JP6163475B2 - Screen sharing system, screen sharing server, screen sharing system control method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a web conference system, a web conference server, a control method for a web conference system, and a program.

  In a web conferencing system that uses an Internet line, etc., one of the users participating in the conference is the host, and the entire desktop of the PC or a specific application can be shared with other participating users as guests. It has been broken.

In remote desktops such as Virtual Network Computing (VNC), the screens of other computers connected via a network are shared and operated from a local computer.
Patent Document 1 proposes a screen sharing system for supporting an electronic conference via a network.

JP 2011-192036 A

In both the mechanism for sharing the screen and the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the screen to be shared is a mechanism in which the screen instructed by the user is shared.
For example, when trying to share a screen of a computer at a remote location, since the computer is at a remote location, the user who is instructing sharing cannot see the screen to be shared. In such an environment, if a screen or an application is shared, there is a problem that even an application in a state where it is desirable not to share is shared.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism capable of constructing a web conference system in which a user who has requested screen sharing can confirm in advance the screen sharing (publication) of the display state of an application that shares a screen in the web conference system. Is to provide.

The present invention is a screen sharing system in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses are connected via a network, and includes a second information processing apparatus in which a screen is shared by another information processing apparatus from the first information processing apparatus. Receiving means for accepting designation of identifiable information; first obtaining means for obtaining information of an application running on a second information processing apparatus identified from the information accepted by the accepting means; and the first Selection means for accepting selection of an application whose screen is shared among applications activated by the second information processing device based on the application information obtained by the obtaining means, and selected by the selection means Second acquisition means for acquiring a display state of the application in the second information processing apparatus, and acquired by the second acquisition means In the second information processing apparatus, preview means for displaying the display state of the selected application on the display unit of the first information processing apparatus, and in response to an instruction from the first information processing apparatus And a sharing unit that performs control to display a display state of the selected application on a display unit of the other information processing apparatus.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to construct a web conference system in which a user who has requested screen sharing can confirm in advance the screen sharing (publication) of the display state of an application that shares a screen in the web conference system. it can.

Configuration diagram of a web conference system to which the information processing apparatus of this embodiment can be applied Hardware configuration diagram of information processing apparatus according to this embodiment Functional configuration diagram of the web conference system of the present embodiment The figure which illustrates the screen of the screen sharing of the conventional web conference system The flowchart which illustrates the whole process of the web conference system of a present Example The flowchart which illustrates the detail of the shared application selection screen display process of S501 of FIG. Flowchart illustrating the details of the shared host start process in S502 of FIG. The flowchart which illustrates the detail of the application selection process of S701 of FIG. The figure which illustrates the screen of the screen sharing of the web conference system of a present Example The figure which illustrates the preview screen of the web conference system of a present Example The figure which illustrates the application starting time table and application selection screen of the web conference system of Example 2. The figure which illustrates the screen by which the screen sharing was carried out by the web conference system of a present Example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a web conference system to which an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
As shown in FIG. 1, the web conference system according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a web conference server 100 to which a personal computer such as an information processing apparatus can be applied, a screen sharing host computer (host PC) 101, a screen sharing guest computer (guest PC) 102, web conference listening server (hearing server) 103, and web conference listening client (hearing client) 104. These apparatuses 100 to 104 can perform data communication via a LAN 500 (local area network) using a network communication function, and can participate in a web conference by connecting to a web conference system. Although a plurality of apparatuses can be installed, the screen sharing guest computer 102 shown in the figure has a plurality of screen sharing guest computers 102 (A) and (B) as shown in 102 (A) and 102 (B) for convenience. ) And the like are given for explanation.

  The web conference server 100 is a server for realizing a web conference using a web browser, and for example, a personal computer such as an information processing apparatus is applicable. The web conference server 100 can perform data communication via the public line 106.

  The host PC 101 and the guest PC 102 can obtain a web conference screen (interface) and conduct a web conference by accessing the web conference server 100. A web browser for accessing the web conference server 100 and a dedicated module are installed in these client PCs (host PC 101 and guest PC 102, the same applies hereinafter). Note that this dedicated module is an ActiveX component that is downloaded from the web conference server 100 via, for example, a web browser.

