JP2019161421A - Communication system, information processing device, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a communication system which can change a connection destination communication terminal to which a communication terminal at one base is connected.SOLUTION: A communication system 1 includes: a terminal device 10 which is connected to one communication terminal 30 which performs mutual information exchange with another communication terminal over a network; and an information processing device 50 which communicates with the terminal device over the network. The information processing device includes: reservation information storage means 57 which stores reservation information related to the reservation of a base in which the communication terminal is arranged; communication terminal identification means 54, 58 which, based on the reservation information, identify the other communication terminal which becomes the connection destination of the communication terminal; and connection request notification means 53 which transmits to the terminal device a connection request for connecting the communication terminal to the other communication terminal which is identified by the communication terminal identification means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system, an information processing apparatus, and a program.

  A conference room where a plurality of participants gather to hold a conference may be reserved and used in advance. In recent years, it has become possible for a participant to reserve a conference room using a schedule management system or the like.

  By the way, there is a case where a participant performs a remote conference with a participant in a conference room in a remote place using a communication terminal such as a remote conference device in the conference room. Participants enter connection destination information for calling a remote conference device in a remote conference room into the remote conference device in the conference room and connect to the remote conference device installed in the remote conference room. To start a remote conference.

  As described above, conventionally, at least one of the participants in two conference rooms that are remote from each other needs some operation to call the remote conference device in the remote conference room.

  For such inconvenience, a technique has been devised to reduce the operation of the participant when starting the remote conference (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a video conference system that connects remote conference apparatuses existing in two conference rooms according to a conference start time reserved in advance.

  However, in the conventional technology, there is a problem that it is difficult to switch the remote conference device to which the remote conference device is connected. That is, as in the prior art, if the two conference rooms for performing the remote conference are fixed, the remote conference devices in both conference rooms can be connected according to the conference start time. In general, however, companies often have multiple conference rooms, and which conference room and which conference room can be used for remote conferences can vary from remote conference to remote conference. It is desirable to have a mechanism for dynamically switching the remote conference device.

  An object of this invention is to provide the communication system which can switch the communication terminal of the connection destination which the communication terminal of one base | substrate connects in view of the said subject.

  In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a communication terminal that communicates with another communication terminal that transmits and receives information to and from each other via the network, and a terminal apparatus that connects the terminal apparatus and the network. The information processing apparatus communicates with the information processing apparatus, wherein the information processing apparatus is based on the reservation information storing means storing reservation information related to the reservation of the base where the communication terminal is arranged, and the reservation information. A communication terminal specifying means for specifying the other communication terminal to be a connection destination of the communication terminal, and a connection request for connecting the communication terminal to the other communication terminal specified by the communication terminal specifying means to the terminal device Connection request notifying means for transmitting.

  It is possible to provide a communication system capable of switching a connection destination communication terminal to which a communication terminal at one base is connected.

It is an example of the figure explaining the process until a remote conference apparatus communicates. It is an example of the schematic block diagram of a communication system. It is an example of the hardware block diagram of a remote conference apparatus. It is a hardware block diagram of an example of the computer system which concerns on this embodiment. It is an example of the functional block diagram which shows the function of a terminal device, a conference reservation system, and a remote conference apparatus in a block form. It is a figure which shows an example of the reservation screen displayed on PC which a reservation person operates. It is a figure which shows an example of reservation information. It is a figure which shows an example of the standby screen which a terminal device displays. It is a figure which shows the example of a status update. It is an example of the sequence diagram which shows the procedure in which a reservation person reserves a conference room and a terminal device acquires reservation information. It is an example of the sequence diagram which shows the procedure in which one remote conference apparatus which performs a remote conference connects to the other remote conference apparatus. It is an example of the flowchart figure which shows the procedure in which a conference reservation system transmits a remote conference start notification to each terminal device. It is a figure which shows another example of reservation information. It is a figure which shows an example of the reservation screen in which the connection destination information was set to the participant. It is a figure which shows the example of a setting of the connection destination information in a reservation screen. It is a figure which shows an example of a reservation screen. It is an example of the figure explaining the outline until a remote conference apparatus starts a remote conference. It is an example of the functional block diagram which shows the function of a terminal device, a conference reservation system, and a remote conference apparatus in the block form (Example 2). (Example 2) which is a figure which shows an example of reservation information. (Example 2) which is a figure which shows an example of reservation information. It is an example of the sequence diagram which shows the procedure in which one remote conference apparatus which performs a remote conference connects to the other remote conference apparatus. It is an example of the flowchart figure which shows the procedure in which a reservation information comparison part compares reservation information. It is a figure which shows an example of the check-in confirmation screen which a terminal device displays.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Outline of this embodiment>
The communication system of the present embodiment specifies a plurality of remote conference devices used in a remote conference based on conference room reservation information.

  FIG. 1 is an example of a diagram illustrating a process until remote conference apparatuses communicate with each other. As shown in FIG. 1, reservation information including a conference start time, a conference end time, and participants is registered in the conference reservation system 50. In the present embodiment, the conference room and the remote conference apparatus 30 can also be treated as participants, but such a registration method is merely an example. In FIG. 1, two base employees (AD), conference rooms A and B, and remote conference apparatuses A and B that perform a remote conference are managed as participants of one reservation information.

Hereinafter, an arbitrary remote conference device among the remote conference devices 30A and 30B is referred to as a remote conference device 30, and an arbitrary terminal device among the terminal devices 10A and 10B is referred to as a terminal device 10. In the reservation information, the reference numeral 30 of the remote conference device is omitted.
(1) Participant A operates terminal device 10A in conference room A to check in conference room A. The terminal device 10A transmits a check-in request to the conference reservation system 50.
(2) The conference reservation system 50 receives the check-in of the conference room A, refers to the reservation information shown in the figure, and specifies a plurality of remote conference devices 30A and 30B that perform a remote conference in the conference room A.
(3) The conference reservation system 50 transmits an activation request for activating the remote conference device 30A of the conference room A in which check-in is detected to the remote conference device 30 via the terminal device 10A. If the remote conference device 30A has already been activated, the activation process is not necessary.
(4) Participant B operates terminal device 10B in conference room B to check in conference room B. The terminal device 10B transmits a check-in request to the conference reservation system 50.
(5) The conference reservation system 50 receives the check-in of the conference room B, refers to the reservation information, and specifies a plurality of remote conference devices 30A and 30B that conduct a remote conference in the conference room B.
The
(6) The conference reservation system 50 transmits an activation request to activate the remote conference device 30B of the conference room B where the check-in is detected to the remote conference device 30 via the terminal device 10B. If the remote conference device 30B is already activated, the activation process is not necessary.
(7) Since both the conference rooms have been checked in, the conference reservation system 50 notifies the remote conference device 30B of connection destination information for connecting to the remote conference device 30A, and starts the remote conference. Connection destination information for connecting to the remote conference device 30B may be notified to the remote conference device 30A.
(8) The remote conference device 30B specifies the remote conference device 30A with the connection destination information and starts the remote conference.

  As described above, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment can specify a plurality of remote conference apparatuses 30A and 30B that perform a remote conference by using reservation information related to conference room reservation. Further, since the remote conference is performed after the participants check-in to each conference room where the remote conference is performed, the remote conference is not performed with the conference room where no one is present. In addition, the participant only has to input a check-in operation for using the conference room A to the terminal device 10, and can omit manual input of connection destination information of the remote conference.

  Note that the terminal device 10 may not be provided in a place where the remote conference device to be connected is located. For example, even if a participant is carrying a remote conference device in an empty space or away from the conference room, if the terminal device 10 in the conference room in which the remote conference device of the connection source accepts check-in, the connection is made Even if the terminal device 10 is not provided first, the remote conference devices can be connected. In other words, if the remote conference device to be connected is not installed in the conference room, the conference room may not be reserved. The terminal device 10 is not necessarily required at the place where the remote conference device of the connection destination is arranged.

<Terminology>
The base is a place where the terminal device 10 and the remote conference device 30 are installed. The base indicates the location conceptually in this way, but the base may indicate the terminal device 10 or the remote conference device 30 itself. A base may represent not only a place but also a participant of the base. Specific examples of the base include a conference room, a branch, a company, a department name within the company, a branch office, and the like. The place where the participant is present is the base.

  When there are two or more bases, the bases do not need to be in remote locations, and two or more conference rooms in the same company are also two or more bases.

  A communication terminal means a thing (apparatus, equipment, system, etc.) that can be used at a base. For example, it refers to a facility that enables communication between participants at one base and another base. In this embodiment, the term “teleconference apparatus” will be used.

  The start of use of a base means that a person who can use a reserved base by reservation has started. In this embodiment, the term “check-in” is used. Registration of the start of use is described in the term “checked-in” in this embodiment. The use start request is described in terms of a check-in request.

  The reservation information is information including matters necessary for managing the reservation of the communication terminal. Details will be described later.

  The connection request is a request for connecting one communication terminal to the other communication terminal. The connection may be referred to as communication start, conference start, session establishment, call, or the like.

