JP2023025338A - Conference support system, conference support method, and conference support program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a conference support system, a conference support method, and a conference support program, which can start a conference at an appropriate timing.SOLUTION: A conference support system includes an acquisition processing unit configured to acquire conference information including at least user information about a user participating in a conference, a determination processing unit configured to determine whether a conference start condition is satisfied based on the conference information acquired by the acquisition processing unit, and a conference processing unit configured to cause a device used for the conference to execute a conference support application when the start condition is satisfied.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a conference support system, a conference support method, and a conference support program.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, conference systems (online conferences) have been introduced in which audio, video, files, and the like are transmitted and received via a network at locations separated from each other. Further, conventionally, there has been proposed a technique for executing a conference support application, which is a program for realizing an online conference, based on the number of recognized user terminals of users participating in the conference (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-223339 A

However, in the conventional technology, the conference starts when the number of user terminals reaches a predetermined number. Even when the participants are relaxed, the problem arises that the conference is automatically started.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conference support system, a conference support method, and a conference support program capable of starting a conference at an appropriate timing.

A conference support system according to one aspect of the present invention is a conference support system that supports a conference in which a plurality of users participate, and includes an acquisition processing unit that acquires conference information including at least user information about users participating in the conference. a determination processing unit that determines whether or not a condition for starting the conference is satisfied based on the conference information acquired by the acquisition processing unit; and a device that is used for the conference if the condition for starting the conference is satisfied. and a conference processing unit that executes a conference support application in.

A conference support method according to another aspect of the present invention is a conference support method for supporting a conference in which a plurality of users participate, wherein one or more processors include user information about at least users participating in the conference. an acquisition step of acquiring information; a determination step of determining whether or not conditions for starting the conference are satisfied based on the conference information acquired in the acquisition step; a conferencing step of running a conferencing support application on the equipment utilized.

A conference support program according to another aspect of the present invention is a conference support program for supporting a conference in which a plurality of users participate, comprising: an obtaining step of obtaining conference information including at least user information about users participating in the conference; a determination step of determining whether or not a condition for starting the conference is satisfied based on the conference information obtained in the obtaining step; a conferencing step of executing an application; and a program for causing one or more processors to execute.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a conference support system, a conference support method, and a conference support program capable of starting a conference at an appropriate timing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the conference system according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a conference reservation information management table according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a conference room information management table according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a device information management table according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a user information management table according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a conference information screen displayed on the user terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a start screen displayed on the user terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a standby screen displayed on the user terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a conference support screen displayed on the user terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a conference screen displayed on the display according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the procedure of conference support processing executed by the user terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the procedure of conference support processing executed by the management server according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiment is an example that embodies the present invention, and does not have the character of limiting the technical scope of the present invention.

The conference support system according to the present invention can be applied, for example, to online conferences in which a plurality of users participate in different locations (such as conference rooms). The conference system according to this embodiment is an example of the conference support system of the present invention. For example, in the conference system according to the present embodiment, user terminals used by users participating in the conference, displays for displaying conference screens such as materials used in the conference, and the like are arranged in the conference room. The conference system also includes a management server that manages information such as conferences, conference rooms, and equipment used in the conference.

[Conference system 100]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conference system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The conference system 100 includes a management server 1 , user terminals 2 and displays 3 . A conference system 100 is a system that supports a conference in which a plurality of users participate.

FIG. 1 shows conference room 1 and conference room 2 . Here, an example is shown in which users U1 and U2 participate in a conference in conference room 1, users U3 and U4 participate in a conference in conference room 2, and an online conference is held by connecting conference rooms 1 and 2. there is In a conference room 1, two user terminals 2 owned by users U1 and U2, and a display 3 capable of displaying display screens of the user terminals 2, conference materials, and the like are arranged. In the conference room 2, two user terminals 2 owned by each of the users U3 and U4 and a display 3 capable of displaying the display screen of the user terminal 2 and materials for the conference are arranged. The conference system 100 can hold an online conference in the conference room 1 and the conference room 2 by executing the conference support application installed in each user terminal 2 . The conference system 100 is configured such that each conference room is connected to a microphone speaker device and a camera that can be connected to the user terminal 2, so that two-way communication of voice and camera video is possible. The microphone speaker device and camera may be built into the user terminal 2 . The display 3, the microphone speaker device, and the camera are examples of conference room equipment installed in the conference room.

