JP2009213002A - System and method for distributing standby image for mobile phone - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a plurality of synthesis images created by an image synthesizer such as a photograph seal dispenser on a display screen of a mobile phone by means of flash animation. <P>SOLUTION: Editing is performed for superimposing and drawing characters, graphics and the like on an image obtained by photographing a subject by a photograph seal dispenser 1, a synthesis image is formed, and this is stored in an image database 152 of a center device 150. When there is a distribution request from a mobile phone MB, a plurality of synthesis images designated are read from the image database 152 by a server 154, and the plurality of synthesis images read are processed by a data processing section 162 to be displayed by selectively designated flash animation, and transmitted to the mobile phone MB. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image composition device that edits an image obtained by photographing a subject to form a composite image, and performs a predetermined process on the composite image by the image composition device for a standby screen of a mobile phone. The present invention relates to a standby image distribution system and a standby image distribution method for a mobile phone provided with a center device for distribution.

  Conventionally, a photo sticker dispenser that prints and prints out a composite image that has been edited by writing a favorite character or figure on a photograph taken by one person or a plurality of friends and others, including amusement halls. It is installed in various places.

  This type of device is activated when a predetermined amount of coins is inserted into the coin slot, and for example, one or more players as subjects are photographed by photographing means including a digital camera, and photographs of the players are displayed on the display screen. In order for the player to write a desired character or figure (hereinafter, such writing is also referred to as “doodle”), a graffiti touch pen is provided on the display screen (monitor) on which the photograph is displayed, Edited images such as characters and figures written with the touch pen are superimposed on the subject image of the user displayed on the display screen, edited to form a composite image, and the edited subject image is printed on the sticker mount by the printer. As shown in the photo, it is discharged to the seal outlet.

  On the other hand, recently, the number of users of mobile phones, PHS, and small information portable terminals PDA (personal digital assistants) connected to the mobile phone, which can be easily called, has increased. Widely used as a means for performing file transfer and data communication, a composite image photographed and edited by the above-mentioned photo sticker dispenser is transferred through a communication network such as the Internet, and the image data is transferred to any mobile phone. A system has also been proposed that transmits to a PHS or PDA and displays it on its display screen (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-245290 A (abstract, paragraphs 0006, 0007, 0030 and FIG. 9)

  However, in a system such as that described in Patent Document 1, only when accessing a specific WEB site via the Internet, the user can use his / her composite image created by the photo sticker dispenser. For example, it may be possible to display a synthesized image downloaded for a fee by accessing a specific WEB site as a standby image of a mobile phone.

  However, when the composite image created by the photo sticker dispenser in this way is displayed as a standby image of a mobile phone, one composite image is displayed as a still image, or at most two composite images are stationary. Since the images are alternately displayed as images and are not interesting, there is a problem that sufficient satisfaction cannot be obtained even if the user downloads and uses his / her composite image for a fee.

  Therefore, the present invention enables a plurality of composite images created by an image composition device such as a photo sticker dispenser to be displayed as a standby image on a mobile phone on a display screen of the mobile phone by an animation such as a flash animation. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the invention according to claim 1 is an image synthesizing apparatus that forms a composite image by performing editing by superimposing characters and figures on an image obtained by photographing a subject. A center device that distributes the composite image by the image composition device for a standby screen of a mobile phone, and the center device processes a plurality of the composite images formed by the image composition device. And a means for generating, processing and transmitting the animation to a mobile phone.

  In the invention according to claim 2, the image synthesizing apparatus is configured such that the player operates the input unit for each of the photographing unit that photographs the subject a plurality of times and the plurality of subject images photographed by the shadow unit. Editing means for superimposing and editing input edit images such as characters and figures to form a plurality of composite images, and setting the plurality of composite images and the player by operating the input means via a communication network An image transmitting means for transmitting attribute information unique to the player, and the center device includes a receiving means for receiving the plurality of synthesized images and attribute information transmitted from the image synthesizing apparatus, and a mobile phone. The plurality of composite images received by the receiving means provided so as to be accessible via the communication network are allocated as a set of stored images for each attribute information received by the receiving means. An image database stored in the storage area, a reception unit that receives a read request from the image database of the stored image specified via the mobile phone and the communication network and a distribution request thereof, and the reception unit Reading means for reading the designated saved image from the image database, and processing so that each composite image of the saved image read by the reading means is displayed on the mobile phone standby screen in a flash animation pattern And a response transmission unit that transmits each of the composite images processed by the processing unit to the mobile phone that has issued the distribution request via the communication network.

