JP7466945B2 - Information Processing System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing system.

Conventionally, information processing systems have been proposed to allow people who are not good at using information terminal functions, men and women of all ages, and people who do not have much knowledge of the Internet to easily use video live chat systems.
Such message services have already been used as a real-time communication tool with viewers in live television broadcast programs (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
However, this type of use also does not easily lead to new opportunities for viewing, since winners are selected by lottery based on advance applications sent by postcard or e-mail with contact information written on it.

JP 2013-105482 A

The present invention was made in consideration of this situation, and aims to provide technology that can give more fans the opportunity to watch live broadcasts.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing system according to one aspect of the present invention comprises:
A broadcaster terminal operated by a live broadcaster;
A plurality of viewer terminals operated by a plurality of viewers of the live broadcast, respectively;
A server that communicates with the distributor terminal and each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
In an information processing system including:
The server,
a display control means for displaying, on the broadcaster terminal, one or more chat candidates from among the plurality of viewers during the live broadcast;
a reception means for receiving, via the broadcaster terminal, an operation by the broadcaster to designate a chat target from among one or more of the candidates;
A chat control means for performing a chat between the viewer terminal of the chat target and the distributor terminal of the distributor;
a live distribution means for live-distributing predetermined content including the chat content to each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
Equipped with.

The present invention can provide an opportunity for more fans to watch live broadcasts.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an information processing system of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG. 1 . 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of a server, a distributor terminal, and a viewer terminal in the information processing system of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented on a distributor terminal in the information processing system of FIG. 1 . 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow executed by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 3 . FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of a process executed by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 3 to determine the priority order of chat targets based on the amount of coins inserted. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented on a viewer terminal in the information processing system of FIG. 1; 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented on a viewer terminal in the information processing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The information processing system shown in FIG. 1 is a system including a server 1, a broadcaster terminal 2, guest terminals 3-1 to 3-n used by n guests (n is any integer value equal to or greater than zero), and viewer terminals 4-1 to 4-m used by m viewers (m is any integer value equal to or greater than one).
Live streaming refers to real-time streaming of various content, including public chat.
A distributor is an entity that carries out live distribution, and in this embodiment refers to an entity that carries out a public chat with one or more viewers.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, this chat is a so-called public chat, in which the chat contents are distributed live as video not only to the terminals where messages and the like are exchanged in real time but also to all the viewer terminals 4-1 to 4-m.
A guest is a user who participates in a public chat specially upon the broadcaster's invitation.
A viewer refers to a person who views a public chat, and includes chat candidates and chat targets.
In this specification, chat includes communication in which messages and the like are exchanged in real time between multiple terminals through the network N. As a means of communication, characters, voice, images (still images and moving images), and the like can be used. Chats using these means are called text chat, voice chat, video chat, and the like. In the following description, video chat is assumed, but is not limited to this, and text chat and voice chat can also be adopted. Here, voice chat can also include so-called "telephone". In other words, if the network N is a carrier network managed by a mobile phone carrier, so-called "telephone" can also be understood as voice chat. In addition, video chat and text chat may be combined to display message text superimposed on an image and scrolled.
The server 1, distributor terminal 2, guest terminals 3-1 through 3-n, and viewer terminals 4-1 through 4-m are connected to one another via a predetermined network N such as the Internet.

The server 1 provides an environment for live distribution to a distributor terminal 2, guest terminals 3-1 through 3-n, and viewer terminals 4-1 through 4-m.
In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the guest terminals 3-1 to 3-n, they will be collectively referred to as the "guest terminal 3."
Similarly, hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the viewer terminals 4-1 to 4-m, they will be collectively referred to as the "viewer terminal 4."
If the distributor wishes to invite any user to participate in the chat, the distributor can operate the distributor terminal 2 to specially invite a guest user.
The configuration of the guest terminal 3 used by the guest user is similar to that of other terminals, and therefore illustration and description thereof will be omitted hereafter.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a server in the information processing system of FIG.
The server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a bus 14, an input/output interface 15, an output unit 16, an input unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20.