The management server 1 is constructed by, for example, one or a plurality of server devices (for example, virtual servers). The user terminal 2 is a terminal device that a user who participates in a conference brings into the conference room, such as a personal computer (PC) or a smart phone.

The management server 1 and user terminals 2 are connected to each other via a network N1. The network N1 is a communication network such as the Internet, LAN, WAN, or public telephone line. Also, the user terminal 2 and conference room equipment (display 3, microphone speaker device, camera, etc.) are connected by a wired LAN or a wireless LAN.

[Management Server 1]
As shown in FIG. 2, the management server 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, an operation display unit 13, a communication unit 14, and the like. The management server 1 may be one or more virtual servers (cloud servers), or one or more physical servers.

The communication unit 14 connects the management server 1 to the network N1 by wire or wirelessly, and executes data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with another device (for example, the user terminal 2) via the network N1. communication department.

The operation display unit 13 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that receives operations. The operation display unit 13 receives an operation by an administrator of the management server 1, for example.

The storage unit 12 is a nonvolatile storage unit such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory that stores various types of information. The storage unit 12 stores a control program such as a conference support program for causing the control unit 11 to execute a conference support process (see FIG. 13), which will be described later. For example, the conference support program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or DVD drive provided in the management server 1, and stored. stored in the unit 12; Note that the meeting support program may be distributed from a cloud server and stored in the storage unit 12 .

The storage unit 12 also stores a management table containing various information for supporting the conference. Specifically, the storage unit 12 stores a conference reservation information management table T1 that manages conference information regarding conference reservations, a conference room information management table T2 that manages conference room information regarding conference rooms, and a conference room information management table T2. Data such as a device information management table T3 for managing device information about conference room devices and a user information management table T4 for managing user information about users are stored.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the conference reservation information management table T1. The conference reservation information management table T1 registers conference information in which information such as date, time, conference room ID, conference name, reservation person ID, conference URL, participants, and conference materials are associated with each other for each conference. It is The conference room ID is identification information of the conference room where the conference is held. The reservation person ID is identification information for identifying the user who reserved the conference. The conference URL is access information (connection information) for connecting when starting a conference. For example, the meeting support application accesses the meeting URL to activate an online meeting application (such as a general-purpose meeting application) corresponding to the meeting URL and connect to the connection destination ID (meeting ID). The conference material is material used in the conference. For example, when the holding of the conference is decided, the reservation person performs a reservation operation of inputting the conference information including the above information on his/her own PC (user terminal 2 or the like). The control unit 11 registers the conference information in the conference reservation information management table T1 according to the reservation operation of the reservation person. Note that the management server 1 may not include the function of managing the conference reservation information including the conference information. For example, when an external server different from the management server 1 provides a service (for example, a calendar service) for managing the conference reservation information, the management server 1 accesses the external server to refer to the conference reservation information, Conference information corresponding to the conference room ID and the reservation person ID may be acquired.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the conference room information management table T2. In the conference room information management table T2, conference room information in which information such as a conference room ID, a conference room name, and a device ID are associated with each other is registered for each conference room. The device ID is identification information of a device (display 3, microphone speaker device, camera, etc.) installed in the conference room. Conference room information for each conference room is registered in the conference room information management table T2 in advance by a registration operation of a manager or the like.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the device ID "D0011" is the identification information of the display 3 installed in the conference room 1, and the device ID "D0021" is the identification of the microphone speaker device installed in the conference room 1. The device ID “D0031” is the identification information of the camera installed in the conference room 1 . Further, the device ID "D0012" is identification information of the display 3 installed in the conference room 2, and the device ID "D0022" is identification information of the microphone speaker device installed in the conference room 2. ID “D0032” is identification information of the camera installed in the conference room 2 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the device information management table T3. In the device information management table T3, device information in which information such as a device ID, a device name, and an IP address are associated with each other is registered for each conference room device installed in the conference room. In the device information management table T3, device information for each device is registered in advance by a registration operation of an administrator or the like. The conference room equipment is not limited to the display 3, the microphone speaker device, and the camera, and may be a printer, a lighting device, an air conditioner, and the like.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the user information management table T4. In the user information management table T4, user information in which information such as a user ID, user name, and authentication information are associated with each other is registered for each user. A user ID and authentication information (such as a password) are used as login information when logging into the conference support application. User information for each user is registered in advance in the user information management table T4 by the user's registration operation.

