JP2000023130A - Video conference system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video conference system improved in performance as a result by acquiring conference information exchanged during a conference and enabling an absent person, who can not attend to the conference, or person leaving the conference in the middle to confirm the contents of the conference later. SOLUTION: In this video conference system provided with a video conference device provided with a function for recording conference information on a recording medium 31 during the execution of the video conference among respective pieces of terminal equipment, a control part 32 records video data and audio data transmitted from every terminal equipment as the relevant conference information on the recording medium 31 when there is a request from any terminal equipment or any person leaves the conference.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video conference system for realizing a so-called teleconference using a television technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a so-called teleconference (t)
A video conference system called an electronic conference or a multipoint video conference system has been developed.
This system uses various communication media to connect, in particular, remote terminal devices via communication lines, and exchanges information (conference information) such as video (including still images) and audio with each other.
This realizes a conference in the same conference room while staying in a remote place. In addition, the remote location is a broad concept including not only the same conference room but also a location where the attendees of the conference are apart (including, for example, different rooms in the same building).

A terminal device has a function of transmitting and receiving multiplexed data obtained by multiplexing video data and audio data of conference information via a communication line. Specifically, the terminal device has a personal computer or a television receiver as a main unit. It is. The system is connected to a plurality of terminal devices via a communication line, and controls the exchange of conference information between the terminal devices to control a video conference process. ).

A participant in a conference operates a terminal device to connect to a video conference device, receives multiplexed data transmitted from each terminal device operated by another attendee, and displays the multiplexed data on a display screen of the terminal device. To play the video, and to play the sound through the speaker. As a result, it is possible to confirm the statements and display contents of other attendees. Also, by converting his / her own remarks and display contents into the multiplexed data and transmitting the multiplexed data, it is possible to convey the information to attendees operating other terminal devices.

[0005]

In the above-described video conferencing system, the same situation as in the case where all the attendees have a meeting in the same conference room by operating the terminal device at the place where each attendee is currently located. Can be set. here,
In this system, conference information is exchanged on the assumption that each terminal device is connected to the video conference device. Therefore, when the prospective attendee cannot attend the meeting (connection of the terminal device) or leaves during the meeting (blocking of the connection of the terminal device), the absent or absent is the meeting information exchanged during that time. Can not get.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to obtain meeting information exchanged during a meeting so that absent persons who cannot attend the meeting and those who have left on the way can check the contents of the meeting later. It is another object of the present invention to provide a video conference system with improved performance.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a recording medium for recording conference information during execution of a video conference between terminal devices, and a method for recording a video conference at a designated time in response to a request from the terminal device. Means for recording the conference information from the user on a recording medium.

Further, the present system has a function of identifying a terminal device leaving the video conference, monitoring a leaving time, and recording, on a recording medium, information of a conference executed during the leaving time.

With the system having such a configuration, when the terminal device is disconnected during a video conference and the user leaves the conference, the conference information exchanged during the leaving time is automatically recorded on a recording medium. Can be. Therefore, the departed person can access the recording medium to check the contents of the departure conference when returning to the video conference or after the conference. Also, the absent person who will be absent due to attend the meeting requests the recording of the meeting information from the beginning to the end of the meeting in advance, for example, and confirms the contents of the meeting by accessing the recording medium later. be able to.

According to another aspect of the present invention, during execution of a video conference between terminal devices, conference information is recorded on a recording medium in response to a request from the terminal device, and index information related to the conference information is stored. This is a video conference system having a function of recording the conference information in addition to the conference information. The index information is, specifically, time information indicating a timing for designating desired conference contents during execution of the video conference.
The index information is information for specifying a speaker of the conference information.