The CPU 11 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 12 or a program loaded from the storage unit 18 to the RAM 13 .
The RAM 13 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 11 to execute various processes.

The CPU 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input/output interface 15 is also connected to this bus 14. An output unit 16, an input unit 17, a memory unit 18, a communication unit 19, and a drive 20 are connected to the input/output interface 15.

The output unit 16 is composed of various liquid crystal displays and the like, and outputs various information.
The input unit 17 is made up of various hardware buttons and the like, and is used to input various information.
The storage unit 18 is configured with a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or the like, and stores various data.
The communication unit 19 controls communications with other devices (such as the distributor terminal 2 and the viewer terminal 4 in the example of FIG. 1) via a network N including the Internet.

The drive 20 is provided as necessary. Removable media 41, which may be a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, is appropriately attached to the drive 20. Programs read from the removable media 41 by the drive 20 are installed in the storage unit 18 as necessary. The removable media 41 can also store various data stored in the storage unit 18 in the same way as the storage unit 18.

The configuration of the broadcaster terminal 2, guest terminal 3, and viewer terminal 4 is basically the same as the configuration of the server 1, except that they may have a touch panel, so their explanation will be omitted here.

The following processing can be executed by the cooperation of the various hardware and software components of the server 1, distributor terminal 2, guest terminal 3, and viewer terminal 4 shown in FIG. 2.

That is, in this embodiment, the server 1 extracts, by an arbitrary method, one or more chat candidates from among viewers who watch the public chat on the viewer terminals 4. The server 1 determines a chat target from among the one or more extracted chat candidates based on an instruction from the broadcaster terminal 2.
The server 1 executes various controls necessary for carrying out a public chat between the viewer terminal 4 of the chat target determined in this manner and the distributor terminal 2, and delivers live predetermined content including the chat contents to the viewer terminal 4, etc.
Here, images (mainly facial images of viewers) captured by the viewer terminal 4 of one or more chat candidates who are not selected as chat targets are displayed in a list at least on the distributor terminal 2, and can be selected by the distributor at any time.
In this way, in live streaming where idol talents and the like are the broadcasters, they can freely switch between dialogue with any fan (viewer) and include it in the live streaming, which creates a sense of expectation among the fans watching that "maybe I'll be chosen someday," thereby creating an opportunity for more fans to become viewers of the live streaming.

In order to realize the series of processes for live streaming a public chat (hereinafter referred to as the “live streaming process”) as described above, the server 1, the broadcaster terminal 2, and the viewer terminal 4 have the functional configuration shown in FIG. 3.
Of the above-mentioned viewer terminals 4, the one operated by the chat target will be described below as viewer terminal 4-a (a is any integer value from 1 to m). Among the above-mentioned viewer terminals 4, a chat candidate who may become the next chat target will be described below as viewer terminal 4-b (b is an integer value different from a and any integer value from 1 to m), and a viewer who is neither a chat target nor a chat candidate but simply watches a live broadcast will be described below as viewer terminal 4-c (c is an integer value different from a and b and any integer value from 1 to m).

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server and the user terminal of FIG.
In the CPU 11 of the server 1, a display control unit 60, a reception unit 61, a chat control unit 62, a live distribution unit 63, a time management unit 64, and a chat connection unit 65 function.
In the CPU 11d of the distributor terminal 2, a selection operation receiving unit 60d, an imaging control unit 61d, and a display control unit 62d function.
In the CPU 11a of the viewer terminal 4-a, an imaging control section 60a and a display control section 61a function.
In the CPU 11b of the viewer terminal 4-b, an imaging control section 60b and a display control section 61b function.
In the CPU 11c of the viewer terminal 4-c, an imaging control section 60c and a display control section 61c function.

