JP2000330914A - Method and device for reporting group state - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To report the state of a network that users share to have a conversation. SOLUTION: A table wherein prescribed network states and icons representing respective network states are made to correspond to each other is prepared in a storage part 51. A judgement part 52 detects a prescribed event of the network and judges a new network state each time an event occurs. When the network state changes, a display control part 53 displays an icon representing a new network state. For example, the speech of a key word that a user specifies is shown and the participation of an important person specified by a user in the network is indicated. A setting part 54 receives the specification of the key word and the specification of the important person and stores them in the storage part 51. A user is able to judge whether or not a conversation necessary for the user is carried on or whether or not the user had better watch a conversation by giving a glance at the icons.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technique for enhancing the convenience of a user in a conversation system in which users share a virtual space with each other and have a text-based conversation.
In the present invention, a conversation system is a system in which a plurality of users can transmit and receive a text message (hereinafter, simply referred to as a message) substantially in real time while sharing a virtual space, and can display the transmitted and received messages. To tell.

[0002] A chat system is an IRC (Internet
This is a conversation system that is constructed based on the (Relay Chat) protocol (RFC1459) and is configured by connecting a chat server and a chat client via the Internet. The chat server broadcasts messages from the chat client to other chat clients in the channel. The chat client sends and receives messages to and from other chat clients via the chat server.

[0003] A channel is a virtual space shared by chat clients in a chat system.
A nickname is an identifier for uniquely identifying a user in a chat system. Topics are:
Tell the topic of conversation on each channel. The mode refers to the characteristics of the channel.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, conversation systems that allow users on a computer network to talk on a text basis in real time have become widespread. One such conversation system is a chat system including a chat server and a chat client.
Generally, a chat server manages multiple channels and a chat client participates in several channels selected by the user. The user designates one of the participating channels as a channel of his or her attention (hereinafter referred to as a current channel).

FIG. 19 is an example of a screen displayed by the chat client. The screen mainly includes a conversation window 192, a comment window 193, a channel monitor window 194, a user list window 195, and a channel list window 196. The current channel field 19 is displayed at the top of the screen.
1 is provided, and the current channel name is displayed.

[0006] In the conversation window 192, remarks on the current channel are displayed. The user inputs a message in the comment window 193 and speaks on the current channel. In the channel monitor window 194,
Remarks on participating channels (hereinafter referred to as participating channels) are displayed together. In some chat systems, the channel monitor window 194 is not provided. The participating channels are listed in the channel list window 196. The list of channels includes channel names, number of participants, topics, etc.
Predetermined information may be displayed.

[0007]

In the above-mentioned chat system, the purpose of the participating users and the channels are different for each channel. Therefore, each channel is highly independent. A user participating in a plurality of channels at the same time can change the conversation on the current channel to the conversation window 192.
You can see it in However, it is difficult to understand what kind of conversation is taking place in other participating channels and whether it is necessary to grasp the contents of the conversation.

Specifically, when the channel monitor window 194 is displayed, the conversation on the participating channel may be grasped by looking at the channel monitor window 194. However, in the channel monitor window 194, remarks on each participating channel are displayed in a mixed manner. Therefore, if the speech becomes active simultaneously in a plurality of participating channels, the user cannot follow the conversation contents of each channel, and it becomes difficult to grasp the conversation contents for each channel. If the channel monitor window is not displayed, the current channel is changed and the conversation in the channel is changed to the conversation window 1.
Unless displayed at 92, the user cannot know the conversation on the participating channels.

However, in any case, the user must determine the necessity of the conversation after seeing the contents of the conversation one by one. In this case, it is difficult for a user participating in a plurality of channels to easily obtain information necessary for the user.
A similar problem occurs in conversation systems other than the chat system. An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that notifies a user of a network state such as a channel and allows the user to easily select information. For example, it is an object of the present invention to provide information for facilitating determination of whether or not it is better for a user to view a conversation content, and to easily refer to the network.

[0010]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the first invention of the present application is used together with a conversation device capable of having a conversation by transmitting and receiving text messages while sharing the same network with each other. Preparing a predetermined state of the network in association with a symbol representing the predetermined network state; B: determining a network state after the occurrence of the predetermined event in response to occurrence of the predetermined event; C; A group status notifying method is provided that displays a symbol corresponding to the new network status and notifies the user of the new network status.

For example, a state such as whether a topic of interest to the user is spoken, whether the user is called, or whether an important person is participating in the network is represented by a symbol. The user determines whether the representation is being displayed,
By looking at the changes in the representation, the approximate network status can be grasped. The second invention of the present application provides a group status notifying device that is used with a conversation device capable of talking by transmitting and receiving text messages while sharing the same network, and including a status table, a determination unit, and a notification unit. I do.

