JP2024042719A - Electronic manga distribution system and electronic manga distribution program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an electronic manga distribution system and electronic manga distribution program that allows a plurality of users to share a single distributed electronic manga content, improving the entertainment value of electronic manga content viewing. [Solution] An electronic manga distribution system (100) comprises: a distribution means for distributing the same electronic manga content to a plurality of user terminals (30a-40c); a first display control means for displaying the same manga page image on the display screens of the plurality of user terminals; a second display control means for, when an operation is performed on the manga page image displayed on the display screen of any one of the plurality of user terminals, reflecting the operation on the manga page image displayed on all display screens of the plurality of user terminals; a call control means for causing the plurality of user terminals to execute a voice call; a recording means for recording a video including at least either the display screen or the voice call; and a storage means for storing the same electronic manga content and the video in association with each other in a storage means. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic comic distribution system and an electronic comic distribution program.

In recent years, electronic comics (also referred to as digital comics) that have been converted into electronic data have become popular. A reader user accesses, for example, an electronic manga site on the web using a PC or mobile terminal (e.g., tablet terminal, smartphone, etc.) and reads the desired manga displayed on the screen of a web browser or manga viewing application. Content can be viewed.

As a technique related to this, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that an electronic book including book data exceeding the screen size of a first terminal is transmitted to the first terminal, and a part of the first area of the book data is Based on the positional relationship between the area displayed on the screen of the first terminal and the first area, the evaluation result by the second terminal is displayed on the screen of the first terminal using an image that reflects the evaluation result. The e-book providing server to be displayed is listed.

JP2020-98243A

According to the e-book providing system 10 described in Patent Document 1, the evaluation result for the scene 510 included in the comic data 500 can be performed using an image such as an icon, and the evaluation result can be performed using an image such as an icon. Since the evaluation results for the scene 510 can be displayed, the evaluation results of the electronic book can be shared among a plurality of users in a form that makes it easy for other users to visually check the evaluation results of the electronic book.

However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, the manga content itself is viewed by each user alone, and the user then attaches his/her own evaluation results to the manga content. .

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above points, and one aspect of the present invention is to share a single electronic manga content distributed among multiple users and to improve the taste of viewing the electronic manga content. purpose.

In order to solve the above problems, an electronic manga distribution system according to the present invention is an electronic manga distribution system that distributes electronic manga content including manga page images, and distributes the same electronic manga content to multiple user terminals. a first display control means for displaying the same comic page image on the display screens of the plurality of user terminals; and a first display control means for displaying the same comic page image on the display screens of the plurality of user terminals; a second display control means for reflecting the operation on the comic page image displayed on all display screens of the plurality of user terminals when the operation is performed on the plurality of user terminals; A call control means for causing a terminal to perform a voice call, a recording means for recording a video including at least either the display screen or the voice call, and a storage means for associating the same electronic comic content with the video. and storage means for storing information.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to share one distributed electronic comic content among a plurality of users, thereby improving the interest in viewing the electronic comic content.

1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an electronic manga distribution system according to the present embodiment. It is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a distribution server according to the present embodiment. It is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal according to the present embodiment. It is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a distribution server according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a user DB according to the present embodiment. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of an electronic comic DB according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a manga content reading participation recruitment screen according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a manga content reading request acceptance screen according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a reading-along screen of manga content according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example 1 of the operation action with respect to a comic page image based on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example 2 of the operation action with respect to a comic page image based on this embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example 3 of an operation action performed on a comic page image according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an action operation unit for a comic page image according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram related to the electronic comic distribution system 100 (electronic comic distribution server 20) according to the present embodiment. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a software configuration of an electronic manga distribution system according to the present embodiment. It is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a read-along recording storage DB according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a storage relationship between one manga content and a reading video corresponding to the manga content according to the present embodiment. It is a figure showing a comic contents list screen of a third party user terminal concerning this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a manga content read-aloud video list publication screen of a third party user terminal according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a viewing/viewing screen of a comic content reading video on a third party user terminal according to the present embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[Embodiment 1]
<System configuration>
(Network configuration)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a network configuration of an electronic manga distribution system according to this embodiment. The electronic manga distribution system 100 in FIG. 1 includes a user matching server 10, an electronic manga distribution server 20, recruiting user terminals 30 (30a, 30b, 30c...), and participating user terminals 40 (40a, 40b, 40c...). , are connected via a network 50.

The user matching server (hereinafter simply referred to as matching server) 10 is a server device that matches users of the electronic manga distribution system 100, that is, users who wish to read electronic manga content (hereinafter simply referred to as manga content) together. It is. Here, users who use the electronic manga distribution system 100 according to the present embodiment register in advance in the user DB, and the user types are divided into two types: recruiting users and participating users.

The recruiting user is a user who recruits users (participating users) who want to read together manga content on the matching server 10. The recruiting user registers and posts recruitment information in advance in the user DB on the matching server 10 from the recruiting user terminal 30. The recruitment information includes, for example, the user name (nicknames are acceptable), profile picture, gender, age, occupation, personal profile (hobbies, favorite manga, favorite genres, self-introduction, etc.), recruitment status (waiting (logged in), away from desk), etc. Furthermore, if a fee is charged for reading together manga content, the recruitment information includes information regarding the charge and fee.

