JPH07140990A - 'karaoke' system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To save the space and to reduce the number of telephone line usages by constituting the system with reloadable disks, a recording and reproducing device, a program file and a processor. CONSTITUTION:The system enables a user to make a 'KARAOKE' (orchestration without lyrics) request to a center 110 through a telephone line 103. Reloadable disks 108 and 109 store and hold 'KARAOKE' musics and a recording and reproducing device 106 records the musics onto the disk 108 and reproduces the musics from the disk. A program file 105 corresponds the names of the programs, request codes to the center 110 and frequency of the requests and checks whether the requested music exists in the disks 108 and 109 or not. A processing device 104 reads the file 105 when a music is specified and if the music exists, the music is reproduced by the device 106. If the music does not exist, a request code is transmitted to the center 110 and the requested music is reproduced. At the same time, the requested music is newly registered into the file 105 and based on the frequency of the request, the music is registered to the disks 108 and 109.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a karaoke system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A recent karaoke system requests a requested song from a karaoke box located at a plurality of locations to a karaoke center located at a plurality of locations via ISDN (Integrated Digital Communication Network) which is a telephone line. Then, there is a karaoke system in which the center transmits the requested song to the karaoke box via the telephone line, and the karaoke box reproduces the song requested by the customer.

[0003]

The feature of this system is that there is no need to install a karaoke device in the karaoke box and there is an advantage of space saving. It has the drawbacks of confusion and expensive telephone line charges and high costs.

If the songs that are frequently requested are CD discs on which those songs are recorded and the CD discs are reproduced, the telephone line is not used. Then, only the other songs need to be requested to the center via the telephone line. However, as karaoke songs change with the times and new CD discs are prepared each time, the number of karaoke songs increases and the original advantage of saving space is lost.

Then, why not prepare a recording device? For example, a CD-R disc can be recorded only once. If the requested song is recorded on the CD-R disc while being played back from the center through the telephone line, the CD-R disc will be reproduced from the next request so that the telephone line is not used. However, as the number of CD-R discs increases with the times, the original advantage of saving space is diminished.

As described above, in any of the karaoke systems, there is a problem that the telephone line is confused and the cost of using the telephone line is high, or that space cannot be saved.

Therefore, if a disc that can be rewritten any number of times is used, a karaoke song requested by the center is recorded on this disc, and a new karaoke song is recorded instead of the previously recorded song depending on the request frequency. By doing so, it is possible to realize a karaoke system that automatically updates karaoke songs that change with the times. Then, since the number of disks is enough, the advantage of space saving, the advantage of reducing the number of times of using the telephone line, preventing the confusion of the line and reducing the cost of the usage fee
It is possible to provide a karaoke system that satisfies both advantages at the same time.

By the way, the CD-MO disk is a disk in which an MO film is vapor-deposited on the CD disk, and is a disk which can be rewritten many times. On the other hand, a CD-MO drive is a recording / reproducing device for recording and reproducing data on and from this CD-MO disc, and has a recording format of CD.
Since it is exactly the same as a disc, it has the function of playing a CD disc.

[0009]

A karaoke system according to the present invention comprises a writable disc, a recording / reproducing device, and
The writable disc is a recording medium for recording and storing karaoke songs, and the recording and reproducing device records and reproduces karaoke songs on the writable disc. The device is a device, the song file, at least a song name, a request code when making a karaoke request to the center via a telephone line, and information relating to the request frequency,
It is a music file that correlates whether or not it exists in the writable disc, and the processing device has an input means for receiving a requested music and a communication means with a center via a telephone line, and a request from a customer. When a music piece is designated, the music piece file is read out, and when the requested music piece is present in the writable disc, the request music piece is reproduced from the writable disc by the recording / reproducing device, and when not present, via the telephone line. At the same time as sending the request code to the center and playing the requested song, at the same time, referring to the song file, if the requested song is not registered, it is newly registered, and if registered, the information related to the request frequency is updated. , If the condition related to a predetermined request frequency is satisfied, the writing is performed by the recording device. Karaoke system which is a processing unit that records the request song to saw discs.

[0010]

【Example】

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the entire karaoke system of the present invention.