Part or all of the conference reservation information management table T1, the conference room information management table T2, the device information management table T3, and the user information management table T4 may be stored in a server accessible from the management server 1.

The control unit 11 has control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various kinds of arithmetic processing. The ROM stores in advance control programs such as BIOS and OS for causing the CPU to execute various processes. The RAM stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 11 controls the management server 1 by causing the CPU to execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or storage unit 12 .

Specifically, the control unit 11 includes various processing units such as an acquisition processing unit 111, a determination processing unit 112, a conference processing unit 113, a notification processing unit 114, and the like. The control unit 11 functions as the various processing units by executing various processing according to the conference support program. Also, part or all of the processing units included in the control unit 11 may be configured by electronic circuits. The conference support program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the various processing units.

The acquisition processing unit 111 acquires a conference start instruction and position information from the user terminal 2 . Although the details will be described later, for example, when the user U1 who participates in the conference in the conference room 1 performs an operation (start permission operation) to permit the start of the conference on the user terminal 2 (see FIG. 8), the user terminal 2 enters the conference. A start instruction and position information indicating the current position of the user terminal 2 (for example, conference room 1) are transmitted to the management server 1. FIG. For example, the user U1 presses the start button K1 on the start screen (see FIG. 8) displayed on the user terminal 2 when permitting the start of the conference. The acquisition processing unit 111 acquires a conference start instruction and position information transmitted from the user terminal 2 of the user U1. The acquisition processing unit 111 acquires a conference start instruction and location information from the user terminal 2 of each user. The start permitting operation is an example of the permitting operation of the present invention.

The acquisition processing unit 111 also refers to the conference reservation information management table T1 (see FIG. 3) of the storage unit 12 to acquire conference information including at least user information about users participating in the conference. Specifically, the acquisition processing unit 111 retrieves the conference information of the target conference from the conference reservation information management table T1 based on information such as the current date and time, the conference room (conference room ID) corresponding to the position information, and the participants. to get Here, the acquisition processing unit 111 acquires the meeting information of the "planning meeting" in which the user U1 participates. The acquisition processing unit 111 is an example of the acquisition processing unit of the present invention.

Based on the conference information acquired by the acquisition processing unit 111, the determination processing unit 112 determines whether or not the conditions for starting the conference are satisfied. Specifically, the determination processing unit 112 determines that the start condition is satisfied when one or more specific users among a plurality of users participating in the conference permit the start of the conference. Further, based on the conference information, the determination processing unit 112 determines whether or not the start condition is satisfied based on the information such as the scheduled start date and time, the conference room, the participants, etc., and the information on the user who has permitted the start of the conference. judge. The determination processing unit 112 is an example of the determination processing unit of the present invention.

For example, the determination processing unit 112 determines that the start condition is satisfied when at least two users among the users U1 to U4 participating in the "planning meeting" permit the start of the meeting. Further, for example, the determination processing unit 112 determines that, of users U1 to U4 participating in the “planning meeting”, at least one user in each meeting room (meeting rooms 1 and 2) permits the start of the meeting. It is determined that the start condition is satisfied. Further, for example, the determination processing unit 112 satisfies the start condition when a specific user, such as a conference host, a person in charge, or a presenter, among users U1 to U4 who participate in the “planning conference” permits the start of the conference. I judge. The specific user information (user ID) may be registered in advance in the conference information (see FIG. 3).

As another embodiment, the determination processing unit 112 may determine that the start condition is satisfied when all of the users participating in the conference permit the start of the conference.

