, that is, while other users recognize themselves. The chat server sets a predetermined rule for character maintenance, and continues character allocation for that period. In addition, the maintenance period can be freely set by the user.

  The data storage unit may store the character data in association with a predetermined group, and the character allocation unit may allocate the character data from the predetermined group according to the client.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to associate an appropriate character in a group that is highly likely to have shared information regarding the region, age group, gender, and other categories with each group. Each character may be associated in common across groups.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, there are also provided a program and a message exchanging method that are connected to one or more clients via a communication network and exchange messages between the clients. The

  The client may be formed integrally with the chat server. The data storage unit of the chat server may be provided separately from the chat server and may be referred to by wired or wireless data communication.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in chat, other users can be distinguished by the difference in voice, and even if the number of participating members increases, it is possible to enjoy conversations with a plurality of users.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(First embodiment: Chat system)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the chat system. Such a chat system includes a client 100 owned by a user and a chat server 120 connected to the client 100 via a communication network 110, and exchanges messages between the clients 100.

  The client 100 can access the server 120 via at least the communication network 110, and includes, for example, a server, a personal computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a mobile phone, a portable audio player, a home game machine, and an information appliance. It is also good. The connection form with the communication network 110 may be wired or wireless.

  The communication network 110 includes a communication network such as the Internet or a LAN, and connects between the client 100 and the server 120 or between the clients 100.

  Like the client 100, the chat server 120 is composed of, for example, a server, a personal computer, a PDA, a mobile phone, a portable audio player, a home game machine, and an information appliance, and receives a chat participation request from the client 100. The client 100 is added to a chat member, and a plurality of clients 100 participating in the chat are allowed to have a conversation in real time.

  As described above, the chat system according to the present embodiment is a system that performs a text (character) -based conversation in real time through the communication network 110. Talk at the same time. Such a chat system has been provided as one of the communication service functions by a personal computer. Recently, a server that collectively manages data communication, such as IRC (Internet Relay Chat), has been installed so that high-speed communication between users can be performed. In addition, it provides a highly convenient service.

  This embodiment that operates on such a chat system is characterized in that an arbitrary character is assigned to each client on the basis of a message input by each client 100 and conversation is performed with the voice of the character.

  In addition, the assignment of characters by the chat system can take roughly two configurations. One is a configuration that is randomly performed on the chat server 120 side, and the other is a configuration that selects a character on the client 100 side. Hereinafter, a case where the random allocation on the chat server 120 side in the second embodiment is selected on the client 100 side in the third embodiment will be described.

(Second Embodiment: Chat Server Assignment)
First, the client 100 and the chat server 120 which are components of the chat system will be described in detail.

(Client 100)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the client 100. The client 100 includes a client control unit 210, a message transmission unit 212, a text reception unit 214, a text display unit 216, a voice data reception unit 218, a voice output unit 220, and an input unit 222. Is done.

  The client control unit 210 manages and controls the entire client 100 using a semiconductor integrated circuit including a central processing unit (CPU).

  The message transmission unit 212 transmits a message to the chat server 120 to the participating members of the chat in which the message participates. The user creates a message using a text display unit 216 and an input unit 222, which will be described later, and performs transmission processing of the message. In this way, the message display unit 216 displays its own message along with messages from other users. Such messages may be displayed in chronological order, for example.

  The text receiving unit 214 receives from the chat server 120 text data or data in which at least characters equivalent to the text data are messages from other clients 100.

  The text display unit 216 is formed including a monitor such as a display, and displays the Web browser provided by the chat server 120 and the text data received by the text receiving unit 214. Therefore, the user visually recognizes messages from other users through the text display unit 216.

  The voice data receiving unit 218 receives voice data obtained by converting a message from another client 100 into voice (voice synthesis) from the chat server 120. Such voice data may be formed integrally with the above-described text data, or may be received individually.

  The voice output unit 220 generates a voice from the voice data received by the voice data receiving unit 218 and outputs the voice.