The display circuit 100 displays the classification of karaoke songs, the menu of songs, etc. to the customer, and accepts the customer's karaoke request song from the input circuit 101. CPU1
In 02, the entire control flow is programmed. The operation of this control flow will be described later with reference to FIG. The telephone line communication circuit 103 is a circuit for communicating with the center via a telephone line.
The processing device 104 is configured by 1, 102, and 103.

The memory 105 is a memory for storing a music file, and in this embodiment, a flash memory which is a semiconductor is used. This music file is accessed each time a request music from a customer is received, and then, as shown in FIG.
The contents will be explained together. Further, it is also possible to temporarily record the digital data of the karaoke piece sent to the flash memory as it is via the ISDN which is a telephone line.

The CD-MO drive 106 is a recording / reproducing device for recording and reproducing karaoke songs (sound and picture information).

Reference numeral 108 denotes several writable discs, and a CD-MO disc was used in this embodiment. Karaoke music is recorded and reproduced on this disc by the CD-MO drive 106.

Reference numeral 109 is a number of read-only discs, and a CD disc is used in this embodiment.

The CD-MO disc 108, the CD disc 109, and the CD-MO drive 106 are built in the jukebox 107, and have a function of automatically mounting any one of the discs in the CD-MO drive. .

Since the CD-MO drive is also compatible with the CD disc, only one drive is required to be built in the jukebox. If a drive that is not compatible with the CD disc is used, the jukebox requires two types of drives, and it is necessary to use the two types of drives depending on whether the CD disc or the CD-MO disc is used. The advantage of using the CD-MO drive is that it requires only one drive, so it is inexpensive and the device shape is compact.

The above is the apparatus installed in the karaoke box, which is connected to the processing apparatus 104 by the telephone line 111 and the center 110.

FIG. 2 shows the contents of the music file according to this embodiment. It is listed for ease of explanation.

For each song, the song name, the request code for making a request to the center via the telephone line, the cumulative number of requests, the most recently requested time,
The presence / absence of the CD-MO disc (if any, the disc number), the presence / absence of the CD disc, the singer, and the phrase of the beginning of the song are associated with each other.

In this embodiment, as the information on the request frequency, the cumulative number of requests (cumulative number of past requests) and the latest request time are recorded.

For example, if the requested song title is spring in northern Japan, the request code when requesting the center is A-100, the cumulative number of requests is 7, and the most recent request was August 1, 1993. PM8 of the day
It is recorded on the first CD-MO disc at 30 minutes, and it is associated with the singer, Masao Chi, and the beginning of the song starting from the blue sky of Shirakaba.

In this case, it is shown that it is not necessary to make a request to the center and the CD-MO disc may be reproduced.

In this embodiment, it is preset to record the karaoke piece sent from the center when the cumulative number of requests exceeds 5. If this value is set to once, all songs requested to the center will be recorded.

When the song title is Chikumagawa, the cumulative number of requests is three, which indicates that the request exists in the third CD disc, so the center does not make a request request and the third CD disc is not requested. Indicates that it should be reproduced.

If the music title is Tokyo Ondo, it means that the request must be made to the center because it does not exist in either the CD-MO disc or the CD disc.

The cumulative number of times is currently 2 and is updated once to become 3 from the next time, but the recording operation is not performed because the preset value of 5 is not exceeded.

By the way, even if the method of picking up only the music having a large number of requests and recording it on the CD-MO disc is used, the CD-MO disc will eventually be full and cannot be recorded any more. In such a case, in this embodiment, the method of referring to the requested time and recording the new music on the oldest music of the requested time is adopted. Then the old song is erased and the new song is recorded instead. Repeat this CD-
The karaoke songs recorded on the MO disc are replaced by the songs frequently requested recently instead of the old songs. Karaoke songs that change with the times will be automatically updated. This is CD-
It utilizes the property that the MO disk can be rewritten any number of times. If only the karaoke piece requested to the center is recorded, a CD-R disc may be used. However, since the CD-R disc can be recorded only once, it is impossible to update in this way.

As a matter of fact, when statistically examining requested songs in the karaoke market, 80% of requested songs are about 50 although the number of requested karaoke songs exceeds 1,000. In other words, if you own about 50 karaoke songs that reflect that era, 80
It can correspond to a percentage. Only the remaining 20% of the requested songs need to be requested to the center via the telephone line.

