JPH07236131A - Method for generating guide picture and video/voice message exchanging system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prepare a guide picture capable of satisfying users and easily understandable for users and to provide the prepared guide picture to a terminal user in a video/voice message storing/ exchanging system. CONSTITUTION:A picture design for guide pictures to be used for the service of this video/voice message storing/exchanging system is stored in a data storage part 9. A management part 8 stores a message managing file for managing the number of video information called as 'messages' stored at present, a call managing file for managing calls, etc. In the case of preparing a guide picture for displaying th number of messages stored in the system at present, a conversion part 10 extracts necessary character strings and their attribute informations from a guide picture preparing file 11, extracts information indicating the number of stored messages from the message managing file stored in the managing part 8 and synthesizes both the information to prepare a guide picture 12 within an allowed conversation response time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video / audio message storage / exchange system for exchanging video / audio messages between a terminal and a center connected to each other via a communication network, and more particularly to a guide screen generation method. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a standard screen such as a guide screen showing a list of services provided by an image / voice message storage / exchange system is created in advance and displayed in an actual service. The method was taken.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
The voice message exchange system changes depending on the time because the terminal (mainly a videophone) does not have letters (even if it has letters, it is a number (0-9) and "*" or "#"). If you want to display a numeric value on the screen of the terminal, you can use it only when the terminal you are using has characters in advance, but the terminal itself is special. And
There is a problem that the service lacks versatility.

It is possible to display fixed character string data as seen in karaoke in a predetermined area as a figure for an image whose background is not still such as video, but in this case as well. , There is a problem similar to displaying numerical values that change with time.

An object of the present invention is to provide a guide screen generating method and a video / audio message exchange system for creating a guide screen which is satisfying to the user and which is easier for the user to understand and which is provided to the user of the terminal.

[0006]

The method for generating a guide screen according to the present invention includes a standard screen for guiding a service or a video screen during drawing, which is data or a still image that varies depending on the system user or changes with time. A guide screen on which data is superimposed is generated within the allowable conversation response time at the center.

Further, in the video / voice message exchange system of the present invention, the center stores data storing means for storing data which varies depending on the user of the system or changes with time, and a service guide screen or reproduction. There is a guide screen creating means for superimposing the data of the data storage means on the video screen therein and creating the guide screen within the allowable conversation response time.

[0008]

According to the present invention, the center has time-dependent information such as a password, which is information of a character string different for each user, the number of files accumulated in the system at the time of access, and information of unread / readable files, Alternatively, by creating a guide screen with a permissible conversation response time using contents and data representing a person who have registered data in advance in a video / voice message storage / exchange system and still image data, the user can be satisfied and It provides a user-friendly service to users of all terminals.

As an example of the service, a post office box,
Consider a service that sends a message to a particular individual. When creating the guide screen for each PO Box, by combining the name (characters) and face (still image) of the owner of the PO Box, a guide screen that is easy for users to use can be created even for users of terminals that do not have characters. It becomes possible to provide.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a video / voice message storage / exchange system showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a center 6 in FIG.

The terminal 1 is connected to the center 6 via the communication network 5, encodes the video input from the monitor 2 and transmitted to the center 6, and decodes the video sent from the center 6 to monitor the monitor 2. And a terminal control unit 4 for controlling the terminal 1 and the communication network 5.

The center 6 is connected to the communication network 5 as shown in FIG.
And a center 6 for controlling the center 6 and set values necessary for storing and exchanging video / audio messages performed in the center 6, user information currently registered, total number of stored mail systems, A management unit 8 that manages information and the like required by the center control unit 7, a data storage unit 9 that stores the video / audio information stored by the terminal 1, a guide screen displayed on the monitor 2, and the management unit 8 The conversion unit 10 is configured to create a guide screen to be displayed on the monitor 2 based on the user name, the total number of accumulated information, and the like managed in (1). The conversion unit 10 is implemented as hardware in order to speed up the process, and creates the guide screen with the allowable conversation response time.