The conference processing unit 113 causes the equipment used for the conference (the user terminal 2, the conference room equipment, etc.) to execute the conference support application when the start condition is satisfied. Specifically, the conference processing unit 113 causes the user terminal 2 to execute the conference support application. Also, the conference processing unit 113 connects the user terminal 2 and the conference room equipment. The conference processing unit 113 is an example of the conference processing unit of the present invention. Also, the user terminal 2 and the conference room equipment are examples of the equipment of the present invention.

For example, the conference processing unit 113 transmits conference start information to the user terminals 2 of the users U1 to U4 when the conditions for starting the "planning conference" are satisfied. The conference start information includes information for executing the conference support application (user ID, authentication information, login information, etc.), connection between the user terminal 2 and conference room equipment (display 3, microphone speaker device, camera, etc.). connection information (device ID, IP address, etc.) for

As another embodiment, the conference processing unit 113 may cause the conference support application to be executed when the start condition is satisfied and the scheduled start date and time of the conference has come.

When one or more of the users participating in the conference postpone the start of the conference, the notification processing unit 114 notifies the respective user terminals 2 of the plurality of users that the start of the conference will be postponed. . For example, the user U1 presses the postponement button K2 on the start screen (see FIG. 8) displayed on the user terminal 2 when the participation in the conference is delayed. The notification processing unit 114 acquires the conference postponement instruction transmitted from the user terminal 2 of the user U1. Upon acquiring the conference postponement instruction, the notification processing unit 114 notifies the user terminal 2 of each user of the conference delay information.

In addition, the notification processing unit 114 notifies the user terminal 2 of each user of the conference delay information when the scheduled start date and time comes when the conference start condition is not satisfied.

In addition to the above processing, the control unit 11, for example, stores a conference reservation information management table T1 (see FIG. 3), a conference room information management table T2 (see FIG. 4), a device information management table T3 (see FIG. 5), and A process of registering the user information management table T4 (see FIG. 6) is executed. For example, when a user reserves a conference on the user terminal 2, the control unit 11 registers the conference information in the conference reservation information management table T1.

[User terminal 2]
As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 2 includes a control section 21, a storage section 22, an operation display section 23, a communication section 24, and the like. The user terminal 2 is, for example, an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC), smart phone, or tablet terminal.

The communication unit 24 connects the user terminal 2 to the network N1 by wire or wirelessly, and executes data communication according to a predetermined communication protocol with another device (for example, the management server 1) via the network N1. communication department. Also, the user terminal 2 is connected to conference room equipment (display 3, microphone speaker device, camera, etc.) via a wired LAN or wireless LAN via the communication unit 24 .

The operation display unit 23 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various types of information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that receives operations. The operation display unit 23 receives, for example, the user's operation of the user terminal 2 .

The storage unit 22 is a nonvolatile storage unit such as an HDD, SSD, or flash memory that stores various types of information. The storage unit 22 stores a control program such as a conference support program for causing the control unit 21 to execute a conference support process (see FIG. 12), which will be described later. For example, the conference support program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and read and stored by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or DVD drive provided in the user terminal 2. Stored in unit 22 . Note that the meeting support program may be distributed from a cloud server and stored in the storage unit 22 .

The control unit 21 has control devices such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various kinds of arithmetic processing. The ROM stores in advance control programs such as BIOS and OS for causing the CPU to execute various processes. The RAM stores various information and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 21 controls the user terminal 2 by causing the CPU to execute various control programs pre-stored in the ROM or storage unit 22 .

Specifically, the control unit 21 includes various processing units such as a display processing unit 211, a reception processing unit 212, a conference processing unit 213, and the like. The control unit 21 functions as the various processing units by executing various types of processing according to the control program by the CPU. Also, part or all of the processing units included in the control unit 21 may be configured by electronic circuits. The control program may be a program for causing a plurality of processors to function as the various processing units.

The display processing unit 211 causes the operation display unit 23 to display various information. For example, the display processing unit 211 displays a conference information screen (see FIG. 7) that displays conference information acquired from the management server 1, a start screen that receives an operation for starting a conference (start permission operation) and an operation for postponing a conference (postponement operation). (see Fig. 8), the standby screen displayed after the start permission operation is performed until the meeting starts (see Fig. 9), the meeting support screen displayed during the meeting after the meeting starts (see Fig. 9). 10) is displayed.