  In addition, a web camera (not shown) is connected to the client PC when transmitting a moving image of itself in a web conference, and a microphone (not shown) is connected when transmitting a voice, and the other party's voice is viewed. For this purpose, a speaker (not shown) is connected.

  In the web conference system, the screen of the host PC 101 can be displayed on the guest PC 102 and screen sharing can be performed. The shared screen can be designated by the host PC 101. The shared screen may be an application screen or the entire desktop.

  In the web conference system of this embodiment, the apparatus that can be connected to the web conference server 100 is not limited to the client PC. The hearing server 103 can also be connected to the web conference server 100 via a network.

  The web conference server 100 regards the listening server 103 as one pseudo client, and transmits data to the web conference listening server 103. The listening server 103 that has received the data transmits the data to the listening client 104 connected to the listening server 103. Thereby, in addition to the configuration of only the normal web conference server 100 and the client PC, data can be transmitted to more clients.

  When screen sharing is performed, the screen of the host PC 101 is transmitted to the web conference server 100 and then transmitted to the guest PC 102 and the listening server 103. In addition, the screen of the host PC 101 is transmitted from the observation server 103 to the observation client 104 connected to the observation server 103.

  In this embodiment, only one host PC 101 can exist in the web conference system. Therefore, the information processing apparatus that has been the host PC 101 until now becomes the guest PC 102, and the information processing apparatus that has been the guest PC 102 plays a role as the host PC 101. Can be shared with a web conferencing system.

  The web conference system can set a plurality of virtual conference rooms called rooms. Although it is possible to hold a plurality of conferences by setting a plurality of such rooms, in this embodiment, the web conference system will be described as a conference in one room. When there are a plurality of rooms, the corresponding one room means a web conference system.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus applicable to the web conference server 100, the host PC 101, the guest PC 102, the listening server 103, and the listening client 104.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in this information processing apparatus, a central processing unit (CPU) 201, a random access memory (RAM) 202, a read only memory (ROM) 203, an input controller 205, and a video controller 206 are connected via a system bus 204. The memory controller 207 and the communication I / F controller 208 are connected.

  The CPU 201 comprehensively controls each device and controller connected to the system bus 204. The RAM 202 functions as a main memory, work area, and the like for the CPU 201. The CPU 201 implements various operations by loading a program or the like necessary for executing the processing from the ROM 203 or the external memory 211 to the RAM 202 and executing the loaded program.

  The ROM 203 or the external memory 211 stores a control program executed by the CPU 201 such as a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) or an OS (Operating System), a computer-readable program for realizing the present invention, and various necessary data ( Data table). The external memory 211 is a medium for permanently storing information, and the form thereof is not limited to a storage device such as a hard disk. For example, the external memory 211 may be another medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive). Good.

  The input controller 205 controls input from the keyboard 209. The video controller 206 controls display output to a CRT 210 that is an example of a display unit. The memory controller 207 controls reading of information stored in the external memory 211 and writing of information to the external memory 211.

  The communication I / F controller 208 is connected to a communication line to control data transmission / reception. In the case of a client terminal, the communication I / F controller 208 controls data transmission / reception via the LAN 500. In the case of the web conference server 100, the communication I / F controller 208 similarly performs control of data transmission / reception via the LAN 500 and control of data transmission / reception via the public line 106.

  In the external memory 211 of the host PC 101, a computer-readable executable program for executing a flowchart to be described later is also stored in the external memory 211. In addition, a user database (not shown) that uses the web conference system can be acquired from the web conference server 100 and stored in the external memory 211 of the host PC 101. It is also possible to add to the system an authentication server that stores a user database.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the web conference system according to the present embodiment. The functional configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 is basically described as a configuration included in the web conference server 100. However, a part or all of the functional configuration may be included in the client PC that performs a screen sharing start operation. . Each unit illustrated in FIG. 3 is realized, for example, when the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 reads a program stored in the external memory 211 or the like into the RAM 202 and executes it as necessary.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the web conference system according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a screen sharing reception unit 301, an application selection screen display control unit 302, an application state acquisition unit 303, an application start time management unit 305, and an application preview display control unit 304. Have

  The screen sharing receiving unit 301 receives a screen sharing request from the screen sharing screen displayed on the screen of the client PC. In addition, when the screen sharing acceptance unit 301 accepts the screen sharing request, the screen sharing acceptance unit 301 displays the options of the user to be the host to be shared and accepts the selection.