  In the invention according to claim 3, the center device includes a user registration unit that pre-registers the attribute information unique to a player who uses the image composition device via the communication network, and the reception unit. Collating means for collating whether or not the received attribute information is registered in the user registration means and permitting storage of the stored image in the image database when the attribute information is registered. It is characterized by.

  In the invention according to claim 4, the accepting unit accepts reading of the stored image specified via the mobile phone and the communication network from the image database and a distribution request thereof, and the processing unit. The flash animation to be processed includes a collage pattern in which a plurality of small images on the display screen are displayed one by one in order, a slide pattern in which the plurality of images are displayed in order like page turning on the display screen, and a moving image. The designation of any one of the animation patterns in which the saved image is inserted and displayed as a still image in a frame image is accepted, and the processing means displays the saved image in accordance with the designation of the pattern accepted by the accepting means. It is characterized in that the designated pattern is processed.

  In the invention according to claim 5, the center device further includes a frame registration unit in which a plurality of frame images including a plurality of types of moving images are registered, and the reception unit receives the pattern designation and the frame It is characterized in that the designation of at least one of the frame images among the plurality of frame images registered in the registration means is also accepted.

  In the invention according to claim 6, the center device acquires model information of the mobile phone that issues a distribution request via the mobile phone and the communication network, and determines the model of the mobile phone. And a size deriving unit for deriving a standby screen size corresponding to the model, wherein the processing unit determines the image size of the stored image read from the image database by the size deriving unit. It is characterized by being processed into a receiving screen size.

  In the invention according to claim 7, the image composition device displays a plurality of the subject images photographed in the photographing mode, and a predetermined sticker for the plurality of subject images edited by the editing means. A printing unit that prints on a mount and discharges it as a photograph to a sticker outlet, a shooting mode that allows shooting within a predetermined number of shooting times by the shooting unit, and an editing mode that allows editing by the editing unit; It is characterized by comprising a photo sticker dispenser having a function of executing the image in different areas in parallel.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, an image composition apparatus that edits an image obtained by photographing a subject to form a composite image, and a standby screen for a mobile phone of the composite image by the image composition apparatus. A standby image distribution method for a mobile phone that distributes a standby image of a mobile phone by a center device that performs predetermined processing and distributes the image. And a plurality of composite images obtained by superimposing and editing an edit image such as a character or a figure input by the player operating the input means for each of the plurality of subject images photographed in the photographing step. And an image transmission step of transmitting the plurality of composite images and attribute information unique to the player set by the player operating the input means via a communication network, apparatus As a process, a reception step for receiving the plurality of composite images and attribute information transmitted from the image transmission step, and a plurality of the combination received by the reception step provided to be accessible via the communication network by a mobile phone A storage step of storing images as a set of stored images in a storage area of an image database allocated for each of the attribute information received in the reception step; and the stored image specified via the mobile phone and the communication network Receiving from the image database and receiving the distribution request thereof, a reading step of reading the designated stored image received in the receiving step from the image database, and the stored image read in the reading step Each composite image is displayed in a flash animation pattern on the mobile phone standby screen. A treatment step of the processed of each composite image in the processing step, is characterized in that to said mobile telephone having issued the distribution request and a transmission step of transmitting via the communication network.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of synthesized images formed by the image synthesizing apparatus are processed in the center apparatus, and animation is generated, processed, and transmitted to the cellular phone. A composite image that includes your own photograph taken by the device can be used as a standby image, and multiple composite images that include your own photograph can be displayed on the display screen of a mobile phone with animation, so that the standby image is displayed. As a result, the mobile phone users can enjoy a satisfying standby screen. Here, the animation includes GIF animation, flash animation, and other various animations.

  According to the second and eighth aspects of the invention, on the image processing apparatus side, a subject is photographed a plurality of times by the photographing means, and characters, figures, etc. are obtained by operating the player's input means for each of the obtained plurality of subject images. Are edited and superimposed to form a plurality of composite images, and a plurality of composite images formed together with attribute information unique to the player are transmitted via a communication network. A plurality of synthesized images and attribute information are received, and the received plurality of synthesized images are stored as a set of stored images in a storage area of an image database allocated for each attribute information.

  When a stored image to be read is specified by accessing the image database via a mobile phone and a communication network and the distribution request is made, the distribution request is received by the center device and the specified stored image is read from the image database. A plurality of composite images that have been read and processed so as to be displayed on the mobile phone standby screen in a flash animation pattern for each composite image of the read stored images, It is transmitted via the communication network to the mobile phone that issued the distribution request.