A participating user is a user who selects a user partner with whom he or she wants to read manga content together from among the users (recruited users) who are soliciting manga content reading experience on the matching server 10. Participating users refer to the recruitment information posted on the matching server 10 from the participating user terminal 40 and apply for participation in a reading session in response to the recruitment information of the desired recruitment user.

When a participating user requests a recruiting user to participate in a reading session, an application request notification is sent from the matching server 10 to the recruiting user terminal 30. The recruiting user uses the recruiting user terminal 30 to accept or disapprove the application offer, and if the application is accepted, the electronic manga is stored on both the recruiting user's recruiting user terminal 30 and the participating user's participating user terminal 40. The same comic content (comic title) is synchronously distributed in real time via the distribution server 20, and since the comic content can be read aloud together, voice communication between users becomes possible.

Note that the manga content (manga title) to be read together is selected by the participating user at the time of requesting to participate in the reading session, etc. from a plurality of various manga contents stored in the electronic manga DB of the electronic manga distribution server 20. Alternatively, the recruiting user may select it in the recruiting information. In addition, if a recruiting user charges a participating user, matching will be done as appropriate, for example, at the time of acceptance of the application proposal, at the start of reading the manga content, or at the end (completion) of the reading of the manga content. Billing processing may be performed in the server 10.

The electronic manga distribution server (hereinafter also simply referred to as distribution server) 20 receives manga content (manga title) for reading together selected and specified by the user from among a wide variety of manga contents stored in the electronic manga DB. , is a server device that performs synchronous distribution in real time to both the recruiting user terminal 30 of the recruiting user and the participating user terminal 40 of the participating user via the network 50.

The recruiting user terminal 30 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PC (personal computer), or the like, and is a terminal for viewing electronic comic contents of the recruiting users who use the electronic comic distribution system 100. The participating user terminal 40 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC, and is a terminal of a participating user who uses the electronic manga distribution system 100.

Users can access and log in to the matching server 10 and the distribution server 20 using the recruiting user terminal 30 or the participating user terminal 40, and read manga contents together. Note that a predetermined application program (general-purpose web browser, manga viewing software, manga viewing application, etc.) is installed in advance on the recruiting user terminal 30 and the participating user terminal 40 in order to access the matching server 10 and the distribution server 20. .

The network 50 is a communication network that may be wired or wireless. The network 50 may include, for example, the Internet, a public line network, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

(Hardware configuration)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the distribution server according to this embodiment. The distribution server 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 22, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 23, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 24, and a communication device 25.

The CPU 21 executes various programs and performs arithmetic processing. The ROM 22 stores programs necessary for startup. The RAM 23 is a work area that temporarily stores processing performed by the CPU 21 and stores data. The HDD 24 stores various data and programs. The communication device 25 communicates with other devices via the network 50. Note that the same hardware configuration as the distribution server 20 can be applied to the matching server 10 as well.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal according to the present embodiment. The user terminal 30 (40) includes a CPU 31, a ROM 32, a RAM 33, an HDD 34, a communication device 35, a display device 36, an input device 37, a microphone 38, a speaker 39, a sensor 41, and a vibration device 42.

The CPU 31 executes various programs and performs arithmetic processing. The ROM 32 stores programs necessary for startup. The RAM 33 is a work area that temporarily stores processing performed by the CPU 31 and stores data. The HDD 34 stores various data and programs. The communication device 35 communicates with other devices via the network 50.

The display device 13 is a color display realized by a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an LED display, etc., and is a display screen that displays electronic comic content on a user terminal. The input device 34 is realized by specific operation keys, a mouse, buttons, etc. In addition, when the user terminal 30 (40) is a smart fin or a tablet terminal, the input device 34 has a display device 36 and an input device 37 integrated instead of operation keys or buttons, and tap coordinates (touch coordinates) on the display screen. This can be realized by a touch panel that can detect. In this case, the input device 37 is realized by an on-screen touch panel, software keys, etc. controlled by a program.

The microphone 38 inputs voice. The speaker 39 outputs voice. The sensor 41 includes various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a magnetic sensor, a GPS, and a biometric authentication sensor. The vibration device 42 has a motor and an eccentric weight, and is a device that generates vibration. As described above, the user terminal 30 (40) is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC, and may have other hardware in addition to that shown in FIG. 3.

(Software configuration)
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the electronic comic distribution system according to the present embodiment. The electronic comic distribution system 100 includes a matching section 101, a comic content selection section 102, a distribution section 103, a voice communication section 104, a display control section 105, and a storage section 107 as main functional sections.

The matching unit 101 publishes the recruitment information received from the first user terminal (recruiting user terminal 30), and matches the second user (participating user terminal 40) who applied for the recruitment information with the first user terminal. It has the function of matching multiple user terminals.

The manga content selection unit 102 selects the same electronic manga content from among the multiple types of electronic manga content stored in the electronic manga DB on any one of the multiple user terminals (recruiting user terminal 30 and participating user terminal 40). It has a function that allows you to select electronic manga content.

The distribution unit 103 has a function of distributing the same electronic comic content to multiple user terminals.

The voice call unit 104 has a function of causing a plurality of user terminals to perform voice calls.