  The input unit 222 is formed of a keyboard, a mouse, and other user interfaces, and mainly supports text input to the client 100.

  With the configuration of the client 100 described above, the user can exchange conversations between users in real time for a plurality of clients 100 connected to the communication network 110 without being aware of the chat server 120. Become.

(Chat server 120)
The chat server 120 supports chatting between one or more clients 100 described above, and performs speech synthesis based on a message (text data) input by each client 100. Hereinafter, the configuration of the chat server 120 is shown.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the chat server 120. The chat server 120 includes a server control unit 310, a data storage unit 312, an access determination unit 314, a client restriction unit 316, a character allocation unit 318, a message reception unit 320, an audio data generation unit 322, an audio And a data transmission unit 324.

  The server control unit 310 manages and controls the entire chat server 120 using a semiconductor integrated circuit including a central processing unit (CPU).

  The data storage unit 312 stores a plurality of character data 330 that is a synthesized sound for each character and a plurality of tone data 332 for each character data 330. Here, the character represents an arbitrary person who can distinguish speech, for example, an individual name such as a famous actor or singer, a general person according to gender or age, etc. Various voices such as voice and timbre can be applied. The character data 330 may include the voice and prosody of the character. Here, speech includes pre-recorded speech, and prosody is used to predict the pitch and length of sound when text (characters) is converted to speech.

  The tone represents, for example, a dialect, fast mouth, emotion, imitation of a celebrity, etc., but is not limited to such a case, and various variations such as, for example, various changes in voice intonation can be applied. In addition to the character data 330 and tone data 332 prepared in advance by the chat server 120, the user can also register his / her voice and tone.

  The character data 330 and tone data 332 in the data storage unit 312 may use a corpus TTS (text to speech), and in that case, variations in characters and tone can be increased.

  The access determination unit 314 determines whether the access from the client is the first time. Further, when a message is transmitted simultaneously with access from the client, it is determined that the access is the first access, and after predetermined processing is performed, the message receiving unit 320 (to be described later) performs message processing. The first access described above includes the first re-access after the elapse of a predetermined period in addition to the actual first access to the chat server 120.

  When the access from the client 100 is the first time, that is, when the access determination unit 314 detects the first access from the client 100, the client restriction unit 316 determines whether there is character data that can be allocated in the data storage unit 312. to decide. Here, when there is no data that can be allocated, that is, when the number of clients participating in the chat exceeds the number of character data, the chat participation of the client 100 is restricted (rejected). In this way, the assignment of duplicate characters by users participating in the chat is surely avoided.

  When the character allocation unit 318 is accessed for the first time from the client 100 and there is character data that can be allocated in the data storage unit 312 (remains), the character allocation unit 318 stores the character storage unit 312 in the data storage unit 312. Allocates character data. Here, when the data storage unit 312 also stores a plurality of tone data 332 for each character data 330, the tone data 332 may be assigned in addition to the character data 330.

  In addition, the character allocation unit 318 may automatically transmit the character data 330 and the tone data 332 to the audio data generation unit 322, which will be described later, after associating the client 100 with the character data 330, and the audio data generation unit 322. The character data may be transmitted in response to such a request. Accordingly, at the time of assigning the character data 330, it is possible to perform only the association process and not move or copy the character data 330 itself.

  By assigning the character data 330 and the tone data 332 for each character data 330 to the individual clients 100 in this way, the user can reliably receive the messages of other users depending on the voice and tone of the character. I can tell you.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between characters and tone data stored in the data storage unit 312. Here, “30 years old, male” and “girl” are given as character data, and “30 years old, male” is “tone of famous celebrity (A)”, “famous entertainer (B)”. Mimicry "," Schoolgirl's way of talking "," Baby words ", etc. are prepared, and" Girls "have" fun way of talking "," happy way of talking "," angry way of talking "," robot-like "Tone" is prepared. Here, each tone is set for each character. However, for example, a tone common to all characters or a plurality of specific characters such as “angry tone” and “fighting tone” may be provided. Of course, the character and tone of the present embodiment are not limited to the above examples of the character and tone, and various characters and tone can be applied. It is also possible to assign parameters other than the character and tone, for example, volume.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a correspondence table 334 in which characters and tone are assigned to each client 100 based on such character data 330 and tone data 332. The character allocation unit 318 generates the correspondence table 334 as shown in FIG. 5 and stores it in the data storage unit 312.