  Therefore, the user of the mobile phone can use a composite image including his / her photograph taken by the image synthesizer as a standby image, and moreover, a plurality of composite images including his / her photograph taken by the image synthesizer can be used. Since it can be displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone by flash animation, the display pattern of the standby image is rich in variety, and the mobile phone user can enjoy a satisfactory standby screen.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the attribute information unique to the player who uses the image composition device is registered in advance on the center device side, and the attribute information transmitted from the image composition device side is registered on the user. If this is the case, storage of the stored image in the image database is allowed, so that a composite image including a photograph taken by the player of the image composition device can be used as a standby image of a mobile phone without permission by another person. However, the privacy of the player of the image composition device can be reliably protected.

  According to the invention of claim 4, since the flash animation processed on the center device side can be selected and specified from among collage patterns, slide patterns, and animation patterns, A plurality of composite images including the above photograph can be displayed as a standby image with a variety of patterns, and the satisfaction of the user of the mobile phone can be further enhanced.

  According to the invention of claim 5, when an animation pattern is designated as a flash animation processed on the center device side, it is possible to designate at least one of a plurality of frame images that suits the user's preference. A plurality of composite images including one's own photograph can be displayed as a standby image with a more varied animation pattern.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the center device reads a stored image specified via the mobile phone and the communication network from the image database and receives a distribution request thereof, the model information of the mobile phone is acquired. Then, the model is determined, the standby screen size corresponding to the model is automatically derived, and a plurality of composite images including the photograph taken by the image composition device are processed into the derived standby screen size. Therefore, the standby image of the optimum size can be displayed for any type of mobile phone.

  According to the invention of claim 7, since the image composition device has a function of executing the shooting mode and the edit mode in parallel in different areas, the player of the image composition device can perform “shooting”, “ In addition to the game of “editing” and “printing”, a game for using a plurality of composite images formed by such a series of games as a standby image of a mobile phone can be performed. The number of users can be increased.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. However, FIG. 1 is a front view of the image composition device, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image composition device viewed from the rear, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the image composition device, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the entire system, and FIG. FIGS. 6 and 7 are flowcharts for explaining the operation. In the present embodiment, an example in which a so-called photo sticker (registered trademark) is used as an image composition apparatus will be described.

<Configuration of photo sticker dispenser as an image synthesizer>
In this embodiment, a photo sticker dispenser 1 as an image composition device and a center device 150 (described later) constitute a mobile phone standby image distribution system. First, the photo sticker dispenser 1 is configured. Will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the photo sticker dispenser 1 in the present embodiment is configured by an apparatus main body 3 and a background curtain portion 5 having a U-shaped cross section disposed in front of the apparatus main body 1. The upper part of the background curtain part 5 is connected to the upper part of the apparatus main body 3 by a rectangular frame-shaped connecting member 7 or the like, and the left and right open portions between the background curtain part 5 and the apparatus main body 3 are the entrance to the inside. As shown, a shooting booth 11 that can be opened and closed by a curtain (not shown) and accommodates a plurality of players is formed between the device body 3 and the background curtain unit 5. A series of processes are executed. The background curtain section 5 is provided with a plurality of colors of background curtains so that the user can select a background color curtain that suits his / her preference when photographing.

  In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, the connecting member 7 extends to the rear of the apparatus main body 3, and a curtain (not shown) is supported on the extended portion of the connecting member 7, and the curtain on the back side of the apparatus main body 3. An enclosed editing booth (hereinafter also referred to as “graffiti booth”) 13 is formed.