The display control unit 105 has a function of displaying the same comic page image on the display screens of multiple user terminals. In addition, the display control unit 105 controls the display control unit 105 to control the display control unit 105 so that when an operation is performed on a comic page image displayed on the display screen of any one of the plurality of user terminals, the image is displayed on all the display screens of the plurality of user terminals. It has a function to reflect the operation on the manga page image.

The storage unit 107 stores a user DB and an electronic comic DB. The details will be described later.

Note that each functional unit is realized by a program executed on hardware resources such as the CPU, ROM, and RAM of the computers that constitute the matching server 10 and the distribution server 20. These functional units may be read as "means", "module", "unit", or "circuit". Further, each DB of the storage unit 107 can also be placed in an external storage device on the network 50. Furthermore, the computer program and application program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

Of the functional units according to this embodiment, the matching server 10 has the matching unit 101, and the distribution server 20 has the manga content selection unit 102, the distribution unit 103, the voice call unit 104, and the display control unit 105, but for example, the distribution server 20 may have the matching unit 101. In other words, it is sufficient for the electronic manga distribution system 100 to have each functional unit.

(database)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the user DB according to this embodiment. The user DB is a DB in which user information of users including recruiting users and participating users is registered in advance. The user DB according to this embodiment includes, for example, "user ID", "password", "email address", "name", "gender", "age", "occupation", "self profile", "profile image", It has data items such as "billing/fees".

"User ID" is a unique identifier numbered for each user. The “user ID” and “password” are the ID and password for the user to access and log into the electronic comic distribution system 100. "Email address", "Name", "Gender", "Age", and "Occupation" are the user's e-mail address, name (handle name is acceptable), gender, age, and occupation, respectively. The "profile image" is an arbitrary image that represents the user himself/herself. Uploaded by user.

"Self-profile" is the user's profile, including the user's hobbies, favorite manga, favorite genres, self-introduction, etc. "Charge/fee" is the fee, in the case where the user is charged for reading manga content aloud, determined according to, for example, the amount of digital manga to be read aloud, the number of pages, time, or number of times.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the electronic comic DB according to the present embodiment. The electronic manga DB is a DB in which electronic manga bibliographies and contents are registered in advance. The electronic manga DB according to this embodiment includes, for example, "manga content ID", "genre", "title", "author/editor", "publisher", "date of publication", "summary", "manga content data ” and other data items.

"Manga content ID" is a unique identifier assigned to each title of manga content. "Genre," "Title," "Author/Editor," "Publisher," "Publication Date," and "Summary" are the genre, title, author/editor, publisher, publication date, and summary of the manga content, respectively. "Manga content data" is a data file of the manga content. The manga content data file can be an image file consisting of multiple manga page images.

Note that the data configurations of the user DB and electronic comic DB according to this embodiment are merely examples, and some data items are omitted for the sake of explanation. Further, the electronic manga DB may be provided not only by the operator of the electronic manga distribution system 100 but also by other external electronic manga distribution businesses.

<Usage screen example>
(User matching)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a manga content reading participation recruitment screen of the user terminal according to the present embodiment. The participating users access and log in to the electronic manga distribution system 100 (matching server 10) from the participating user terminals 40, and display the manga content reading participation recruitment screen 1000 shown in FIG. 7 on the display screen of the participating user terminals 40. . As described above, the recruiting user can recruit users (participating users) who wish to read manga content together. As shown in the participation recruitment screen 1000 in FIG. 7, each recruited user has information regarding their standby status, user name (handle name), profile image, gender, age, occupation, self-profile, and billing/fees. Recruitment information 1001 such as information is registered and publicly posted.

Participating users can refer to each piece of recruitment information in more detail by selecting and operating "View details" 1002 from a list of recruitment information 1001 soliciting comic content reading aloud (not shown). When a participating user has decided on a recruiting user with whom he or she would like to read manga content, he or she can apply to participate in the reading session with the desired recruiting user by pressing the "Application request" button 1003 for that recruiting user. You can apply.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a manga content reading request acceptance screen of the user terminal according to the present embodiment. When a participating user applies or proposes to a recruiting user to participate in a reading session, an application request notification is sent from the electronic comic distribution system 100 (matching server 10) to the recruiting user terminal 30. The recruiting user accesses and logs in to the electronic manga distribution system 100 (user matching server 10) from the recruiting user terminal 30, and displays the manga content reading request acceptance screen 2000 shown in FIG. 8 on the display screen of the recruiting user terminal 30. do.

The recruiting user confirms the "Proposed User Information" 2001 of the participating user who made the offer and the "Manga Content Information" 2002 to be read together, and then presses "Accept" 2003 or "Do Not Accept" 2004 of the application offer. . If a recruiting user wishes to consult with a participating user about the start date and time, manga content, detailed contents, etc., he/she can press "Consultation" 2005 and exchange messages etc. between the users.

When the application request is accepted by the recruiting user, the reading together of the manga content is completed, that is, the reading together users are matched. When the start date and time (immediately after acceptance is possible), the same information is sent to both the recruiting user terminal 30 of the recruiting user and the participating user terminal 40 of the participating user via the electronic manga distribution system 100 (electronic manga distribution server 20). Manga content (manga titles) will be delivered synchronously in real time, and users will be able to make voice calls to each other in order to read the manga content together.