The display control unit 60 of the CPU 11 of the server 1 causes the display unit 16d of the broadcaster terminal 2 to display, via the communication unit 19, one or more chat candidates from among a plurality of viewers of the live broadcast.
The receiving unit 61 of the CPU 11 of the server 1 receives information for identifying a chat target designated by the broadcaster from the broadcaster terminal 2 via the communication unit 19 .

The chat control unit 62 of the CPU 11 of the server 1 identifies the viewer terminal 4-a of the chat target based on information identifying the chat target designated by the distributor, and notifies the viewer terminal 4-a of the designation of the chat target via the chat connection unit 65 and the communication unit 19.
The chat control unit 62 further transmits an instruction to start imaging or the like to the viewer terminal 4-a and the viewer terminal 4-b via the chat connection unit 65 and the communication unit 19.

The live distribution unit 63 of the CPU 11 of the server 1 transmits the chat contents to the distributor terminal 2 and the viewer terminal 4-a via the communication unit 19.
The live distribution unit 63 further live distributes predetermined content including the chat contents to the distributor terminal 2 and each of the multiple viewer terminals 4 via the communication unit 19.

When a certain period of time has elapsed, the time management unit 64 of the CPU 11 of the server 1 gives an instruction to the display control unit 60 to update the display of the chat candidate list.
In this way, the chat control unit 62 of the CPU 11 of the server 1 conducts a chat between the viewer terminal 4-a of the chat target and the distributor terminal 2 of the distributor.

The chat connection unit 65 of the CPU 11 of the server 1 manages sessions with, among the viewer terminals 4, the viewer terminal 4-a of the chat target and the viewer terminal 4-b of the chat candidate.
In this way, it is possible to read in advance images of the chat candidate's viewer terminal 4-b without placing an excessive load on the server 1's hardware resources such as the CPU 11, and it is possible to avoid the occurrence of connection wait times when switching the chat target to one of the chat candidates.

The selection operation receiving section 60d of the CPU 11d of the broadcaster terminal 2 displays one or more chat candidates and receives an operation to select a chat target from among them.
The selection operation receiving unit 60d further transmits information identifying the designated chat target to the server 1 via the communication unit 19d.

The imaging control unit 61d of the CPU 11d of the distributor terminal 2 controls the input unit 17d as an imaging unit 63d, and causes the distributor's message to be imaged, recorded, and input via a keyboard and a pointing device (hereinafter referred to as "imaging, etc.").
The imaging control unit 61d of the CPU 11d of the distributor terminal 2 further transmits the captured message of the distributor to the server 1 via the communication unit 19d.

The imaging control section 60a of the CPU 11a of the viewer terminal 4-a receives an instruction to start imaging or the like from the server 1 and controls the input section 17a as an imaging section to image messages of viewers who are chat targets.
The viewer terminal 4-a further transmits messages of the viewers who are chat targets, which have been photographed, etc. to the server 1 via the communication section 19a.

The display control unit 62d of the CPU 11d of the broadcaster terminal 2 receives a list of chat candidates, the chat content, and predetermined content including the chat content, and displays it on the display unit 16d.

The display control unit 61a of the CPU 11a of the viewer terminal 4-a receives the chat contents and predetermined content including the chat contents, and causes the output unit 16a, which is a display unit, to display them.
The display control unit 61b of the CPU 11b of the viewer terminal 4-b receives the predetermined content including the chat contents, and causes the output unit 16b, which is a display unit, to display it.
The display control unit 61c of the CPU 11c of the viewer terminal 4-c receives the predetermined content including the chat contents, and causes the output unit 16c, which is a display unit, to display it.

In addition, the imaging control unit 60b of the CPU 11b of the viewer terminal 4-b or the imaging control unit 60c of the CPU 11c of the viewer terminal 4-c may control the input unit 17b or the input unit 17c as an imaging unit to capture thumbnail videos of the viewer, etc.
The imaging control unit 60b or 60c may further transmit thumbnail videos of the viewers captured, etc. to the server 1 via the communication unit 19b or 19c.

