JP4534555B2 - Data receiving apparatus and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a data receiving apparatus that receives content data such as music, video, games, articles, and the like, and a program thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a broadband communication line connecting a content data distribution apparatus and a reception apparatus has been developed, and a broadband line such as an optical cable line or an ADSL line is used as a communication line (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a broadband line has a communication speed (communication rate) about 100 to 1000 times that of a narrow band line such as a conventional PSTN line (for example, an ISDN line). For this reason, for example, a karaoke data distribution device, which is a content data distribution device, transfers to a karaoke device that communicates using a broadband line with karaoke data having a size 100 to 1000 times larger than before (high-value-added karaoke data). Content).

  In Patent Document 1, a plurality of terminal devices are connected by a plurality of lines via a backup device. There are two types of lines: a high-speed digital line capable of high-speed communication and an ISDN line which is a public digital network. Usually, a transmission channel is transmitted by a high-speed digital line. When the occurrence of a line failure is detected in the high-speed digital line, the transmission channel transmitted through the high-speed digital line in which the line failure has occurred is switched to the ISDN line.

  The maximum communication speed in the broadband line is very fast, 100 times to 1000 times compared to the narrow band line. However, in general, the broadband line does not guarantee the communication speed, but varies depending on the line condition at the time of communication. For example, the communication speed is not stable when there is a lot of traffic on the line or when the line quality is poor and a sufficient communication speed cannot be secured due to the influence of noise around the conductor in the line.

  In Patent Document 1, a line failure of a high-speed digital line is monitored, and switching to low-speed communication is performed only in a situation where high-speed communication is not possible. That is, transmission is performed only by either the high-speed digital line or the ISDN line. Therefore, when there is no line failure but the communication speed is slow, the content data is transmitted only by high-speed communication.

  In addition to information such as images and music, the content data includes an expiration date (delivery start date, delivery end date), song number, and the like in which the content data can be used. For example, in a system for acquiring content data from a karaoke data distribution device, it is determined for each content data which content data must be acquired from the karaoke data distribution device. By acquiring content data, it is possible to provide karaoke users with all the songs scheduled for karaoke up to that date. As a conventional karaoke system, there is a karaoke system in which a distribution device and a receiving device can communicate with each other via a splitter via an ADSL line and a normal telephone line. It was delivered.

JP-A-6-37730

  However, in the broadband line such as the ADSL line, the communication speed is not constant as described above. Therefore, depending on the state of the line, the communication speed may be reduced to the same speed as that of the narrowband line. If the content data is received in a state where the communication speed between the distribution device and the receiving device is not stable and decreases, there is a possibility that the reception of all the content data cannot be completed by the acquisition completion date. If the reception of the content data is not completed, the karaoke user may not be able to request a desired song. In particular, with regard to new song distribution, karaoke users often want to request more quickly, but if they cannot be requested even on the scheduled distribution date, the reliability from karaoke users will be lost.

  Such a problem may occur not only in the case where the content data is Karao data but also in other content data such as music, video, games and articles.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a data receiving apparatus and a program thereof that can acquire content data by the acquisition completion date.

In order to achieve the above object, a data receiving apparatus according to claim 1 is a data receiving apparatus capable of receiving a plurality of pieces of content data in which an acquisition completion date is set for each piece of content data from a data distribution apparatus within a communication time. A first communication means capable of communicating at a constant communication speed;
Second communication means capable of communicating at a higher speed than the first communication means, the plurality of content data is acquired by the second communication means, and the plurality of content data is acquired by the first communication means. Among them, an unacquired part is acquired by the second communication means ,
Data amount determination means for determining the amount of content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date, and receivable data amount calculation for calculating the amount of data that the second communication means can receive within the communication time And a data amount for comparing the receivable data amount obtained from the receivable data amount calculating unit with the data amount of the content data whose acquisition completion date is the communication date obtained from the data amount judging unit And a first communication unit together with the second communication unit when the data amount comparison unit determines that the data amount of the content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date is larger. To obtain the content data .

The data receiving device according to claim 2 is the data receiving device according to claim 1 , wherein the receivable data amount calculating means is based on the content data amount that the second communication means can acquire in a predetermined time. Communication rate calculation means for calculating a communication rate is provided, wherein the communication rate calculation means calculates the communication rate at regular intervals.

A data receiving device according to claim 3 is the data receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 2 , wherein the content data is acquired in advance when the content data is acquired by the first communication means. A charge system that adds a communication fee to the flat fee when the accumulated communication time during a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined time as a flat fee, wherein the second communication means communicates via a broadband line, The first communication means performs communication according to the billing system.

The data receiving device according to claim 4 is the data receiving device according to claim 3 , wherein the first communication means is used when the accumulated communication time is within a predetermined time as the fixed amount charge. Is used to acquire content data subsequent to the content data acquired by the closing date on which the flat-rate charge in the charging system can be used.

The program according to claim 5 includes a first communication means capable of communicating at a constant communication speed and a second communication means capable of communicating at a higher speed than the first communication means, and for each content data. A program for causing a computer that controls a data receiving device capable of receiving a plurality of content data set with an acquisition completion date from a data distribution device within a communication time to execute the plurality of content data in the computer The data receiving device acquires the unacquired portion by the second communication means of the plurality of content data acquired by the second communication means and by the first communication means ,
A data amount determination procedure for determining the amount of content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date, and a receivable data amount calculation for calculating the amount of data that the second communication means can receive within the communication time A data amount for comparing a procedure, a receivable data amount obtained from the receivable data amount calculation procedure, and a data amount of the content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date obtained from the data amount determination procedure The computer further executes a comparison procedure, and when the data amount comparison procedure determines that the data amount of the content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date is larger, together with the second communication means, the first communication means and said Rukoto to acquire the content data.