In addition, in the "manga content information" 2002, the manga content (manga title) to be read together is selected from among the various manga contents stored in the electronic manga DB of the electronic manga distribution server 20 at the time of requesting participation in the reading experience. It may be selected by the participating users, it may be selected and specified by the recruiting user in advance in the recruiting information, or it may be determined through consultation from "Negotiable" 2005.

(Reading manga content together)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a manga content reading screen on the user terminal according to the present embodiment. When users start reading manga content together, the selected manga is sent to both the recruiting user terminal 30 of the recruiting user and the participating user terminal 40 of the participating user via the electronic manga distribution system 100 (electronic manga distribution server 20). The same comic page image in the content is distributed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the display screen of the recruiting user terminal 30 of the recruiting user and the display screen of the participating user terminal 40 of the participating user have the same manga page image (one page of manga in the manga content). image) is displayed.

In addition, in order to make it possible to read manga content together, the recruiting user terminal 30 of the recruiting user and the participating user terminal 40 of the participating user are in a state where voice communication between users is possible using their respective microphones 38 and speakers 39. It becomes. In other words, the audio input from the microphone 38 on one user terminal becomes audio data, is relayed to the electronic comic distribution system 100 (electronic comic distribution server 20), and is output from the speaker 39 on the other user terminal.

Participating users and recruiting users decide who will be in charge of each character in the manga content at the beginning of the reading session, etc., and write the lines and onomatopoeia (mimetic words, onomatopoeia, etc.) of the characters they are in charge of in accordance with the order of the panels in the manga page image. While reading together, read the story of the manga content.

For example, in the comic page image shown in FIG. 9, user A1 and user B1 read together as follows.
User A1 “DokiDoki...”
User B1: “Yes, I think so.”
User A1: “Uh, no, wait a minute...”
User B1 “(silence)”
It should be noted that each user may freely read out the lines as they wish, such as changing the volume of the voice, adding intonation, adding ad-libs, or adding pauses.

In addition, when turning the next page, either the participating user or the recruiting user can perform the operation. In other words, either participating users or recruited users perform a predetermined page turning operation such as sliding (flicking) from left to right on the currently displayed manga page image on the touch panel on the manga screen from the user terminal. When this is done, the display of the comic page image of the user terminal that performed the page turning operation is switched to the next comic page image, and the display screen of the other user terminal is synchronized and the display is switched to the next comic page image. In this way, the participating users and the recruited users can read the story of the manga content to each other in the order of the frames of the manga page images.

(Example of action operation on manga page image)
Participating users and recruited users can perform arbitrary actions on the comic page image (also referred to as a viewing image) displayed on the display screen of the user terminal while reading the comic content together. This allows the user to directly perform various action operations on the manga page image according to each scene, making it possible to improve the taste of reading the manga content together. As mentioned above, the display screens of both user terminals of participating users and recruiting users are synchronized, so if one of them performs an action operation on the currently displayed manga page image from the user terminal, the other user's display screen will be synchronized. The display screens of the user terminals will also be synchronized, and the action operations will be reflected on the currently displayed manga page image.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of an operation action on a comic page image of a user terminal according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, while reading the manga content together, the participating users and the recruited users can enlarge the manga page image displayed on the display screen of the user terminal by, for example, pinching the manga page image displayed on the display screen of the user terminal. It is possible to perform an operation to enlarge the display area of the page image. For example, when user A1 performs an enlargement operation on the target frame or character while reading out the line "Doki Doki...", the display screen of the other user B1 side will synchronize and the target frame or character being displayed will be enlarged. Therefore, a more realistic and immersive feeling can be obtained when reading manga content together.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example 2 of an operation action on a manga page image of a user terminal according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 11, the participating user and the recruiting user can perform a movement operation (moving the display location of the manga page image on the display screen) by, for example, a multi-swipe operation on the manga page image displayed on the display screen of the user terminal while reading the manga content together. In addition, a vibration operation (vibration operation of the display location of the manga page image on the display screen) can also be performed by repeatedly performing movement operations up, down, left, and right on the manga page image. For example, when user A1 reads out the line "I'm so excited..." and performs a vibration operation on the target frame or character, the display screen of the other user B1 is synchronized and the target frame or character being displayed is vibrated, providing a greater sense of realism and immersion in the reading of the manga content together.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a third example of an operation action on a comic page image of a user terminal according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, while reading manga content together, the participating users and the recruited users perform a rotation operation (on the display screen It is possible to perform a rotation operation of the display location of the manga page image in . For example, when user A1 performs a rotation operation on a target frame or character while reading out the line "Doki Doki...", the display screen of the other user B1 side will synchronize and the target frame or character being displayed will rotate. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a more realistic and immersive feeling when reading manga content together by changing the angle.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an action operation unit for a comic page image of a user terminal according to the present embodiment. The action operation unit 3000 is displayed as a software key at the bottom of the display screen of the user terminal. The action operation unit 3000 is provided with respective operation buttons, and the operation buttons are associated with individual operations.

The operation button 3001 is a button for performing a page turning operation on the currently displayed comic page image. A similar page turning operation is also possible by performing a slide (flick) operation from left to right on the manga page image as described above.

The operation button 3002 is a button for performing a movement operation on the currently displayed comic page image. The same holds true even if the multi-swipe operation described above is performed.