  The application selection screen display control unit 302 displays a screen for selecting an application running on the computer used by the user selected as the host by the screen sharing reception unit 301.

  The application state acquisition unit 303 acquires the state of the application running on the computer used by the selected user received by the screen sharing reception unit 301 and the state of the desktop. The application state is a state such as which file is opened at which position on the screen of the selected computer.

  The application preview display control unit 304 displays a preview of the application state or desktop state acquired by the application state acquisition unit 303 on the screen of the client PC that has requested sharing.

  The application activation time management unit 305 acquires, holds, and manages the activation time of an application activated on a shared computer. Using the time acquired here, the application selection screen display control unit 302 displays a screen for selecting an application so that only applications opened after the time when the client participated in the web conference can be shared. Control. Details of the application activation time management unit 305 will be described in a second embodiment.

Before explaining screen sharing of the web conference system of the present embodiment, problems in screen sharing of the conventional web conference system will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen sharing screen of a conventional web conference system.
In the web conference system, any one (one) of users participating in the web conference becomes a host, and the entire desktop of its own computer (PC) or a specific application is transferred to other participating users (multiple users). Can be shared and displayed as guests.

  When starting screen sharing, the user presses the screen sharing menu 402 from the screen 401 of the web conference system after entering the room. When the screen sharing menu 402 is pressed, an application selection screen 403 is displayed. The application selection screen 403 may be displayed in the screen sharing menu 402 or may be displayed on a separate screen (window).

  In the application selection screen 403, a display selection field 404 is for selecting a display to be shared. For example, in the display selection field 404, when the host computer uses two screens of the main screen and the sub screen, it is possible to set which screen is shared.

  The application designation field 405 is for designating a shared application. In the application designation field 405, the entire desktop can be designated, or an open window can be designated in units of processes. In the application designation field 405, a window opened on the host computer serving as the host is displayed as an application that can be designated.

When the “share desktop” button 406 is pressed, the desktop screen of the host computer is shared and displayed on the screen of the client participating as a guest.
When the “Share selected application” button 407 is pressed, the application specified in the application specification field 405 (in the example of FIG. 4, “text memo” highlighted) participates as a guest. Will be shared.

  In this way, no problem occurs when setting screen sharing of the own computer on the host computer. However, when another computer is set as a screen sharing host from the computer that the user is operating, conventionally, the setting user cannot see the screen of the other computer. If shared, there is a possibility that even an application screen in a state where it is desirable not to share is shared.

  Next, screen sharing of the web conference system of the present embodiment will be described. In the description, the difference from the screen sharing of the conventional web conference system shown in FIG. 4 will be mainly described, and the description of the same configuration will be omitted. The processing of the flowcharts shown in FIG. 5 and FIGS. 6 to 8 to be described later is performed, for example, by the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 reading out a program stored in the external memory 211 or the like to the RAM 202 as necessary. Realized. Moreover, the code | symbol which attached | subjected 'S' in each figure shows a step.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the entire process of the web conference system according to this embodiment.
In the web conference system according to the present embodiment, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 executes processing for displaying an application selection screen to be shared by the client PC with the screen sharing function in S501 (shared application selection screen display processing). In this process, a screen sharing request is received, a selection of a user who is a screen sharing host is received, an application state is acquired, an application selection screen is displayed, and the like (details are shown in FIG. 6).

  Next, in S502, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 executes a shared host start process. In this process, selection of an application to be screen-shared, display of a preview screen, start of a shared host function of the application selected on the computer used by the selected user, and the like are performed (details are shown in FIG. 7). . When the shared host start process is completed, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 ends the entire application sharing process shown in this flowchart.

Hereinafter, the details of S501 and S502 in FIG. 5 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating details of the shared application selection screen display process in S501 of FIG.