For example, when the user U1 activates the user terminal 2, the control unit 11 receives, from the management server 1, the conference information (see FIG. 3) regarding the conference in which the user U1 participates and the current position of the user terminal 2 (for example, the conference room 1 ) (see FIG. 4). The display processing unit 211 causes the operation display unit 23 to display a conference information screen (see FIG. 7) including the conference information. FIG. 7 displays meeting information D1 of "planning meeting" and "budget meeting" in which user U1 participates.

Further, the display processing unit 211 causes the operation display unit 23 to display the start screen (see FIG. 8) for accepting the start permission operation from a predetermined time before the scheduled start date and time of the conference. For example, the display processing unit 211 causes the operation display unit 23 to display the start screen (see FIG. 8) five minutes before the scheduled start date and time of the “planning meeting” “April 10, 2021 10:30”. Further, the display processing unit 211 causes the start screen to count down the remaining time D2 until the meeting start time. The start screen is an example of a reception screen of the present invention.

The reception processing unit 212 receives various operations in the user terminal 2 of the user. For example, the reception processing unit 212 receives a start permission operation (an operation of pressing the start button K1 in FIG. 8) for permitting the start of the conference. Upon receiving the start permission operation, the reception processing unit 212 transmits a conference start instruction and position information to the management server 1 . Further, for example, the reception processing unit 212 receives a postponement operation (an operation of pressing the postponement button K2 in FIG. 8) representing being late for the meeting. Upon receiving the postponement operation, the reception processing unit 212 transmits a conference postponement instruction and location information to the management server 1 . Note that the control unit 21 acquires the position information of the user terminal 2 by communicating with a communication device (such as a beacon) installed in the conference room, for example.

When the reception processing unit 212 receives the start permission operation, the display processing unit 211 causes the operation display unit 23 to display a standby screen (see FIG. 9). In addition, the display processing unit 211 displays standby information D3 on the standby screen. Here, the display processing unit 211 determines the number of users U1 to U4 participating in the “planning meeting” who have not performed the start permission operation at this time, their names, and the number of users who have performed the start permission operation at this time. information (starting status information) such as the number of people and their names may be displayed on the standby screen.

Further, when the control unit 11 acquires the conference delay information from the management server 1, the display processing unit 211 causes the operation display unit 23 to display information indicating that the start of the conference will be delayed. For example, the display processing unit 211 may display a message such as “delayed schedule”, information on the user who performed the postponement operation, the scheduled meeting start time (delay time), etc. on the standby screen shown in FIG. 9 .

The conference processing unit 213 executes the conference support application. That is, the conference processing unit 213 causes the conference support application to be executed when the start condition is satisfied. Also, the conference processing unit 213 connects the user terminal 2 and the conference room equipment. Specifically, when the conference processing unit 213 acquires information (such as login information) for executing the conference support application included in the conference start information from the management server 1, the conference processing unit 213 activates the conference support application and logs in. Execute the process. Further, when the conference processing unit 213 acquires the connection information (device ID, IP address, etc.) included in the conference start information from the management server 1, the conference processing unit 213 connects the user terminal 2, the display 3, the microphone speaker device, and the camera. do. The conference processing unit 213 is an example of the conference processing unit of the present invention.

When the user terminal 2 and the display 3 are connected, the conference material A is displayed on the display 3 as shown in FIG. 11, for example. Also, the display 3 displays a conference support screen P1. The progress of the conference, the remaining time until the end of the conference, and the like are displayed on the conference support screen P1. Also, the conference processing unit 213 may cause the display screen of the user terminal 2 to be displayed on the display 3 .

The reception processing unit 212 also receives an instruction to end the conference from the user. When the reception processing unit 212 receives a conference end instruction from the user, the conference processing unit 213 ends the conference and logs off the conference support application.

In this embodiment, when each user terminal 2 acquires the conference start information from the management server 1, it connects to the conference room equipment and starts the conference support application. As a result, each user terminal 2 can be used to start a conference.

[Meeting support processing]
An example of the procedure of the conference support processing executed in the conference system 100 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG.