The status table holds a predetermined status of the network and a symbol representing the predetermined network status in association with each other. The determining means determines a new network state after the occurrence of the predetermined event in response to the occurrence of the predetermined event. The notifying unit acquires a representation corresponding to the new network state from the state table, displays the obtained representation, and notifies the user of the new network state.

As a representation of the network state, for example, displaying an icon corresponding to each state, outputting a text message on a display screen, and the like are conceivable. The predetermined event includes a text message,
Examples of the change include a change in a user participating in the network, a change in a network in which the user is paying attention, a notification of a user's intention, and the like, without any particular limitation.

The determining means determines, when the event occurs, how the network state after the occurrence of the event has changed. For example, when a comment occurs, the determination unit determines whether a keyword specified by the user is included. If it is included, it is determined that the message is in a state where a message including a keyword is uttered. The notifying unit displays a symbol associated with the state determined by the determining unit, and notifies the user of the network state. For example, changing the display of an icon or displaying a text message can be mentioned.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect,
The conversation device can independently display a function-specific window and a call window for receiving a call of each window, and the notifying means displays the representation and the network on at least one of the function-specific windows or the call windows. Are provided in association with each other.

For example, the call window is provided with a button for receiving a call of each window. The window includes the above-described conversation window, channel list window, user list window, and the like. Further, in the call window and the channel list window, a list of participating channel names and the like is displayed. Each channel name is displayed with a symbol such as an icon. Therefore, the user can grasp the approximate state of the channel only by displaying the call window and the channel list window.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect,
In addition to the conversation device, a group status notification device used together with a status detection device capable of detecting a predetermined user status and transmitting / receiving each other's user status via the conversation device and displaying the user status is provided. In this device, the status detection device can display the user status in at least one of the function-specific window and the call window. The notifying unit is capable of changing the display of the representation and the user state according to the new network state.

The state detection device displays, for example, the user state of the conversation device sharing the network with each other in the call window. The state detection device can also display the state of the user who has not participated in the network but is registered in the user DB 22 in advance. Now, consider a case where user B calls user A in network N1. In the state notification device that operates on the information terminal of the user A, the notification unit includes:
An icon indicating “Called state” is displayed in the call window. Further, the notification means blinks the status display of the user B displayed in the call window. The user A can recognize at a glance who is calling. Therefore, it can be easily determined whether the conversation on the network N1 should be viewed immediately or whether the conversation should be postponed.

The fifth invention of the present application is used in a conversation device capable of communicating by transmitting and receiving a text message by sharing the same network with each other, and records a group status notification program for executing the following steps A to C. A computer-readable recording medium. A: maintaining a predetermined state of the network and a symbol representing the predetermined network state in association with each other; B: determining a network state after the occurrence of the predetermined event, C; Acquiring a representation corresponding to the network state from the state table and displaying the same, and notifying the user of the network state after the occurrence of the event.

It has the same function and effect as the second invention.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a group status notification device according to the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> [Configuration] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a chat system 1 including a group status notification device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The chat system 1 includes a chat server 2 and a chat client 31 connected via the Internet 4. The group status notification device 5 according to the present embodiment includes a chat client 31.
Are provided in the operable user terminal 3. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the chat client 31 included in the chat system 1 is used as a conversation device. However, the present device can be applied to other conversation devices. Although only one user terminal 3 is shown, a plurality of user terminals 3 can be connected to the chat server 2.

[Chat system] Chat system 1
Has a user state detection system in addition to the chat server 2 and the chat client 31. Specifically, the user DB 22 and the status management unit 21 are in the chat server 2, and the status detection unit 32 is in the chat client 31.
, Respectively. A predetermined user is registered in advance in the user DB 22 for each channel as a user configuring a channel (hereinafter, referred to as a channel configuration user). The state management unit 21 manages the user DB 22. The state detection unit 32 monitors a change in the user state based on the state of the user terminal 3 and predetermined data. When the user state changes, the state detection unit 32 notifies the state management unit 21 of a new user state via the chat client 31. Upon receiving this notification, the user state in the user DB 22 is changed. Further, the new user status is notified to users in the same channel via the chat client 31 and the input / output unit 33. In this example, the user state detection system is the chat system 1
, But may be configured independently of the chat system 1.

The chat client 31 can output a function-specific window and a tool palette window (call window) for calling each window to the input / output unit 33 independently of each other. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing that the function-specific windows are displayed independently and are called by the tool palette window. FIG.
(A) is a tool palette window, (b) is a conversation window including a comment window and a user list window, (c) is a channel monitor window, and (d) is a channel list window, which are displayed independently. . The user list is displayed as an icon in the left part of the conversation window, and the comment window is displayed in the lower right part. The icons in the user list indicate the status of the constituent users of the current channel.