  By the way, in the photographing booth 11, a photographing unit 17 including a CCD digital camera (hereinafter simply referred to as a camera) 15 that is photographing means and a photographing monitor 16 including an LCD or the like is disposed at the front center of the apparatus main body 3. . Since the image of the subject captured by the camera 15 is displayed on the photographing monitor 16 below the camera 15, the player who is the subject can select a photographing pose while looking at the monitor 16. ing.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the zoom adjustment of the camera 15 is performed by the operation of the operation buttons 18a and 18b for zooming up and zooming down the camera 15 arranged below the monitor 16, and the shooting start button 18c is adjusted. The camera 15 starts shooting by the operation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the upper illumination units 19a and 19b as the illumination means and the central illumination unit 19c are provided at a plurality of locations such as the left and right of the front upper part of the device body 3, the left and right of the camera 15, and the lower side of the monitor 17. , 19d, and a lower illumination unit 19e near the feet, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 2, an illumination unit 19f that uses fluorescent lamps as light sources at a plurality of locations including the left and right sides and the top surface of the background curtain unit 5 Is provided. These illumination units 19 (19a, 19b, 19c, 19d, 19e, and 19f) are composed of a fluorescent lamp, an inverter circuit for driving the fluorescent lamp, and the like, and each has an exposure amount necessary for taking a clear image. In addition to the lighting units 19 (19a, 19b, 19c, 19d, 19e, and 19f), strobes (not shown) that are driven to flash in order to eliminate shadows at the time of photographing are also arranged on the left and right sides of the camera 15. . Here, the illuminating unit 19 is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and may be arranged at least around the camera 15 and at an optimal position as an illumination environment at the time of photographing.

  In addition, a main panel 20 is provided below the monitor 17 at the upper front of the device main body 3, and a screen for displaying a subject image taken by the camera 15 including a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel or the like is displayed on the main panel 20. A selection button portion 20b provided with a display portion 20a and various selection buttons is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, a speaker 21 that outputs guidance voice and BGM is provided in front of the device body 3.

  On the other hand, in the graffiti booth 13 on the back side of the device main body 3, as shown in FIG. 2, a graffiti panel 23 as a display means is disposed almost at the center of the back of the device main body 3, and on both sides of the graffiti panel 23 Two touch pens 24 are provided as input means, and a subject image that has been shot a predetermined number of times by the camera 15 in the shooting booth 11 is transferred and displayed on the graffiti panel 23 and displayed on the graffiti panel 23 by the touch pen 24. A superimposed drawing (doodle) of an edited image such as a character or figure for graffiti is performed on the subject image.

  Then, according to a guidance message from the speaker 25, the player uses various operation screens displayed on the graffiti panel 23 and the touch pen 24 to select some (all of the plurality of subject images displayed on the graffiti panel 23. And an editing image such as a desired figure or character is input to the selected plurality of subject images, and the editing image is superimposed on the subject image by the editing means described later. A predetermined seal mount on which a composite image is formed and a plurality of formed composite images are supplied from a seal mount supply means by a full-color printer 26 (see FIG. 2) which is a printing means provided inside the apparatus main body 3 Is discharged from a discharge port 27 provided on the right side surface of the device main body 3. However, in FIG. 2, 28 is a coin insertion slot for inputting graffiti charges provided on the back side of the apparatus body 3.

  Various operation buttons for selecting a graffiti touch pen, a stamp, a seal, and the like are provided in the vicinity of the graffiti panel 23. The graffiti panel 23 may be of a cathode ray tube type, a liquid crystal display, or a rear projection type, and various other methods are conceivable, but any method may be adopted. Further, the graffiti panel 23 is configured such that the operation position of the touch pen 24 is detected by a digitizer. Various methods such as an infrared method and a capacitive coupling method are conceivable as the digitizer. Any system may be used as long as it is light transmissive and can be used in combination with the touch pen 24 and can identify a plurality of inputs.

  And each apparatus of both the booths 11 and 13 operate | moves by what is called microcomputer control of the controller part 100 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the controller unit 100 includes a CPU 101 that executes a preset program, a ROM that stores programs executed by the CPU 101, a memory unit 102 that includes a RAM that temporarily stores various data, and various images. A large-capacity storage device 103 such as a hard disk (HD) device or a laser disk device for storing and storing data, a timer unit 104 for measuring game time, a coin insertion detection unit 105 for detecting coin insertion corresponding to a game fee, and shooting A control processing unit 106, a graffiti control processing unit 107, a print output unit 108, a communication control unit 109 that controls transmission / reception of data and the like by connecting to a network such as the Internet. Note that a communication unit 110 such as PHS is connected to the communication control unit 109 to constitute an image transmission unit.

  The shooting control processing unit 106 controls shooting conditions such as the brightness of the illumination unit 19 at the time of shooting, the BGM output from the speaker 21, and the setting of the selected background curtain, and displays on the image display unit 20 a of the main panel 20. Control of the selection button unit 20b, control of the shooting of the subject by the camera 15, capture the captured subject image, and display the thumbnail display or enlarged display on the image display unit 20a. Do.