FIG. 3 shows a standard screen for guiding the service.
An example of creating a guide screen by superimposing data that changes with time is shown.

The data storage unit 9 stores a screen design (guide screen file 11) of a guide screen used for the service of the video / audio message storage / exchange system. On the other hand, the management unit 8 stores a message management file that manages the number of pieces of video information called "message" that are currently stored, a call management file that manages calls, and the like. Since the screen displayed by the video / audio message storage / exchange system has a predetermined size, the position on the screen can be represented by regarding it as a coordinate system. Therefore, the guide screen file 11
Describes the character string to be displayed, the arrangement of each character string, the size of the character, the color, and the like. For example, when creating a guidance screen that displays the number of messages currently stored in the system, the conversion unit 10 uses the guidance screen creation file 1
The necessary character strings and their attribute information are taken out from 1, while the information on the number of stored messages is taken out from the message management file of the management unit 8, both information are combined (superposed), and the guidance screen 12 is set within the allowable conversation response time. create. The created guide screen 12 is sent to the terminal 1 through the communication network 5 by the center control unit 7 and displayed on the monitor 2.

FIG. 4 shows an example of creating a guide screen by superimposing a character string, such as a password, which is different depending on the user, on the video screen being reproduced.

A switch is provided in the conversion unit 10 for switching a route for transmitting the reproduced video as it is to the terminal 1 and a route for superimposing character string data which differs depending on the user on the reproduced image to create a guide screen. There are thirteen. The video is sent to the conversion unit 10 in an encoded format. Here, when a request for superimposing the character string data on the video being reproduced is generated, the switch 13 is switched to change the route. The encoded video is decoded by the decoding unit 14. The data storage unit 9 is added to the decoded video.
The superimposing unit 15 superimposes the requested character string data read from the guide screen file 11 stored in the. After converting the composite video into encoded data in the encoding unit 16,
This is sent to the terminal 1 through the communication network 5 by the center control unit 7 and displayed on the monitor 2. At this time, the switch 13 is not restored until the character string is superimposed on one image, encoded, and sent to the center control unit 6.

The data storage unit 9 and the management unit 8 constitute data storage means, and the conversion unit 10 constitutes guide screen generation means.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, data or a still image data that varies depending on the user of the system or changes with time is displayed on the standard screen for guiding the service or the video screen during drawing. By superimposing and generating the guidance screen within the allowable conversation response time, there is an effect that the information satisfying the user and easily understood by the user can be provided to the user of the terminal having no characters.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a video / audio message exchange system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a center 6 in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of creating a guide screen by superimposing time-changing data on a standard screen for guiding a service.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of creating a guide screen by superimposing different character strings depending on the user on the video screen being reproduced.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Terminal 2 Monitor 3 Encoding / Decoding Section 4 Terminal Control Section 5 Communication Network 6 Center 7 Center Control Section 8 Management Section 9 Data Storage Section 10 Conversion Section 11 Guide Screen File 12 Conversation Screen 13 Switch 14 Decoding Section 15 Overlay Part 16 Encoding part

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shinji Ushida 1-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nihon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. In a video / voice message exchange system for exchanging video and voice messages between a terminal and a center, which are connected to each other via a communication network, a standard screen for guiding services or a video during drawing. A guide screen generating method for generating a guide screen in which data or still image data, which differs depending on the user of the system or changes with time, is superimposed on the screen within the allowable conversation response time at the center. 2. The guide screen generating method according to claim 1, wherein the data that differs depending on the user is character string data. 3. The guide screen generating method according to claim 1, wherein the time-varying data is the number of files currently stored and information on unread / readable files. 4. The guide screen generating method according to claim 1, wherein the superimposition is performed only when a superimposition request is generated. 5. A video / voice message exchange system for exchanging video and voice messages between a terminal and a center, which are connected to each other via a communication network, wherein the center differs depending on the user of the system. , Or the data storage means that stores data that changes with time, and the data of the data storage means are superimposed on the service guidance screen or the video screen being played back to create the guidance screen within the allowable conversation response time. A video / audio message exchange system having a guide screen creating means.