The program according to claim 6 is the program according to claim 5 , wherein the receivable data amount calculation procedure calculates a communication rate from a content data amount that the second communication means can acquire in a predetermined time. The communication rate calculation procedure is executed by a computer, and the communication rate calculation procedure calculates the communication rate at regular intervals.

A program according to claim 7 is the program according to any one of claims 5 to 6 , wherein the second communication means communicates with a computer via a broadband line, and the first communication means Is characterized in that communication is performed in accordance with a charging system that adds a communication fee to the flat fee when the accumulated communication time during a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined time as a flat fee.

The program according to claim 8 is the program according to claim 7 , wherein when the accumulated communication time is within a time set in advance as the fixed amount charge, the first communication means is set. The content data following the content data acquired by the closing date on which the flat fee can be used in the billing system is acquired.

The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1 acquires the content data by using both the first communication means and the second communication means when there is content data that must be acquired by the communication date. , Content data can be reliably acquired by the acquisition completion date.

Since the data receiving device of claim 2 calculates the communication rate of the second communication means from the data acquisition amount every fixed time, even if the communication rate becomes low during the communication, it becomes low. At that time, the first communication means can be used together to reliably acquire the content data by the acquisition completion date. In addition, when communication is performed using the first communication means, the content rate of the second communication means becomes high, and content data that must be acquired by the communication date only by the second communication means. When it becomes possible to acquire the communication fee, the communication of the first communication unit is terminated, and the waste of the communication fee caused by the communication of the first communication unit can be reduced.

Since the data receiving apparatus according to the third aspect is provided with a charging system including a flat fee, communication can be performed using the first communication means by using the flat fee of the communication fee. This makes it possible to actively communicate for a fixed amount that must be paid, and to effectively use the communication fee for the fixed amount.

According to claim 4, when the communication time for the fixed amount charge in the billing system remains, even if all the content data that must be acquired by the closing date has already been acquired, the data acquisition is completed in order to acquire subsequent content data The problem that the content data with the date earlier can be acquired and the content data cannot be acquired before the data acquisition completion date can be avoided in advance. Furthermore, since the communication fee uses a fixed amount, there is no fear of adding the communication fee.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the following examples, and can take various forms as long as they belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[Composition of karaoke system]
First, a karaoke system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a connection state between a host device (data distribution device) 10 and a plurality of karaoke devices (data reception devices) 40, 60, 70 installed in a karaoke store 30. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal structures of the host device 10 and the karaoke device 40.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a karaoke device is installed in each karaoke store 30 for each room. Each karaoke device 40, 60, 70 is connected via a hub 36. The host device 10 communicates with the karaoke device 40 installed in the karaoke store 30 via the line network 31.

  In FIG. 1, three karaoke apparatuses 40, 60, and 70 are illustrated in one karaoke store 30, but the karaoke apparatus 40 functions as a master unit (master). The karaoke devices 60 and 70 function as slave units, and a plurality of karaoke devices 70 (the number of rooms provided in the karaoke store 30) are provided. The karaoke device 60 plays a role as a slave having a backup function when the karaoke device 40 fails. A plurality of karaoke devices may be set as slaves in case the karaoke device 40 as a master fails.

  The karaoke device 40 receives the content data from the host device 10 that is the source of the content data (new music data, etc.) via the network 31 and, if necessary, content data (new music data) in other karaoke devices. Etc.) and new musical score data are transmitted to the other karaoke devices 60 and 70 in response to requests from other karaoke devices.

  Of the karaoke apparatuses, the two karaoke apparatuses 40 and 60 communicate with an ADSL line (second communication means) and a general telephone line (first communication means). The communication frequency from the host device 10 is distributed to the ADSL line and the general telephone line by the splitter 33. Of the frequencies distributed by the splitter 33, the side distributed as an ADSL line is distributed to the karaoke apparatus 40 via the ADSL modem 34, the router 35, and the hub 36. Note that external phones 51 and 61 are connected to the karaoke device 40 (master) and the karaoke device 60 (slave), respectively, so that a general phone can be used.

  The functions of the karaoke device 60 and the karaoke device 70 are basically the same except that only the karaoke device 40 as a parent device can be connected to the host device 10 via the network 31. Therefore, the following description of the configuration will be made with respect to the karaoke apparatus 40 that functions as a master unit.

  The host device 10 includes a high-speed communication server 11 and a low-speed communication server 21 (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2A, the high-speed communication server 11 includes a control unit 13, a hard disk 14, an operation unit 15, a display unit 16, a network interface 17, a modem interface 18, and the like. The control unit 13 includes a CPU 13a, a ROM 13b, a RAM 13c, and the like. The control unit 13 executes various processes based on information received from the hard disk 14, the operation unit 15, the network interface 17, and the modem interface 18, and the hard disk 14, display unit 16, network By giving various commands and data to the interface 17 and the modem interface 18, they are controlled in an integrated manner.

  The hard disk 14 stores authentication data, a distribution list, and content data for distribution. In the authentication data, contract information of the karaoke apparatus installed in each store is stored. Based on the contract information, it is determined whether or not the karaoke apparatus can communicate. In the distribution list, among the content data for distribution, the song number, the expiration date in which the content data can be used, the data size, the type of data, etc. are stored in the table, and whether it has been distributed or not distributed, Information on which of the high-speed communication server 11 and the low-speed communication server 21 is to be used to deliver content data is stored.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the low-speed communication server 21 includes a control unit 23, a hard disk 24, an operation unit 25, a display unit 26, a modem interface 28, and the like. The control unit 23 includes a CPU 23a, a ROM 23b, a RAM 23c, and the like. The control unit 23 executes various processes based on information received from the hard disk 24, the operation unit 25, the display unit 26, and the modem interface 28, and the hard disk 24, the display unit 26, and the modem. By giving various commands and data to the interface 28, these are controlled in an integrated manner.

  The hard disk 24 stores the same distribution list and distribution content data as the high-speed communication server 11.