<System configuration example>
FIG. 2 shows an example of a schematic configuration diagram of the communication system 1. The communication system 1 includes a conference reservation system 50 and two in-house networks NA and NB connected via the Internet i. The conference reservation system 50 is constructed in a data center or the like, and is linked with the schedule management system 60. The in-house networks NA and NB are corporate networks (for example, LAN (Local Area Network)) in which communication control for the Internet i is performed by a firewall or the like. However, the conference reservation system 50 is for example a mobile phone network other than the in-house networks NA and NB. Etc. are also connectable.

  The terminal device 10A and the remote conference device 30A installed in the same conference room A exist on, for example, a mutually communicable LAN and can communicate with a preset IP address or the like. The terminal device 10 and the remote conference device 30 may communicate via a server that mediates communication. Meeting rooms A and B are assumed to exist in different companies, but meeting rooms A and B may be connected to an in-house network within the same company or communicate via the Internet. Also good.

  The schedule management system 60 is one or more information processing apparatuses that manage a schedule of an arbitrary user on the cloud, for example. One of the management of the schedule includes management of conference room reservation. As the schedule management system 60, Google Calendar (registered trademark), Office365 (registered trademark), and the like are known. Any schedule management system 60 may be used as long as it satisfies the technical specifications.

  The conference reservation system 50 is one or more information processing devices that manage use of conference rooms and reservation information. First, the conference reservation system 50 acquires from the schedule management system 60 reservation information for conference rooms reserved in the schedule management system 60. The conference reservation system 50 does not need to use the external schedule management system 60, and the conference reservation system 50 may also be used as the schedule management system 60. The reason why the external schedule management system 60 is used in the present embodiment is one of the reasons that the development cost can be suppressed by using the external schedule management system 60.

  The conference reservation system 50 communicates with one or more terminal devices 10 arranged in each conference room, and transmits, for example, reservation information for the day. Reservation information is regularly updated and the status is managed for each meeting. For example, it manages from check-in to check-out.

  The terminal device 10A and the remote conference device 30A are arranged in the in-house network NA, and the terminal device 10B and the remote conference device 30B are arranged in the in-house network NB. The terminal devices 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are information processing devices that serve as user interfaces between the user and the conference reservation system 50 in each conference room. For example, the terminal devices 10A and 10B acquire the reservation information regarding the reservation of the conference rooms A and B from the conference reservation system 50 by transmitting the identification information of the conference rooms A and B managed by the terminal devices 10A and 10B. Display status. The conference reservation system 50 has a Web server function for the terminal device 10, and the terminal device 10 displays information transmitted from the Web server by a function such as an application or browser software on a display device. The terminal device 10 can communicate with the remote conference device 30 wirelessly or by wire via the in-house networks NA and NB.

  Moreover, terminal device 10A, 10B has the function to receive the check-in operation to the conference room by a participant, and to make a participant check in to a conference room. When the participant performs an operation for check-in, the conference reservation system 50 is notified of a check-in request. The conference reservation system 50 authenticates the check-in request, and if the authentication is established, the check-in is permitted.

  In addition, when the conference reservation system 50 detects that a conference held at two or more locations is checked in in both of the conference rooms, the connection destination information is stored in at least one of the terminal devices 10A and 10B. Send a remote conference start notification containing

  The terminal device 10 that has acquired the remote conference start notification transmits a remote conference start notification to the remote conference device 30 in the same conference room. As described above, the conference reservation system 50 can instruct the connection of the remote conference device 30 between the bases so that each base can smoothly start the conference in a state where the remote conference is possible.

  The terminal device 10 is a general information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet device, or a notebook PC (Personal Computer). Any information processing apparatus having a communication function, a display function, and an input function may be used.

  The remote conference device 30 is a device having the function of a video conference terminal. The remote conference device 30 in the conference room A and the conference room B transmits and receives image data and audio data to each other, displays the image data on the display device, and outputs the audio data from the speaker, so that the user at the remote location can conference. It is possible to perform remote communication such as. The communication system 1 is applied to a communication system for users at two or more bases or a data communication system in addition to a conference. Further, the communication system 1 includes a data providing system that transmits image data or audio data in one direction from one remote conference device 30 to a plurality of remote conference devices 30 via a server. A video conference is sometimes called a video conference.

  The remote conference device 30 may be the video conference terminal itself, or may be another device having the function of the video conference terminal. For example, an electronic blackboard may have a video conference terminal function. The electronic blackboard acquires the coordinates (positions) of the electronic pen and fingertip on the input screen by moving the electronic pen and fingertip to trace the screen, and displays the strokes connecting these coordinates on the display integrated with the touch panel. It is a so-called electronic device. Any type of touch panel may be used. The name of the electronic blackboard may be different depending on products such as an electronic whiteboard and an electronic information board. Further, since the electronic blackboard has a computer function, it may be called an information processing apparatus. A tablet terminal provided with a touch panel may also be used as an electronic blackboard.

  The electronic blackboard capable of communicating with other bases can transmit and receive drawing image data, which is the content drawn by the user. The drawing image data is image data having one or more strokes. Therefore, content drawn on one electronic blackboard is also displayed on the other electronic blackboard, and conversely, content drawn on the other electronic blackboard is also displayed on one electronic blackboard.

<Hardware configuration example>
Next, the hardware configuration of the remote conference device 30, the terminal device 10, and the conference reservation system 50 in the communication system 1 of the present embodiment will be described.

<< Hardware configuration example of remote conference device >>>>
FIG. 3 shows an example of a hardware configuration diagram of the remote conference device 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the remote conference device 30 is a ROM that stores a program used to drive a CPU 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that controls the operation of the entire remote conference device 30 and an IPL (Initial Program Loader). (Read Only Memory) 102 is provided. In addition, a random access memory (RAM) 103 used as a work area of the CPU 101, a flash memory 104 that stores various data such as a remote conference device program, image data, and audio data. Further, an SSD (Solid State Drive) 105 that controls reading and writing of various data to the flash memory 104 according to the control of the CPU 101, and a media drive 107 that controls reading and writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 106 such as a flash memory. Is provided. Further, an operation button 108 that is operated when selecting another remote conference device 30 as a communication partner, a power switch 109 for switching on / off the power of the remote conference device 30, the Internet i, or the like is used. A network I / F (Interface) 111 for data transmission is provided.

  In addition, the remote conference apparatus 30 includes a built-in camera 112 that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 101 to obtain image data, an image sensor I / F 113 that controls driving of the camera 112, and a built-in microphone that inputs sound. 114. A built-in speaker 115 for outputting sound is provided. In addition, an audio input / output I / F 116 that processes input / output of audio signals between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101 is provided. In addition, a display I / F 117 that transmits display video data to the display 120 according to the control of the CPU 101, an external device connection I / F 118 for connecting various external devices, and an alarm for notifying abnormality of various functions of the remote conference device 30 A lamp 119 and a bus line 110 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the above components are provided.

  The camera 112, the microphone 114, and the speaker 115 are not necessarily built in the remote conference apparatus 30, and may be configured to be externally attached. Further, the display 120 may be configured to be built in the remote conference device 30. The display 120 is assumed to be a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, but is not limited thereto, and may be a projection device such as a projector. The hardware configuration of the remote conference device 30 shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and hardware other than the above may be added.

  The remote conference apparatus program provided from the above-described program providing server is stored, for example, in the flash memory 104, and is read out and executed on the RAM 103 under the control of the CPU 101.

<< Conference reservation system, hardware configuration example of terminal device >>
The conference reservation system 50 and the terminal device 10 are realized by, for example, a computer system having a hardware configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a computer system according to the present embodiment.

  4 includes an input device 201, a display device 202, an external I / F 203, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 204, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 205, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 206, a communication I / O. F207, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 208 and the like are connected to each other via a bus B.

  The input device 201 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and the like, and is used by a user to input each operation signal. The display device 202 includes a display and the like, and displays a processing result by the computer system 100.

  The communication I / F 207 is an interface that connects the computer system 100 to the in-house network NA or NB. Thereby, the computer system 100 can perform data communication via the communication I / F 207.

The HDD 208 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data. The stored programs and data include, for example, an OS (Operating System) that is basic software for controlling the entire computer system 100, and application software that provides various functions on the OS. The HDD 208 manages stored programs and data by a predetermined file system and / or DB (database).

The external I / F 203 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 203a. Accordingly, the computer system 100 can read and / or write the recording medium 203a via the external I / F 203. The recording medium 203a includes a flexible disk, CD (Compact Disk), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), SD memory card (SD Memory card), USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memo).
y).

  The ROM 205 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 205 stores programs and data such as BIOS (Basic Input / Output System), OS settings, and network settings that are executed when the computer system 100 is activated. The RAM 204 is a volatile semiconductor memory (storage device) that temporarily stores programs and data.

  The CPU 206 is an arithmetic device that realizes control and functions of the entire computer system 100 by reading a program and data from a storage device such as the ROM 205 and the HDD 208 onto the RAM 204 and executing processing.

