Audio signal transmission system, audio signal transmission method, server, network terminal device, and recording medium

• US 20060069747A1
• Filed: 05/11/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsushita, Yoshiko
• Application Number:
  US11/126,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20060069747A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

Disclosed is an audio signal transmission system that allows all users to confirm the overall system operation and actively select various system services. The audio signal transmission system, which allows a plurality of terminal devices to share channels that are allocated to various sound sources, includes a terminal device corresponding to one sound source; a material information storage device for storing material information constituting a virtual world; a symbol position storage device for storing a symbol moving in the virtual world and the position information about the symbol; a relationship storage device for storing the relationship between a symbol and a terminal device; a symbol move control device for controlling the move of a symbol in accordance with the associated control data received from each terminal device; and an image display device for displaying an image combination of various symbols and the virtual world as a shared screen.

Claims

1. An audio signal transmission system for allowing a plurality of network terminal devices to share channels that are allocated to various sound sources, the audio signal transmission system comprising:

a network terminal device corresponding to one sound source;

a material information storage device for storing material information constituting a virtual world;

a symbol position storage device for storing a symbol moving in the virtual world and the position information about the symbol;

a relationship storage device for storing the relationship between said symbol and a network terminal device;

a symbol move control device for controlling the move of a symbol in accordance with the associated control data received from each network terminal device; and

an image display device for displaying an image combination of various symbols and the virtual world as a shared screen.

2. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a group area retention device for retaining the position information about a group area that is set for the virtual world;

a symbol position determining device for determining whether a symbol corresponding to a network terminal device is positioned in at least one group area; and

a sound volume control device, which, when a symbol corresponding to a network terminal device is positioned in a group area, controls the output sound volume of another sound source positioned in the same group area.

3. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 2, wherein, when two sound sources exist in a group area, said sound volume control device controls the output of another sound source that is generated by a network terminal device corresponding to a symbol.

4. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 2, wherein, when three sound sources exist in a group area, said sound volume control device controls the superposed output of the other sound sources that is generated by a network terminal device corresponding to a symbol.

5. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a display format change device for changing the display format of a symbol positioned in said group area to a display format differing from a case where the symbol is positioned outside the group area.

6. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a symbol corresponding to the network terminal device to be controlled;

a distance calculation device for calculating the distance to a sound source other than the network terminal device to be controlled within the virtual world; and

a sound volume control device for controlling the output sound volume of another sound source that is generated by the network terminal device to be controlled.

7. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position information acquisition device for acquiring a symbol corresponding to the network terminal device to be controlled and the position information about a sound source other than the network terminal device to be controlled;

a positional relationship determining device for determining whether another sound source is positioned to the right or left of a symbol corresponding to the network terminal device to be controlled;

a sound volume control device for controlling, in accordance with the determination result, the right- and left-hand output sound volumes of another sound source that are provided by the network terminal device to be controlled.

8. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a direct call request area storage device for storing the position information about a direct call request area;

a first identification information acquisition device for acquiring the information for identifying a network terminal device that corresponds to a symbol positioned in the direct call request area;

a second identification information acquisition device for acquiring the information for identifying a network terminal device that is designated as a direct call destination; and

a display format change device for changing the display format for a symbol corresponding to the network terminal device designated as the direct call destination to a display format differing from a format prevailing before designation.

9. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a voice mail area storage device for storing the position information about a voice mail area;

a first identification information acquisition device for acquiring the information for identifying a network terminal device that corresponds to a symbol positioned in the voice mail area;

a second identification information acquisition device for acquiring the information for identifying a network terminal device that is designated as a voice mail destination; and

a display format change device for changing the display format for a symbol corresponding to the network terminal device designated as the voice mail destination to a display format differing from a format prevailing before designation.

10. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position information acquisition device for accessing said symbol position storage device to acquire the position information about a symbol corresponding to a network terminal device from which a position confirmation request has been transmitted; and

a display format change device for changing the display format for a symbol in acquisition position to a display format differing from a format prevailing before position confirmation request transmission.

11. The audio signal transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sound source information collection device for acquiring the information about a sound source output state prevailing in a network terminal device that is designated as a monitoring target; and

a sound volume control device for controlling the output sound volume of each sound source in accordance with the acquired information.

12. An audio signal transmission method for using a plurality of network terminal devices to receive audio signals that are generated by various sound sources, the audio signal transmission method comprising the steps of:

acquiring the relationship between a symbol moving within a virtual world and a network terminal device from a relationship storage device;

controlling the move of a symbol in accordance with the associated control data that is received from each network terminal device that serves as a sound source; and

displaying an image combination of various symbols and the virtual world on an image display device as a shared screen.

13. A server constituting an audio signal transmission system for using a plurality of network terminal devices to receive audio signals that are generated by various sound sources, the server comprising:

a material information storage device for storing material information constituting a virtual world;

a symbol position storage device for storing a symbol moving in the virtual world and the position information about the symbol;

a relationship storage device for storing the relationship between said symbol and a network terminal device;

a symbol move control device for controlling the move of a symbol in accordance with the associated control data received from each network terminal device that serves as a sound source; and

an image output device for outputting an image combination of various symbols and the virtual world as a shared screen.

14. A network terminal device constituting an audio signal transmission system for using a plurality of network terminal devices to receive audio signals that are generated by various sound sources, the network terminal device comprising:

an output control device for controlling the output sound volume of each sound source in accordance with the positional relationship among a symbol corresponding to the local device and the other sound sources positioned in a virtual world.

15. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer, which functions as a server constituting an audio signal transmission system for using a plurality of network terminal devices to receive audio signals that are generated by various sound sources, to perform the steps of:

acquiring the relationship between a symbol moving in a virtual world and a network terminal device from a relationship storage device;

controlling the move of a symbol in accordance with the associated control data received from each network terminal device that serves as a sound source; and

displaying an image combination of various symbols and the virtual world as a shared screen.

16. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer, which functions as a network terminal device constituting an audio signal transmission system for using a plurality of network terminal devices to receive audio signals that are generated by various sound sources, to perform the steps of:

acquiring the positional relationship among a symbol corresponding to the local device and the other sound sources positioned in a virtual world; and

controlling the output sound volume of each sound source in accordance with the acquired positional relationship.