With the function of recording the conference information by adding the index information, for example, the conference attendees transmit the index information when the topic of the conference is switched, and the conference information is recorded at the switching timing. be able to. Therefore, the conference information from the time of the topic switching can be accessed from the recording medium later by using the index information. In addition, using the index information, it is possible to reproduce the content of a statement made by a specific speaker who has attended the conference after the conference and to review the content again.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a video conference system related to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the video conference terminal.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the video conference device. (System Configuration) As shown in FIG. 1, a system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of video conference terminals (hereinafter simply referred to as video conference devices) 4 via a communication line 3 and a plurality of video conference terminals (hereinafter referred to as video conference devices). Terminal devices A to D) 2 are connected. The video conference device 4 is equivalent to a server that constitutes a control device of the system (see FIG. 4).
Each of the terminal devices A to D is operated by an attendee of the video conference,
It has a function of transmitting and receiving multiplexed data (that is, conference information) in which utterance contents and display contents are multiplexed with video data (including still image data) and audio data (see FIG. 3). (Configuration of Terminal Device) Each of the terminal devices A to D is shown in FIG.
As shown in (1), the control unit 17 is a central element, and includes a communication interface 10, a monitor 11, a speaker 12, an input device 13, a recording medium 14, a microphone 15, and a camera 16.

The control unit 17 is a control device including a CPU and a memory, and is a D / A for processing the multiplexed data.
Conversion unit 18, A / D conversion unit 19, video codec (CO
(DEC) unit 20, an audio codec unit 21, and a multiplexing unit 22. The A / D converter 19 is connected to the microphone 1
The audio signal input from the camera 5 is converted into digital audio data, and the video signal input from the camera 16 is converted into digital video data. The D / A conversion unit 18
The digital video data and audio data of the multiplexed data received via the communication interface 10 are converted into analog signals. The video codec unit 20 performs encoding / decoding (compression / decompression) of video data. The audio codec unit 21 performs encoding / decoding (compression / decompression) of audio data. The multiplexing unit 22 generates multiplexed data obtained by multiplexing the video data encoded (compressed) by the video codec unit 20 and the audio data encoded (compressed) by the audio codec unit 21. The multiplexing unit 22 also performs processing for separating video data and audio data from the received multiplexed data.

The communication interface 10 is a communication line 3
To transmit and receive multiplexed data (conference information) to and from the video conference device 4. The monitor 11 has a display for reproducing video data. Monitor 11
Receives the video signal converted by the D / A conversion unit 18 and displays its own video, video of other attendees, and an operation panel. The speaker 12 reproduces the audio data decoded (expanded) by the audio codec unit 21. The speaker 12 receives the voice signal converted by the D / A converter 18 and outputs voice when another attendee speaks.

The input device 13 is a keyboard and a mouse for performing various operations such as connection and disconnection between the terminal device and the video conference device 4. The recording medium 14 is a recordable and reproducible storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD), and stores transmitted and received video data and audio data. The microphone 15 is a voice input device for inputting a voice signal spoken by an attendee operating the terminal device. The camera 16 is a video input device for inputting an image (display content) of the attendee's own image or document. (Configuration of Video Conference Device) The video conference device 4 includes a communication interface 30 and a recording medium 31 as shown in FIG.
And each component of the control unit 32. The communication interface 30 is connected to the communication line 3 and transmits and receives data to and from each of the terminal devices A to D. The recording medium 31 is a recording medium that can be recorded and reproduced, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), and stores conference information (video data and audio data) transmitted and received during the execution of the video conference.

The control unit 32 is a control device including a CPU and a memory, and controls a video conference process. Control unit 32
Has elements of a reception data determination unit 33, a connection control unit 34, a transmission data generation unit 35, and a transmission destination switching unit 36. The received data determination unit 33 determines (identifies) the terminal devices A to D that transmitted the data with respect to the data received via the communication interface 30. The connection control unit 34 controls connection with each of the terminal devices A to D. The transmission data generator 35 generates multiplexed data to be transmitted to each of the terminal devices A to D. The transmission destination switching unit 36 determines the terminal devices A to D that are transmission destinations for transmitting the generated multiplexed data. (Basic Operation of System) Hereinafter, the operation of the video conference system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, when each of the terminal devices A to D is connected to the video conference device 4 and attends a conference, a screen as shown in FIG. That is, roughly three windows 51 and 52 and an icon 53 are displayed on the screen. Window 51
Is the other terminal image display area (Other's),
The video (eg, attendees) captured by the camera 16 connected to another terminal device is displayed. Window 52
Is a self-image display area (Self View),
It displays an image captured by a camera connected to its own terminal device. Further, the icon 53 is a menu display icon (Menu), and is an operation selection unit for performing various operations.

When the user operates the icon 53 with a mouse, an operation menu screen 60 is displayed on the monitor 11 as shown in FIG. On the operation menu screen 60, icons 61 to 64 for designating respective operations of "connect to conference", "leave conference", "record conference", and "play conference" are displayed.