<About functions>
Next, functions of the terminal device 10, the conference reservation system 50, and the remote conference device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an example of a functional block diagram showing the functions of the terminal device 10, the conference reservation system 50, and the remote conference device 30 in a block form.

<< Functions of the conference reservation system >>
The conference reservation system 50 includes a reservation management unit 51, a second communication unit 52, a remote conference start notification unit 53, a connection destination specifying unit 54, and a reservation information acquisition unit 55. Each of these functional units included in the conference reservation system 50 is a function realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 4 operating according to a command from the CPU 206 according to a program expanded from the HDD 208 to the RAM 204. Or means. This program is distributed from a program distribution server or is stored in a storage medium. The conference reservation system 50 has a reservation information DB 57 and a connection destination information DB 56 held in the HDD 208 or the RAM 204 or the like.

  The 2nd communication part 52 transmits / receives various data with the terminal device 10 via the company networks NA and NB and the internet i. In this embodiment, at least reservation information for the day is transmitted to the terminal device 10 and a check-in request is received from the terminal device 10. In addition, the activation request, the standby notification, and the remote conference start notification are transmitted to the terminal device 10.

  The reservation information acquisition unit 55 acquires reservation information from the schedule management system 60. Since the reservation information of each company is registered in the schedule management system 60, the reservation information acquisition unit 55 designates an account (user name and password) of the schedule management system 60 registered in advance for each company and logs in. The reservation information registered in association with the account having the domain included in this account is acquired. For example, when the user name of the account in the schedule management system 60 registered in advance for each company is “a@xfood.com”, the reservation registered with the account “xxx@xfood.com” (xxx is optional) Get information.

  The reservation information acquisition unit 55 receives a notification at a timing when new reservation information is registered in the schedule management system 60, and goes to the schedule management system 60 for reservation information. Alternatively, the reservation information acquisition unit 55 may go to the schedule management system 60 for reservation information on a regular basis (for example, once an hour).

  The reservation information acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 55 is stored in the reservation information DB 57. The reservation information will be described with reference to FIG.

  The reservation management unit 51 obtains a notification such as check-in from the terminal device 10 and determines whether or not the check-in is possible by authenticating the participant with a code number or the like described later. If it is determined that check-in is possible, the status of the reservation information in the reservation information DB 57 is updated to check-in completed. The status is, for example, a state in which check-in is not possible, check-in is possible, check-in has been completed, and conference has been started.

  Based on the reservation information, the connection destination specifying unit 54 determines whether the other conference room that conducts the remote conference is also checked in. If the other conference room has already been checked in, a plurality of remote conference apparatuses 30 that conduct a remote conference are specified based on the reservation information. Of all of the plurality of remote conference apparatuses 30, another remote conference apparatus 30 is determined as a connection destination when viewed from the remote conference apparatus 30 immediately after being updated to be checked-in.

  When the reservation information updated to be checked-in is detected, the remote conference start notification unit 53 transmits an activation request for the remote conference device 30 in the conference room to the terminal device 10 via the second communication unit 52. In addition, the remote conference start notification unit 53 receives the remote conference start notification using the connection destination remote conference device 30 specified by the connection destination specifying unit 54 as the connection destination information, and the remote conference device in the conference room updated as checked-in. 30. Note that a standby notification is transmitted via the second communication unit 52 to the remote conference device 30 that waits until it is connected.

  In this way, a plurality of remote conference apparatuses 30 that perform a remote conference transmit a remote conference start notification to all the remote conference apparatuses 30 except for themselves, so that the plurality of remote conference apparatuses 30 can reliably start connection. it can.

表１は接続先情報ＤＢ５６に記憶された情報を模式的に示す。接続先情報ＤＢ５６には各会議室にある遠隔会議装置３０の接続先情報が登録されている。したがって、参加者として遠隔会議装置３０が登録されていれば接続先情報が特定される。この接続先情報とは接続先の遠隔会議装置を識別する情報であって、接続先情報を用いて遠隔会議装置同士での接続を行う。接続先情報は接続先を特定できる情報であればよく、遠隔会議装置自体の識別情報でもよいし、ＩＰアドレス等、遠隔会議装置自体のネットワーク上の識別情報でもよいし、ユーザＩＤ等、遠隔会議装置を使用するユーザに紐づけられた識別情報でもよい。

Table 1 schematically shows information stored in the connection destination information DB 56. In the connection destination information DB 56, connection destination information of the remote conference apparatus 30 in each conference room is registered. Therefore, if the remote conference device 30 is registered as a participant, the connection destination information is specified. The connection destination information is information for identifying a remote conference device as a connection destination, and the remote conference devices are connected using the connection destination information. The connection destination information may be information that can identify the connection destination, may be identification information of the remote conference device itself, may be identification information on the network of the remote conference device itself, such as an IP address, or a remote conference such as a user ID. Identification information associated with a user who uses the apparatus may be used.

  When a conference room is registered as a participant, connection destination information of the remote conference device 30 can be specified if the conference room is associated with the remote conference device 30. Note that a conference room is not associated with the remote conference device 30 that is not fixed to the conference room.

<< Terminal device functions >>
The terminal device 10 includes a first communication unit 11, a reservation information reception unit 12, a check-in reception unit 13, a reservation information display unit 14, a remote conference start notification reception unit 15, and a remote conference device communication unit 16. These functions of the terminal device 10 are realized by any one of the components shown in FIG. 4 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 206 according to a program expanded from the HDD 208 to the RAM 204. It is. This program is distributed from a program distribution server or is stored in a storage medium.

  The first communication unit 11 transmits and receives various data to and from the conference reservation system 50 via the in-house network NA (or NB) and the Internet i. In the present embodiment, conference room identification information (for example, conference rooms A, B, etc.) is designated, for example, reservation information for the current day is acquired from the conference reservation system 50, and a check-in request is made in accordance with the operation of the participant. Send. In addition, the activation request, the standby notification, and the remote conference start notification are received from the conference reservation system 50.

  The reservation information receiving unit 12 communicates with the conference reservation system 50 via the first communication unit 11, transmits the identification information of the conference room in which the terminal device 10 is installed, and the terminal device 10 is installed. Get conference room reservation information. The acquisition timing may be acquired periodically, such as once per minute, or may be acquired according to the operation of the participant. Further, it may be acquired when the terminal device 10 is activated. It is preferable to obtain the reservation information at least once a day.

  The reservation information to be acquired preferably includes at least the reservation information for the current day, but the reservation information may be acquired by the previous day. It is not always necessary to acquire the reservation information for one day at a time, and it may be acquired one by one at different timings. This timing is, for example, one hour before or 30 minutes before each meeting.

  Further, the reservation information acquisition unit 55 may acquire reservation information by a push method in addition to acquiring reservation information by a pull method. Further, for example, when the reservation information acquisition unit 55 receives that the reservation information of the day acquired from the conference reservation system 50 has been updated, it may be acquired by the pull method.

  The reservation information display unit 14 displays the acquired reservation information on the screen (display device) of the terminal device 10. The reservation information display unit 14 always displays a list of reservation information for the day. However, the reservation information list may become invisible in conjunction with the terminal device 10 turning off the power of only the display device when there is no operation for a certain period of time for energy saving. However, also in this case, the terminal device 10 is in an activated state. The terminal device 10 may display the reservation information according to the operation of the participant, or may display it in conjunction with the participant entering the conference room.

  For example, the check-in reception unit 13 receives an input of a code number notified to the participant in advance, or images a barcode (or two-dimensional code) including the code number notified to the participant in advance. Then, the input of the code number is accepted. The check-in reception unit 13 transmits a check-in request together with this code number to the conference reservation system 50 and acquires whether or not check-in is permitted. The terminal device 10 may acquire the code number together with the reservation information and authenticate the code number on the terminal side.

  After the check-in, the remote conference start notification receiving unit 15 receives an activation request for the remote conference device 30 from the conference reservation system 50. When the conference reservation system 50 detects the check-in of the two conference rooms where the remote conference is to be performed, the remote conference start notification receiving unit 15 receives the remote conference start notification including the connection destination information.

  The remote conference device communication unit 16 transmits an activation request to the remote conference device 30 in the same conference room as the terminal device 10. In addition, the remote conference device communication unit 16 transmits a remote conference start notification including the connection destination information to the remote conference device 30. Moreover, the remote conference apparatus communication part 16 should just maintain the remote conference apparatus 30 in the starting state, when a standby notification is acquired from the conference reservation system 50. FIG. In this case, the remote conference device 30 in the same conference room is put on standby until called from the remote conference device 30 in the other conference room where the remote conference is performed. That is, there is a case where nothing is required for the standby notification.

  In FIG. 5, the remote conference device communication unit 16 and the remote conference device 30 are directly connected. However, the terminal device 10 and the remote conference device 30 are connected to the internal network NA, NB such as a LAN via the first communication unit 11. Communicate via. In this case, the remote conference device communication unit 16 transmits an activation request or the like by HTTP communication or the like via the Web API provided by the remote conference device 30. Web API is a procedure or rule for calling a certain program via a network. The terminal device 10 and the remote conference device 30 may be connected by a communication cable such as a USB cable.