The operation button 3003 and the operation button 3004 are buttons for enlarging and reducing the currently displayed comic page image. The same thing happens when you perform the above-mentioned pinch operation.

The operation button 3005 and the operation button 3006 are buttons for performing a left rotation operation and a right rotation operation on the currently displayed comic page image. The same holds true even if the multi-swipe rotation operation described above is performed.

The operation button 3007 is a button that causes the vibration device 42 built in the user terminal to generate vibrations. The vibration sensations and vibration sounds transmitted from the user terminal body to the user's hands can provide a more realistic and immersive feeling when reading manga content together.

In addition to the above operations, the action operation unit 3000 can register action operations that the user is likely to use as standard operation buttons in advance, and the operation can be easily performed by simply pressing the button.

<Information processing>
FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram related to the electronic comic distribution system 100 (electronic comic distribution server 20) according to this embodiment. Each step (hereinafter referred to as "S") can be realized by the CPU of the electronic comic distribution server 20 reading and executing a program that can realize this sequence.

S1: The distribution server 20 distributes the same manga content data (including one or more manga page images) selected (specified) by the user from among the manga contents stored in the electronic manga DB to both the recruiting user terminal 30 of the recruiting user and the participating user terminal 40 of the participating user via the network 50.

S2: The recruiting user terminal 30 and the participating user terminal 40 display the same comic page image of the comic content received from the distribution server 20 on their respective display screens under the display control of the distribution server 20.

S3: The distribution server 20 establishes a voice call between the recruiting user terminal 30 and the participating user terminal 40 to enable a voice read-along of the manga content. This allows the received voice received from one user terminal to be transferred to the other user terminal, enabling voice calls between users.

S4: When the recruiting user performs a predetermined action operation on the manga page image displayed on the display screen of the recruiting user terminal 30, the recruiting user terminal 30 transmits operation information corresponding to the action operation to the distribution server 20. do. Examples of the predetermined action operations include the above-mentioned page turning operation, movement operation, scaling operation, rotation operation, and vibration operation. In addition to the current page number, the operation information includes, for example, information indicating the previous or next page in the case of a page turning operation, information indicating the moving direction and distance in the case of a moving operation, and information indicating the moving direction and distance in the case of a zooming operation. In the case of a rotation operation, this information is information indicating a reduction point and an enlargement ratio; in the case of a rotation operation, information is information indicating a rotation center point, rotation direction, and degree of rotation; and in the case of a vibration operation, information is indicative of vibration. The operation information may be any information that allows the distribution server 20 to understand the operation performed by the recruited user on the comic page image.

S5: When the distribution server 20 receives the operation information from the recruiting user terminal 30, it performs display control to reflect the operation on both the recruiting user terminal 30 and the participating user terminal 40. That is, the distribution server 20 performs control to reflect the action operation corresponding to the operation information on the comic page image displayed on the display screen of the recruiting user terminal 30 and the participating user terminal 40 according to the operation information.

S6: The recruiting user terminal 30 and participating user terminal 40 respond to the corresponding operation information with respect to the manga page image displayed on the display screen of the recruiting user terminal 30 and participating user terminal 40 under display control by the distribution server 20. Reflect action operations. In other words, the predetermined action operation performed by the recruiting user on the manga page image displayed on the display screen of the recruiting user terminal 30 in S4 is performed on all terminals including not only the recruiting user terminal 30 but also the participating user terminal 40. reflected in

S7: Next, when the participating user performs a predetermined action operation on the comic page image displayed on the display screen of the participating user terminal 40, the participating user terminal 40 transmits the operation information corresponding to the action operation to the distribution server. Send to 20.

S8: When the distribution server 20 receives the operation information from the participating user terminal 40, it executes display control to reflect the operation on both the recruiting user terminal 30 and the participating user terminal 40. That is, the distribution server 20 performs control to reflect the action operation corresponding to the operation information on the comic page image displayed on the display screen of the recruiting user terminal 30 and the participating user terminal 40 according to the operation information.

S9: The recruiting user terminal 30 and participating user terminal 40 respond to the corresponding operation information with respect to the manga page image displayed on the display screen of the recruiting user terminal 30 and participating user terminal 40 under display control by the distribution server 20. Reflect action operations. That is, the predetermined action operation that the participating user performs on the comic page image displayed on the display screen of the participating user terminal 40 in S7 is reflected on all the recruiting user terminals 30 and participating user terminals 40.

Note that the following embodiments will also be mentioned.
- The distribution server 20 may have a recording/recording function from the start to the end of the manga reading session.

- The distribution server 20 may perform automatic voice recognition of the user's dialogue reading and control the movement of the comic page image. For example, this is automatic movement control from a frame containing read lines to the next frame.

- In the above-mentioned embodiment, the recruiting user publicly recruits participating users. However, it is also possible for a user to privately invite an acquaintance (equivalent to recruitment) and read comics together among the acquaintance users.

- Comic reading together between the recruited users and the participating users is not necessarily limited to two parties, but may be a plurality of people, and it is also possible to read comics among three or more parties. Needless to say, a predetermined action operation performed on a comic page image displayed on the display screens of all user terminals is reflected on all user terminals.