In this case, the display control unit 60 of the CPU 11 of the server 1 causes the display unit 16d of the broadcaster terminal 2 to display thumbnail videos or the like of one or more chat candidates as icons via the communication unit 19.
Additionally, a status such as away or busy may be displayed for each chat candidate.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented on a distributor terminal in the information processing system of FIG.
In the chat candidate list display section LST in the right area of the screen in FIG. 4, one or more chat candidates (images captured by the viewer terminal 4) are individually displayed.
The chat candidate list display section LST functions as an operation reception area for instructing the designation of chat partners in the broadcaster terminal 2. Note that when it is displayed in other viewer terminals 4 as a live broadcast, it is simply a display area.
The operation of designating a chat target may be a tap on a display area of one of the chat candidate list display areas LST. This allows the broadcaster to switch chat targets. Furthermore, the broadcaster may be able to add or remove chat targets.

In the broadcaster terminal 2, the chat candidate list display section LST may be scrolled to switch chat candidates and display more chat candidates than the display number.
It should be noted that the candidates can rearrange the order of chat candidates in the chat candidate list display area LST in a desired order by performing a predetermined operation on the broadcaster terminal 2. That is, the display control unit 60 can display the order of chat candidates based on the editing result from the broadcaster terminal 2.

The display control unit 60 also displays the status of the chat candidate (e.g., online, offline, etc.) adjacent to the image of the chat candidate displayed in the chat candidate list display unit LST.

In addition, by performing a specified operation on the broadcaster terminal 2, the broadcaster can classify or rearrange the chat candidates displayed in the chat candidate list display section LST by attribute based on the control of the display control section 60.
For example, the display control unit 60 can sort chat candidates by place of residence or by age group.

The distributor message display section DM in the upper left area of the screen in FIG. 4 displays images captured by the imaging section of the distributor terminal 2 (mainly facial images of the distributor and text images such as comments made by the distributor).
The chat target message display section FM in the lower center area of the screen in FIG. 4 displays images captured by the imaging unit of the viewer terminal 4-a (mainly facial images of the chat target and text images such as comments made by the chat target).

The guest user message display section GM in the lower left area of the screen in Figure 4 is a display area that displays images captured by the imaging unit of the guest terminal 3 (mainly images of the guest's face and text images such as comments made by the chat target) when the broadcaster invites a guest user.
In addition, when the distributor has not invited the user as a guest, the guest user message display section GM may be reduced or disappeared. By doing so, it becomes possible to expand and display other display areas.
All or part of the screen shown in FIG. 4 is distributed as a live broadcast and displayed on the viewer terminal 4-b.
By doing this, for example, if an idol talent or the like is live streaming as a broadcaster, they can freely switch between dialogue with any fan (viewer) and include it in the live stream, creating a sense of anticipation among the fans watching that "maybe I'll be chosen someday."

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the flow of processing executed by a server having the functional configuration of FIG.
The server 1 executes the following series of processes as the live distribution process.

In step S11, the display control unit 60 causes the broadcaster terminal 2 to display a list of chat candidates extracted by an arbitrary method.
In step S12, the accepting unit 61 accepts an operation for designating a chat target.

In step S13, the chat control unit 62 causes the broadcaster terminal 2 to capture an image of the broadcaster, and the viewer terminal 4-a to capture an image of the chat target.

In step S14, the chat control unit 62 transmits messages obtained as a result of mutual imaging to the distributor terminal 2 and the viewer terminal 4-a.
Through the processes in steps S13 and S14, a chat is conducted between the distributor and the chat target.
In step S15, the server 1 live-distributes the content including the chat.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an outline of a process executed by a server having the functional configuration of FIG. 3 for determining the priority order for selecting chat targets based on the amount of coins inserted.
An information system according to an embodiment of the present invention may charge a fee by virtually selling coins on the system.