  Also, the graffiti control processing unit 107 accepts display of the graffiti panel 23, graffiti by the touch pen 24, selection of graffiti stamps and stickers by various operation buttons, and forms a plurality of composite images in which the edited image is superimposed and drawn on the subject image. Then, the print output unit 108 is controlled, and a plurality of composite images are printed on the sticker board with a predetermined print pattern by the printer 26, and various control processes of graffiti play are performed as editing means.

  Furthermore, the graffiti control processing unit 107 also performs control for storing and saving a plurality of composite images formed as described above in an image database to be described later. That is, a message such as “Do you want to send a composite image to the server?” Is displayed on the graffiti panel 23 and inquires whether or not the player has an intention to store and save a plurality of composite images in an image database to be described later. In the case of “save”, a screen for requesting input of an e-mail address, a password, and an identification symbol (ID) as unique attribute information of the player is displayed on the graffiti panel. 23, and a plurality of composite images are transmitted to a database server to be described later together with attribute information such as a mail address, a password, and an identification symbol unique to the player inputted by controlling the communication control unit 109 and the communication means 110. Also controls.

<Configuration of center device>
Next, the configuration of the center device 150 that receives the image data and other information transmitted from the photo sticker dispenser 1 and stores them in the image database will be described. Here, the center apparatus 150 is configured by an Internet site that performs image data distribution service as described below for a fee, and by accessing the top page of the site with a mobile phone, the image database is configured as follows. The image data is stored in the image data, and the image data is read out and distributed from the image database.

  As shown in FIG. 4, image data and other information transmitted from the photo sticker dispenser 1 are stored in the image database by the center device 150, and the communication control unit 109 of the photo sticker dispenser 1 is used. When the center device 150 and the controller unit 100 are connected via the communication unit 110 and the Internet 113 which is a communication network, the function as a reception unit of the database server 154 that manages the image database 152 allows a plurality of players to be created by the player. Are received together with the attribute information of the player, an address (storage location) is allocated for each attribute information of the player in the image database 152, and the received plurality of synthesized images are assigned to the address of the allocated image database 152. Images and attribute information are stored as a set of saved images. To have.

  At this time, whether or not the attribute information of the player has already been registered in the registration unit 156 that is a user registration unit is collated by the collation unit 158 that is a collation unit. A plurality of newly received composite images are stored as the next set of stored images at the same address, and if they have not been registered, addresses are assigned and received at the same address in the newly allocated image database. Are stored as a set of stored images.

  Further, when the server 154 is accessed by the mobile phone MB via the Internet 113 and there is a request for reading a predetermined saved image from the image database 152 and its distribution request, the request is accepted by the user accepting unit 160 as accepting means. . At that time, the user receiving unit 160 is requested to input and transmit attribute information (e-mail address, password, ID, etc.) to the user of the mobile phone MB that has issued the distribution request, and the mobile phone MB receives the attribute accordingly When the information is transmitted, the collation unit 158 collates with the registration information of the registration unit 156, and performs user authentication as to whether or not the attribute information has already been registered. As a result of the user authentication, when it is determined that the user is a registered user, the stored image stored at the address corresponding to the attribute information in the image database 152 is read out by the function as the reading unit of the database server 154. It is. At this time, the read stored image is transmitted to the mobile phone MB before being processed as described below, displayed in a list on the display screen, and used for confirmation of the user of the mobile phone MB. The

  On the other hand, as a result of the above-mentioned user authentication, if the user is a registered user, an inquiry as to what flash animation pattern the read stored image is to be processed is made by the user reception unit 160 to the user of the mobile phone MB. The At this time, for example, when the stored image is composed of four composite images A, B, C, and D, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, flash animation patterns are displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone MB. A collage pattern in which four composite images A to D that are displayed in small size are displayed one by one in order, as shown in FIG. 6, four composite images A to D are page-turned on the display screen of the mobile phone MB. As shown in FIG. 7, a frame image FG containing a moving image such as a blinking star, a heart symbol that changes in size, or a moving character image as shown in FIG. ) Is displayed as a still image, and the user reception unit 160 requests the user of the mobile phone MB to select and designate one of the animation patterns to be displayed. Accordingly, when the user of the mobile phone MB selects and designates a desired pattern, the data processing unit 162 that is a processing unit processes the read stored image so that it is displayed in the designated pattern, and the data that is the response transmission unit. Under the control of the transmission processing unit 164, it is transmitted to the mobile phone MB via the Internet 113.