  The contents data for distribution stored in the high-speed communication server 11 and the low-speed communication server 21 respectively include a content data body and additional information as shown in FIG. Normally, content data is distributed from the high-speed communication server 11 to the karaoke apparatus 40 through the ADSL line. However, when communication is also performed using low-speed communication, the content data is distributed from the low-speed communication server 21 through the general telephone line. At this time, since the same content data is stored in both servers 11 and 21, the content data to be distributed is communicated between the high-speed communication server 11 and the low-speed communication server 21, and which line is used to determine which content. Decide whether to distribute data. Each determined content data is stored in the distribution list as to whether it has been transmitted to the karaoke apparatus 40 or not yet transmitted, and from which server it is transmitted.

  The high-speed communication server 11 stores a system program and the like upgraded in addition to the content data in a database, which can be read from the database at any time and transmitted to the karaoke apparatus 40. Yes.

  FIG.2 (c) is a block diagram which shows the structure of the karaoke apparatus (master) 40 of a present Example.

  The karaoke apparatus 40 includes a control unit 42 that controls the operation of the entire apparatus, a hard disk 43, an operation unit 47, a display unit 46, an amplifier 48, a network interface 44, and a modem interface 45. The control unit 42 includes a CPU 42a, a ROM 42b, a RAM 42c, and the like, and executes various processes based on information received from the hard disk 43, the network interface 44, the modem interface 45, and the operation unit 47, and the hard disk 43, the network interface 44, and the modem. By giving various commands and data to the interface 45, the amplifier 48, and the display unit 46, these are controlled in an integrated manner.

  The hard disk 43 includes a program storage area for storing system programs and application programs, a content data storage area for storing music data (for example, about 40,000 songs), a background moving image storage area for storing background moving images, and information. An information data storage area for storing data and an instruction data storage area for storing instruction data are provided. Here, the content data stored in the content data storage area includes a content data body and additional information as shown in FIG. Specific examples of the content data main body include image information such as background images and lyrics, or information including the image information and music information together. Additional information includes “expiration date” (start date) when content data can start to be used, “expiration date” (end date) when the use of the data ends, song number, song name (text), etc. Various information is included.

  The network interface 44 is connected to the HUB 36 (see FIG. 1), and is connected to the host device 10 through an ADSL line. The modem interface 45 is connected to the line distributor 37 (see FIG. 1), and is connected to the host device 10 from a general telephone line.

  The RAM 42c has a data acquisition list. The data acquisition list stores, in addition to the song number, the expiration date of use of the content data at the song number, the data size, and the like, whether or not the content data of the song number has been acquired from the host device 10. Here, the “expiration date” at which the use of the content data can be started is the date on which the content data must be acquired from the host device 10, that is, the data acquisition completion date.

  Music data downloaded from the host device 10 via an ADSL line or the like is directly written to the hard disk 43 without using a CPU using a built-in DMA (direct memory access) circuit.

  The operation unit 47 includes a remote controller including a command switch such as a music selection switch and a numeric keypad switch. When a user operates these switches, the operation unit 47 transmits an infrared signal modulated with a code corresponding to the operation. The infrared signal sent from the remote controller is received by the remote controller receiver, and the data is restored.

  The operation unit 47 is also provided on the front surface of the karaoke apparatus 40, and includes a song code input switch, a key change switch, and the like.

  The amplifier 48 forms a tone signal based on the tone track data of the music data. The music data is read from the hard disk 43 by the CPU during the karaoke performance, and the guide melody track, which is comparison data, is also read in parallel with the musical sound track. The musical tone track is composed of a plurality of tracks, and a musical sound signal of a plurality of parts is simultaneously formed based on this data. The musical tone signal formed by the amplifier 48 and the voice signal formed by the voice data processing unit are karaoke performance sounds, which are input to an effect DSP (digital signal processor). Further, the effected karaoke performance sound is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter and then output to the speaker 50 which is an external device. The speaker 50 amplifies the input karaoke performance sound and a later-described singing voice signal, and gives an effect such as echo to the singing voice signal, and then emits the sound.

  On the other hand, the singing voice signal input from the singing microphone 49 is amplified by the amplifier 48 and then output to the speaker 50 and the A / D converter. The speaker 50 amplifies and outputs the input signal as a karaoke song sound.

  The display unit 46 generates a character pattern such as a song title or lyrics based on the input character data. Also, corresponding background video data is read from the background moving image storage area of the hard disk 43 based on the video selection data (chapter number), and the video selection data is determined based on the genre data of the karaoke song. Genre data is written in the header of the music and is read out by the CPU at the start of karaoke performance. These data are synthesized by superimpose and displayed on the monitor.

  When the karaoke device 40 communicates with the host device 10, communication is free even if the communication is performed using an ADSL line for any number of hours. On the other hand, when communication is performed using a general telephone line, a communication fee for the communication time is charged. In this embodiment, the communication fee including free calls is determined monthly as a flat fee, and if the accumulated communication time during one month is within the flat fee, the flat fee exceeds the flat fee. In such a case, a billing system is used in which the communication charge for the excess time is added to the flat rate charge to the telephone company.

  As described above, the karaoke devices 60 and 70 that function as slave units do not normally receive content data from the host device 10 via the Internet, but other configurations basically have a karaoke device 40 that functions as a master unit. Is the same.

[Description of content data update processing]
Next, content data update processing executed by the CPU 42a (see FIG. 2C) of the karaoke apparatus 40 functioning as a master in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  If the karaoke apparatus determines that it is the communicable time in step S101 in FIG. 5, data reception is performed. On the other hand, if it is determined in S101 that it is not communicable time, communication is not performed (S103).