- The electronic manga distribution system 100 according to the above-described embodiment can also be called, for example, an electronic manga reading system, an electronic manga duet system, or the like.

- After the same manga content data is distributed from the distribution server 20 to the recruiting user terminal 30 and participating user terminal 40 (S1), the same manga content data is distributed between the recruiting user terminal 30 of the recruiting user and the participating user terminal 40 of the participating user via the network 50. It is also possible to implement the processes corresponding to S4 to S6 and S7 to S9 through direct communication. Specifically, when any one user terminal performs a predetermined action operation on the manga page image displayed on the display screen, the user terminal performs an action on the manga page image displayed on the display screen of the user terminal. The action operation corresponding to the operation information is reflected thereon, and the operation information corresponding to the action operation is transmitted to other user terminals. The other user terminal receives the operation information and reflects the action operation corresponding to the operation information on the comic page image displayed on the display screen of the other user terminal.

<Summary>
As described above, the electronic comic book distribution system 100 according to this embodiment allows a user to select a favorite comic book content (comic title) from a wide variety of comic books, and to read through the comic book content story together with other users while reading the lines of the characters in the comic book content and onomatopoeia (mimetic words, onomatopoeic words, etc.). In other words, a single electronic comic book content distributed to a plurality of users can be shared, improving the entertainment value of viewing electronic comic books.

[Embodiment 2]
In the second embodiment, the spectator/viewer function of the electronic comic distribution system 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. According to the electronic comic distribution system 100 according to the first embodiment described above, a user can select one comic content (comic title) from among a wide variety of comic content, and a plurality of users (recruited users and participating users) can read the comic content story while reading the lines and onomatopoeia of the characters in the comic content together and sometimes sharing operation actions on comic page images. The spectator/viewer function according to the present embodiment is a function that allows a third-party user who is not participating in the reading to spectate and view a reading of comic content that has been or is being conducted between users (recruited users and participating users). Note that spectatorship refers to simply watching or gazing from the sidelines without putting in a hand or a word, or watching from a position that is not related to the thing (a position of not being a party to the thing).

<System configuration>
(Software configuration)
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the software configuration of the electronic comic distribution system according to this embodiment. The electronic comic distribution system 100 has a software configuration of the electronic comic distribution system shown in FIG.

The recording unit 108 has the function of recording videos of users reading together manga content (videos that include at least either the display screen of the user's terminal or a voice call).

The publishing unit 109 has a function of publishing a recorded read-aloud video of manga content in association with the electronic manga content to a third party user.

The playback control unit 110 has a function of playing back a reading video of desired manga content selected by the third party user on the display screen of the third party user terminal.

The deletion unit 111 has a function of deleting a read-along video of a manga content from the read-along recording storage DB if a certain period of time has passed since the video was stored in the read-along recording storage DB and the evaluation given to the video does not meet a predetermined standard evaluation.

In addition to the user DB and the electronic manga DB, the storage unit 107 has a function of storing manga content and a recorded reading-along video of the manga content in association with each other in the recording storage DB of the HDD 24.

Note that each functional unit is realized by a program executed on hardware resources such as the CPU, ROM, and RAM of a computer that constitutes the electronic comic distribution system (for example, the distribution server 20). These functional units may be read as "means", "module", "unit", or "circuit". Further, each DB of the storage unit 107 can also be placed in an external storage device on the network 50. Furthermore, the computer program and application program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

(Read-along recording storage DB)
16 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the read-along recording storage DB according to this embodiment. The read-along recording storage DB (hereinafter simply referred to as the recording storage DB) is a DB in which read-along videos (including the display screen (display screen video) and audio of the user terminal) of manga content that have been or are being performed between users (the recruiting user and the participating users) are recorded and stored. The recording storage DB according to this embodiment has data items such as "recording ID", "manga content ID", "recording data", "start date and time", "end date and time", "number of participants", "participants", "public setting", "viewing fee", "number of views (number of plays)", and "user evaluation".

“Recording ID” is a unique identifier assigned to each read-aloud video of manga content that is recorded and saved. “Manga content ID” is the ID of the manga content that has been read together. Corresponds to the "manga content ID" of the electronic manga DB. “Recorded data” is a data file of a read-aloud video of manga content recorded and saved by the distribution server 20. The "start date and time" and the "end date and time" are the date and time when the reading of manga content between users started and the date and time when it ended.

The "number of participants" is the number of users (recruited users and participating users) who participated in the reading of manga content. “Participant” is a user ID who participated in the reading of manga content. “Publication setting” is a setting value for whether to permit (ON) or disallow (OFF) third-party users to watch and view the read-aloud video of the recorded and saved manga content.

The "viewing fee" is a prescribed fee that a third-party user must pay when the third-party user is charged for watching and viewing a reading-through video of the manga content. The fee amount can be arbitrarily set by participating users (recruiting users and participating users), the operator of the electronic manga distribution system 100, and the like.

The “number of views (number of plays)” is the number of times the reading video of the manga content was watched and viewed by a third party user. It can also be said to be the number of times the recorded data of the manga content reading video is played. The "user evaluation" is given by a third party user who has watched/viewed a reading-along video of the manga content, and is, for example, an average evaluation value for the reading-along video of the manga content. The evaluation value has, for example, a minimum value of 1 to a maximum value of 5.