  In step S601, when the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 receives a screen sharing request by selecting the screen sharing menu 902 via the web conference screen 901 shown in FIG. 9 displayed on the client PC, the process proceeds to step S602. To proceed. The processing in S601 corresponds to the function of the screen sharing acceptance unit 301 in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a screen sharing screen of the web conference system according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 9, reference numeral 901 denotes a web conference screen. For example, in response to a web conference participation request from the web browser of the client PC, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 provides the client PC and displays it on the web browser of the client PC. It is what is done.

  When a screen sharing menu 902 displayed on the web conference screen 901 is pressed, a user selection screen 903 is displayed. On the user selection screen 903, the names of users participating in the same conference in the web conference system are displayed. Instead of the user name, the computer name participating in the same conference in the web conference system may be displayed. That is, the user selection screen 903 may have any configuration that can accept designation of information that can identify a client PC whose screen is shared with other client PCs as a host. Note that the user selection screen 903 has a new configuration with respect to the conventional screen 401 shown in FIG.

  Furthermore, when a user is selected on the user selection screen 903, an application selection screen 904 that displays the application state of the computer that the selected user is using to participate in the web conference system is displayed. The application selection screen 904 illustrated in FIG. 9 corresponds to an example in which “user B” is selected on the user selection screen 903 because “user B” is displayed in the user display field 905. The example of FIG. 9 is an example in which “Internet Browser X”, “drawing application”, “Web conference system”, “text memo”, “document creation application”, and the like are activated on the computer used by user B. Corresponding to

  As shown in FIG. 9, when the “Text Memo” is selected in the application selection field 906 and the preview button 907 is pressed, the screen of the text memo activated on the user B computer is displayed as a screen sharing request. The preview is displayed on the client PC that has performed (for example, 1013 in FIG. 10 described later). When a preview button 907 is pressed in a state where a plurality of applications, for example, “text memo” and “document creation application” are selected, the screens of the two selected applications are previewed (not shown). ).

  On the other hand, when the preview button 907 is pressed while “Desktop” is selected in the application selection field 906, the desktop screen of the user B computer is displayed (for example, 1003 in FIG. 10 described later). This preview function has a new configuration with respect to the conventional application selection screen 403 shown in FIG.

Here, the preview screen in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a preview screen of the web conference system according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 10, a web conference screen 1001 is a screen example when “Desktop” is selected on the application selection screen. The web conference screen 1001 displays an application selection screen 1002 for selecting an application and a preview screen 1003 on which a preview of the desktop screen of the user B is displayed. As shown in the preview screen 1003, it can be seen that the browser X 1004, the text memo 1005, and the drawing application 1006 are displayed at such positions on the desktop of the user B.

  The web conference screen 1011 is a screen example when “text memo” is selected on the application selection screen. On the web conference screen 1011, an application selection screen 1012 for selecting an application, a preview screen 1013, and a text memo 1014 opened on the computer of the user B are displayed on the preview screen 1013.

  As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in the web conference according to the present embodiment, a host user can be selected from the web conference screen, and a preview of the computer screen used by the user can be displayed. With this configuration, it is possible to check a screen of another user who wants to be a host, which cannot be viewed by the user who is operating the screen sharing request. As a result, a screen sharing request can be made, such as whether a screen that may be shared with other guest users via the screen sharing is displayed on the computer of the user who wants to be the host, or whether content that should not be disclosed is displayed. The user who is performing the operation can confirm in advance before sharing.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG.
In step S <b> 602, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 controls to display the user selection screen (window) 903 on the web conference screen of the client PC that requested the screen sharing in step S <b> 601. S602 corresponds to the function of the screen sharing acceptance unit 301 in FIG.

Next, in step S603, when the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 accepts selection of a user who wants to be a host via the user selection screen 903 of the client PC displayed in step S602, the process proceeds to step S604.
In S <b> 604, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 determines whether the user selected in S <b> 603 is himself (the user who requested screen sharing in S <b> 601) or another user. S603 and S604 correspond to the function of the screen sharing accepting unit 301 in FIG.