In this way, viewers who want to enjoy chatting with the broadcaster can more easily realize their desire to connect to the chat by repeatedly inserting coins. On the other hand, the broadcaster (the idol who is connecting the chat, etc.) can easily recognize the amount of coins inserted by each viewer, and therefore can easily recognize or determine who they will connect to chat with next.

FIG. 6 shows a situation in which, in an information system according to one embodiment of the present invention, each of viewers, User A, User B, and User C, who wish to be selected as a chat partner, inserts a coin to raise their own priority for selection as a chat partner.
The upper part of Figure 6 shows the initial state in the above situation, where User B, who has inserted 150 coins into the system, has the first priority in terms of selection as a chat target, User C, who has inserted 120 coins into the system, has the second priority in terms of selection, and User A, who has inserted 80 coins into the system, has the third priority in terms of selection.

In this situation, the lower part of Figure 6 shows what happens when user B, who has the highest priority, is selected as a chat target, and user A, who was not selected as a chat target, inserts an additional 50 coins.
In other words, user A, who has deposited a total of 130 coins into the system, has the first priority in terms of selection as a chat target, user C, who has deposited 120 coins into the system, has the second priority in terms of selection, and user B, who has spent all of the 150 coins he deposited after being selected as a chat target, leaving him with zero coins deposited, has the third priority in terms of selection.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented on a viewer terminal in the information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
An information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention, when starting live streaming of specified content including chat, displays on each of specified viewer terminals a screen similar to a screen indicating that an incoming call from a live broadcaster has been received.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the display screen of the viewer terminal in such a situation, where the start of live distribution is notified in a timely manner with a screen display similar to that displayed when a normal call is received.
That is, for example, a swipeable symbol depicting a telephone receiver is displayed together with an individual name, etc., designating the live broadcaster as the sender name.

On this screen, viewers can start watching the live broadcast by performing a swipe operation similar to that used to answer a normal incoming phone call.
Such a function can be realized relatively easily by using a call function linkage development environment provided by terminal manufacturers and the like.

In this way, the viewer can omit various preparatory operations for viewing, such as unlocking operations and application startup operations, which are required when starting to operate the viewer terminal, and can start viewing quickly and without hassle.
This allows a viewer to reliably start viewing the live distribution at approximately the same time as the distribution starts, even if the viewer becomes aware of the approaching start of the live distribution at the very last moment just before the distribution due to a ringtone, an incoming call notification vibration, etc.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen presented on a viewer terminal in the information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.
As described above, an information processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention notifies a user of the start of a live broadcast by displaying an incoming call screen similar to that displayed when receiving an incoming call from a live broadcaster.

Here, the information processing system stores the incoming call history in the viewer terminal or the like as an incoming call history similar to that of an incoming call received from a live distributor.
Figure 8 shows an example of an incoming call history display screen on a viewer terminal in such a situation. By performing normal viewing operations on the incoming call history, the viewer can visually confirm that there has been a notification regarding the start of a live broadcast that they have viewed or missed.

By doing this, viewers will be alerted about the next live broadcast if they use the calling function on their device without even realizing it.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described in the present embodiments are merely a list of the most favorable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the present embodiments.

For example, the server 1 and the viewer terminal 4 may be configured so that an operation can be performed to add or remove decorative processing, such as a Purikura image, to an image captured by the imaging unit, which is mainly a face image and is displayed in the chat candidate list display unit LST and the chat target message display unit FM.
Examples of decorative processing include graffiti processing in which handwritten writing is superimposed, big-eye processing in which both eyes are enlarged, ganguro processing or ganguro processing in which the skin tone is corrected to darker or lighter, skin beautifying processing in which birthmarks, acne, moles, and insect bite marks are removed, small-face processing in which the face appears smaller, funny-face processing in which facial expressions are changed, wig processing in which the hairstyle or hair color is changed, cosplay processing in which clothing is changed, animal processing in which animal parts such as ears and noses are added, blindfold processing in which both eyes are hidden at a gaze level used to protect privacy, child processing in which the face looks like an infant, aging processing in which the face looks like an elderly person, robot processing in which the face looks like a robot, fat processing in which the face looks fat, thin processing in which the face looks thin, character processing in which the face looks like a cartoon, makeup processing in which makeup is applied, glasses processing in which glasses are worn, and tough-face processing in which scars and tattoos are added.