In this manner, in the recording storage DB, a plurality of "recording IDs" and "recording data" are stored in association with the "comic content ID" of the original manga content that is the subject matter. For example, in the recording storage DB of FIG. 16, for one manga content with "comic content ID" M001, the corresponding manga content with "recording ID" M001-0001, M001-0002, M001-0003, etc. It can be seen that multiple read-aloud videos are stored in a manner that allows them to be associated.

FIG. 17 is a diagram schematically showing the storage relationship between one manga content and a reading video corresponding to the manga content according to the present embodiment. For example, a plurality of read-through videos are linked to one manga content with the subject "manga content ID" M001, "title" *****, etc. One is a manga content reading video performed by user A1 and user B1, the other is a manga content reading video performed by user A1 and user B2, and the other is a manga content reading video performed by user A1 and user B2. This is a video of a manga content reading performed by B3.

When users (recruited users and participating users) start reading manga content together, the distribution server creates a new record in the recording storage DB, and associates it with the manga content to read the manga content that has started. The generation of video recording data (including the display screen and audio of the user terminal) is started. The recorded data is stored in a predetermined storage area. Furthermore, after the reading is completed, the users can input and set "publication setting" and "viewing fee."

<Usage screen example>
(Watching/watching manga content reading videos by third-party users)
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a manga content list screen of a third party user terminal according to the present embodiment. A third party user accesses and logs in to the electronic manga distribution system 100 (distribution server 20) from a third party user terminal (not shown), and displays the manga content list screen 4000 shown in FIG. 18 on the third party user terminal. Display on screen. Note that the third party user may be any user registered in the user DB of FIG. 5, and may be a recruiting user or a participating user. The third party user selects, for example, desired comic content 4001a from the list of comic content 4001.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a manga content read-aloud video list publication screen of a third party user terminal according to the present embodiment. In the manga content read-aloud video list publication screen 5000 shown in FIG. The video, that is, the record corresponding to "Manga content ID" M001 in the recording storage DB (FIG. 16) ("Publication setting" ON) is extracted as past or currently live reading video information 5001 and a list is published. ing. The read-aloud video information 5001 shown in FIG. 19 includes, for example, "start date and time", "end date and time", "number of participants", and "participants" as information indicating what kind of read-aloud video it is based on the recording storage DB. ”, “viewing fee”, “number of views (number of plays)”, “user evaluation”, etc.

More specifically, read-along video information 5001a is information regarding a read-along video of manga content previously performed by user A1 and user B1, as indicated by "archive." Read-along video information 5001b is a read-along video of manga content currently performed by user A1 and user B2, as indicated by "archive." Read-along video information 5001c is a read-along video of manga content currently being performed by user A2, user B3, and user B4, as indicated by "live."

The third-party user selects from the comic content read-aloud video list public screen 5000 and presses "Watch" 5002 of the manga content read-aloud video information 5001 that he/she wishes to watch/watch, thereby allowing the read-aloud of the manga content. You can watch and watch the video even after the reading is over or during the reading.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a viewing/viewing screen of a manga content reading video on a third party user terminal according to the present embodiment. When a third party user presses "Watch" 5002a of the manga content reading video information 5001a that he or she wishes to watch or watch from the manga content reading video list public screen 5000, the display screen of the third party user terminal The reading video is played above. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, a third-party user can watch the manga content (manga content ID: M001) by reading the reading video (M001-0001.mp4) by the user A1 and the user B1. The read-aloud display screen video and audio of the manga content read together (for example, see FIGS. 9 to 12) can be watched and viewed from the beginning even after the read-aloud is finished or even during the middle of the read-aloud.

Note that the distribution server 20 increments the "number of views (number of times of reproduction)" of the recorded data played back in the recording storage DB by one each time the recorded data is played back. Further, a third party user who watches or views a reading-along video of manga content can input and give a "user evaluation" to the reading-along video. The distribution server 20 updates the "user evaluation" given to the recorded data played back in the recording storage DB based on the evaluation value input by the third party user.

The following embodiments will also be mentioned.
As described above, multiple past read-along videos are linked to and stored in the recording storage DB for manga content, and the distribution server 20 determines whether or not the "user evaluation" of the read-along video given by a third party meets a predetermined standard evaluation value after a certain period of time (e.g., 24 hours) has passed since the recording and storage. The distribution server 20 then deletes from the recording storage DB any read-along videos whose "user evaluation" given by a third party does not meet the predetermined standard evaluation value after the certain period of time has passed. On the other hand, read-along videos whose "user evaluation" has reached the predetermined standard evaluation value are continuously maintained and stored in the recording storage DB even after the certain period of time has passed.
This makes it possible to maintain the quality of the read-along content by leaving only the read-along videos that are supported by third-party users among the past read-along videos and continuously publishing them. In particular, when a "viewing fee" is required to watch past read-along videos, it is possible to prevent situations where the read-along videos are of low quality despite the fee.