  If it is determined in S604 that the selected user is another user (No in S604), the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 advances the process to S605. In step S <b> 605, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 acquires a list of applications activated on the computer used by the user selected in step S <b> 603 to participate in the web conference, and advances the process to step S <b> 607. The list of applications can be acquired from, for example, a list of tasks that are running on the computer.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S604 that the computer selected in S603 is its own computer (Yes in S604), the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 advances the process to S606. In S606, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 acquires a list of applications running on the computer used by itself (the user who requested the screen sharing in S601 above) to participate in the web conference, and performs the process in S607. Proceed. S605 and S606 correspond to the function of the application state acquisition unit 303 in FIG.

  In step S <b> 607, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 controls to display the application list acquired in step S <b> 605 or S <b> 606 on the browser screen of the client PC requested to share in step S <b> 601, and ends the process of this flowchart. Step S607 corresponds to the function of the application selection screen display control unit 302 in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating details of the shared host start process in S502 of FIG.
In S701, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 accepts selection of an application to be shared through the application list (for example, 904 in FIG. 9) of the client PC that requested the screen sharing in S601 in FIG. 6 (application selection processing). Details of the application selection processing in S701 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Next, in step S <b> 702, when the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 accepts the start of sharing in response to the pressing of the sharing start button (908 or 909) via the application list of the client PC that has requested the screen sharing, in step S <b> 703. Proceed with the process.

In step S <b> 703, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 determines whether the host function is started (host has already been started) in the web conference room in which the client PC that requested the screen sharing participates.
If it is determined in S703 that the host function has been started on another client PC (Yes in S703), the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 advances the process to S704. In step S704, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 terminates the active host and advances the process to step S705.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S703 that the host is not started on another client PC (No in S703), that is, if there is no host in the web conference room, the web conference server The CPU 201 of 100 advances the process to S705 as it is.

In step S <b> 705, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 determines whether the user selected as the host is himself (the user who requested the screen sharing).
If it is determined that the user selected as the host is himself (Yes in S705), the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 advances the process to S706. In step S706, the shared host is started on its own computer (the computer used by the user who requested the screen sharing to participate in this web conference), and the processing of this flowchart ends. As a result, the selected application screen of the computer used by the user who requested the screen sharing is opened to other guest users.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S705 that the user selected as the host is not himself (No in S705), the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 advances the process to S707. In step S707, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 starts a shared host on the computer used by the user selected as the host to participate in the web conference, and ends the processing of the flowchart. Thereby, the selected application screen of the computer used by the user selected as the host by the user who requested the screen sharing is disclosed to other guest users.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a screen shared in the web conference system according to the present embodiment.
The example shown in FIG. 12 is a screen example when “text memo” is selected on the application selection screen.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the details of the application selection process in S701 of FIG. This process corresponds to the process when an application is selected on the application selection screen 904 in FIG. 9 and the preview button 907 is pressed.

  In step S <b> 801, when the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 receives selection of an application to be shared via the application list screen of the client PC that performed screen sharing in step S <b> 601, the process proceeds to step S <b> 802. An application to be shared refers to a selected application (for example, “text memo”) or the entire desktop.

  In step S <b> 802, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 determines whether a preview instruction has been received via the preview button 907. If it is determined that a preview instruction has been received (Yes in S802), the process proceeds to S803.

  In step S803, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 displays the shared screen (the application selected in step S801 and the desktop screen from the computer used by the user selected as the host for participation in the web conference). Data) and the process proceeds to S804. The processing in S803 corresponds to the function of the application state acquisition unit 303 in FIG.

  In step S804, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 performs control so that the shared screen acquired in step S803 is previewed on the browser screen of the client PC that requested the screen sharing, as in the preview screen 1003 or 1013 in FIG. .

In step S <b> 805, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 determines whether a cancel instruction has been received via a cancel button (not illustrated).
If it is determined that a cancel instruction has been accepted (Yes in S805), the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 cancels the selection of the application selected in S801, returns the process to S801, and again shares the application. Accept the selection.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S805 that the cancel instruction has not been received (No in S805), the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 ends the selection process of this application.