The server 1 and the viewer terminal 4 may be configured to allow an operation to specify and display a moving or still image such as an avatar instead of the above-mentioned face image. This makes it possible to meet the desires of viewers, such as not wanting to reveal their real face, wanting to stand out from other viewers competing for the position of chat target, or wanting to make a strong impression and be remembered if they become a chat target.
In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which a terminal similar to the broadcaster terminal 2 can be added so that staff other than the broadcaster can also rearrange the chat candidates displayed in the chat candidate list display section LST.

Furthermore, since the list of chat candidates displayed in the chat candidate list display section LST is updated after a certain period of time has elapsed, as described above, a vibration function may be provided to physically vibrate the broadcaster terminal 2 or vibrate the display screen to notify the broadcaster, who is the operator of the broadcaster terminal 2, in advance just before (for example, 30 seconds before) the chat candidate currently displayed in the candidate list is changed.
By doing so, it is possible to give the distributor an opportunity to quickly switch chat targets.

In addition, when extracting chat candidates, a weight based on age may be applied to determine the priority order so that a specific age group is displayed with priority.
In this way, for example, when a topic is desired to be discussed, such as a movie about new life in the workforce, candidates in an age group that is likely to be familiar to the person can be displayed in a list.

As described above, the viewer terminal 4 may be configured to allow the viewer to purchase coins to be displayed preferentially and to insert the purchased coins, and the server 1 may determine the priority by weighting the amount of the inserted coins.

Furthermore, for all viewer terminals 4 that are continuing to view content, the priority order may be determined by weighting according to viewing time so that viewers who have been viewing for a long time are given priority in display.
Alternatively, coins may be awarded according to the viewing time, and the viewer may decide whether or not to insert the coins.
The viewing time may be the time spent continuously viewing a program without switching to another channel.

Also, a validity period may be set so that coins acquired through purchase or as a gift will expire if the viewer leaves them unused (without inserting) for a long period of time.
In this way, viewers can be motivated to actively use their coins without sparing them before the deadline.

In addition, the coins inserted will not be consumed unless the user is selected as a chat partner, but if the user is selected as a chat partner, they may be consumed according to the length of time the chat continues.

Also, the amount of coins consumed during chat may be adjusted so that the more coins inserted, the greater the amount consumed.
This makes it possible to meet the needs of those who are willing to pay money to be a chat target, while eliminating a situation in which only viewers with ample funds are given preferential treatment, and allows even students and others with limited financial resources to be able to chat for a certain period of time or more.

In addition, the broadcaster or the like may select a chat target by a tap operation on the chat candidate list display section LST, or by a swipe operation on the chat target message display section FM.
For example, if a user swipes right on the chat target message display section FM, the user selects a chat candidate who is displayed to the right of the chat target on the chat candidate list display section LST.

In addition, chat candidates may be switched by scrolling the chat candidate list display section LST by swiping vertically or horizontally.
In this case, candidates outside the range displayed can be pre-read.
In this way, scrolling in the chat candidate list display section LST can smoothly follow the swipe operation.

In addition, the number of people currently waiting for each chat candidate may be displayed on the display unit of the viewer terminal 4-b based on the priority order.

Also, the viewer terminals 4-b may be notified all at once that they have been selected as chat candidates, and may then respond to accept or decline the offer to become a chat target.
In such a case, the priority order may be the order of responses from the viewer terminal, or the order of responses with a round number such as 100th or some other meaningful number may be given the highest priority.

In addition, priority may be given to followers, registered fan site users, etc.