  The communicable time in S101 is a predetermined time determined by the contract condition between the right holder of the karaoke apparatus 40 and the right holder of the host apparatus 10 when the karaoke apparatus 40 is powered on and operating. It is a time or a predetermined interval. For example, there are conditions such as a time period in which the karaoke apparatus 40 can execute the reception process (for example, 0:00 to 5:00 the next time). This feasible time zone is a non-business time zone of the karaoke store 30 and a time that matches the time zone in which the host device 10 distributes content data. Such a time is stored in advance in the RAM 42c of the karaoke apparatus 40.

  If it is a communicable time (S101: Yes), the process proceeds to S102 and an authentication process is performed. The authentication process will be described with reference to FIG. First, regardless of the presence or absence of the undistributed list stored in the karaoke device in S201, the high-speed communication server 11 is connected by dial-up. The high-speed communication server 11 confirms the connected karaoke commander, and authenticates whether or not communication is possible using authentication data (S202). When authenticated by the high-speed communication server 11 (S202: Yes), the karaoke apparatus 40 determines whether there is a new undelivered list in the high-speed communication server 11. The list is updated (S204). At this time, the undistributed list is performed by comparing the data acquisition list stored in the karaoke apparatus 40 with the distributed list stored in the high-speed communication server 11 and determining whether there is an undistributed song number. On the other hand, when it is not authenticated that communication is possible in S202, that is, when the connection is from the karaoke apparatus 40 that is not enabled for communication by a contract or the like (S202: No), communication via the general telephone line is disconnected (S203). ).

  When the authentication process ends, the process proceeds to S104 in FIG. 5, communication via the ADSL line is started, and data acquisition is performed. When communication via the ADSL line is started, it is determined whether the karaoke apparatus 40 has acquired all the content data that must be acquired by the end of the month (S105). In the present embodiment, the end of the month represents the closing date for payment of the communication fee, and the communication fee included in the fixed fee can be used until the closing date. If all the data up to the end of the month has not been acquired in S105 (S105: No), the process proceeds to FIG. 6 and incomplete data acquisition processing is performed. On the other hand, if the data has been acquired (S105: Yes), the process proceeds to S106, and it is determined whether or not there is a communicable time through the general telephone line. The communicable time on the general telephone line is determined based on whether or not the communication fee included in the flat fee is available. If there is a communication charge, the communication charge is not added for the communication time within the fixed charge. On the other hand, if there is no remaining communication charge, the communication charge for the communication time is added if communication is continued. If there is time available for communication over the general telephone line (S106: Yes), data acquisition processing by communication over the general telephone line is started (S107), and the content data acquisition processing whose data acquisition completion date is from the next month is continued. The communication fee included in the flat fee is used from the start of the data acquisition process by communication on the general telephone line. On the other hand, if there is no time available for communication via the general telephone line (S106: No), communication via the general telephone line is terminated (S108), and data is received only by communication via the ADSL line. Processing is performed until the communicable time is exhausted (S109). When the communicable time is exhausted (S109: Yes), the communication via the ADSL line is terminated (S110). Further, when data acquisition processing is performed by communication via a general telephone line in S107, while there is a communication available time (S111: Yes), the process returns to S106 and subsequently data acquisition processing by communication via a general telephone line is performed. . When the communicable time runs out (S111: No), both the communication using the ADSL line and the communication using the general telephone line are ended (S112), and the data acquisition process ends. If there is a communicable time and there is no communicable time on the general telephone line (S111: Yes, S106: No), the process proceeds to S108 and the data acquisition process is performed only by communication using the ADSL line. Become.

  For example, in the data acquisition list as shown in FIG. 4, if the communication date is February 11, 2004, the content data with the song number up to 57 is the content data that must be acquired by the end of the month. At this time, if all the content data up to No. 57 have already been acquired (FIG. 5, S105: Yes), it is determined whether or not there is a communicable time through the general telephone line. If there is a communicable time through the general telephone line (S106: Yes), data acquisition processing is performed by communication through the general telephone line as well as communication through the ADSL line. Data acquisition processing is performed. On the other hand, if there is no communicable time through the general telephone line (S106: No), the communication through the general telephone line is terminated (S108), and the content data with the music number 58 and subsequent is acquired only through the ADSL line communication.

  In this way, even if content data has been acquired up to the end of the month, if there is a flat-rate charge due to communication over a regular telephone line, communication will be performed to acquire content data for the next month, so a flat-rate charge is wasted. Can be used without

  Next, an incomplete data acquisition process when content data that must be acquired by the end of the month has not been acquired (FIG. 5, S105: No) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step S121, it is determined whether all content data that must be acquired by the communication date has been acquired. Content data that must be acquired before the communication date is content data whose communication completion date (expiration start date) determined for each content data is the communication date. Content data that must be acquired at a minimum. Here, if all the content data that must be acquired by the communication date has been acquired (S121: Yes), the process proceeds to S122, and the time that can be communicated by the communication line using the general telephone line is the communication time until the end of the month. It is judged whether it is less. For example, if the communicable time is from 0:00 to 5:00, the daily communication time is 5 hours. If the communication date is February 25, 2004, the number of days until the end of the month is five days. In such a case, the communication time until the end of the month is 25 hours. If the communicable time on the general telephone line is equal to or greater than the communicable time until the end of the month (S122: No), even if communication is always performed during the communicable time, it is used less than the free call. Therefore, the process proceeds to S124, where content data acquisition processing by communication via a general telephone line is started. Then, during the communicable time, the content data is acquired by using both the communication using the ADSL line and the communication using the general telephone line. When the communicable time runs out (S127: No), the communication using the ADSL line and the communication using the general telephone line are finished (S128), and the data acquisition process is finished.

  On the other hand, if the communicable time through the general telephone line is less than the communication time until the end of the month (S122: Yes), the process proceeds to S123, the communication through the general telephone line is terminated, and only the communication through the ADSL line is within the communicable time. Thus, the content data is received (S125, S126). When the data that must be acquired by the communication date is not acquired in S121, for example, the communication date is February 11, 2004, and all the content data having the song number 50 in FIG. In the case (S121: No), incomplete data during the communication day of FIG. 7 is acquired.