Next, the procedure of the video conference of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First,
The attendee operates each of the terminal devices A to D to participate in the conference. Here, as described above, when the operation menu screen 60 is displayed on the monitor 11 and the “connect to conference” icon 61 is operated, the control unit 17 of each of the terminal devices A to D is operated.
Is the video conference device 4 via the communication interface 10.
(Steps S1 and S2). When the terminal devices A to D are connected to the video conference device 4, the multiplexed data transmitted from the video conference device 4 is transmitted to the communication interface 10.
And transmits the multiplexed data to the video conference device 4 via the communication interface 10 (step S3). Specifically, in the terminal devices A to D, the received multiplexed data is separated into video data compressed by the multiplexing unit 22 and compressed audio data.

The video data is decompressed by a video codec unit 20 and converted to an analog signal by a D / A conversion unit 18 before being sent to a monitor 11. As a result, as shown in FIG.
For example, images of each attendee are displayed as images of the conference.
The audio data is expanded by the audio codec 21 and converted to an analog signal by the D / A converter 18 before being sent to the speaker 12. Thereby, the audio of the conference is output from the speaker 12.

On the other hand, multiplexed data obtained by multiplexing the compressed video data and the compressed audio data by the multiplexing unit 22 is transmitted from each of the terminal devices A to D to the video conference device 4. That is, the video captured by the camera 16 connected to each of the terminal devices A to D is converted into digital video data by the A / D converter 19 and compressed by the video codec 20. The audio input by the microphone 15 is converted into digital audio data by the A / D converter 19 and compressed by the audio codec 21. The image input by the camera 16 is displayed in a window 52 on the monitor 11 of each attendee for confirmation.

In the video conference device 4, the received data determining unit 33 determines which of the terminal devices A to D the multiplexed data received via the communication interface 30 has transmitted. The control unit 32 combines the multiplexed data to be transmitted by the transmission data generation unit 35,
The data is transmitted to the terminal device determined as the transmission destination by the transmission switching unit 36. That is, the multiplexed data transmitted from the terminal device A is combined with the multiplexed data from the other terminal devices B and C, for example, and transmitted to the terminal device D. Similarly, multiplexed data other than its own multiplexed data is combined and transmitted to each of the terminal devices A to C.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, in the terminal device A, the composite image (B, C, D) transmitted from the terminal devices BD along with its own image (A) is displayed on the screen 40 of the monitor 11. Is displayed. Similarly, in the terminal device B, the composite image (A, C, D) transmitted from the terminal devices A, C, D is displayed on the screen 41 of the monitor 11 together with its own image (B). The terminal device C displays its own image (C) on the screen 42 of the monitor 11.
At the same time, the composite images (A, B, D) transmitted from the terminal devices A, B, D are displayed. Monitor 1 in terminal device D
1 is displayed on the screen 43 of the terminal device A together with its own image (D).
To C are displayed. (Leaving the Conference) In the basic operation of the conference as described above, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the attendant operating the terminal device A leaves the middle of the conference (step S).
4 YES). That is, the operation menu screen 60 is displayed on the monitor 1
1 and the icon 62 of "Leave Meeting" is operated. The video conference device 4 disconnects from the terminal device A in response to the notification of the leaving from the terminal device A, and continues the conference process between the attendees except the leaving person (step S5).

When a person who has left the conference leaves the conference, the video conference device 4 executes a process of recording the conference information between the attendees excluding the person who leaves the conference on the recording medium 31 (step S6). That is, if the user does not leave, the composite multiplexed data (video data and audio data indicating the contents of the conference by BD) to be transmitted to the terminal device A is recorded on the recording medium 31. (Reproduction of Meeting) Next, it is assumed that the terminal device A, which has left, returns to the meeting (YES in step S7).
That is, the operation menu screen 60 is displayed on the monitor 11,
The "play meeting" icon 64 is operated. The video conference device 4 restores the connection with the terminal device A in response to the notification from the terminal device A (step S8).