<< Function of remote conference device >>
The remote conference device 30 includes a remote conference function unit 31, a third communication unit 32, a remote communication unit 33, and an activation unit 34. Each of these functional units included in the remote conference device 30 is realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 3 operating according to a command from the CPU 101 according to a program expanded from the SSD 105 to the RAM 103. Or means. This program is distributed from a program distribution server or is stored in a storage medium.

  The third communication unit 32 acquires a start request, a standby notification, and a remote conference start notification from the terminal device 10 via the in-house network NA, NB or communication cable (not all of them are acquired). When the activation request is acquired, the third communication unit 32 sends an activation request to the activation unit 34, and when the remote conference start notification or standby notification is acquired, the third communication unit 32 notifies the remote communication unit 33 of the remote conference start notification or standby notification. Is sent out.

  The activation unit 34 activates the remote conference device 30. The remote conference device 30 before the start of the remote conference is in a sleep state, and at least the communication function is operating. The remote conference device 30 is activated in a state where all functions can be used in response to the activation request.

  The remote communication unit 33 establishes a session (connection) with the remote conference apparatus 30 in another conference room using the connection destination information. As a method for establishing a session, for example, there is a method in which connection destination information is transmitted to a management system on the Internet, and the management system calls the remote conference apparatus 30 of the connection destination. Since the remote conference device 30 to be connected is in a standby state (activated state), the connection can be started. Note that the connection method is not limited to these, and it is sufficient that the two remote conference apparatuses 30 can communicate with each other. In addition, the remote communication unit 33 transmits and receives image data, audio data, and material data to and from the remote conference apparatus 30 that is the connection destination.

  The remote conference function unit 31 provides a basic function for the remote conference device 30 to perform a remote conference. That is, the camera captures the surroundings to generate image data, acquires sound from the microphone to generate sound data, and sends these to the remote communication unit 33. In addition, the image data received by the remote communication unit 33 is displayed on the display 120, and audio data is output from the speaker 115.

<Reservation screen>
Next, an operation for a participant to reserve a conference room will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows an example of a reservation screen 501 displayed on a PC (Personal Computer) operated by the reservation person. The reservation person is assumed to be one of the participants in the conference, but anyone may make a reservation. The reservation person communicates the PC with the schedule management system 60 and logs in with the account for the company to which the reservation person issued from the schedule management system 60 belongs. Therefore, participants of the same company are specified in the domain included in the account.

The reservation screen 501 includes a title column 502, a conference room column 503, a remote conference device column 504, a conference start date / time column 505, a conference end date / time column 506, a memo column 507, and a participant column 508.
A title column 502 is a column in which a title such as a meeting agenda is input.
The conference room column 503 is a column in which a conference room reserved by the participant is set. Conference rooms that can be selected by this company are registered in advance in the schedule management system 60, and the reservation person can select a conference room from a pop-up menu or a pull-down menu. In the conference room column 503, a plurality of conference rooms for performing a remote conference can be set.
The remote conference device column 504 is a column in which the remote conference device 30 used by the participant is set. The remote conference device 30 that can be selected by this company is registered in the schedule management system 60 in advance, and the reservation person can select a conference room from a pop-up menu or a pull-down menu. The reason why it is set independently of the conference room is that there is a non-fixed (mobile) remote conference device 30 in the conference room. For the remote conference device 30 fixed in the conference room, it is preferable that the schedule management system 60 has the same information as the connection destination information DB 56 so that it can be determined in which conference room the remote conference device 30 is fixed. Alternatively, the remote conference apparatus 30 is automatically set according to the selection of the conference room.
The conference start date / time column 505 is a column in which the date when the conference is held and the start time are set. The date and time can be selected from a pull-down menu.
The conference end date / time column 506 is a column in which a date when the conference is held and a time at which the conference is ended are set. The date and time can be selected from a pull-down menu.
The memo column 507 is a column in which arbitrary information regarding the conference is set.
The participant column 508 is a column used for setting the participant and displaying the set participant. The conference room and the remote conference device 30 are resources of the conference room, but in the present embodiment, these are also treated as one of the participants. Note that the participant is a user in the conference room, and the participant column 508 is an example of the user column. In FIG. 6, three employees, two conference rooms, and two remote conference devices 30 are registered as participants. Participants that can be selected in this company are registered in advance in the schedule management system 60, and the reservation person can select a participant from a pop-up menu or a pull-down menu.

  The conference room set by the reservation in the conference room column 503 is reflected in the participant column 508, and the remote conference device 30 set in the remote conference device column 504 is also reflected in the participant column 508. Conversely, the conference room set by the reservation in the participant column 508 is reflected in the conference room column 503, and the remote conference device 30 set in the participant column 508 is also reflected in the remote conference device column 504.

<Example of reservation information>
The reservation information set on the reservation screen 501 as shown in FIG. 6 is transmitted to the schedule management system 60 and registered in the schedule management system 60. Then, the conference reservation system 50 appropriately acquires reservation information from the schedule management system 60 and manages it with the reservation information DB 57.

  The reservation information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 shows an example of reservation information. The reservation information includes items of reservation ID, title, place and status, conference start date and time, conference end date and time, participants, and code number. Supplementally, the reservation ID is an example of reservation identification information for identifying each reservation information. The reservation ID is numbered by the conference reservation system 50, but may be numbered by the schedule management system 60. ID is an abbreviation for Identification and means an identifier or identification information. ID refers to a name, a code, a character string, a numerical value, or a combination of one or more of these used to uniquely distinguish a specific target from a plurality of targets.

  The title-participant is described in FIG. Among these, the place means a conference room, and the status indicates what state the conference room or the remote conference device is. Details of the status will be described with reference to FIG. The code number is authentication information that is input when a participant checks in the conference room. The code number is notified to the reservation person at the time of reservation or when the conference reservation system 50 acquires reservation information from the schedule management system 60.

  In FIG. 7, a plurality of conference rooms A and B are registered in one reservation information. Actually, for example, participants in conference room A are scheduled to be “Mr. A, Mr. B”, and participants in conference room B are scheduled to be “Mr. C” (which participant is in which conference room is arbitrary). .) Further, the remote conference device 30A is used in the conference room A, and the remote conference device 30B is used in the conference room B. Thus, in the reservation information of FIG. 7, since conference rooms with different reservations are registered with one reservation information, conference room A and conference room B for remote conference, and remote conference device 30A and remote conference device 30B correspond. It is attached.

  By doing so, the connection destination specifying unit 54 of the conference reservation system 50 can easily specify a plurality of conference rooms and the remote conference device 30 for performing a remote conference.

  In FIG. 7, participants are described by their names (Mr. A, etc.), but the conference reservation system 50 is uniquely distinguished by the user name (eg, name.aaa@xfood.com, etc.) included in the account. The

<Example of terminal device screen>
FIG. 8 shows an example of the standby screen 511 displayed by the terminal device 10. The standby screen 511 is a screen displayed by the terminal device 10 between conferences. The standby screen 511 displays a time zone 512 of the next conference as viewed from the current time. The standby screen 511 displays the status 513 of the next meeting. The status 513 is updated when the terminal device 10 periodically acquires reservation information from the conference reservation system 50. Participants can check in when this status is "Check in available".

  The standby screen 511 has a check-in button 515, and when the check-in button 515 is pressed, check-in is started.

<Reservation status update>
Next, the update of the status of the reservation information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of status update based on check-in detection. In FIG. 9A, the status of the conference rooms A and B is “check-in not possible”. No check-in means that the participant cannot use the conference room yet.

  In this state, the reservation management unit 51 of the conference reservation system 50 changes the status to enable check-in when a predetermined time before the conference start date and time comes. FIG. 9B shows the status changed to allow check-in. Check-in possibility means that the participant can use the conference room.

  The predetermined time can be set as appropriate, and is, for example, 10 minutes. This status is reflected in the standby screen 511 when the terminal device 10 acquires the reservation information, and the participant can check in.

  Next, the participant goes to the conference room and inputs the code number notified in advance from the terminal device 10, and the terminal device 10 transmits the code number and the reservation ID to the conference reservation system 50. The reservation ID is included in the reservation information of the conference room that can be checked in. When the code number authentication is established, the reservation management unit 51 changes the status to checked-in. The reservation ID may also be used as a code number. In this case, the participant inputs a reservation ID from the terminal device 10.

  FIG. 9C shows the status changed to checked-in. When checked in to the conference room A, the status of the conference room A becomes “checked in”. Similarly, when a participant checks in to the conference room B, the status of the conference room B becomes “checked in”. Checked in means that the participant has checked in to the conference room (that the person who reserved the conference room can be authenticated by the code number). Thus, when the statuses of the conference rooms A and B are checked in, the conference reservation system 50 causes the remote conference device 30 to start a remote conference.