This is to reduce the cost of using the telephone line,
Eliminate the problem of telephone line confusion.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the control flow of the processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

When the requested song from the customer is accepted (301), the song file is read from the memory (3
02). Then, it is examined whether or not the requested song is registered in the file (303). If it is registered, the cumulative number of requests is increased by 1 and the request time is also updated (304). Then, it is examined whether it exists in the CD-MO disc (305). It is mounted on the drive (310) and the requested song is played back (311) to finish.

If it does not exist in the CD-MO disc, it is examined whether it exists in the CD disc (306), and if it exists, the CD disc is mounted in the CD-MO drive (308) and the requested song is reproduced. (309) to end.

If it does not exist in any of the disks, a request code is sent to the center via the telephone line to request the request (312). At the same time, it examines whether the number of requests exceeds 5 (313).
4) Then end. If it is 5 times or more, examine the CD-MO disc for free space (31
5) If there is an empty space, the CD-MO disc is mounted in the CD-MO drive (318), and the requested song from the center is reproduced and simultaneously recorded (319). If there is no empty space, the oldest requested song at the requested time is searched from the song file (316), and the CD-MO disc on which the song is recorded is searched (317). And, the disk is C
Attach to the D-MO drive (318) and follow the same flow as above. The result is that the new song just requested is recorded on top of the old song and replaces the old song. In this way, by recording information related to the request frequency in the song file, new songs replace old songs, and karaoke songs that change over time automatically change to songs that reflect that era. It has the effect of updating.

In this embodiment, the cumulative number of requests is recorded at 5 times or more, but this may be once or twice, and any desired number may be selected. Furthermore, it is also possible to handle variables that change automatically 6 to 7 times according to the empty space of the CD-MO disk.

If the requested song is not registered in the song file at 303, it is determined that the requested song is the first requested song, and the song is newly registered in the file (30
7). However, the cumulative number of requests is one.

As described above, the karaoke system according to the present invention saves the space, saves the cost of the telephone line usage fee, and prevents the telephone line from being confused.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the karaoke system, but can be used for other devices that communicate information via a telephone line.

[0039]

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a karaoke system which has the advantages of saving space, reducing costs related to telephone line usage charges, and preventing telephone line confusion. Furthermore, since the songs can be automatically updated in response to the trend of karaoke songs that change with the times, there is an advantage that the number of discs used does not increase. Therefore,
No music or equipment maintenance is required.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a list of contents of a music file according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control flow of the processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A system for requesting karaoke to a center via a telephone line, which comprises a writable disc, a recording / reproducing device, a music file, and a processing device, wherein the writable disc is a karaoke song. The recording / reproducing apparatus is a recording / reproducing apparatus for recording or reproducing a karaoke song on the writable disc, and the song file includes at least a song name and a center via a telephone line. A request code when making a karaoke request, information relating to the request frequency, and whether or not it exists in the writable disc is a music file, the processing device, an input means for receiving the requested music,
Having a communication means with the center via a telephone line, when the requested song from the customer is designated, the song file is read out, and if the requested song exists in the writable disc, the request song is written from the writable disc. Is reproduced by the recording / reproducing apparatus, and if it does not exist, the request code is transmitted to the center via the telephone line to reproduce the requested song, and at the same time, the requested file is referred to if the requested song is not registered. It is a processing device for newly registering, updating the information related to the request frequency if registered, and recording the requested song on the writable disc by the recording device when a predetermined condition concerning the request frequency is satisfied. A karaoke system characterized by that. 2. The karaoke system according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the request frequency is a cumulative number of requests or a request time. 3. The writable disc is a CD-M
2. The karaoke system according to claim 1, wherein the O-disk (compact disc magnet optical) and the recording / reproducing device are CD-MO drives. 4. A structure including a read-only disc, wherein the processing device determines whether the requested song exists on the writable disc or the read-only disc, and if there is, the writable disc. 2. The karaoke system according to claim 1, further comprising a processing device for reproducing the reproduction-only disc, and if not present, requesting the center to reproduce it through a telephone line. 5. The writable disc is a CD-MO.
5. The karaoke system according to claim 4, wherein the disc, the reproduction-only disc is a CD disc (compact disc), and the recording / reproducing device is a CD-MO drive.