  Here, the character allocation unit 318 acquires an IP address that is an identifier of the accessing client 100, extracts a character corresponding to the acquired IP address, and associates the character ID of the extracted character with the IP address. The correspondence table 334 stores the relationship by the above association.

  Referring to FIG. 5, “A” and “B” are written in the client column 400 of the correspondence table 334 for easy understanding, but normally an identifier of the client is represented. This identifier includes, for example, the client ID of the client 100, the host name of the client 100, the IP address, or a combination thereof. The identifier is not limited to such a case, and it is sufficient that at least a client can be identified from other clients.

  The character column 402 and the tone column 404 of the correspondence table 334 store the character and tone associated with the client 100.

  With such a configuration, even when the client 100 re-accesses (re-message transmission), the correspondence between the client 100 and the character data and the tone data can be referred to many times, and the name recognition of the message that it speaks is improved. Is possible.

  Such character assignment by the character assigning unit 318 may be performed randomly or may be performed in a sequence in the order of participation in the chat. With this configuration, various characters can be assigned to each client 100, and the conversation itself can be enjoyed by the unexpected assignment of characters.

  Further, the character assigning unit 318 may not assign any other character data already assigned to the client that is the message exchange target. Such exclusive allocation may use the above-described correspondence data 334. For example, in FIG. 5, when a new client “I” participates, characters “Aoki” to “Girl” that have already been assigned to the clients “A” to “H” as characters are assigned. Eliminate and assign any of the remaining characters to client “I”. With such a configuration, a different character is assigned to each client, and the user can surely distinguish the messages of other users by the difference in the voice of the character.

  Furthermore, the character data allocated to the character allocation unit 318 may be maintained for a predetermined period. The character assigned to the client 100 should not change while the chat continues, that is, while other users recognize themselves. This is because in the chat, the same user who is talking with the same character can talk while being aware of the user's past history, so it is possible to enjoy more friendly chat. . The chat server 120 can set a predetermined rule for maintaining the character, and can continue the assigned state for that period, and can also allow the user to select this maintenance period.

  When the data storage unit 312 divides the character data 330 into a predetermined group and stores the character data 330 in association with the group, the character allocation unit 318 determines that the character data 330 is allocated from the predetermined group according to the client 100. Also good. These groups are distinguished by, for example, region, age group, gender, and other categories. The client 100 selects an arbitrary group from the group group prepared in advance in the chat server 120 according to the desired chat content and field. Within that group, there are many cases where multiple users have common information about the group, and by assigning characters appropriate for the group to the users (clients) in the group, the character characteristics can be made more effective. It can be used.

  The message receiving unit 320 receives a message from the client 100.

  The voice data generation unit 322 reads the character data 330 of the assigned character from the data storage unit 312, synthesizes the voice of the character data, and generates voice data corresponding to the message from the client 100.

  For example, the speech data generation unit 322 performs text analysis such as morphological analysis on text written in kanji characters, and obtains part-of-speech information, dependency, phoneme strings, and the like. The prosodic data in the character data that statistically represents the prosodic information (the length of the sound, the pitch of the sound, the strength of the sound) from the obtained part of speech information, dependency, phoneme sequence, etc. To predict. Next, the optimum segment waveform for the obtained prosodic information is selected from the speech data in the character data holding the speech file and connected to create a synthesized sound. An example of creating a synthesized sound of input text data is not limited to the above-described example, and various known methods can be applied.

  The character data may be formed with a data structure as a character database, and voice data and prosodic data in the character data may be individually managed in the database.

  The voice data transmission unit 324 transmits the voice data generated by the voice data generation unit 322 to the message exchange target client 100.