  In S131 of FIG. 7, the communication time (G / A) required when all content data up to the communication date is received only by communication via the ADSL line from the communication rate A on the high speed side is calculated. Here, G is the amount of data that must be acquired by the communication date. The calculated communication time (G / A) is compared with the communicable time D. If it is determined that the calculated communication time (G / A) is shorter than the communicable time D (S131: Yes), all content data can be received only by communication via the ADSL line. Therefore, the process proceeds to S132, and it is determined whether the communicable time by the general telephone line is less than the communication time until the end of the month. If the communicable time on the general telephone line is longer than the communication time up to the end of the month, communication exceeding the fixed amount will not be performed even if communication is performed on the general telephone line until the end of the future. Accordingly, data acquisition processing by communication via a general telephone line is started (S134). On the other hand, if the communicable time through the general telephone line is less than the communication time until the end of the month (S132: Yes), the communication through the general telephone line is terminated (S133). If it is within the communicable time, it is determined whether or not all the data that must be acquired by the communication date at the high speed side communication rate at regular intervals can be acquired only by communication via the ADSL line (S139). The communication rate on the high speed side is an information transmission amount (bit / sec) per unit time when communication is performed through an ADSL line. And if it can be acquired, content data will be continuously acquired only by communication via the ADSL line (S135: Yes). When the communicable time runs out, the communication via the ADSL line is terminated (S136), and the data acquisition process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the content data cannot be acquired only by communication via the ADSL line (S139: No), the simultaneous acquisition process of incomplete data during the communication day in FIG. 8 is performed.

  Therefore, it is assumed that the communication rate on the high speed side is high enough that all content data can be acquired and communicated only by communication using the ADSL line. Thereafter, the communication rate decreases and all content data is transmitted within the communication time only by communication using the ADSL line. It may become impossible to obtain. Even in such a case, by confirming the communication rate at regular intervals, it is possible to obtain content data by using communication through a general telephone line together.

  In S134, when communication using a general telephone line acquires data together with communication using an ADSL line, content data is acquired using both the general telephone line communication and the ADSL line communication within the communicable time (S137: If the communicable time runs out (Yes) (S137), the communication using the general telephone line and the communication using the ADSL line are ended (S138), and the data acquisition process is ended.

  On the other hand, in S131, when incomplete content data up to the communication date cannot be received only by the communication line using the ADSL line (S131: No), the process proceeds to S141 in FIG. Regardless of whether it remains or not, communication via a general telephone line is started. If it is within the communicable time, it is determined whether the content data can be received only by communication via the ADSL line (S143). When the communication rate on the high speed side becomes high enough to receive all content data only by communication via the ADSL line (S143: Yes), communication via the general telephone line is terminated (S144), and only communication via the ADSL line is within the communicable time. The content data is received (S145: Yes). When the communicable time runs out, the communication via the ADSL line is terminated (S146), and the data acquisition process is terminated. On the other hand, if the communication rate on the high-speed side cannot be obtained by the communication date only by the communication using the ADSL line, the content data continues to be used in combination with the communication using the ADSL line and the communication using the general telephone line. Is acquired (S143: No). If all of the content data cannot be processed within the communicable time (S142: No), the content data that must be acquired by the communication date after both the ADSL line communication and the general telephone line communication are terminated. An error message indicating that not all of them were acquired is displayed (S148). Then, the data acquisition process ends.

  Next, the process for confirming the communication rate on the high speed side for calculating the communication time required to acquire all the data that must be acquired by the communication date by communication via the ADSL line of FIG. 8 and FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, the communication rate on the high speed side varies depending on traffic conditions and the like. Therefore, it is necessary to calculate the communication rate at regular intervals. First, in S301, the acquisition amount of content data acquired by communication via an ADSL line is measured for a certain period of time, and the high-speed communication rate is calculated from the measured time and the data acquisition amount. The calculated communication rate value on the high speed side is stored in the rate variable A (S302). This rate variable A is the communication rate A used in S131 and S139 in FIG. 7 and S143 in FIG. The rate variable A calculates the communication rate through the ADSL line again after 5 minutes have passed since the communication rate value was confirmed (S303). By updating the rate variable every 5 minutes, content data that must be reliably acquired by the communication date is acquired.

  Next, as a specific example, for example, when communication is performed on February 11, 2004, processing in the case where content data having the song numbers up to 41 in FIG. 4 has already been acquired will be described.

  After performing the authentication process and starting communication via the ADSL line, it is confirmed whether all data until the end of the month has been received (FIG. 5, S101: Yes, S102, S104, S105). Here, the data that must be acquired by the end of the month is the content data whose start date of the expiration date is February 29, and is the content data whose song number is 57 in FIG. Then, it is determined whether all the data that must be acquired by the communication date has been acquired (S121 in FIG. 6). The data that must be acquired before the communication date is data whose start date of the expiration date is February 11, 2004, and in FIG. Then, it is determined that there is content data that needs to be acquired (FIG. 6, S121: No).

  Next, it is determined whether or not all the content data that must be acquired by the communication date can be acquired only by communication using the ADSL line. The data that must be acquired before the communication date is the content data with the song numbers 42 to 50 in FIG. 4, and the data sizes are as shown in FIG. According to the flowchart of FIG. 10, the communication rate A on the high speed side is calculated, and the time (G / A) required to acquire the content data from the communication number A through the ADSL line through the song numbers 42 to 50 Calculate If the communication rate A is 1.5 Mbit, for example, 1 byte is 8 bits, so 4 MB of content data can be acquired in about 21 seconds. On the other hand, if the communication rate A is 56 kbit, it takes about 10 minutes to acquire 4 MB of content data. Since the data amount of the content data from the song numbers 42 to 50 is 32 MB, the time (G / A) required to acquire only by communication via the ADSL line is 100 kbit. About 43 minutes. Here, if the remaining communicable time D is 50 minutes, all data can be acquired only by communication via the ADSL line. Therefore, if there is no remaining flat rate charge for communication using the general telephone line, the communication using the general telephone line is terminated (FIG. 7, S132: Yes, S133), and communication is performed using only the communication using the ADSL line. Further, if there is a surcharge for a fixed amount for communication via a general telephone line (S132: No), communication using an ADSL line and communication via a general telephone line are used together, and further content data (song number 51 or later) is used. Content data) is acquired (S134). Here, when communication using a general telephone line is used together, communication using a general telephone line may acquire a part of the content data of music numbers 42 to 50 acquired by communication using an ADSL line. Then, the content data with the music number 51 or later may be acquired. It is desirable to obtain the music numbers in ascending order in consideration of the communication rate decreasing later.