  As a modification of the animation pattern shown in FIG. 7 (corresponding to claim 5), a plurality of types of frame images FG are prepared, and frame registration means (in which these frame images FG are provided inside or outside the data processing unit 162) ( (Not shown in FIG. 7), and when an animation pattern is selected as a flash animation pattern, an inquiry as to which frame image FG is selected and combined with which composite image is made. To the user of the mobile phone MB, the data processing unit 162 performs a process of fitting the designated composite image as a still image into the selected frame image FG, and the Internet 113 is controlled by the data transmission processing unit 164. You may make it transmit to mobile phone MB via.

  Moreover, you may perform the process which combines the above-mentioned collage pattern, a slide pattern, and an animation pattern. Furthermore, in the animation pattern, when the mobile phone MB is used, for example, when the mobile phone MB is carried, it is a type that is expanded when used in two folds, the moving image of the frame image FG including the moving image changes during use, A process of changing the color of the frame image FG may be performed, and the change of the frame image FG and the change of the color are appropriately generated according to the remaining battery level of the mobile phone, the reception intensity of the radio wave, the time, and the like. Processing may be performed.

  By the way, when the site of the center device 150 is accessed by the mobile phone MB, the model information of the mobile phone MB is acquired by the user reception unit 160, so that the mobile model determination unit 166 as a model determination unit stores the mobile phone MB. The model is discriminated, and the optimum standby screen size corresponding to the model discriminated by the size deriving unit 168 as the size deriving unit is derived, and the image size of the read stored image is derived by the data processing unit 162 The image is converted to the standby screen size derived by unit 168, and the saved image after the size conversion is transmitted to mobile phone MB via Internet 113 under the control of data transmission processing unit 164.

<Operation>
Next, the operation of the center device 150 of this system will be described.

  First, when there is a request from the photo sticker dispenser 1 side to store and save a plurality of composite images formed by the photo sticker dispenser 1 in the image database 152, the center device 150 performs the image database in the following procedure. The storage / save process to 152 is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of composite images created by the player transmitted from the photo sticker dispenser 1 are acquired by the database server 154 together with the attribute information of the player (step S1), and the acquired composite image In addition, a check is performed to determine whether the attribute information is abnormal including a virus and the like, and whether the acquired attribute information has already been registered in the registration unit 156 (step S2). Here, as a result of the collation by the collation unit 158, if the attribute information of the player has already been registered in the registration unit 156, a plurality of newly received composite images at the same address of the image database 152 already allocated. Is stored as the next set of saved images, and if not registered, an address is allocated, and a plurality of composite images received at the same address in the newly allocated image database 152 are stored as a set of saved images. The

  Then, an address (storage location) of the image database 152 corresponding to the player's attribute information is allocated, and the received composite image and attribute information are stored as a set of saved images at the allocated image database 152 address. The stored image is stored (step S3), and the storage processing of the stored image in the image database 152 is thus completed.

  Next, an operation when there is a distribution image distribution request stored in the image database 152 by the mobile phone MB will be described.

  When the mobile phone MB accesses a site that operates the server 154 via the Internet 113 (step S11), the user reception unit 160 receives a distribution request from the mobile phone MB (step S12). At this time, the user receiving unit 160 is requested to input and transmit attribute information (email address, password, ID, etc.) to the user of the mobile phone MB that has issued the distribution request. When attribute information is transmitted from the mobile phone MB in response to this request, the collation unit 158 collates with the registration information of the user registration unit 156 (step S13), and whether or not the attribute information is already registered. User authentication is performed.

  As a result of the user authentication described above, the stored images of the user (player of the photo sticker dispenser 1) corresponding to the corresponding attribute information are read from the image database 152 by the server 154 and listed on the display screen of the mobile phone MB. A selection of several images to be used as standby images among the plurality of images displayed and displayed in a list is accepted, and what kind of flash animation the read stored image is processed into An inquiry is made to the user of the mobile phone MB by the user reception unit 160 (step S15).

  At this time, a selection screen for selecting any one of the collage pattern, slide pattern, and animation pattern is displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone MB, and a desired processing pattern is selected by the user of the mobile phone MB. The selection designation input is accepted by the user accepting unit 160 (step S16), the portable model discriminating unit 166 discriminates the model of the cellular phone MB, and the size deriving unit 168 derives the standby screen size (step S17). ).

  Then, the data processing unit 162 processes the stored image so as to be displayed in the specified pattern received in step S16 (step S18), and the standby processing processed via the Internet 113 under the control of the data transmission processing unit 164. The image is transmitted to the mobile phone MB (step S19), received by the mobile phone MB, and the standby image is displayed on the display screen.