  When both of the conference rooms A and B are checked in, the remote conference device 30B in the conference room B is connected to the remote conference device 30A in the conference room A. As for the connection source and the connection destination, for example, the earlier the check-in is the connection source, and the later the check-in is the connection destination. However, the remote conference device 30A in the conference room A may be connected to the remote conference device 30B in the conference room B.

  As a result, the status of the conference room B is updated to “conference started”. FIG. 9D shows the status updated when the conference has started. The status of the conference room A is also updated to “conference started”. This means that the remote conference has been started and the communication terminal at the local site and the communication terminal at another site have already been connected (during communication, during remote conference).

<Operation procedure>
Hereinafter, the operation of the communication system 1 will be described with reference to the sequence diagrams of FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure in which a reservation person reserves a conference room and the terminal device 10 acquires reservation information.

  S1: The reservation person reserves the conference room from the reservation screen 501 shown in FIG.

  S1.1: The schedule management system 60 accepts a reservation and generates reservation information.

  S1.1.1: The schedule management system 60 notifies the conference reservation system 50 that reservation information has been added or changed. As described above, since the domain of the company that uses the conference reservation system 50 is registered in the schedule management system 60, the company (conference reservation system 50) is specified from the account of the reservation person who registered the reservation information.

  S2: The reservation information display unit 14 of the terminal device 10 performs a process of repeatedly updating the standby screen 511.

  S2.1: In this process, the reservation information receiving unit 12 acquires reservation information from the conference reservation system 50. Note that the update of the standby screen 511 is periodically performed, for example, every minute, but may be performed irregularly. Thereby, a conference room is newly reserved, and if this conference is the next conference in time, it is displayed on the standby screen 511. The status is also updated as appropriate.

  FIG. 11 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure in which one remote conference device 30 performing a remote conference connects to the other remote conference device 30.

  S1: First, the participant A operates the terminal device 10A to check in the conference room A.

  S2: The check-in reception unit 13 of the terminal device 10A receives the check-in, and transmits a check-in request including the reservation ID and the code number to the conference reservation system 50 via the first communication unit 11.

  S3: The second communication unit 52 of the conference reservation system 50 acquires the check-in request, and the reservation management unit 51 receives the check-in. In this embodiment, it is assumed that authentication by a code number is established and check-in is permitted. The reservation management unit 51 changes the status of the reservation information specified by the reservation ID to “checked in”. The connection destination specifying unit 54 specifies the remote conference device 30A in the conference room A and the remote conference device 30B in the connection destination conference room B based on the reservation information. The process of step S3 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 11, the reservation information is specified by the reservation ID, but the reservation information may be specified by the conference room identification information and the time zone, or the reservation information is specified by the conference room identification information and the code number. May be. When the participant is specified by touching the terminal device 10 with the IC card carried by the participant, the reservation information may be specified from the reservation information associated with the participant's account and the code number. . Further, the reservation information may be narrowed down by the current time.

  S4: The remote conference start notifying unit 53 of the conference reservation system 50 transmits a standby request to the terminal device 10A because the conference room B in which the conference room A conducts the remote conference is not checked in. In FIG. 11, the activation request is omitted.

  S5: Next, the participant B operates the terminal device 10B to check in the conference room B.

  S6: The check-in reception unit 13 of the terminal device 10B receives the check-in, and transmits a check-in request including the reservation ID and the code number to the conference reservation system 50 via the first communication unit 11.

  S7: The second communication unit 52 of the conference reservation system 50 acquires the check-in request, and the reservation management unit 51 receives the check-in. In this embodiment, it is assumed that authentication by a code number is established and check-in is permitted. The reservation manager 51 changes the status of the reservation information of the conference room B designated by the reservation ID to “checked in”. The connection destination specifying unit 54 specifies the remote conference device 30B in the conference room B and the remote conference device 30A in the connection destination conference room A based on the reservation information. The process of step S7 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  S8: Since the statuses of the conference rooms A and B have been changed to checked-in, the remote conference start notifying unit 53 of the conference reservation system 50 connects the connection destination information of the remote conference device 30 specified by the connection destination specifying unit 54. A remote conference start notification obtained from the destination information DB 56 and including this connection destination information is transmitted to the terminal device 10B. In FIG. 11, the activation request is omitted.

  S9: The remote conference start notification receiving unit 15 of the terminal device 10B receives the remote conference start notification via the first communication unit 11, and the remote conference device communication unit 16 transmits the remote conference start notification to the remote conference device 30B. Request connection with.

  S10: The third communication unit 32 of the remote conference device 30B receives the remote conference start notification, and the remote communication unit 33 connects to the remote conference device 30A using the connection destination information. In addition, video and audio transmitted and received between the remote conference devices may be directly transmitted and received between the remote conference devices via a network, or may be transmitted and received via a device such as a server of the remote conference system. .

  S11: The third communication unit 32 of the remote conference device 30B transmits a start OK indicating that the remote conference start notification has been normally received to the terminal device 10B. The start OK may be simple reception confirmation (HTTP response 200) on the premise that the remote conference apparatus 30 is normal, but preferably it means that the remote conference apparatus 30A can be connected.

  S12: The remote conference device communication unit 16 of the terminal device 10B receives the start OK, and the first communication unit 11 transmits the start OK together with the reservation ID to the conference reservation system 50. Thereby, the reservation management unit 51 of the conference reservation system 50 can change the status of the conference room B of the reservation information specified by the reservation ID to “conference started”. In addition, the remote conference device 30A in the conference room A also transmits to the conference reservation system 50 via the terminal device 10B that it has been connected to the remote conference device 30B. The reservation manager 51 can change the status of the conference room A of the reservation information specified by the reservation ID to “conference started”.

  When a remote conference is performed at three or more bases, the terminal device 10B may request connection to the remaining terminal devices (for example, the terminal device 10C). Whether or not a connection request is required depends on the specifications of the remote conference device. For example, when the terminal device 10C is already in a remote conference with the terminal device 10A, the terminal device 10B may not need to make a connection request to the terminal device 10C.

  In this embodiment, in order to start a remote conference, it is assumed that one of the two remote conference devices 30A and 30B has only to connect to the other party. For this reason, either the remote conference device 30A or the remote conference device 30B may connect to the other party. When the remote conference device 30A and the remote conference device 30B need to connect to each other, the terminal device 10A makes a connection request to the terminal device 10B.

  As described above, the conference reservation system 50 can specify the remote conference device 30 that performs the remote conference based on the reservation information, and dynamically switch the connection destination to start the remote conference.

  FIG. 12 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the conference reservation system 50 transmits a remote conference start notification to each terminal device 10. The process in FIG. 12 starts when the status of the conference room is changed to checked-in.

  The connection destination specifying unit 54 refers to the reservation information whose status has been changed to checked-in, and determines whether or not it has been checked-in in two or more conference rooms (S101). If only one conference room has already been checked in, one remote conference device 30 should not be connected to the other remote conference device 30, so the remote conference start notification unit 53 waits at the terminal device 10 in the checked-in conference room. A notification is transmitted (S109).

  When the check-in has been completed in two or more conference rooms (Yes in S101), the connection destination specifying unit 54 acquires all the remote conference apparatuses 30 in the checked-in conference room from the reservation information (S102). For example, when the reservation information as shown in FIG. 7 is stored, the name of the remote conference device included in the participant is collated with the name of the remote conference device held in advance, and the connection destination information DB 56 is referred to. By specifying the connection destination information associated with the name of the remote conference device, the remote conference device to be connected is specified. The remote conference device 30 whose status is already connected to the conference may be excluded.

  Next, the connection destination specifying unit 54 determines one remote conference device (this is called a connection destination remote conference device) as a connection destination one by one from those specified in step S102 (S103). The order of determination may be arbitrary. For example, if there is a remote conference device 30A, B whose reservation information status is already checked in, the remote conference device 30A, B is determined.

  Next, the connection destination specifying unit 54 determines whether or not the connection destination remote conference device and the remote conference device 30 that is the transmission destination of the remote conference start notification are the same (S104). The remote conference device 30 that is the transmission destination of the remote conference start notification is the remote conference device 30 in the conference room whose status is changed to checked-in. That is, the remote conference device 30 is connected to the terminal device 10 that is the trigger of the processing of FIG.

  When the determination in step S104 is Yes, for example, the remote conference device 30A is the remote conference device and the remote conference device to which the remote conference start notification is transmitted is the remote conference device 30A. The process proceeds to step S106.

  When the determination in step S104 is No, in order to connect the remote conference device 30 that is the destination of the remote conference start notification to the connection destination remote conference device, the connection destination specifying unit 54 is the remote conference device 30 that is the destination of the remote conference start notification. On the other hand, it is determined that the connection destination information of the connection destination remote conference device is transmitted. As a result, the remote conference start notification unit 53 transmits a remote conference start notification (connection destination information) to the remote conference device 30 that is the transmission destination of the remote conference start notification (S105).

  Next, the connection destination specifying unit 54 determines whether or not the processing has been completed for all connection destination remote conference devices (S106). If the determination in step S106 is No, the process returns to step S103. If the determination in step S106 is Yes, the process in FIG. 12 ends.