  The communication rate A calculated according to the flowchart of FIG. 10 is updated every 5 minutes. The processing at this time corresponds to communication rate calculation means. This time is not limited to 5 minutes, and may be every other minute, for example. When the communication rate A is updated, the time for acquiring the content data is changed only by communication using the ADSL line. Take as an example a case where the communication rate A on the high speed side, which was 100 kbits, drops to 50 kbits after 5 minutes. When the communication rate A is 100 kbit, all the content data up to the music number 50 can be acquired within the time only by communication through the ADSL line as described above. Therefore, when the communicable time through the general telephone line is less than the communication time until the end of the month, the communication through the general telephone line is terminated (S132: Yes, S133). After 5 minutes, since there is still a communicable time (S135: Yes), the time required when content data is acquired only by communication using the ADSL line (G / A) is compared with the communicable time ( S139). Here, out of the content data that must be acquired by the communication date, the remaining content data excluding the content data that can be acquired in the previous 5 minutes is numbered 43 to 50. Since the communication rate A on the high speed side is 50 kbits, when content data is acquired only by communication via the ADSL line (D / A), it takes about 75 minutes. On the other hand, since the communicable time D is 45 minutes, it is determined that the content data cannot be acquired only by communication through the ADSL line (S139: No). Therefore, communication via a general telephone line is started (S141 in FIG. 8). The communication speed of communication using a general telephone line is constant at 56 kbit. Here, for example, No. 43 to No. 46 are received by communication via an ADSL line, and No. 47 to No. 50 are received by communication via a general telephone line. At this time, it is determined which content data is to be distributed between the high-speed communication server 11 and the communication server 21 via the general telephone line depending on the communication rate, and the content data is respectively transmitted to the karaoke apparatus 40 via the line network 31. To deliver. Then, again after 5 minutes, the communication rate A is confirmed and updated. Thereafter, it is determined again whether data can be received only by communication via the ADSL line (S143). If reception is possible, communication via the general telephone line is stopped, and the remaining data is received only via communication via the ADSL line (S144, S145, S146).

  According to such a configuration, if communication time for a flat rate remains, the data acquisition completion date is acquired up to the previous content data by actively communicating via a general telephone line, and the communication date becomes It is prevented that the content data that should be acquired is not acquired. Also, in general, the administrator of the karaoke device in the karaoke store (the side paying the reception fee to receive the data) communicates as much as possible within the range of the flat fee, and the communication fee included in the flat fee is all I want to use it. In response to such an administrator's request, there is an effect that a fixed amount can be effectively used. In addition, the high-speed communication rate that changes depending on the situation is updated at regular intervals, and the time for acquiring content data by communication via the ADSL line is calculated, so even if the communication rate on the high-speed side changes during communication Data acquisition processing suitable for the communication rate after the change can be performed.

  It is desirable to acquire content data in the order in which the data acquisition completion date is close to the communication date. In such a case, the content data can be reliably acquired by the data acquisition completion date.

  When the karaoke device 40 receives content data from the host device 10 (the server 11 for high-speed communication and the communication server 21 using a general telephone line), the karaoke device 40, which is the parent device, functions as the child device. Distribute to karaoke devices 60 and 70.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. Note that configurations and processes other than those described are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment.

  First, as in the first embodiment, it is determined whether it is a communicable time (non-business hours of a karaoke shop) (S401). If it is not the communicable time (S401: No), the process proceeds to S402 and communication is not performed. If it is communicable time (S401: Yes), the process proceeds to S403. In S403, the individual information of the karaoke device is authenticated through a general telephone line according to the flowchart of FIG. 9 as in the communication method in the first embodiment, and whether there is undelivered content data from the distribution list is confirmed and updated.

  In S404, it is determined whether or not there is a communicable time (communication time for the communication fee included in the flat-rate charge) through the general telephone line. If it is determined that there is a communicable time through the general telephone line (S404: Yes), the communication through the general telephone line performs data acquisition processing and also starts communication through the ADSL line. The communication fee included in the flat-rate charge is used from the time when the data acquisition process is started using the communication through the general telephone line. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no communicable time through the general telephone line (S404: No), the communication through the general telephone line is disconnected (S405), and the data acquisition process is started only by communication through the ADSL line (S406). Then, the processing shifts to a process of zero communicable time using the general telephone line in FIG.

  In S407, when content data is acquired by communication using an ADSL line and communication using a general telephone line, the communication using the ADSL line receives content data until the communicable time ends. When the communicable time ends (S408: No), both the communication between the general telephone line and the ADSL line are stopped (S409), and the content data acquisition process ends. If the communicable time still remains in S408 (S408: Yes), it is determined whether there is communicable time using the general telephone line (S410). Stops (S411). Then, the processing shifts to a process of zero communicable time using the general telephone line in FIG.