In addition, if the number of chat candidates becomes small as a result of sequentially selecting a large number of chat candidates as chat targets, an additional candidate selection instruction may be given on the distributor terminal 2, etc., to select additional chat candidates.

For example, the hardware configurations shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples for achieving the objectives of the present invention and are not particularly limited.

The functional block diagram shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. In other words, it is sufficient that the information processing system is provided with a function capable of executing the above-mentioned series of processes as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the example in FIG. 3.

Furthermore, the locations of the functional blocks are not limited to those shown in Fig. 3 and may be arbitrary. For example, at least a part of the functional blocks on the server 1 side may be provided on the distributor terminal 2 side, or vice versa.
A single functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, or may be configured in combination with a single piece of software.

For example, in the above embodiment, the distributor terminal 2 is configured as a personal computer, but it can also be configured as any device, including not only a personal computer, but also a tablet or a new device that will be developed in the future.

When the processing of each functional block is executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware, or may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a server, a general-purpose smartphone, or a personal computer.

Recording media containing such programs are not only configured as removable media that are distributed separately from the device body in order to provide each user with the program, but also configured as recording media etc. that are provided to each user in a state where they are already installed in the device body.

In this specification, the steps of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium include not only processes that are performed in chronological order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed in chronological order but are executed in parallel or individually.

In summary, the information processing system to which the present invention is applied may have the following configuration, and may take a variety of different embodiments.
That is, the information processing system to which the present invention is applied is
A broadcaster terminal (e.g., broadcaster terminal 2) operated by a broadcaster (idol talent, etc.) of the live performance;
A plurality of viewer terminals (e.g., viewer terminals 4-1 to 4-m) operated by a plurality of viewers of the live broadcast,
A server (e.g., server 1) that communicates with the distributor terminal and each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
In an information processing system including:
The server,
A display control means (e.g., the display control unit 60 in FIG. 3) for displaying one or more chat candidates from among the plurality of viewers on the broadcaster terminal during the live broadcast;
A reception unit (e.g., the reception unit 61 in FIG. 3) that receives an operation by the broadcaster to designate a chat target from among one or more of the candidates via the broadcaster terminal;
A chat control means (e.g., the chat control unit 62 in FIG. 3) for performing a chat between the viewer terminal of the chat target and the distributor terminal of the distributor;
A live distribution means (e.g., the live distribution unit 63 in FIG. 3 ) for live-distributing predetermined content including the chat content to each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
Equipped with
An information processing system is sufficient.
By applying such an information processing system, it is possible to provide technology that can encourage more fans to watch live broadcasts.

1: Server, 2: Distributor terminal, 3-1 to 3-n: Guest terminal, 4-1 to 4-m: Viewer terminal, 4-a: Chat target viewer terminal, 4-b: Viewer terminal (chat candidate), 4-c: Viewer terminal (other than chat target or chat candidate), 11: CPU, 12: ROM, 13: RAM, 14: Bus, 15: Input/output interface, 16: Output unit, 17: Input unit, 18: Memory unit, 19: Communication unit, 20: Drive, 41: Removable media, 60: Display control unit, 61:・Reception unit, 62...chat control unit, 63...live distribution unit, 64...time management unit, 65...chat connection unit, 60d...selection operation reception unit, 61d...imaging control unit, 62d...display control unit, 60a...imaging control unit, 61a...display control unit, 60b...imaging control unit, 61b...display control unit, 60c...imaging control unit, 61c...display control unit, LST...chat candidate list display unit, DM...distributor message display unit, FM...chat target message display unit, GM...guest user message display unit, N...network

Claims (8)