  If it is determined in S802 that the preview instruction has not been received via the preview button 907 (No in S802, for example, if a sharing request is received), the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 directly performs this application. The selection process ends.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which a preview instruction is received and previewed when the preview button 907 is pressed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when an application is selected, a preview instruction may be received and previewed.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the user who requested screen sharing in the web conference system changes the display state of the application screen opened by other users who share the screen before screen sharing (publication). It becomes possible to confirm. Thereby, it is possible to recognize in advance that the application screen in a state where it is desirable not to share the screen is shared, and not to select the screen as a screen to be shared. As a result, it is possible to prevent an application screen in a state where it is desirable not to share the screen from being arbitrarily shared due to a sharing request from another user.
For example, if you try to share the screen of a computer that is remote from the remote location, even if the computer is remote, the environment where the user who is instructing sharing can see the screen you want to share Is provided, it is possible to prevent an application in a state where it is desirable not to share it from being shared.

  In the first embodiment, a list of applications running on the computer used by the user selected as the host is displayed in the application selection field 906 of the application selection screen 904 shown in FIG. 9, and selected from the list. Explained the configuration for publishing the application screen. When a screen is selected from another computer (another user) as a host and the screen is shared, there may be an application that the user selected as the host does not want to share. is there. In the second embodiment, the start time of the application started on the computer is stored in the computer, and the application opened after participating in the web conference is displayed on the application selection screen as a shareable application. To do.

The processing described below corresponds to the processing in S605 to S607 in FIG.
FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an application start time table and an application selection screen of the web conference system according to the second embodiment.

  The application start time table 1100 is a table that stores the application 1101 that is open on the computer and the start time, and is stored in, for example, the external memory 211 of the computer. Note that, in the application start time table 1100, only applications that are started by an operation of a user using the computer may be managed, and applications that are automatically started by the system may not be managed or may be started. You may make it manage all the applications which are running.

  In the example of the application start time table 1100 illustrated in FIG. 11, the Web conference system is started at “10:00”, and “Internet Browser X (9:00)” and “drawing application (9:30)” are Web. It is started before the conference system. On the other hand, “text memo (10:10)” and “document creation application (10:20)” are activated after the Web conference system. In the web conferencing system of the present embodiment, sharing approval by the user for applications started before the web conferencing system (for example, “Internet Browser X (9:00)” and “drawing application (9:30)”) is performed. It is determined that it has not been obtained and is not displayed on the application selection screen 1103. On the other hand, for applications started after the Web conference system (for example, “text memo (10:10)” and “document creation application (10:20)”) The screen is configured to be displayed on the selection screen 1103.

The application selection screen 1103 corresponds to the one displayed in S607 based on the application list acquired in S605 or S606 of FIG.
In the application selection column 1104, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 performs display control so that “text memo” and “document creation application” that are applications started after the web conference system is started can be selected.

  In addition, when “Desktop” is selected in the application selection field 1104 (that is, when a desktop screen is selected as an application for sharing the screen), even if the application is displayed on the desktop screen, the web conference The CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 is configured so that the “Internet Browser X” and “drawing application”, which are applications started before the system is started, are not shared (so that they are not displayed on the display unit of another client PC). The shared host may be controlled to start.

As described above, the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 requests the client PC that requested sharing in the application list acquired in step S605 or S606 in step S607 in FIG. 6 before the web conference system. On the other hand, control is performed so that an application started after the Web conference system is displayed on the application selection screen of the client PC. Note that an application that is activated prior to the Web conference system may be displayed on the application selection screen in a form that cannot be selected (eg, grayed out).
Further, in S605 or S606, the computer in which the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 uses only a list of applications started before the web conference system is used by the user selected in S603 to participate in the web conference. You may comprise so that it may acquire from.

  Whether to use this function (function that does not display the application that was started before the Web conferencing system started on the application selection screen, disables selection, or does not share even if a desktop is selected) Whether or not (setting for restricting sharing) may be set in the web conference server 100 in advance by an administrator or each user. In addition, the setting of whether or not this function is used may be switched and used by an administrator or a user even after the web conference system is activated.

  That is, when the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 is set to restrict the sharing for the user selected on the user selection screen 903 (or the computer that the user uses to participate in the web conference). Does not accept the selection of an application that shares a screen from applications started at a timing later than the timing related to the user's participation in the web conference system, and is not set to limit the sharing In this case, control is performed so that selection of an application sharing a screen is accepted from an application activated on the computer. The same applies when the desktop screen is selected. That is, when “Desktop” is selected in the application selection field 1104, if the setting for restricting the sharing is made, even if the application is displayed on the desktop screen, before the web conference system is started. The application that has been started up from is controlled so as not to be shared, and when the setting for limiting the sharing is not made, the desktop screen is controlled to be shared without considering the startup timing.