  By such processing, the conference reservation system 50 can connect the remote conference device 30 in the checked-in conference room to all other remote conference devices 30.

  11 and 12, the conference reservation system 50 transmits a remote conference start notification to the terminal device 10 upon check-in. However, the connection destination can be determined after the conference reservation system 50 acquires the reservation information from the schedule management system 60. For example, the connection destination may be determined following step S2.1 in FIG. However, the remote conference start notification is preferably transmitted after the conference rooms at the two bases have been checked in. However, only the connection destination information included in the remote conference start notification may be transmitted prior to the remote conference start notification. At step S2.1 in FIG. 10, there is no checked-in conference room. Therefore, in the process in FIG. 12, all the remote conferences performed in step S102 are performed regardless of whether the reservation information status is checked-in. What is necessary is just to acquire a remote conference apparatus.

  Moreover, although it demonstrated that the process of FIG. 12 was performed by the conference reservation system 50, the terminal device 10 can perform it. The terminal device 10 has a connection destination information DB 56, and performs the processing of FIG. 12 to notify the remote conference device 30 in the same conference room of the remote conference device 30 of the connection destination. Further, the remote conference apparatus 30 may perform the process of FIG.

<When the reservation information is separated for each conference room>
In the reservation information shown in FIG. 7, two conference rooms for performing a remote conference are registered with one reservation information. However, some reservation persons may make reservations for each conference room.

  FIG. 13 shows another example of reservation information. In FIG. 13, conference rooms A and B are reserved separately, FIG. 13 (a) shows the reservation information for conference room A, and FIG. 13 (b) shows the reservation information for conference room B. It is known to a reservation person that a conference reserved with these two reservation information performs a remote conference.

  Participants in the reservation information A are Mr. A, Mr. B, the conference room A, and the remote conference device 30B. In other words, the reservation person sets the remote conference device 30B of the conference room B that conducts the remote conference with the conference room A as the reservation information participant. Similarly, the participants of the reservation information B are Mr. C, the conference room B, and the remote conference device 30A. The reservation person sets the remote conference device 30 </ b> A of the conference room A that conducts the remote conference with the conference room B as a participant of the reservation information.

  The reservation person knows the information that the conference rooms A and B hold a remote conference from a participant or another reservation person, and is used in the remote conference device 30B used in the conference room B and the conference room A. The remote conference device 30A is set as a participant.

  In the case of such reservation information, the connection destination specifying unit 54 can specify the remote conference device 30 that is the connection destination based on the remote conference devices 30A and 30B that are the participants. For example, when the reservation information of a conference held in the same time period is extracted and the remote conference device 30 is set as a participant of one of the reservation information, it can be determined that the remote conference device 30 is a connection destination.

  The connection destination specifying unit 54 merges the reservation information participants as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, which are determined to be a remote conference by the remote conference device 30, and treats them as one participant as shown in FIG. . That is, it is handled as a participant of one reservation information by eliminating duplication of participants. Thus, the remote conference apparatus 30 that transmits the connection destination information can be specified by the process as shown in FIG.

  Note that it is not always necessary to merge the participants of the reservation information in FIGS. 13A and 13B, and when they are changed to check-in each other, the remote conference device 30A that is a participant in the reservation information in FIG. The remote conference start notification unit 53 may transmit a remote conference start notification to the terminal device 10 in the conference room B (the one with the later check-in).

  Thus, even if reservation information is registered for each conference room, the conference reservation system 50 determines the other remote conference device 30 to which one remote conference device 30 is connected based on the remote conference device 30 included in the reservation information. Can be switched dynamically.

<When the conference room is not associated with the remote conference device>
As shown in Table 1, if there is the connection destination information DB 56 and the conference room and the remote conference device 30 are associated, the conference reservation system 50 identifies the remote conference device 30 from the conference room, and from the remote conference device 30 Identify meeting rooms.

  However, if there is no connection destination information DB 56, the conference reservation system 50 cannot specify the connection destination even if only the conference room is set in the reservation information. In such a case, the reservation person sets the connection destination information itself as a participant or the like.

  FIG. 14 is an example of a reservation screen 501 in which connection destination information is set for a participant. In FIG. 14, two pieces of connection destination information 509 are registered for the participant. A list of which conference room 30 is set in which conference room is distributed to the reservation person by e-mail, paper or the like. The reservation person sets the connection destination information of the remote conference apparatus 30 that should be used in the conference room where the remote conference is performed to the participant.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the connection destination information may be set other than the participant column 508. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of setting connection destination information on the reservation screen. FIG. 15A shows connection destination information set in the title field 502. In the title column 502, connection destination information is set in a format of “ID: connection destination information” with a space in the title. This connection destination information is connection destination information of a remote conference destination. In this case, in step S102 in FIG. 12, the remote conference device to be connected is specified based on the title column and memo column of the reservation information. In this case, it is possible to specify the remote conference device as the connection destination without referring to the connection destination information DB 56.

  Although the number is one in FIG. 15A, the reservation person can set a plurality of pieces of connection destination information by dividing “ID: connection destination information” by a space or the like. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 15B, connection destination information may be set in the memo column 507, and it is only necessary that the connection destination information is included in the reservation information.

<When clearly indicating the use of the remote conference device>
When the conference room is associated with the remote conference device 30 as shown in the connection destination information DB 56, if the reservation person sets the conference room in the participant column 508, the connection destination specifying unit 54 refers to the connection destination information DB 56. Thus, the other remote conference apparatus 30 to which one remote conference apparatus 30 is connected can be specified. However, there is a case where the reservation person does not want to connect one remote conference device 30 to the other remote conference device 30. In preparation for such a case, it is possible to explicitly set the reservation information that the reservation person uses the remote conference device 30 in the reservation information.

  FIG. 16 shows an example of the reservation screen 501. In the reservation screen 501 of FIG. 16, the remote conference device 30 is not set in the participant column 508. However, two remote conference devices 30A and 30B are registered in the memo column 507. The conference reservation system 50 includes the connection destination information DB 56, but does not determine that the remote conference device 30 is used from the conference room in the participant column 508. It is determined that the remote conference device 30 is used only when the remote conference device 30 is registered in the memo field 507.

  By doing so, the reservation person can connect one remote conference device 30 to the other remote conference device 30 only when he / she wants to use the remote conference device 30. Note that the description in the memo column 507 is an example, and the remote conference device 30 may be set anywhere in the reservation information including the participant column 508. If the remote conference device 30 is set in the reservation information, it is determined that the reservation person has an explicit intention to use the remote conference device 30. For example, a check box may be provided and the reservation person may set whether or not to use the remote conference device 30.

<Summary>
As described above, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment can specify a plurality of remote conference apparatuses 30A and 30B that perform a remote conference by using reservation information related to conference room reservation. In addition, since the remote conference is performed after the participants check-in to both conference rooms where the remote conference is performed, the remote conference is not performed with the conference room where no one is present. In addition, the participant only has to input a check-in operation for using the conference room to the terminal device 10, and it is possible to omit manually inputting connection destination information of the remote conference.

  In the present embodiment, even if it is not possible to directly determine from the reservation information that the remote conference is to be performed, the remote conference device 30 is identified from the reservation information regarding the conference room where the remote conference is performed, A communication system 1 that is dynamically connected will be described.

<Outline of communication system of the embodiment>
When a plurality of conference rooms are reserved in the same time zone, the communication system 1 of the present embodiment compares the conference room reservation information and identifies a plurality of conference rooms in which a remote conference is performed.

FIG. 17 is an example of a diagram illustrating an outline until the remote conference device 30 starts a remote conference.
(1) Participant B operates terminal device 10B in conference room B to check in conference room B. Participant A has already checked in to conference room A.
(2) The conference reservation system 50 specifies reservation information for the conference room A reserved in the same time zone as the conference room B.
(3) The conference reservation system 50 compares the two reservation information of the conference rooms A and B, and determines whether or not to conduct a remote conference. For example, if the participants are overlapped, it is determined that the conference rooms A and B hold a remote conference. In FIG. 17, participants A, B, and C overlap.
(4) The conference reservation system 50 transmits a remote conference start notification with the remote conference device 30A in the conference room A as the connection destination to the terminal device 10B in the conference room B.
(5) The remote conference device 30B designates the remote conference device 30A with the connection destination information and starts the remote conference.

  As described above, in addition to the effect of the first embodiment, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment uses the reservation information in the conference room, even if the connection destination information and the remote conference device are not set in the reservation information. The remote conference device 30 in the other conference room can be dynamically connected to the remote conference device 30 in the other conference room.

  In the present embodiment, the components denoted by the same reference numerals in FIGS. 2 to 4 perform the same function, and therefore, only the main components of the present embodiment may be mainly described.

<About functions>
Next, functions of the terminal device 10, the conference reservation system 50, and the remote conference device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of FIG. 18, differences from FIG. 5 are mainly described. The functions of the terminal device 10 and the remote conference device 30 may be the same as those in FIG. The conference reservation system 50 is different from FIG. 5 in that it includes a reservation information comparison unit 58.