A broadcaster terminal operated by a live broadcaster;
A plurality of viewer terminals operated by a plurality of viewers of the live broadcast, respectively;
A server that communicates with the distributor terminal and each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
In an information processing system including:
The server,
a display control means for selecting each of the plurality of viewers as a candidate for the next chat with the broadcaster during the live broadcast, extracting N viewers (N is an integer value of 1 or more) as the candidates by a predetermined method, and displaying the N candidates on the broadcaster terminal;
a chat control means for switching a person selected from the N candidates by a predetermined method to a chat target who is to chat with the distributor next, and for controlling a chat between the viewer terminal of the chat target and the distributor terminal of the distributor;
a live distribution means for live-distributing predetermined content including information on the N candidates and the content of the chat with the chat target to each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
a live distribution means for live-distributing predetermined content including the chat content to each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
Equipped with
The display control means is an information processing system that displays the order of the candidates in the chat based on an editing result from the broadcaster terminal . The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the display control means displays the candidates for the chat by classifying or sorting them in order according to attributes. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the display control means displays a status of the candidate adjacent to an image of the candidate in the chat. The information processing system includes:
The system further includes a guest terminal operated by a guest invited to chat by the live broadcaster,
The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the chat control means executes control of chatting between the viewer terminal of the chat target, the distributor terminal of the distributor, and the guest terminal. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the live distribution means, when starting live distribution of a specified content including the contents of the chat, causes each of the plurality of viewer terminals to display a screen indicating that an incoming call from the live distributor has been received, and records in history information that an incoming call from the live distributor has been received. A broadcaster terminal operated by a live broadcaster;
A plurality of viewer terminals operated by a plurality of viewers of the live broadcast, respectively;
A server that communicates with the distributor terminal and each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
In an information processing device that functions as the server in an information processing system including:
a display control means for selecting each of the plurality of viewers as a candidate for the next chat with the broadcaster during the live broadcast, extracting N viewers (N is an integer value of 1 or more) as the candidates by a predetermined method, and displaying the N candidates on the broadcaster terminal;
a chat control means for switching a person selected from the N candidates by a predetermined method to a chat target who is to chat with the distributor next, and for controlling a chat between the viewer terminal of the chat target and the distributor terminal of the distributor;
a live distribution means for live-distributing predetermined content including information on the N candidates and the content of the chat with the chat target to each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
Equipped with
The display control means is an information processing device that displays the order of the candidates in the chat based on an editing result from the broadcaster terminal . A broadcaster terminal operated by a live broadcaster;
A plurality of viewer terminals operated by a plurality of viewers of the live broadcast, respectively;
A server that communicates with the distributor terminal and each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
An information processing method executed by the server in an information processing system comprising:
a display control step of selecting each of the plurality of viewers as a candidate for the next chat with the broadcaster during the live broadcast, extracting N viewers (N is an integer value of 1 or more) as the candidates by a predetermined method, and displaying the N candidates on the broadcaster terminal;
a chat control step of switching a person selected from the N candidates by a predetermined method to a chat target who is to chat with the distributor next, and executing control to perform a chat between the viewer terminal of the chat target and the distributor terminal of the distributor;
a live distribution step of live-distributing predetermined content including information on the N candidates and the content of the chat with the chat target to each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
Including,
The display control step is an information processing method for displaying an order of the candidates in the chat based on an editing result from the distributor terminal . A broadcaster terminal operated by a live broadcaster;
A plurality of viewer terminals operated by a plurality of viewers of the live broadcast, respectively;
A server that communicates with the distributor terminal and each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
A computer functioning as the server in an information processing system including:
a display control step of selecting each of the plurality of viewers as a candidate for the next chat with the broadcaster during the live broadcast, extracting N viewers (N is an integer value of 1 or more) as the candidates by a predetermined method, and displaying the N candidates on the broadcaster terminal;
a chat control step of switching a person selected from the N candidates by a predetermined method to a chat target who is to chat with the distributor next, and executing control to perform a chat between the viewer terminal of the chat target and the distributor terminal of the distributor;
a live distribution step of live-distributing predetermined content including information on the N candidates and the content of the chat with the chat target to each of the plurality of viewer terminals;
Including,
The display control step includes a program for executing a control process for displaying the order of the candidates in the chat based on an editing result from the broadcaster terminal .

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