When the abandoned person returns to the conference, the video conference device 4 transmits the conference information recorded on the recording medium 31 to the terminal device A that has recovered (step S9). That is, while the terminal device A is leaving, the terminal device A transmits the synthesized multiplexed data indicating the content of the conference between the terminal devices B to D present. The terminal device A reproduces the recorded data transmitted from the video conference device 4 on a screen on the monitor 11, as shown in FIG. 8 (Step S10). That is, in the windows 71 to 73 on the monitor 11, the images B to D at the time of the conference between the terminal devices B to D are displayed. At the same time,
Sound corresponding to each of the terminal devices B to D is reproduced from the speaker 12. Thereby, the terminal device A can check the content of the conference when the user has left the terminal. By operating the “fast-forward playback” icon 74 on the monitor 11, the terminal device A can grasp the outline of the content of the leaving conference while participating in the conference from the middle. (Index Addition Process) As a first modification of the present embodiment, when recording the conference information on the recording medium 31, the video conference device 4 transmits index information (flag) together with a recording instruction from the terminal device. And the function of recording the index information on the recording medium 31 together with the conference information.

Hereinafter, this modification will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 11. FIG. Here, it is assumed that a conference is being performed between the terminal devices A to D, and conference information (multiplexed data) is being exchanged by the video conference device 4. At this time, if the “record meeting” icon 63 on the operation menu screen 60 is operated at the terminal device (B) that is present at the time of switching the topic of the conference, for example, the index signal is transmitted from the terminal device B. Is transmitted to the video conference device 4 (YES in step S21, S22). Upon receiving the index signal, the video conference device 4 adds and records the index information together with the conference information to be recorded on the recording medium 31 at that time (step S23). As shown in FIG. 9, the index information includes, for example, flags (01 to 03) and time information when the conference information is recorded.

Next, when a terminal device (other than B) wants to reproduce the conference information from the recording medium 31, the operation menu screen 60 is displayed on the monitor 11, and the "reproduce conference" icon 64 is displayed. Operate (YE in step S24)
S). The video conference device 4 transmits the conference information recorded on the recording medium 31 to the requesting terminal device. Here, a screen for recording data reproduction is displayed on the monitor 11 of the terminal device as shown in FIG. When the "select index" icon 75 is operated on this screen, a list of indexes is displayed as shown in FIG.
25 YES). When an index is designated from this list of indexes, the data designated by the index is reproduced on the recording data reproduction screen (step S27). That is, as described above, for example, the conference information from when the topic of the conference is switched is reproduced. Therefore, in the terminal device, it is not necessary to reproduce all of the recorded conference information, and it is possible to reproduce from the place deemed necessary, so that the reproduction time can be reduced. If the index selection process is not performed, all the recorded data recorded on the recording medium 31 is of course reproduced (NO in step S25, S28).

If this modified example is applied to the above-described conference playback process when the terminal device returning from the room returns, the terminal device can start from any position in the content of the conference leaving the terminal by designating an index. Meeting information can be reproduced. For example, in the case where the user leaves before the topic is switched, the contents of the conference after the switch can be reproduced. Therefore,
Since the playback time of the conference information during the absence can be shortened, the return to the conference can be realized in a short time.

Here, as a second modification, the index information may be not only the transmission of the index signal related to the timing from the terminal device as described above, but also the information which can specify the speaker among the attendees. That is, as described above, the video conference device 4 records the conference information indicating the content of the conference on the recording medium 31 in the event that a person who has left the vehicle has exited or in response to an instruction to “record a conference” from the terminal device. . At this time, the video conference device 4 identifies the speaker (that is, the terminal device) of the conference information at the time of recording based on the determination result of the received data determination unit 33, and uses the identification information as the index information as the conference information. It may be recorded together with.

In the case of such index information for specifying the speaker, as shown in FIG. 9, as a list of indexes, indexes 84 to 86 indicating the terminal devices (B to D) which are the speakers are included. Is displayed. Therefore, the terminal device that reproduces the data can reproduce the multiplexed data transmitted from the terminal device B by specifying, for example, the index 84 from the index list. Therefore, the departure or the attendee can, for example, reproduce and confirm only the contents of a particular attendee after the end of the conference.