  The reservation information comparison unit 58 acquires the conference time zone of the reservation information, acquires reservation information of the same time zone from the reservation information DB 57, and compares the reservation information. For example, at least one of the participant and the title is compared. Thereby, reservation information of a plurality of conference rooms in which a remote conference is performed is detected. Since the remote conference device 30 is included in the reservation information of a plurality of conference rooms where the remote conference is performed, the reservation information comparison unit 58 specifies the other remote conference device 30 to which one remote conference device 30 is connected. be able to. Therefore, it has the same function as that of the connection destination specifying unit 54 in that the other remote conference device 30 of the connection destination is specified.

<Example of reservation information>
As in the first embodiment, the reservation information set on the reservation screen 501 is transmitted to the schedule management system 60. However, in this embodiment, the remote conference device 30 in the other conference room is sent to a participant in one conference room. Not registered.

  The reservation information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 19 shows an example of reservation information of this embodiment. 19A is reservation information 1 for conference room A, and FIG. 19B is reservation information 2 for conference room B. In this embodiment, there is an item of remote conference reservation information, which will be described later.

  Although different conference rooms are reserved in the reservation information 1 and 2, a remote conference is scheduled to be held in these two conference rooms. The possibility that a remote conference can be held in two conference rooms can be estimated from the same conference time zone. However, not all conferences held in the same time zone will be remote conferences.

When a remote conference is held in two conference rooms, it is conceivable that the participants are common. The following three types are considered as the participants set when the reservation person reserves the conference room.
(i) Set the reservation information only for the participants who visit each conference room and participate in the conference.
(ii) Regardless of which conference room is used to attend the conference, all the participants are set in the two reservation information.
(iii) Although one or more participants are overlapped, the participants are set in the reservation information without considering which conference room to go to participate in the conference.

  Therefore, if it is not the setting method of (i), there are one or more participants who overlap the participants of the two reservation information.

  For example, the participant of the reservation information 1 is “Mr. A, Mr. B”, and the participant of the reservation information 2 is “Mr. B, Mr. C”. The reservation information comparison unit 58 of the conference reservation system 50 can detect the reservation information of the two conference rooms where the conference is performed remotely because the same “Mr. B” is included in the participants.

  However, as shown in (i) above, when the participants of the two reservation information do not overlap at all, it may not be possible to detect that the conference is performed remotely. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, it is effective to determine whether or not to hold the conference remotely based on the title.

  The participants of the reservation information 3 are “Mr. A, Mr. B”, and the participants of the reservation information 4 are “Mr. C, D”. Therefore, no one participant is in common. However, the reservation information 3 and 4 both have the title “A product patent review meeting”. Therefore, the reservation information comparison unit 58 of the conference reservation system 50 can detect that the conference is performed remotely when the titles are the same. By doing this, it is possible to specify the reservation information of the conference room where the remote conference is held even if the participants are not in common.

  When the reservation information of the conference room where the conference is held remotely is detected, the reservation information comparison unit 58 sets the reservation ID of the other reservation information in the remote conference reservation information of the one reservation information. Similarly, the reservation information comparison unit 58 sets the reservation ID of one reservation information in the remote conference reservation information of the other reservation information. By doing so, it is possible to associate two pieces of reservation information set for performing a remote conference.

  In this way, when it is detected that the same conference is performed remotely, the reservation ID is set in the remote conference reservation information of the reservation information of each other that performs the same conference remotely. When a participant checks in, the conference reservation system 50 does not need to detect reservation information for remotely conducting the same conference.

<Operation procedure>
Hereinafter, the operation of the communication system 1 will be described with reference to the sequence diagram of FIG. The procedure for the reservation person to reserve the conference room and the terminal device 10 to acquire the reservation information may be the same as in FIG.

  FIG. 21 is an example of a sequence diagram illustrating a procedure in which one remote conference device 30 that performs a remote conference connects to the other remote conference device 30.

  S21: First, the participant A operates the terminal device 10A to check in the conference room A.

  S22: The check-in receiving unit 13 of the terminal device 10A receives the check-in, and transmits a check-in request including the reservation ID and the code number to the conference reservation system 50 via the first communication unit 11.

  S23: The second communication unit 52 of the conference reservation system 50 acquires the check-in request, and the reservation management unit 51 receives the check-in. In this embodiment, it is assumed that authentication by a code number is established and check-in is permitted. The reservation manager 51 changes the status of the reservation information to checked-in. Thereby, the reservation information comparison unit 58 compares the reservation information in the same time zone as the reservation information of the conference room A, and if there is the other conference room in which the remote conference is performed, this reservation information is specified. The reservation information comparison unit 58 sets a reservation ID in the remote conference reservation information of each reservation information.

  S24: Reservation information for the other conference room for remote conference was specified. However, since conference room B in which conference room A conducts a remote conference is not already checked in, remote conference start notification unit 53 of conference reservation system 50 transmits a standby notification to terminal device 10A. In FIG. 21, the activation request is omitted.

  S25: Next, the participant B checks in the conference room B by operating the terminal device 10B.

  S26: The check-in reception unit 13 of the terminal device 10B receives the check-in, and transmits a check-in request including the reservation ID and the code number to the conference reservation system 50 via the first communication unit 11.

  S27: The second communication unit 52 of the conference reservation system 50 acquires the check-in request, and the reservation management unit 51 receives the check-in. In this embodiment, it is assumed that authentication by a code number is established and check-in is permitted. The reservation manager 51 changes the status of the reservation information of the conference room B to “checked in”. When the reservation information comparison unit 58 refers to the reservation information of the conference room B, the reservation ID is already set in the remote conference reservation information, so that it is determined that there is no need to compare the reservation information.

  S28: Since the status of the reservation information of the conference rooms A and B has been changed to checked-in, the remote conference start notification unit 53 of the conference reservation system 50 uses the connection destination information of the remote conference device 30A of the conference room A as the connection destination. The remote conference device 30A is specified by acquiring from the information DB 56, and a remote conference start notification including this connection destination information is transmitted to the terminal device 10B. For example, when reservation information as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 is stored, the name of the remote conference device included in the participant of the reservation information is collated with the name of the remote conference device held in advance, and the connection destination information By referring to the DB 56 and specifying the connection destination information associated with the name of the remote conference device, the remote conference device to be connected is specified. The activation request is omitted.

  S29: The remote conference start notification receiving unit 15 of the terminal device 10B receives the remote conference start notification via the first communication unit 11, and the remote conference device communication unit 16 transmits the remote conference start notification to the remote conference device 30B. Request connection with.

  S30: The third communication unit 32 of the remote conference device 30B receives the remote conference start notification, and the remote communication unit 33 connects to the remote conference device 30A using the connection destination information.

  S31: The third communication unit 32 of the remote conference device 30B transmits a start OK indicating that the remote conference start notification has been normally received to the terminal device 10B.

  S32: The remote conference device communication unit 16 of the terminal device 10B receives the start OK, and the first communication unit 11 transmits the start OK together with the reservation ID to the conference reservation system 50. Thereby, the reservation management unit 51 of the conference reservation system 50 can change the status of the reservation information to “conference started”.

  In FIG. 21, if one of the two remote conference apparatuses 30 is connected, the other is a connection method that does not require connection, and only the remote conference apparatus 30B in the conference room B is the remote conference apparatus 30A in the conference room A. Is making a connection. However, only the remote conference device 30A in the conference room A may connect to the remote conference device 30B in the conference room B, or both the remote conference devices 30A and 30B may connect.

  Further, the comparison of the reservation information is possible after the reservation information is registered. In the present embodiment, the connection destination information may be transmitted to the terminal device 10 before the remote conference start notification.

<< Comparison of reservation information >>
Details of comparison of reservation information will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a procedure in which the reservation information comparison unit 58 compares reservation information. The process of FIG. 22 can be performed, for example, at the timing when new reservation information is acquired or when the status of reservation information is updated to check-in.

  The process in FIG. 22 is performed by paying attention to one piece of reservation information whose status is updated to check-in. This reservation information is called comparison source reservation information. The reservation information comparison unit 58 determines whether or not the participant of the comparison reservation information has the remote conference device 30 (S201).

  If the determination in step S201 is No, the remote conference is not performed in the first place, so the processing in FIG. 22 ends.

  If the determination in step S201 is Yes, the reservation information comparison unit 58 determines whether there is another reservation information in the same time zone as the comparison source reservation information (S202). The same time zone may include events that are held at exactly the same time, and time zones that overlap more than a threshold. In addition, a part of the time zone that overlaps may be included. Note that another reservation information in the same time zone as the comparison source reservation information is referred to as comparison target reservation information.

  If the determination in step S202 is No, the reservation information for the conference specified by the comparison source reservation information and the conference to be remotely conferenced cannot be found, so the remote conference start notification unit 53 includes the standby notification in the comparison source reservation information. It transmits to the remote conference apparatus 30 via the terminal device 10 (S207).