  In the second embodiment, the start time of the web conference system is used. However, the login time to the web conference system is stored separately, and the login time (participation in the web conference system is used as a reference). The configuration may be such that an application started before (time) is controlled not to be shared. In other words, in the present embodiment, selection of an application to share a screen is not accepted from an application started at a timing earlier than a timing related to participation in the web conference system, and related to participation in the web conference system. It is assumed that a selection of an application sharing a screen is accepted from an application started at a timing later than the timing.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the timing related to participation in the web conference system (for example, the start time of the web conference system or the login time to the web conference system) It is possible to determine that sharing is not permitted for applications started at a timing prior to), and for these applications, selection of applications for screen sharing cannot be accepted. As a result, it is possible to prevent sharing of an application screen that is likely to be in a state where it is desirable not to share the screen. For example, if the computer screen of a user participating in a web conference is about to be shared due to a remote request, it is not desirable to share a file that has been opened before the user joined the web conference. Sharing is restricted for an application (for example, an application that is not related to or less likely to be related to web conferencing), and a web conferencing system that can prevent erroneous sharing is constructed.
That is, it is possible to provide a web conference system in which display restriction of an application that the host user does not want to share is selected when an application for screen sharing is selected.

  Note that even if an application is started at a timing prior to the timing related to participation in the web conference system, the user using the computer on which the application is started explicitly permits screen sharing. In such a case, the application selection screen may be displayed so that sharing can be selected. In addition, as a method of explicitly permitting screen sharing, there are a method of specifying when starting an application, a method of allowing a user to register an application that explicitly permits screen sharing in the web conference server 100 or the like in advance. However, it is not limited to these.

  A user participating in the web conference system registers an application that the user does not want to share intentionally (non-shareable application) in the web conference server 100 or the like, and the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 registers the application that is not shared. It may be configured to control not to share.

  Conversely, a user who participates in the web conference system intentionally registers an application that permits sharing in the web conference server 100 or the like, and the CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 only applies to applications that are registered as shareable. The configuration may be controlled so as to be sharable.

  The CPU 201 of the web conference server 100 receives a selection of an application screen that is not shared from the preview display of the selected application or the desktop preview display, and shares the application screen that has been selected not to be shared. It is also possible to provide a function of controlling so as not to do so.

  As described above, according to each embodiment of the present invention, the user who requested screen sharing in the web conference system displays the display state of the application screen opened by another user who shares the screen. It becomes possible to confirm in advance. Thereby, it is possible to recognize in advance that the application screen in a state where it is desirable not to share the screen is shared, and not to select the screen as a screen to be shared. As a result, it is possible to prevent an application screen in a state where it is desirable not to share the screen from being arbitrarily shared due to a sharing request from another user.

It should be noted that the configuration and contents of the various data described above are not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the various data and configurations are configured according to the application and purpose.
Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can take an embodiment as, for example, a system, apparatus, method, program, or storage medium. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.
Moreover, all the structures which combined said each Example are also contained in this invention.

(Other examples)
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.
Further, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device.

The program according to the present invention is a program that can be executed by a computer according to the processing method of the flowchart shown in the present invention. The storage medium according to the present invention stores a program that can be executed by a computer. The program in the present invention may be a program for each processing method of each device.
As described above, a recording medium that records a program that implements the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus stores the program stored in the recording medium. It goes without saying that the object of the present invention can also be achieved by executing the reading.
In this case, the program itself read from the recording medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the recording medium storing the program constitutes the present invention.
As a recording medium for supplying the program, for example, a flexible disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-ROM, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, EEPROM, silicon A disk, solid state drive, or the like can be used.
Further, by executing the program read by the computer, not only the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized, but also an OS (operating system) operating on the computer based on an instruction of the program is actually It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by performing part or all of the processing and the processing is included.
Furthermore, after the program read from the recording medium is written to the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted into the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the function expansion board is based on the instructions of the program code. It goes without saying that the case where the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing.
Further, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of a plurality of devices or an apparatus composed of a single device. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a case where the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or apparatus. In this case, by reading a recording medium storing a program for achieving the present invention into the system or apparatus, the system or apparatus can enjoy the effects of the present invention.
Furthermore, by downloading and reading a program for achieving the present invention from a server, database, etc. on a network using a communication program, the system or apparatus can enjoy the effects of the present invention.