  Next, a process of zero communication possible time using a general telephone line will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In S421, it is determined whether or not all the content data that the karaoke apparatus 40 has to acquire by the communication date has been acquired. The content data that must be acquired before the communication date is content data for which the scheduled completion date of content data acquisition is the communication date. If all the content data up to the communication date has been acquired (S421: Yes), only the communication using the ADSL line is performed for the communicable time, and the content data after the next day is acquired (S422, S423). When the communicable time runs out (S423: No), communication via the ADSL line is terminated (S424), and the content data acquisition process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if content data that must be acquired by the communication date remains (S421: No), the process proceeds to S431 in FIG. In S431, the communication rate A on the high-speed side is confirmed, and all data that must be acquired by the communication date within the communication available time D only by the communication via the ADSL line is acquired within the communication possible time D. It is determined whether it can be performed (S431). The method for confirming the communication rate A on the high speed side is the same as that in the first embodiment described above (see FIG. 10). If it is determined in S431 that all the content data that must be acquired by the communication date can be acquired only by communication via the ADSL line within the communicable time D (S431: Yes), the process proceeds to S432 and communication via the ADSL line is performed. Continuing, data acquisition processing is performed only by communication via the ADSL line. Since the communication rate A on the high speed side changes depending on the time, if it is within the communicable time (S433: Yes), the communication rate must be confirmed at regular intervals and acquired only by communication via the ADSL line by the communication date. Judge whether it is possible to acquire the data that should not be. If it is determined that data that must be acquired only by communication via the ADSL line within the communication available time cannot be acquired (S431: No), the process proceeds to FIG. 14, and communication via the general telephone line and the ADSL line are performed. Content data acquisition processing using simultaneous communication is performed.

  That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14, the communication via the general telephone line is started while the communication via the ADSL line is continued (S441). Then, it is determined whether it is within the communicable time (S442), and if it is within the communicable time, the data that must be obtained by the date of communication is obtained from both ADSL line communication and general telephone line communication. To do. Time (G / A) and communication possible time D required to check and update the communication rate A on the high-speed side at regular intervals and acquire all data that must be acquired by the communication date only by communication via the ADSL line And compare. When the time (G / A) required for acquisition only by communication via the ADSL line becomes longer than the communication available time D, the remaining acquisition incomplete data can be acquired only by communication via the ADSL line (S443: Yes). Then, the communication through the general telephone line is terminated (S444). If all the data that must be acquired by the communication date is acquired (S445: Yes), the content data after the next day is acquired only by communication via the ADSL line within the communication possible time (S445, S447: Yes). . When the communicable time runs out (S447: No), the communication via the ADSL line is terminated and the data acquisition process is terminated. If data that must be acquired by the communication date remains in S445, the process returns to FIG. 13 and the processing from S431 is repeated.

  On the other hand, if the communicable time runs out in the middle of data acquisition in S442 (S442: No), all the content data that must be acquired by the communication date cannot be acquired, so communication via the ADSL line, general telephone line The communication according to the above is terminated (S449), and an error indicating that the acquisition of content data has not been completed is displayed (S450). Then, the data acquisition process ends.

  For example, when the communication date is February 11, 2004 and the data up to the song number 42 has been acquired as shown in the table of FIG. 4, a specific example is given with reference to the data acquisition table shown in FIG. I will explain it.

  First, during a communicable time, a high-speed communication server 11 is connected by a general telephone line (communication via a general telephone line), and authentication processing is performed (FIG. 11, S401: Yes, S403). Next, it is determined whether there is enough time available for communication over the general telephone line. Data acquisition processing is performed (S404: Yes, S407). For example, content data corresponding to each song number such as song numbers 43, 44, and 45 are sequentially acquired. At this time, it is preferable to acquire the content data in the order from which the start date of the expiration date is close to the communication date. Thus, by acquiring content data whose expiration date is close to the communication date in advance, it is possible to prevent a situation in which content data has not been acquired before the data acquisition completion date. At this time, which data is acquired by communication via the ADSL line and which data is acquired by communication via the general telephone line is determined by, for example, receiving content data with an odd number of the music number via communication via the ADSL line. Various methods are conceivable, such as receiving content data with even numbers by communication via a general telephone line. Also, when the data size of each content data is different, for example, when MPEG data and MIDI data are included, MPEG data having a large capacity is acquired by communication via an ADSL line, and MIDI data is received via communication via a general telephone line. It is possible to do. Further, it may be determined based on the communication rate on the high speed side at the time of data acquisition.

  On the other hand, when there is no communicable time through the general telephone line (S404: No), communication charges exceeding the fixed charge are added by performing communication through the general telephone line. Therefore, the communication through the general telephone line is terminated, and the content data is acquired only through the communication through the ADSL line. However, when content data is acquired only by communication using an ADSL line, depending on the communication rate on the high speed side, data that must be acquired by the communication date may not be acquired. Therefore, in such a case, the number of contents data to be acquired is increased by further acquiring data using communication using a general telephone line. In a specific example, the communication date is February 11, 2004, and the content data that must be acquired by the communication date is content data with a song number up to 50. At the time of communication, only content data up to No. 41 can be acquired. Therefore, it is determined that the data that must be acquired by the communication date is not acquired (FIG. 12, S421: No), and all the content data up to the music number 50 can be acquired only by communication through the ADSL line, or high speed. This is determined from the communication rate A on the side. Here, when it is determined that all cannot be acquired only at high speed, communication via a general telephone line is started. Since communication over a general telephone line exceeds the communication time included in the flat rate, the communication fee increases as the communication time increases. Therefore, the administrator of the karaoke apparatus (the side paying the communication fee) does not want to perform communication using a general telephone line as much as possible. If the content data can be acquired only through communication using the ADSL line, it is preferable for the administrator to receive the data only through communication using the ADSL line. The communication rate on the high speed side may increase during communication. In such a case, it may be possible to receive content data that must be acquired by that day only by communication using an ADSL line. In such a case, the communication through the general telephone line is terminated (FIG. 14, S444), and the remaining data is acquired through the communication through the ADSL line. When the communication rate on the high speed side decreases again, communication via the general telephone line is started again and data is acquired (see FIG. 14, S445: No, see FIG. 13).