  In the chat using the chat server 120 described above, a plurality of other users can be distinguished by the difference in voice (voice quality), and even if the number of participating members increases, it is possible to enjoy conversations with a plurality of users. .

  In addition, the client 100 may have a text-to-speech conversion function individually as an application different from chat. However, the chat server 120 collectively manages the output of such a plurality of voices, so that the client 100 Regardless of the processing capacity of 100 or the installation status of the application for each client 100, high-quality speech synthesis that is difficult to realize with the normal client 100 is possible.

  Furthermore, the character data 330 and the tone data 332 that require an enormous capacity are collectively managed by the data storage unit 312 in the chat server 120, so that high-quality and diverse speech synthesis can be performed.

  A program that functions as the chat server 120 is also provided.

(Message exchange method)
Hereinafter, a message exchange method using a chat server 120 that is connected to one or two or more clients 100 via the communication network 110 and exchanges messages between the clients 100 will be described. Here, the description is broadly divided into three cases: (1) chat start, (2) chat execution, and (3) chat end.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the message exchange method at the start of the chat. First, the client 100 accesses the chat server 120 (S500), and the chat server 120 determines whether the access from the client 100 is the first time (S502). If the access is not the first time, that is, if the client 100 has already been registered, the start process ends.

  If the access from the client 100 is the first time, the chat server 120 determines whether there is character data and tone data that can be allocated in the data storage unit 312 (S504). The participation of 100 chats is restricted, that is, the access of the client 100 is denied, and the start process is terminated. If all the character data and tone data are not used, the next start processing is performed.

  The chat server 120 acquires an IP address as an identifier of the accessing client 100 (S510), and assigns the character data and its tone data stored in the chat server 120 to the client 100 (S512). At this time, the chat server 120 performs exclusive control so that the characters or tone of each client 100 do not overlap. The client 100 and the character and tone associated with each other are registered in the correspondence table (S514).

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of a message exchange method at the time of chat execution. First, the user inputs text on the client 100 and creates a message (S530). Then, the chat server 120 is accessed (S532), and the chat server 120 acquires an IP address as a client identifier (S534).

  The chat server 120 refers to the correspondence table in the data storage unit 312 (S536), and determines whether or not the acquired IP address and character are already associated (S538). If not associated here, the chat start process described in FIG. 6 is performed (S540).

  When the correspondence is made and a message is transmitted from the client 100, the chat server 120 receives the message (S542), and stores the character data and tone data of the character assigned to the client 100 as a data storage unit. The voice data corresponding to the message from the client 100 is generated by reading out from 312 and synthesizing the voice of the character data and the tone data (S544). At this time, the voice data and prosody data are included in the character data and tone data. The chat server 120 transmits the generated voice data all at once to the client 100 to which the message is sent and the other clients 100 participating in the chat (S546).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the message exchange method at the end of the chat. First, the client 100 transmits an end flag to the chat server 120 in accordance with a user instruction (S570). In response to this, the chat server 120 acquires an IP address as an identifier of the client (S572), and releases the association of characters and the like in the correspondence table of the client 100 (S574).

  With the message exchange method described above, users who use the chat system can easily communicate with each other, and can enjoy conversations with a plurality of users despite the increase in the number of participating members.

(Third embodiment: Client selection)
In the second embodiment, the characters and tone are randomly assigned in the chat server 120. The third embodiment is characterized in that the user can freely select the character and tone through the client 600 and the chat server 620.

(Client 600)
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the client 600. The client 600 includes a client control unit 210, a message transmission unit 212, a text reception unit 214, a text display unit 216, a voice data reception unit 218, a voice output unit 220, an input unit 222, and a character selection unit. 602.

  The client control unit 210, the message transmission unit 212, the text reception unit 214, the text display unit 216, the voice data reception unit 218, the voice output unit 220, which have already been described as the constituent elements in the second embodiment. Since the function is substantially the same as that of the input unit 222, redundant description is omitted, and here, the character selection unit 602 having a new function will be mainly described.