As a third modification, each of the terminal devices A to D
When recording the conference information, as shown in FIG. 6, an operation screen for selecting a speaker is displayed on the monitor 11, and icons 91 to 93 are designated, so that the speaker to be recorded can be specified. Has a function that can be specified. That is, when the terminal device that requests the recording of the conference information by operating the “record meeting” icon 63 specifies, for example, the icon 91 from the operation screen as shown in FIG. 6, the terminal device becomes the speaker to be recorded. (B) is specified. The video conference device 4
In response to an instruction from the terminal device, only the multiplexed data from the specified terminal device B is extracted and recorded on the recording medium 31. In this case, as described above, the reception data determination unit 33
, The speaker of the conference information at the time of recording (that is, the terminal device B) is identified, and the identification information is recorded as index information together with the conference information. With such a function, the recording medium 31 does not have to record all of the conference information, but only the information of the selected speaker only needs to be recorded. Therefore, the recording data amount can be greatly reduced. . (Reproduction of Specific Speaker by Speech Recognition) In the fourth modification of the present embodiment, since each of the terminal devices A to D has a speech recognition function, without using the above-described index information,
The present invention relates to a function of reproducing meeting information of only a specified speaker. The terminal device that has requested the reproduction of the recorded data receives the conference information recorded on the recording medium 31 from the video conference device 4 as described above. The conference information includes voice data transmitted from the terminal device that is the speaker.

The terminal device specifies the speaker from the voice data using the voice recognition device, and reproduces the video and audio data related to the speaker. With such a function, index information is not necessary, and
Can be saved, and the input processing of the index information can be made unnecessary (see FIG. 6). (Deletion of Silence Data) In the fifth modification of the present embodiment, when the video conference device 4 transmits the conference information recorded on the recording medium 31 to the terminal device, data corresponding to the silence state in the audio data is deleted. Regarding the function to be deleted.

Specifically, as described above, when an abandoned person returns to a conference, when the information of the conference being absent is requested from the video conference device 4, the video conference device 4 transmits the recorded data recorded on the recording medium 31. (Conference information) is transmitted to the terminal device. At this time, the control unit 32 of the video conference device 4 determines that the audio data included in the recording data is in a silent state when the state in which the sound pressure level is lower than the reference value continues for a certain period or more. Then, the control unit 32 skips, for example, the audio data determined to be in the silent state,
Execute processing to delete from transmission data.

With such a function, when a participant does not speak for a certain period of time during a conference, voice data corresponding to a silent state is deleted from the data transmitted to the terminal device and transmitted. I do. Therefore, since unnecessary transmission data can be reduced, only valid recording data is reproduced on the terminal device side. Therefore, the transmission time from the video conference device 4 and the reproduction time on the terminal device side can be reduced. Further, in the video conference device 4, if the recording data from which the audio data determined to be in the silent state is deleted is re-recorded on the recording medium 31, the storage capacity of the recording medium 31 can be saved. In this case, when recording the conference information on the recording medium 31, the control unit 32 determines the sound data in the silent state as described above, and temporarily stops the recording operation during that period, so that the unnecessary A function of deleting audio data from recorded data may be used. (Selection of Recorded Data) Modification 6 of the present embodiment relates to a function of recording only one of video data and audio data when recording conference information on the recording medium 31 in the video conference device 4. As described above, in the present embodiment,
Teleconferencing device 4 in response to a request from a leaver or attendee
Records multiplexed data from each terminal device, which is conference information, on the recording medium 31. Therefore, the recording data recorded on the recording medium 31 includes both video data and audio data.

In the present modification, the transmission data generation unit of the video conference device 4 deletes video data or audio data from the multiplexed data (conference information) transmitted from each terminal device, leaving only the video data or audio data. To generate recording data. The control unit 32 records only the generated video data or audio data on the recording medium 31 as recording data. In this case, the setting for recording either the video data or the audio data is determined in advance on the TV conference device 4 side, or is made in response to an instruction from the terminal device. With such a function, the amount of data stored in the recording medium 31 can be significantly reduced as compared with the case where both video data and audio data are recorded. In particular, when only audio data is recorded, the amount of reduction is larger than in the case of video data. Also, the amount of transmission data transmitted from the recording medium 31 to the terminal device can be significantly reduced.