  If the determination in step S203 is Yes, the reservation information comparison unit 58 determines whether or not the remote conference device 30 is a participant of the comparison target reservation information (S203).

  If the determination in step S203 is No, the remote conference is not performed, so the process returns to step S202, and the next comparison target reservation information is determined.

  When the determination in step S203 is Yes, the reservation information comparison unit 58 determines whether or not the comparison source and the participants of the reservation information to be compared match at least partially (S204).

  If the determination in step S204 is No, the remote conference is not performed, so the process returns to step S202, and the next comparison target reservation information is determined.

  When the determination in step S204 is Yes, the reservation information comparison unit 58 determines whether the status of the comparison target reservation information is already checked in (S205).

  If the determination in step S205 is No, it should not be connected to the remote conference device 30 included in the comparison target reservation information, so the process returns to step S202, and the next comparison target reservation information is set as the determination target. When the processing returns to step S202 in steps S203, S204, and S205, the remote conference start notification unit 53 sends the standby notification to the remote conference device 30 included in the comparison source reservation information when the comparison target is lost. (S207).

  If the determination in step S205 is Yes, since the remote conference device 30 included in the comparison source reservation information can be connected to the remote conference device 30 included in the comparison target reservation information, the remote conference start notification unit 53 connects the comparison target. A remote conference start notification is transmitted to the comparison-source remote conference device 30 via the terminal device 10 (S206).

  As described above, the conference reservation system 50 identifies the two conference rooms for the remote conference from the reservation information, and changes from one remote conference device 30 to the other remote conference device 30 used in the two conference rooms. Can be connected.

  Note that when the determination is made based on the title of the reservation information, the titles may be compared in step S204. You may compare titles with participants.

<Example of screen displayed by terminal device>
An example of a screen displayed by the terminal device 10 when starting a remote conference will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 23A shows an example of a check-in confirmation screen 531 displayed by the terminal device 10A in the conference room A after check-in. The check-in confirmation screen 531 in FIG. 23A is displayed in step 24 in FIG. The check-in confirmation screen 531 displays a message 532 “Checked in” and a message 533 “Please wait for the start of the remote conference until the check-in of the conference room B is completed”. Such a message is transmitted from the conference reservation system 50. The participant can understand that the check-in has not been completed in the conference room B by reading the message.

  FIG. 23B shows an example of a check-in confirmation screen 531 displayed by the terminal device 10B in the conference room B after check-in. The check-in confirmation screen 531 in FIG. 23B is displayed in step S28 in FIG. The check-in confirmation screen displays a message 532 “Check-in.” And a message 534 confirming whether or not the remote conference can be held. Such a message is transmitted from the conference reservation system 50. The participant can start the remote conference after reading the message and determining whether or not to conduct the remote conference.

  Note that the remote conference device 30B in the conference room B may automatically connect to the remote conference device 30A without displaying the message as shown in FIG.

<Summary>
As described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment uses the reservation information in the conference room even if the connection destination information and the remote conference device are not set in the reservation information. The remote conference device 30 in one conference room can be dynamically connected to the remote conference device 30 in the other conference room.

<Other application examples>
The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. And substitutions can be added.

  For example, the connection destination information is a non-overlapping number assigned to each remote conference device 30. If the remote conference device 30 can be specified or identified, the connection destination information functions as the connection destination information. For example, an e-mail address or a telephone number may be used. Further, the connection destination information may include alphabets and symbols.

  5 and the like are divided according to main functions in order to facilitate understanding of the processing of the terminal device 10, the conference reservation system 50, and the remote conference device 30. The present invention is not limited by the way of dividing the processing unit or the name. The terminal device 10, the conference reservation system 50, and the remote conference device 30 can be divided into more processing units according to the processing contents. Moreover, it can also divide | segment so that one process unit may contain many processes.

  The communication system 1 may include a plurality of conference reservation systems 50, and the functions of one conference reservation system 50 may be distributed among a plurality of server devices.

  The reservation information DB 57 is an example of a reservation information storage unit, the connection destination specifying unit 54 or the reservation information comparison unit 58 is an example of a communication terminal specifying unit, and the remote conference start notification unit 53 is an example of a connection request notification unit. Yes, the check-in reception unit 13 is an example of a reception unit, the first communication unit 11 is an example of a first communication unit, the second communication unit 52 is an example of a second communication unit, and a reservation management unit 51 is an example of reservation management means, and the connection destination information DB 56 is an example of correspondence information storage means.

1 Communication System 10 Terminal Device 30 Remote Conference Device 50 Conference Reservation System 60 Schedule Management System

JP 2010-056779 A

Claims (12)

A communication terminal that performs communication, and a terminal device connected to the communication terminal that mutually transmits and receives information to and from another communication terminal, and communication in which the terminal device and the information processing device communicate via the network A system,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Reservation information storage means in which reservation information related to the reservation of the base where the communication terminal is arranged is stored;
A communication terminal specifying means for specifying the other communication terminal to be a connection destination of the communication terminal based on the reservation information;
Connection request notifying means for transmitting a connection request for connecting the communication terminal to the other communication terminal specified by the communication terminal specifying means, to the terminal device;
A communication system. The terminal device
A receiving means for receiving a request to start using the base;
First communication means for transmitting the base use start request received by the receiving means to the information processing apparatus;
The information processing apparatus includes:
A second communication means for receiving a use start request for the base from the terminal device;
Reservation management means for registering the start of use of the base in the reservation information of the base that has transmitted the use start request when the second communication means receives the use start request;
When the use start of the base is registered in both the reservation information of one base and the reservation information of the other base where the other communication terminal is arranged, the connection request notification means The communication system according to claim 1, wherein: is transmitted to the terminal device at the one base. The first communication means of the terminal device acquires reservation identification information of the reservation information related to a reservation of the base where the terminal device is installed before accepting the use start request from the information processing device,
When the use start request for the base is received, the reservation identification information is transmitted to the information processing apparatus,
The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the reservation management unit registers start of use of the base in the reservation information specified by the reservation identification information. The reservation information includes identification information of the communication terminal,
The communication terminal specifying unit specifies the other communication terminal to be a connection destination of the communication terminal arranged at one base based on the identification information of the communication terminal included in the reservation information. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The reservation information relating to the reservation of one of the bases includes the identification information of the communication terminal of the one base and the identification information of the other communication terminal,
The said communication terminal specific | specification part acquires the identification information of said other communication terminal from the said reservation information as a connecting point of the said communication terminal arrange | positioned at said one base, The said information is characterized by the above-mentioned. Communications system. The reservation information of the one base includes identification information of the other communication terminal, and the reservation information of the other base where the other communication terminal is disposed is disposed at the one base Identification information of the communication terminal is included,
The communication terminal specifying unit obtains identification information of the communication terminal arranged at the other base from the reservation information at the one base as a connection destination of the communication terminal arranged at the one base. The communication system according to claim 4.   The communication according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the reservation information has a user field in which a user who uses the communication terminal is set, and the identification information of the communication terminal is set in the user field. system. The reservation information of one base includes identification information of the communication terminal arranged in the one base, and the reservation information of the other base in which the other communication terminal is arranged includes the other information Includes identification information of the communication terminal located at the base,
The communication terminal specifying means specifies the reservation information that includes the same information as the one reservation information, so that the communication terminal that is arranged at the one base is connected to the other base. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a communication terminal is specified. The reservation information has a user field in which a user who uses the communication terminal is set,
The communication terminal specifying means reserves the other base in the same time zone as the reservation information of the one base, and specifies the reservation information that is duplicated by one or more users in the user column. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein the communication terminal of the other base that is a connection destination of the communication terminal arranged at the one base is specified. The reservation information has a title field in which a title of the reservation information is set,
The communication terminal specifying means reserves the other base at the same time zone as the reservation information of the one base, and specifies the reservation information having the same title, so that the communication terminal specifying means is arranged at the one base. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein the communication terminal of the other base that is a connection destination of the communication terminal is specified. A communication terminal that performs communication, and a terminal device that is connected to the communication terminal that mutually transmits and receives information with another communication terminal, and an information processing device that is connected to the terminal device and the network,
Reservation information storage means in which reservation information related to the reservation of the base where the communication terminal is arranged is stored;
A communication terminal specifying means for specifying the other communication terminal to be a connection destination of the communication terminal based on the reservation information;
Connection request notifying means for transmitting a connection request for connecting the communication terminal to the other communication terminal specified by the communication terminal specifying means, to the terminal device;
An information processing apparatus. A communication terminal that communicates with another communication terminal that exchanges information with each other via a network, a terminal device connected to the communication terminal, and an information processing apparatus via the terminal device and the network,
With reference to reservation information storage means storing reservation information related to the reservation of the base where the communication terminal is located,
A communication terminal specifying means for specifying the other communication terminal to be a connection destination of the communication terminal based on the reservation information;
Connection request notifying means for transmitting a connection request for connecting the communication terminal to the other communication terminal specified by the communication terminal specifying means, to the terminal device;
Program to function as.

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