  If an animation pattern is specified by the user of the mobile phone MB and is received by the user receiving unit 160 in the above-described step S16, the selection of a plurality of types of frame images FG registered in the frame registration unit should be permitted. The user reception unit 160 makes an inquiry to the user of the mobile phone MB about which frame image FG is selected and combined with which composite image, and the data processing unit 162 specifies the composite image specified for the selected frame image FG. May be inserted as a still image.

  Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the user of the mobile phone MB can use a plurality of composite images including his / her own photograph taken by the photo sticker dispenser 1 as a standby image, and the user's own photograph can be used. Since a plurality of synthesized images can be displayed on the display screen of the mobile phone MB by flash animation, the user of the mobile phone can enjoy a standby screen with a variety of display patterns and a satisfactory feeling.

  Also, since the stored image is allowed to be stored in the image database 152 only when the attribute information transmitted from the photo sticker dispenser 1 is user-registered, the player of the photo sticker dispenser 1 Therefore, a composite image including a photograph taken by himself / herself is not used as a standby image of a mobile phone without permission by another person, and the privacy of the player of the photo sticker dispenser 1 can be reliably protected.

  Further, as a flash animation pattern processed on the center device 150 side, any one of a collage pattern, a slide pattern, and an animation pattern can be selected and designated, so that the photograph taken by the photo sticker dispenser 1 can be selected. Can be displayed as a standby image in a variety of patterns, and the user of the mobile phone MB can obtain a sufficient satisfaction.

  On the center device 150 side, when reading of the stored image and the distribution request are accepted, the model information of the mobile phone MB is automatically acquired by the mobile model determining unit 166 to determine the model, and the size deriving unit 168 For any model, the standby screen size corresponding to the model is automatically derived, and a plurality of composite images including the photograph taken by the photo sticker dispenser 1 are processed into the derived standby screen size. Even a mobile phone can display an appropriate standby image.

  In addition, the player of the photo sticker dispenser 1 is not limited to the conventional “shooting”, “editing”, and “printing” games, but also a plurality of composite images formed by such a series of games. Since a game for use as a standby image of the mobile phone MB can also be played, the number of users of the photo sticker dispenser 1 can be increased.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  In the embodiment described above, the case where the data processing unit 162 processes the flash animation pattern has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the flash animation, and a GIF animation or other animation may be generated and processed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the image composition apparatus is described as the photo sticker dispenser 1. However, the image composition apparatus is not limited to the photo sticker dispenser 1, and in short, a subject is photographed by a digital camera or the like, and the subject image is obtained. In addition, the present invention can be similarly applied as long as a plurality of composite images edited by superimposing characters, figures and the like can be transmitted via the Internet or the like.

  The communication network to be used may use other networks such as a so-called LAN or WAN (Wide Area Network) in addition to the Internet in the above-described embodiment.

It is a front view in the photography booth of the photograph sticker dispenser in the standby image delivery system for mobile phones of one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an external perspective view of a photo sticker dispenser in a standby image distribution system for a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram of a photo sticker dispenser in a standby image distribution system for a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a standby image delivery system for a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the processing pattern of the image in one Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the processing pattern of the image in one Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the processing pattern of the image in one Embodiment. It is a flowchart for operation | movement description in one Embodiment. It is a flowchart for operation | movement description in one Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1 Photo sticker dispenser 1 (Image composition device)
11 Shooting booth 13 Variety booth 15 Camera (shooting means)
24 Touch pen (input means)
107 Graffiti control processing part (editing means)
109 Communication control unit (image transmission means)
113 Internet (communication network)
150 Center device 152 Image database 154 Database server (receiving means, reading means)
156 User registration unit (user registration means)
158 Verification unit (verification means)
160 User reception part (reception means)
162 Data processing unit (processing means)
164 Data transmission processing unit (response transmission means)
166 Portable model discrimination unit (model discrimination means)
168 Size deriving section (size deriving means)
MB mobile phone

Claims (8)