- In addition to the "user evaluation", instead of or in addition to this, it may be determined whether or not to delete based on the "number of views (number of plays)". This is because the "number of views (number of times played)" of a read-aloud video can also be an index indicating whether or not the read-aloud video is supported by a third party user. In this case, the distribution server 20 determines whether the "number of views (number of plays)" of the reading video viewed by the third party satisfies a predetermined standard evaluation number. Then, the distribution server 20 deletes a read-aloud video whose "number of views (number of plays)" is less than a predetermined standard evaluation number from the recording storage DB after a certain period of time has elapsed. In addition, based on indicators indicating whether or not the reading video has been supported by third-party users, such as the number of likes and the number of posted comments, the reading video is deleted from the recording storage database after a certain period of time. You may.

・The distribution server 20 also deletes the record of the read-aloud video from the recording storage DB, and instead of deleting it, changes the "public setting" of the record of the read-aloud video from permitted (ON) to disallowed (OFF). It is also possible to change.

- The read-aloud video of the manga content to be recorded may be a video that includes at least either the display screen of the user terminal or the voice call. For example, if it is only the display screen of the user terminal, it is possible to observe only the display screen of the manga content between the users who have read together. In addition, if there is only a voice call, only the voices of the users who have read together can be listened to. This can be set arbitrarily by the participating users (recruited users and participating users), the operator of the electronic manga distribution system 100, etc., but it is possible to record the reading of the manga content only on the display screen of the user terminal or at least during the voice call. It may be possible to set recording, or it may be possible to record a video including the display screen of the user terminal and the voice call, and then set only the display screen of the user terminal or the voice call to be public.

<Summary>
As described above, according to the electronic manga distribution system 100 of this embodiment, multiple past read-along videos are linked to one original manga content (original version) as the subject, and are stored on the server and made public. This allows a third party who did not participate in the read-along to watch and view the read-along videos made by various users using each manga content as the subject, even during or after the read-along.

Further, even if the manga content is the same subject, no two readings performed by various performers are the same. Each user who participates in a reading session has a unique personality, such as voice, intonation, reading speed, improvisation, and manipulation actions for manga page images.Furthermore, the performance of each piece of content that is demonstrated differs depending on the compatibility of the combinations of users. Reading the story together is unique. Therefore, third parties can experience and enjoy various ways of reading together the same original manga content.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific examples according to preferred embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that these specific examples may be modified without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the claims. Obviously, various modifications and changes may be made to the examples. In other words, the invention is not to be construed as limited by the details of the specific examples and the accompanying drawings.

10 Matching server 20 Distribution server 30 Recruiting user terminal 40 Participating user terminal 50 Network 100 Electronic comic distribution system 101 Matching section 102 Manga content selection section 103 Distribution section 104 Voice call section 105 Display control section 107 Storage section 108 Recording section 109 Publication section 110 Playback control section 111 Deletion section

Claims (6)

An electronic manga distribution system that distributes electronic manga content including manga page images,
a distribution means for distributing the same electronic manga content to multiple user terminals;
a first display control means for displaying the same comic page image on the display screens of the plurality of user terminals;
The manga page displayed on all the display screens of the plurality of user terminals when an operation is performed on the manga page image displayed on the display screen of any one of the plurality of user terminals. a second display control means for reflecting the operation on the image;
a call control means for causing the plurality of user terminals to perform a voice call;
Recording means for recording a video including at least either the display screen or the voice call;
storage means for storing the same electronic comic content and the moving image in a storage means in association with each other;
An electronic manga distribution system characterized by having. publishing means for publishing the recorded video in association with the same electronic comic content;
playback control means for playing the video on a display screen of a user terminal;
The electronic comic distribution system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has the following. The video includes information regarding a rating given to the video by a user terminal that played the video,
Deletion means for deleting the video from the storage means if the evaluation given to the video does not satisfy a predetermined standard evaluation after a certain period of time has passed since the video was stored in the storage means;
The electronic comic distribution system according to claim 2, characterized in that it has the following. publishing means for publishing a plurality of pieces of recruiting information received from different recruiting user terminals of a plurality of different recruiting users on the Internet;
an application offer notification means for notifying a recruitment user terminal of a recruitment user who has solicited the one recruitment information of an application offer for one recruitment information selected by the application user from the plurality of recruitment information;
Matching means for matching an application user terminal of the application user and a recruitment user terminal of the recruitment user as the plurality of user terminals in response to the application offer;
The electronic comic distribution system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has the following. To a computer that distributes electronic manga content including manga page images,
a distribution means for distributing the same electronic manga content to multiple user terminals;
a first display control means for displaying the same comic page image on the display screens of the plurality of user terminals;
The manga page displayed on all the display screens of the plurality of user terminals when an operation is performed on the manga page image displayed on the display screen of any one of the plurality of user terminals. a second display control means for reflecting the operation on the image;
a call control means for causing the plurality of user terminals to perform a voice call;
Recording means for recording a video including at least either the display screen or the voice call;
storage means for storing the same electronic comic content and the moving image in a storage means in association with each other;
An electronic manga distribution program to make it work. An electronic manga distribution system that distributes electronic manga content including manga page images,
a distribution means for distributing the same electronic manga content to multiple user terminals;
Display control means for displaying the same comic page image on the display screens of the plurality of user terminals;
a call control means for causing the plurality of user terminals to perform a voice call;
Recording means for recording a video including at least either the display screen or the voice call;
storage means for storing the same electronic comic content and the moving image in a storage means in association with each other;
An electronic manga distribution system characterized by having.