As an application example of the present modified example, a function of transmitting a signal for instructing start and stop of recording to the video conference device 4 when the operation of “recording a conference” is performed from the terminal device is provided. Upon receiving the signal from the terminal device, the video conference device 4 extracts, for example, conference information (multiplexed data from the terminal device) for the specified time from the specified start time of the conference time, and Only the recording data is recorded on the recording medium 31. Specifically, when recording the transmission data from each terminal device on the recording medium 31, the control unit 32 controls the recording start and the recording stop according to the signal so that only the designated recording data is recorded. To the recording medium 31
To record.

With such a function, it is possible to record on the recording medium 31 only the conference information that includes both video data and audio data and that is requested by the terminal device. Therefore, the content of the conference can be reproduced as it is, as compared with the case where only one of the video data and the audio data is recorded as described above. Further, since only the selected conference information is recorded as compared with the case where all the conference information is recorded, the amount of data stored in the recording medium 31 can be reduced.

In this embodiment and each of the modifications,
When recording the conference information, it is assumed that the recording medium 31 of the video conference device 4 is used. Here, in actuality, when recording data transmitted from each terminal device, the recording data amount of the recording medium 31 becomes considerably large. Therefore, the video conference device 4 may use the recording medium 14 provided in each terminal device to control so that data to be recorded is distributed and stored in each recording medium 14. With such a distributed recording method, the video conference device 4 does not need to prepare a large-capacity recording medium 31, and can effectively use the recording medium 14 of each terminal device.

[0038]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to record conference information indicating the contents of a video conference and transmit the recorded conference information to the terminal device which has requested the conference information. Therefore, for example, a terminal device that has left during a meeting
You can easily check the contents of the meeting that is absent. Also, for example, the attendee can request the meeting information after the meeting is over, so that the contents of the meeting can be reproduced. Therefore, by applying the present invention, it is possible to provide a video conference system with excellent utility.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a video conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary view showing an example of a monitor screen of the video conference terminal of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram showing the configuration of the video conference terminal (terminal device) according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram showing the configuration of the video conference apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary conceptual view showing an example of a display screen of each conference terminal in the video conference system of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary conceptual view showing an example of a display screen for explaining a speaker-specific function related to Modification 3 of the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary conceptual view showing an example of an operation menu screen of each conference terminal of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary conceptual view showing an example of a recorded data reproduction screen of each conference terminal of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary conceptual diagram showing an example of an index selection screen of each conference terminal related to Modification Examples 1 and 2 of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of Modification 1 of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Video conference system 2 ... Video conference terminal (terminal device) 3 ... Communication line 10 ... Communication interface 11 ... Monitor 12 ... Speaker 13 ... Input device 14 ... Recording medium 15 ... Microphone 16 ... Camera 17 ... Control part 30 ... Communication interface DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 31 ... Recording medium 32 ... Control part 33 ... Reception data judgment part 34 ... Connection control part 35 ... Transmission data generation part 36 ... Destination switching part