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified to the extent that it does not depart from the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, an ADSL line is used as a high-speed communication line, and a general telephone line is used as a low-speed communication line. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. Thus, it is sufficient to use a broadband line for one and a narrow band for the other.

  Further, although the charging system is charged only when data is acquired, the charging system may be used when performing authentication processing. In such a case, the communication fee related to the authentication processing performed during one month can be subtracted from the fixed amount calculated when data is acquired as the fee scheduled to be used in advance.

  In the present embodiment, it is determined whether to use communication using a general telephone line by comparing the time required to acquire data that must be acquired by the communication date only by communication using an ADSL line with the communicable time. However, the data amount that can be acquired within the communicable time by communication using the ADSL line may be compared with the data amount of the content data that must be acquired before the communication date.

  Further, the number of servers that distribute content data is not limited to two. For example, data may be distributed from one server to a karaoke apparatus via each line.

  Moreover, what is necessary is just an apparatus which acquires content data from a data delivery apparatus irrespective of a karaoke apparatus.

  Furthermore, although the rate variable A of the communication rate on the high speed side is updated every 5 minutes, it is not particularly limited to this, and it may be calculated every predetermined time predetermined for the karaoke apparatus. At this time, if it is updated every shorter time, the content data that must be acquired by the communication date can be acquired more reliably.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the connection state of the host apparatus and the some karaoke apparatus installed in the karaoke store. It is a block diagram which shows each internal structure of a host apparatus and a karaoke apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the information inside content data. It is explanatory drawing which shows the content of the data acquisition list. It is a flowchart explaining the acquisition process of the content data in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the acquisition process of incomplete data in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the acquisition process of the incomplete data during the communication day in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the simultaneous acquisition process of the incomplete data during the communication day in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an authentication process. It is a flowchart which shows the confirmation process of the communication rate by the side of high speed. It is a flowchart which shows the acquisition process of the content data in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the low speed communication possible time zero in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the acquisition process of incomplete data during the communication day in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the simultaneous acquisition process of the incomplete data during the communication day in 2nd Embodiment. It is a block diagram of the karaoke system which shows other embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Host apparatus (data distribution apparatus) 11 Server for high-speed communication 21 Server for low-speed communication 30 Karaoke store 31 Line network 33 Splitter 34 ADSL modem 37 Line distributor 40 Karaoke apparatus (master, data receiving apparatus) 42 Control unit 43 Hard disk (HDD) ) 44 Network interface 45 Modem interface 60 Karaoke device (slave) 81 Optical modem 84 Terminal adapter (TA) 85 Line distributor 86 Karaoke device (master, data receiving device)

Claims (8)

A data receiving device capable of receiving a plurality of content data set with an acquisition completion date for each content data from a data distribution device within a communication time,
A first communication means capable of communicating at a constant communication speed;
Second communication means capable of communicating at higher speed than the first communication means,
Acquiring the plurality of content data by the second communication means and acquiring an unacquired portion of the plurality of content data by the second communication means by the first communication means ;
Data amount determination means for determining the amount of content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date;
Receivable data amount calculating means for calculating the amount of data that the second communication means can receive within a communication time;
Data amount comparing means for comparing the receivable data amount obtained from the receivable data amount calculating means and the data amount of the content data whose acquisition completion date obtained from the data amount judging means is a communication date; Further comprising
The content data is acquired by the first communication means together with the second communication means when the data amount comparison means determines that the data amount of the content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date is larger. A data receiving apparatus. . The receivable data amount calculating means includes a communication rate calculating means for calculating a communication rate from a content data amount that can be acquired by the second communication means at a predetermined time,
The data receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the communication rate calculating means calculates the communication rate at regular intervals. When the content data is acquired by the first communication means, a charge for adding a communication fee to the flat fee if the accumulated communication time during a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined time as a flat fee Further comprising a system,
The second communication means communicates with a broadband line, the first communication means data receiving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2 and performs communication in accordance with the billing system . If the accumulated communication time is within the time set in advance as the flat fee, the first communication means is used to follow the content data acquired by the closing date on which the flat fee can be used in the charging system. The data receiving device according to claim 3 , wherein content data to be acquired is acquired. A plurality of content data comprising a first communication means capable of communicating at a constant communication speed and a second communication means capable of communicating at a higher speed than the first communication means, wherein an acquisition completion date is set for each content data Is a program for causing a computer that controls a data receiving device capable of receiving the data from the data distribution device within the communication time,
In the computer, the plurality of content data is acquired by the second communication unit, and a portion of the plurality of content data that has not been acquired by the second communication unit is acquired by the second communication unit. to acquire to,
A data amount determination procedure for determining the amount of content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date, and a receivable data amount calculation for calculating the amount of data that the second communication means can receive within the communication time Procedure and
A data amount comparison procedure for comparing the receivable data amount obtained from the receivable data amount calculation procedure and the data amount of the content data whose acquisition completion date obtained from the data amount determination procedure is a communication date; Further executing on the computer,
When the data amount comparison procedure determines that the data amount of the content data whose acquisition completion date is a communication date is larger, the content data is acquired by the first communication unit together with the second communication unit. A program characterized by that. The receivable data amount calculation procedure causes the computer to execute a communication rate calculation procedure for calculating a communication rate from the content data amount that the second communication means can acquire in a predetermined time.
6. The program according to claim 5 , wherein the communication rate calculation procedure calculates the communication rate at regular intervals. The second communication means communicates with a computer via a broadband line, and the first communication means receives the fixed amount when the accumulated communication time during a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined time as a flat fee. The program according to any one of claims 5 to 6 , wherein communication is performed according to a billing system that adds a communication fee to a fee. When the accumulated communication time is within the time set in advance as the fixed charge on the computer, the content acquired by the closing date on which the fixed charge in the charging system can be used using the first communication means The program according to claim 7 , wherein content data subsequent to the data is acquired.

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