In addition, all the structures which combined each embodiment mentioned above and its modification are also included in this invention.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications (including organic combinations of the embodiments) are possible based on the spirit of the present invention, and these are excluded from the scope of the present invention. is not. That is, the present invention includes all the combinations of the above-described embodiments and modifications thereof.

100 Web Conference Server 101 Screen Sharing Host Computer (Host PC)
102 Screen sharing guest computer (guest PC)
103 Web conference listening server (listening server)
104 Web conference client (listening client)

Claims (7)

A screen sharing system in which a plurality of information processing devices are connected via a network,
Receiving means for receiving designation of information capable of specifying a second information processing apparatus whose screen is shared by another information processing apparatus from the first information processing apparatus;
First acquisition means for acquiring information of an application running on the second information processing apparatus identified from the information received by the reception means;
Selection means for accepting selection of an application whose screen is shared among applications activated by the second information processing device based on the information of the application acquired by the first acquisition means;
Second acquisition means for acquiring a display state of the application selected by the selection means in the second information processing apparatus;
Preview means for displaying a preview of the display state of the selected application acquired by the second acquisition means on the display unit of the first information processing apparatus;
A sharing unit that performs control to display a display state of the selected application in the second information processing apparatus on a display unit of the other information processing apparatus in response to an instruction from the first information processing apparatus;
A screen sharing system comprising: When there is an information processing apparatus whose screen is already shared, the sharing unit ends sharing of the screen of the information processing apparatus and shares the screen of the second information processing apparatus. The screen sharing system according to claim 1. The said reception means receives the designation | designated of the information which can identify the 2nd information processing apparatus which shares a screen with another information processing apparatus, when the request | requirement of a screen sharing is received. 2. The screen sharing system according to 2. The information of the application activated by the second information processing apparatus acquired by the first acquisition unit includes information indicating the timing when the application is activated,
The selection unit receives selection of an application sharing a screen from an application started at a timing later than a timing related to participation of the second information processing apparatus in the screen sharing system. The screen sharing system according to claim 1. A screen sharing server for controlling a screen sharing system in which a plurality of information processing apparatuses are connected via a network,
Receiving means for receiving designation of information capable of specifying a second information processing apparatus whose screen is shared by another information processing apparatus from the first information processing apparatus;
First acquisition means for acquiring information of an application running on the second information processing apparatus identified from the information received by the reception means;
Selection means for accepting selection of an application whose screen is shared among applications activated by the second information processing device based on the information of the application acquired by the first acquisition means;
Second acquisition means for acquiring a display state of the application selected by the selection means in the second information processing apparatus;
Preview means for displaying a preview of the display state of the selected application acquired by the second acquisition means on the display unit of the first information processing apparatus;
A sharing unit that performs control to display a display state of the selected application in the second information processing apparatus on a display unit of the other information processing apparatus in response to an instruction from the first information processing apparatus;
A screen sharing server characterized by comprising: A control method for a screen sharing system in which a plurality of information processing devices are connected via a network,
An accepting step of accepting designation of information capable of specifying a second information processing apparatus whose screen is shared by another information processing apparatus from the first information processing apparatus;
A first acquisition step of acquiring information of an application activated in the second information processing apparatus identified from the information received in the reception step;
A selection step of accepting selection of an application whose screen is shared among applications activated in the second information processing device based on the information of the application acquired in the first acquisition step;
A second acquisition step of acquiring a display state of the application selected in the selection step in the second information processing apparatus;
A preview step of displaying the display state of the selected application acquired in the second acquisition step on the display unit of the first information processing apparatus;
A sharing step of performing control to display a display state of the selected application in the second information processing apparatus on a display unit of the other information processing apparatus in response to an instruction from the first information processing apparatus;
A control method for a screen sharing system, comprising:   The program for functioning a computer as a means of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 4.

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