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. A video conference system for connecting to a plurality of terminal devices, transmitting and receiving conference information related to the content of a conference between the terminal devices, and executing a multipoint video conference process. During the execution of the video conference, a recording medium for recording the conference information, and in response to a request from any one of the terminal devices, the conference information from a specified time of the video conference, Means for recording on a recording medium. 2. A video conference system for connecting to a plurality of terminal devices, transmitting and receiving conference information related to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and executing a multipoint video conference process. Means for identifying a terminal device leaving the video conference during the execution of the video conference and monitoring the leaving time, and means for recording, on a recording medium, conference information during the conference performed at the leaving time. And a video conference system comprising: 3. Recording means for connecting to a plurality of terminal devices, transmitting and receiving conference information relating to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, executing a multipoint video conference process, and recording the conference information. A terminal device used for a video conference system, comprising: a unit for accessing the recording unit and acquiring conference information recorded at a leaving time after leaving a conference being executed in the video conference system. A terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. A video conference device connected to a plurality of terminal devices, controls transmission and reception of conference information related to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and executes a multipoint video conference process. Means for identifying a terminal device that has exited from the video conference during the execution of the conference, and means for recording, on a recording medium, conference information of a conference executed between the terminal devices excluding the terminal device that has exited from the time of leaving the conference. Means for transmitting the conference information recorded on the recording medium to the terminal device in response to an access request for the conference information during the leaving time from the terminal device that has left the video conference device. . 5. The television according to claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting conference information recorded on the recording medium to the terminal device in response to an access request from the terminal device. Conference system. 6. A video conference system for connecting to a plurality of terminal devices, transmitting and receiving conference information related to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and executing a multipoint video conference process, wherein the conference information is recorded. During the execution of the video conference between the terminal devices, the conference information is recorded on the recording medium in response to a request from the terminal device, and the index information related to the conference information is stored. A video conference system comprising: means for recording in addition to conference information. 7. Recording means for connecting to a plurality of terminal devices, transmitting and receiving conference information relating to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, executing a multipoint video conference process, and recording the conference information. A terminal device used for a video conference system, wherein during a video conference, when transmitting a request to record the conference information in the recording unit, index information for adding to the conference information A terminal device comprising means for transmitting to the video conference system. 8. A video conference device connected to a plurality of terminal devices, controls transmission / reception of conference information related to the content of a conference between the terminal devices, and executes a multipoint video conference process. During the execution of the conference, a recording medium for recording the conference information in response to a request from each of the terminal devices, and index information transmitted from the terminal device that has requested the recording of the conference information is added to the conference information. Means for recording on the recording medium, and means for accessing meeting information designated based on the index information from the recording medium and transmitting the meeting information to the terminal device in response to an access request from the terminal device. A video conference device. 9. The video conference system according to claim 6, wherein said index information is time information indicating timing for designating desired conference contents during execution of said video conference. 10. The video conference system according to claim 6, wherein the index information is information for specifying a speaker of the conference information. 11. A video conference system for connecting to a plurality of terminal devices, transmitting and receiving conference information related to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and executing a multipoint video conference process, wherein the conference information is recorded. Recording means for recording the conference information on the recording medium in response to a request from the terminal device during execution of the video conference between the terminal devices, wherein a voice included in the conference information is included. Means for recording meeting information of only the speaker designated from the terminal device based on the data. 12. The means for recording the conference information includes voice recognition means for specifying a speaker from the voice data, and a conference of only a specified speaker based on a recognition result of the voice recognition means. The video conference system according to claim 11, wherein information is recorded. 13. A video conference device connected to a plurality of terminal devices, controls transmission and reception of conference information related to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and executes a multipoint video conference process. During the execution of the conference, a recording medium for recording the conference information in response to a request from each of the terminal devices, and during the execution of a video conference between the terminal devices, in response to a request from the terminal device, Means for specifying a speaker based on a voice recognition result of voice data included in the conference information, and recording the conference information of only the specified speaker on the recording medium. . 14. A video conference system which is connected to a plurality of terminal devices, transmits and receives conference information relating to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and executes a multipoint video conference process. A recording medium for recording the conference information during execution of the video conference, and means for recording the conference information on the recording medium in response to a request from any one of the terminal devices. Means for deleting and recording data corresponding to a silent state in audio data included in the conference information. 15. A video conference apparatus which is connected to a plurality of terminal apparatuses, controls transmission and reception of conference information related to the content of a conference between the terminal apparatuses, and executes a multipoint video conference process. During the execution of the conference, a recording medium for recording the conference information in response to a request from each of the terminal devices, and the conference information in response to a request from any one of the terminal devices. A video conference apparatus comprising: means for recording on a recording medium; and means for deleting and recording data corresponding to a silent state in audio data included in the conference information. 16. A video conference system which is connected to a plurality of terminal devices, transmits and receives conference information relating to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and executes a multipoint video conference process. A recording medium for recording the conference information during execution of the video conference, and means for recording the conference information on the recording medium in response to a request from any one of the terminal devices. Means for recording only one of video data and audio data included in the conference information. 17. A video conference system for connecting to a plurality of terminal devices, transmitting and receiving conference information related to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and performing a multipoint video conference process. During the execution of the video conference, a recording medium for recording the conference information, and in response to a request from any one of the terminal devices, means for recording only data in a specified range of the conference information, A video conference system comprising: 18. A video conference system for connecting to a plurality of terminal devices, transmitting and receiving conference information relating to the content of the conference between the terminal devices, and executing a multipoint video conference process, wherein Is provided, a recording medium for recording the conference information, and in response to a request from any one of the terminal devices, the conference information is stored in each of the recording media provided in each of the terminal devices. A video conference system comprising: means for recording in a distributed manner.