The present invention can be regarded as an invention of a conference support method (an example of the conference support method of the present invention) that executes one or more steps included in the conference support processing. Also, one or more steps included in the conference support processing described here may be omitted as appropriate. Further, each step in the conference support process may have a different execution order as long as the same action and effect are produced.

Furthermore, here, a case where the control unit 11 of the management server 1 and the control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 execute each step in the conference support process will be described as an example, but in another embodiment, one or more A processor may distribute and execute each step in the conference support process.

FIG. 12 shows an example of the procedure of the conference support process executed by the control unit 21 of the user terminal 2, and FIG. 13 shows an example of the procedure of the conference support process executed by the control unit 11 of the management server 1. there is

[Meeting support processing in user terminal 2]
In step S1 shown in FIG. 12, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 acquires conference information and device information. Specifically, for example, when the user U1 activates the user terminal 2, the control unit 21 receives the conference information (see FIG. 3) corresponding to the user U1 and the current position of the user terminal 2 (for example, conference information) from the management server 1. Acquire the device information (see FIG. 4) corresponding to the room 1).

Next, in step S2, the control unit 21 causes the operation display unit 23 to display a conference information screen (see FIG. 7) including the conference information.

Next, in step S3, the control unit 21 determines whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) before the scheduled start date and time of the meeting (for example, planning meeting) has come. Five minutes before the scheduled start date and time of the planning meeting, “April 10, 2021, 10:30” (S3: Yes), the process proceeds to step S4.

In step S4, the control unit 21 causes the operation display unit 23 to display a start screen (see FIG. 8). Further, the control unit 21 causes the start screen to count down the remaining time D2 until the start time of the meeting, and presses a start button K1 for accepting a start permitting operation for permitting the start of the conference, and a postponement operation indicating that the user will be late for the conference. A postponement button K2 to accept is displayed.

Next, in step S5, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the start permission operation has been accepted. When the control unit 21 accepts the start permission operation (S5: Yes), the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the control unit 21 causes the operation display unit 23 to display a standby screen (see FIG. 9). Further, the control unit 21 displays standby information D3 on the standby screen. In addition, the control unit 21 controls the number and names of users who have not performed the start permission operation at the present time among the users U1 to U4 participating in the "planning meeting", and the number of users who have performed the start permission operation at the present time. , name, etc. (start status information) may be displayed on the standby screen.

Next, in step S<b>7 , the control unit 21 transmits a conference start instruction and position information to the management server 1 . For example, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 of the user U1 transmits to the management server 1 a meeting start instruction for "planning meeting" and position information corresponding to the meeting room 1 in response to user U1's start permission operation.

Next, in step S<b>8 , the control section 21 determines whether or not the conference start information has been acquired from the management server 1 . When the control unit 21 acquires the conference start information (S8: Yes), the process proceeds to step S9. If the control unit 21 does not acquire the conference start information (S8: No), the process proceeds to step S81.

In step S9, when the control unit 21 acquires connection information (device ID, IP address, etc.) included in the conference start information, the control unit 21 connects the user terminal 2, the display 3, the microphone speaker device, and the camera.

Next, in step S10, when the control unit 21 acquires information (such as login information) for executing the conference support application included in the conference start information, the control unit 21 activates the conference support application and executes login processing. .

Next, in step S11, the control section 21 starts a conference. When the conference is started, the control unit 21 causes the display 3 to display the conference material (for example, the conference material A) used for the conference (see FIG. 11).

In step S<b>81 , the control unit 21 determines whether or not the conference delay information has been acquired from the management server 1 . When the control unit 21 acquires the conference delay information (S81: Yes), the process proceeds to step S82.

In step S82, the control unit 21 causes the operation display unit 23 to display information indicating that the start of the conference will be delayed. For example, the control unit 21 may display a message such as "delayed schedule", information on the user who performed the postponement operation, the scheduled meeting start time (delay time), etc. on the standby screen shown in FIG. After that, the process returns to step S8.

As another embodiment, in step S5, when the control unit 21 accepts a postponement operation (an operation of pressing the postponement button K2 in FIG. 8) representing being late for the meeting, it sends the meeting postponement instruction and the location information to the management server 1. You may send. After that, the process returns to step S5, and the control unit 21 waits until receiving a start permission operation from the user U1.