  When the client 600 accesses the chat server 620 and receives a list of character data and tone data from the chat server 620, the character selection unit 602 causes the user to select desired character data from the list.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining selection of a character on the display screen of the client 600. The GUI 700 includes a message display area 702 for displaying a message of another user, a message input area 704 for inputting its own message, an input button 706 for triggering the input of the message, and a character selection switch for selecting a character in a pull-down format. 708, similarly, a tone selection switch 710 for selecting a tone, a synthesized sound playback button 712 for playing back or playing back voice data received by the client 600, and an end button 714 for ending the chat.

  When the client 600 accesses the chat server 620, a list of character data and tone data is transmitted from the chat server 620 in accordance with the chat group that participated. Character data in such a list can be confirmed and selected by the character selection switch 708, and the selection of the tone selection switch 710 is changed in accordance with the selection of the character data, and the tone associated with each character is selected. Can do.

  With such a configuration, a character that transmits a message as a synthesized sound to another user can be selected by the user who sends the message, and his / her characteristics other than the message can be appealed. It is also possible to participate in the chat as a different person by regarding himself as a virtual person.

  However, a character or tone already selected by another user is displayed on the pull-down menu of the character selection switch 708 or tone selection switch 710 so that the user cannot select it, but cannot be selected or initially selected. May not be displayed as a selection item.

  Further, the user can check whether or not the client 600 of the user can join the chat by checking whether or not the message display area 702 has been entered.

(Chat server 620)
FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the chat server 620. The chat server 620 includes a server control unit 310, a data storage unit 312, an access determination unit 314, a client restriction unit 316, a character allocation unit 624, a message reception unit 320, a voice data generation unit 322, a voice A data transmission unit 324 and a list transmission unit 622 are included.

  The server control unit 310, the data storage unit 312, the access determination unit 314, the client restriction unit 316, the message reception unit 320, the voice data generation unit 322, which have already been described as the components in the second embodiment, Since the function is substantially the same as that of the voice data transmission unit 324, a duplicate description is omitted. Here, the list transmission unit 622 having a new function and the character allocation unit 624 are mainly described.

  The list transmission unit 622 transmits a list of character data and tone data in the data storage unit 312 to the client 600. The list transmission unit 622 may automatically transmit the list when the access from the client 600 is the first time, or may transmit the list at any time in response to a request from the client.

  The character assigning unit 624 assigns the character (character data) and tone (tone data) selected by the character selecting unit 602 of the client 600 to the client 600. Since this assignment has already been described in the second embodiment, a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

  The list transmission unit 622 may remove the character data already assigned to the client 600 that is the message exchange target from the list by the character assigning unit 624, and is distinguished on the list as character data that cannot be selected by the user. Also good.

  As described above, when a different character is assigned to each client 600, the user can surely distinguish the messages of other users by the difference in the voice of the character. Moreover, duplication of characters can be reliably avoided by eliminating the already assigned characters from the list.

  With such a configuration of the chat server 620, a character that transmits a message to other users can be selected by the user who transmits the message (client 600 side).

(Message exchange method)
Hereinafter, a message exchange method using a chat server 620 that is connected to one or more clients 600 via the communication network 110 and exchanges messages between the clients 600 will be described. The message exchange method can be broadly divided into (1) chat start, (2) chat execution, and (3) chat end, but (2) and (3) are the second embodiment. Therefore, detailed description is omitted here, and only (1) will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of a message exchange method at the start of chat. First, the client 600 accesses the chat server 620 (S800), and the chat server 620 determines whether the access from the client 600 is the first time (S802). If the access is not the first time, that is, if the client 600 has already been registered, the start process is terminated.

  When the access from the client 600 is the first time, the chat server 620 determines whether there is character data and tone data that can be allocated in the data storage unit 312 (S804). The participation of 600 chats is restricted, and the start process ends. If all the character data and tone data are not used, the next start processing is performed.