An image compositing apparatus that performs editing for superimposing characters and figures on an image obtained by photographing a subject to form a composite image;
A center device that distributes the composite image obtained by the image composition device by performing predetermined processing for a standby screen of a mobile phone;
The center device is
A standby image distribution system for a mobile phone, comprising: means for processing a plurality of the composite images formed by the image composition device, generating and processing an animation, and transmitting the animation to the mobile phone. The image composition device includes:
Photographing means for photographing a subject multiple times;
Editing means for forming a plurality of composite images by superimposing and editing edit images such as characters and figures input by the player operating the input means for each of the plurality of subject images photographed by the shadow means When,
A plurality of composite images and an image transmission means for transmitting attribute information unique to the player set by the player operating the input means via a communication network;
The center device is
Receiving means for receiving the plurality of synthesized images and attribute information transmitted from the image synthesizing device;
The plurality of composite images provided by the mobile phone and accessible via the communication network and received by the receiving means are stored as a set of stored images in a storage area allocated for each attribute information received by the receiving means. An image database to
Receiving means for receiving the stored image designated via the mobile phone and the communication network from the image database and receiving a distribution request thereof;
Reading means for reading out the designated stored image received by the receiving means from the image database;
Processing means for processing each composite image of the stored image read by the reading means to be displayed on a mobile phone standby screen in a flash animation pattern;
2. The mobile phone according to claim 1, further comprising: a response transmission unit that transmits each of the composite images processed by the processing unit to the mobile phone that has issued the distribution request via the communication network. A standby image distribution system for telephones. The center device is
User registration means for previously registering the attribute information unique to a player who uses the image composition device via the communication network, and the attribute information received by the reception means are registered in the user registration means. The mobile phone standby according to claim 1, further comprising collating means for collating whether the image is a registered image and allowing the stored image to be stored in the image database when the image is registered. Image distribution system. The accepting means is
In addition to accepting reading of the stored image specified via the mobile phone and the communication network from the image database and its distribution request, a plurality of small images on the display screen are displayed as flash animations processed by the processing means. A collage pattern that is displayed one by one in order, a slide pattern in which a plurality of images are displayed in order like page turning on the display screen, and a frame image that includes a moving image is inserted into the stored image as a still image and displayed. Accept any designation of animation pattern,
The processing means includes
4. The standby image delivery of a cellular phone according to claim 2, wherein the stored image is processed in accordance with the designated pattern in accordance with the designation of the pattern accepted by the accepting means. system. The center device further includes a frame registration unit in which a plurality of frame images including a plurality of types of moving images are registered,
5. The acceptance means for accepting designation of at least one frame image from the plurality of frame images registered in the frame registration means together with acceptance of the pattern designation. The standby image delivery system for mobile phones described. The center device is
A model discriminating unit that obtains model information of the mobile phone that issues a distribution request via the mobile phone and the communication network and discriminates the model of the mobile phone, and a size for deriving a standby screen size according to the model A derivation means,
6. The processing unit according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit processes the image size of the stored image read from the image database into a standby screen size derived by the size deriving unit. The mobile phone standby image delivery system according to claim 1. The image composition device includes:
Display means for displaying a plurality of the subject images photographed in the photographing mode;
Printing means for printing the plurality of subject images edited by the editing means on a predetermined sticker mount and discharging them as a photograph to a sticker outlet;
It comprises a photo sticker dispenser having a function of executing, in different areas, a photographing mode that allows photographing within the predetermined number of photographing times by the photographing means and an editing mode that allows editing by the editing means. The standby image delivery system for a mobile phone according to any one of claims 2 to 6. An image composition device that edits an image obtained by photographing a subject to form a composite image, and a center device that performs predetermined processing for a standby screen of a mobile phone of the composite image by the image composition device and distributes it A mobile phone standby image delivery method for delivering a mobile phone standby image,
As processing of the image composition device,
A photographing step of photographing the subject multiple times by the photographing means;
An editing step in which a plurality of subject images photographed in the photographing step are superimposed on an edited image such as characters and figures input by the player operating the input means, and edited to form a plurality of composite images. When,
A plurality of composite images and an image transmission step of transmitting attribute information unique to the player set by operating the input means via a communication network;
As the processing of the center device,
A receiving step for receiving the plurality of composite images and attribute information transmitted from the image transmitting step;
Storage of an image database allocated for each of the attribute information received in the reception step, as a set of stored images, the plurality of composite images received in the reception step and provided accessible by the mobile phone via the communication network A storage step for storing in the area;
Receiving from the image database of the stored image designated via the mobile phone and the communication network and receiving the distribution request;
A reading step of reading out the designated stored image received in the receiving step from the image database;
A processing step of processing each composite image of the stored image read in the reading step so as to be displayed on a mobile phone standby screen in a flash animation pattern;
A standby image distribution method for a mobile phone, comprising: a transmission step of transmitting each composite image processed in the processing step to the mobile phone that has issued the distribution request via the communication network. .

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