The control unit 21 of each user terminal 2 executes the conference support processing as described above.

[Meeting Support Processing in Management Server 1]
In step S21 shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 11 of the management server 1 determines whether or not the conference start instruction and the location information have been received from the user terminal 2. FIG. The control unit 11 receives the conference start instruction and location information from the plurality of user terminals 2 .

Next, in step S22, the control unit 11 acquires conference information. Specifically, the control unit 11 retrieves the conference information of the target conference from the conference reservation information management table T1 based on information such as the current date and time, the conference room (conference room ID) corresponding to the position information, and the participants. get. Here, the control unit 11 acquires the meeting information of "planning meeting".

Next, in step S23, the control unit 11 determines whether or not conditions for starting the conference are satisfied based on the conference information. Specifically, the control unit 11 determines that the start condition is satisfied when one or more specific users among the plurality of users participating in the conference permit the start of the conference. Further, based on the conference information, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the start condition is satisfied based on the information such as the scheduled start date and time, the conference room, the participants, etc., and the information on the user who has permitted the start of the conference. judge.

For example, the control unit 11 determines that the start condition is satisfied when at least two users among the users U1 to U4 participating in the "planning meeting" permit the start of the meeting. Further, for example, the control unit 11 allows at least one user in each conference room (conference rooms 1 and 2) among the users U1 to U4 participating in the "planning conference" to start the conference. It is determined that the conditions are satisfied. Further, for example, the control unit 11 determines that the start condition is satisfied when a specific user (organizer, person in charge, presenter, etc.) among users U1 to U4 participating in the "planning meeting" permits the start of the meeting. do.

Further, the control unit 11 may determine that the start condition is satisfied when all of the users participating in the conference permit the start of the conference.

When the control unit 11 determines that the start condition is satisfied (S23: Yes), the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, when the control unit 11 determines that the start condition is not satisfied (S23: No), the process proceeds to step S231.

In step S<b>24 , the control unit 11 transmits conference start information to each user terminal 2 . For example, when all of the users U1 to U4 are permitted to start the conference, the control unit 11 determines that the start condition is satisfied and transmits the conference start information to the user terminals 2 of the users U1 to U4. The conference start information includes information (login information, etc.) for executing the conference support application, and connection information for connecting each user terminal 2 and conference room equipment (display 3, microphone speaker device, camera, etc.). (equipment ID, IP address, etc.).

When the user terminal 2 receives the conference start information (step S8 in FIG. 12: Yes), the user terminal 2 connects the conference room equipment and activates the conference support application to start the conference.

In step S231, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the scheduled start date and time has come. If the scheduled start date and time has come (S231: Yes), the process proceeds to step S232. If it is not the scheduled start date and time (S231: No), the process returns to step S23.

In step S232, the control unit 11 notifies the user terminal 2 of each user of the conference delay information. For example, the control unit 11 notifies the user terminal 2 of each user of the conference delay information when the host of the conference does not permit the start of the conference and the start conditions are not satisfied. When the user terminal 2 receives the conference delay information (step S81 in FIG. 12: Yes), the user terminal 2 causes the operation display unit 23 to display information indicating that the start of the conference will be delayed.

As another embodiment, the control unit 11 may notify the user terminal 2 of each user of the conference delay information when receiving the conference postponement instruction and the location information from the user terminal 2 .

The control unit 11 of the management server 1 executes the conference support processing as described above.

As described above, the conference system 100 according to the present embodiment acquires conference information including at least user information about users participating in the conference, and based on the acquired conference information, determines whether the conference start condition is satisfied. determine whether Further, the conference system 100 causes the equipment used for the conference to execute the conference support application when the start condition is satisfied.

As a result, the conference is started when the conference start condition corresponding to the user information is satisfied. Therefore, for example, the conference can be started when all the users participating in the conference are present. Also, for example, the conference can be started when a specific user of the conference (organizer, person in charge, presenter, etc.) approves the start of the conference. In this way, the start timing of the conference can be controlled according to the status of the participants in the conference (participation possible, participation delay, etc.). Therefore, it becomes possible to start the conference at an appropriate timing.