  The chat server 620 transmits a list for allowing the user to select character data and tone data to the client 600 (S806), and the client 600 refers to the list and selects a desired character and tone (S808). . The chat server 620 acquires an IP address as an identifier of the client 600 that has selected a character or the like from the list (S810), and assigns the character data and its tone data stored in the chat server 620 to the client 600 ( S812). At this time, the chat server 620 performs exclusive control so that the characters or tone of each client 600 does not overlap. The client 600 and the character and tone associated with each other are registered in the correspondence table (S814).

  By the message exchange method described above, the user can select a character or the like by himself / herself and further facilitate communication between users using the chat system.

(Specific Circuit Embodiment)
FIG. 13 is a circuit block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the client 600 and the chat server 620 according to the third embodiment. Here, more specific circuits for realizing the above-described client 600 and chat server 620 are shown. Such a specific circuit can also be applied to the client 100 and the chat server 120 according to the second embodiment.

  The client 600 includes a communication unit 910, a CPU 912, a ROM 914, a RAM 916, an HDD 918, a display unit 920, and an input unit 922.

  The communication unit 910 includes a communication device and a driver for connecting to a LAN or the Internet. The communication unit 910 is connected to the communication network 110 by wire or wireless, and may include a modem circuit, an encoder, a decoder, and the like.

  The CPU 912 is a semiconductor integrated circuit that performs signal processing, and manages and controls the client 600 or the chat server 620 as a whole. The ROM 914 stores a program for controlling the client 600 or the chat server 620 read into the CPU 912 in advance. The RAM 916 is used as a place where the CPU 912 temporarily stores predetermined data for functioning as the client 600 or the chat server 620 and stores variables. The HDD 918 stores applications and the main program of this embodiment. The HDD 918 can also be used as the data storage unit 312 of the client 600.

  The display unit 920 is represented by a monochrome (single color) or color display, and displays a GUI of a Web browser or an application. The input unit 922 is formed by a key input unit (not shown) such as a keyboard and a numeric keypad, and supports the display function of the display unit 920.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the character (speaker) and tone data are assigned to the client. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various other parameters can be assigned. For example, it is possible to apply the voice of an animal or the sound of an instrument as a character, or to select the volume and quality of the synthesized sound as other parameters.

  In addition, when a character is specified by the character allocation unit of the chat server, the text (character) displayed on the text display unit of the client may be changed according to the character. For example, if a celebrity is selected as a character, and the celebrity's mustache or specific wording is included in the message, only that part is displayed with a different color or character size. be able to. With this configuration, it is possible to further enjoy conversation.

  Note that each step in the message exchange method of the present specification does not necessarily have to be processed in time series in the order described in the flowchart, but is performed in parallel or individually (for example, parallel processing or object-based processing). Processing).

  The present invention is applicable to a chat system, a chat server, a program, and a message exchange method for exchanging messages between one or two or more clients.

It is the block diagram which showed the schematic structure of the chat system. It is the block diagram which showed the schematic structure of the client. It is the block diagram which showed the schematic structure of the chat server. It is the schematic diagram which showed the relationship between the character memorize | stored in the data storage part, and tone data. It is explanatory drawing which showed the correspondence table. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the message exchange method at the time of a chat start. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the message exchange method at the time of chat execution. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the message exchange method at the time of the chat end. It is the block diagram which showed the schematic structure of the client. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating selection of the character in the display screen of a client. It is the block diagram which showed the schematic structure of the chat server. It is the flowchart which showed the flow of the message exchange method at the time of a chat start. It is the circuit block diagram which showed schematic structure of the client and chat server by 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100, 600 Client 110 Communication network 120, 620 Chat server 212 Message transmission unit 218 Audio data reception unit 220 Audio output unit 312 Data storage unit 314 Access determination unit 316 Client restriction unit 318, 624 Character allocation unit 320 Message reception unit 322 Audio data Generation unit 324 Audio data transmission unit 330 Character data 332 Tone data 334 Correspondence table 622 List transmission unit

Claims (15)