In addition, since the conference is automatically started when the start condition is satisfied by the user's permission to start the conference, the user's operations for starting the conference can be reduced.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. As another embodiment, when each user terminal 2 activates the conference support application, the conference system 100 starts a conference at the timing when a device (for example, a headset) used by each user is connected to each user terminal 2. may start.

As another embodiment, the conference system 100 may start the conference according to the instruction of the user who first permitted the start of the conference when each user terminal 2 activates the conference support application.

As another embodiment, the conference system 100 may postpone the start of the planning conference, for example, when the user U2 scheduled to participate in the planning conference is participating in another conference. Also, in this case, the conference system 100 may notify the user terminal 2 of each user of the conference delay information.

As another embodiment, the conference system 100 sends predetermined information (conference information, conference delay information, etc.) to the user terminal 2 when the current position of the user terminal 2 is not a conference participation place (such as a conference room). may notify you. In this case, the conference system 100 does not automatically start the conference, but waits for the user's start permission operation.

As described above, the conference support system of the present invention may be composed of the management server 1 and the user terminals 2 as shown in FIG. may consist of

It should be noted that the conference support system of the present invention can be freely combined with the above-described embodiments within the scope of the invention described in each claim, or can be appropriately modified or partly omitted. It is also possible to configure by

1: Management server 2: User terminal 3: Display 11: Control unit 12: Storage unit 13: Operation display unit 14: Communication unit 21: Control unit 22: Storage unit 23: Operation display unit 24: Communication unit 100: Conference system 111 : Acquisition processing unit 112 : Determination processing unit 113 : Conference processing unit 114 : Notification processing unit 211 : Display processing unit 212 : Reception processing unit 213 : Conference processing unit

Claims (10)

A conference support system for supporting a conference in which a plurality of users participate,
an acquisition processing unit that acquires conference information including at least user information about users participating in the conference;
a determination processing unit that determines whether or not the meeting start condition is satisfied based on the meeting information acquired by the acquisition processing unit;
a conference processing unit that causes a device used for the conference to execute a conference support application when the start condition is satisfied;
A meeting support system comprising: The determination processing unit determines that the start condition is satisfied when one or more specific users among the plurality of users participating in the conference permit the start of the conference.
The conference support system according to claim 1. The determination processing unit determines that the start condition is satisfied when all of the plurality of users participating in the conference permit the start of the conference.
The conference support system according to claim 1. The user terminal of the user further comprises a reception processing unit that receives a permission operation for permitting the start of the conference,
causing the user terminal to display a reception screen for accepting the permission operation from a predetermined time before the scheduled start date and time of the conference;
The conference support system according to claim 2 or 3. The meeting information includes the scheduled start date and time of the meeting,
The conference processing unit executes the conference support application when the start condition is satisfied and the scheduled start date and time comes.
The conference support system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. the device comprises a user terminal of the user;
The conference processing unit causes the user terminal to execute the conference support application;
The conference support system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The device includes a user terminal of the user and a conference room device installed in a conference room,
The conference processing unit connects the user terminal and the conference room equipment,
The conference support system according to claim 6. When one or more users among the plurality of users participating in the conference postpone the start of the conference, notification processing for notifying the user terminals of the plurality of users of the postponement of the start of the conference. further comprising a part,
The conference support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A conference support method for supporting a conference in which a plurality of users participate,
one or more processors
an obtaining step of obtaining meeting information including at least user information about users participating in the meeting;
a determining step of determining whether or not the meeting start condition is satisfied based on the meeting information acquired in the acquiring step;
a conferencing step of executing a conferencing support application on a device used for the conferencing if the start condition is satisfied;
A meeting support method that implements A conference support program for supporting a conference in which a plurality of users participate,
an obtaining step of obtaining meeting information including at least user information about users participating in the meeting;
a determining step of determining whether or not the meeting start condition is satisfied based on the meeting information acquired in the acquiring step;
a conferencing step of executing a conferencing support application on a device used for the conferencing if the start condition is satisfied;
A conference support program for executing on one or more processors.

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