A chat system comprising one or two or more clients and a chat server connected to the clients via a communication network for exchanging messages between the clients:
The client
A message sending unit that sends messages to other clients;
An audio data receiving unit for receiving audio data from the chat server;
An audio output unit for outputting audio based on the audio data;
With
The chat server
A data storage unit for storing a plurality of character data which are synthesized sounds for each character;
An access determination unit for determining whether the access from the client is the first time;
A character allocation unit that allocates character data of the data storage unit to the client when the access is first time;
A message receiver for receiving a message from the client;
A voice data generation unit that reads out character data of the assigned character from the data storage unit, synthesizes voice of the character data, and generates voice data corresponding to a message from the client;
An audio data transmitting unit for transmitting the audio data to a client for message exchange;
A chat system characterized by comprising:   The chat system according to claim 1, wherein the character assigning unit randomly assigns character data. The chat server further includes a list transmission unit that transmits a list of character data to the client,
The client further includes a character selection unit that allows a user to select desired character data from a list received from the chat server,
The chat system according to claim 1, wherein the character assignment unit assigns the character data selected by the character selection unit to the client. A chat server connected to one or more clients via a communication network for exchanging messages between the clients:
A data storage unit for storing a plurality of character data which are synthesized sounds for each character;
An access determination unit for determining whether the access from the client is the first time;
A character allocation unit that allocates character data of the data storage unit to the client when the access is first time;
A message receiver for receiving a message from the client;
A voice data generation unit that reads out character data of the assigned character from the data storage unit, synthesizes voice of the character data, and generates voice data corresponding to a message from the client;
An audio data transmitting unit for transmitting the audio data to a client for message exchange;
A chat server characterized by comprising:   The chat server according to claim 4, wherein the character assigning unit randomly assigns character data.   The chat server according to claim 5, wherein the character assigning unit does not assign any other character data already assigned to the client that is a message exchange target. A list transmission unit for transmitting a list of character data to the client;
The chat server according to claim 4, wherein the character assigning unit assigns character data selected by the client based on the list transmitted to the client to the client.   The chat server according to claim 7, wherein the list transmission unit removes, from the list, character data that the character allocation unit has already allocated to a client that is a message exchange target.   When accessing from a client for the first time, it further comprises a client restricting unit that determines whether or not assignable character data exists in the data storage unit, and restricts chat participation of the client when there is no assignable data. The chat server according to claim 4, wherein: The data storage unit further stores a plurality of tone data for each character data,
The chat server according to claim 4, wherein the character assigning unit assigns the character data and tone data.   The chat server according to claim 4, wherein the data storage unit further stores a correspondence table in which the client and the character data are associated with each other.   The chat server according to claim 4, wherein the character data assigned to the character assigning unit is maintained for a predetermined period. The data storage unit stores the character data in association with a predetermined group;
The chat server according to claim 4, wherein the character assigning unit assigns character data from the predetermined group according to the client. A program operating on a computer connected to one or more clients via a communication network and exchanging messages between the clients:
Computer
A data storage unit for storing a plurality of character data which are synthesized sounds for each character;
An access determination unit for determining whether the access from the client is the first time;
A character allocation unit that allocates character data of the data storage unit to the client when the access is first time;
A message receiver for receiving a message from the client;
A voice data generation unit that reads out character data of the assigned character from the data storage unit, synthesizes voice of the character data, and generates voice data corresponding to a message from the client;
An audio data transmitting unit for transmitting the audio data to a client for message exchange;
A program characterized by functioning as A message exchange method using a chat server connected to one or more clients via a communication network and exchanging messages between the clients:
A determining step of determining whether the access from the client is the first time;
A character assignment step of assigning a plurality of character data, which are synthesized sounds for each character, stored in the chat server to the client when the access is the first time;
A message receiving step of receiving a message from the client;
A voice data generation step of reading the character data of the assigned character and synthesizing the voice of the character data to generate voice data corresponding to the message from the client;
Transmitting voice data to the client for message exchange;
A message exchange method characterized by including

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