In the tool palette window, a self-state setting button 201, a call button 202, a function button 203
And a status window 204. The own state setting button 201 receives the setting of the own state. The call button 202 receives a call of a conversation window, a channel monitor window, and a channel list window. The function button 203 is a button for receiving a message or a file transmitted while the user is absent. The status window 204 is a window for displaying a user status and a participating channel status. The user state is displayed by the state detection unit 32. The participation channel status is displayed by the group status notification device 5 as described later.

[Group Status Notification Device] In the user terminal 3, the group status notification device 5 can operate in conjunction with the chat client 31. Group status notification device 5
Has a storage unit 51, a determination unit 52, a display control unit 53, and a setting unit 54. The storage unit 51 holds data necessary for a predetermined process. Specifically, the storage unit 51 stores
Each table shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 is held. FIG. 3 is an explanatory conceptual diagram of the channel state table. A predetermined channel state and an icon are registered in the channel state table in association with each other. In this embodiment, the following channel conditions 1) to 16) are prepared as predetermined channel conditions.
However, the channel state is not limited to the following example, but can be set according to needs.

1) Current channel, 2) Participating channel, 3) Many users connected, 4) Recently spoken, 5) User called, 6) Keyword spoken, 7) Material submitted 8) Many users speak, 9) Key person is participating, 10) Agree, 11) Opposite atmosphere, 12) Other atmosphere, 13) Many users are present, 14) Leave There are many medium users, 15) many busy users, 16) many users on a business trip. Each channel status has an icon indicating each status registered. The channel state is indicated by displaying an icon along with the channel name on the screen. For example,
In the tool palette window of FIG. 2A, an icon indicating a “current channel” state is displayed for channel #chocolat. Also, the channels # ume3 and #icct are displayed in the channel list window of FIG.
For est, an icon indicating the “participation channel” state is displayed. For channels #islab and #icc,
An icon indicating a “keyword has been spoken” state is displayed. Furthermore, for channel #chocolat,
An icon indicating the “current channel” state is displayed as described above. Note that, in the present embodiment, an icon is used as a form indicating a channel state, but other display forms are also possible. For example, displaying a text message may be mentioned. Also, a plurality of states can be displayed for one channel.

FIG. 4A is a conceptual explanatory diagram of the connection user table. Channel name,
The registered user, the connected user, and the connection ratio are held in association with each other. In this embodiment, the “channel name”
In, the channel name of the participating channel is registered. The same applies to the following tables. "Registered User"
The number of users registered in advance in the user DB 22 as channel configuration users is registered. In the “connected user”, the number of users connected to the chat server 2 is registered. As the connection ratio, the ratio of the number of connected users to the number of channel configuration users is registered. If the connection ratio is equal to or more than a predetermined value, an icon indicating the "many users connected" state of the channel state is displayed.

FIG. 4B is a conceptual explanatory view of the keyword table. The keyword table contains channel names,
A topic flag and a keyword are registered in association with each other. “Channel name” is the same as in the connection user table. A value of “1” or “0” is registered in the “topic flag”. If the topic flag is “1”, it indicates that the keyword specified in advance by the user is uttered on the channel, and the user has not referred to the channel yet. If the topic flag is "0", it indicates that the keyword has not appeared in the channel. A character string designated by the user for each channel is registered in the “keyword”.

FIG. 4C is a conceptual explanatory diagram of the call name table. In the call name table, the channel name, the call flag, and the call name are registered in association with each other.
“Channel name” is the same as in the connection user table. A value of “1” or “0” is registered in the “call flag”. If the call flag is "1", it indicates that the call name specified by the user has been stated in the channel. If the calling flag is "0", it indicates that the calling name has not been spoken. The “nickname”
A character string specified by the user is registered. This string is typically the user's name, the user's nickname, or "all" to address all users.

FIG. 4D is a conceptual explanatory diagram of the material table. In the document table, the channel name, the document flag, and the document are registered in association with each other. “Channel name” is the same as in the connection user table. “1” or “0” is registered in the “material flag”. If the material flag is "1", it indicates that the material is provided on the channel and the material is not viewed by the user. If the material flag is "0", it indicates that there is no unread material in the channel. "Documents"
Information for identifying the resource uttered in the channel is registered. For example, the address and file name of a document file, the address of a web page, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of the comment management table. In the statement management table, a statement flag, an active flag, a central user, a user name, a last statement time, and a number of statements are registered in association with each other for each channel.
“Channel name” is the same as in the connection user table. A value of “1” or “0” is registered in the “utterance flag”. If the utterance flag is “1”, it indicates that the predetermined time has not yet elapsed since the last utterance time on the channel. If the utterance flag is “0”, it indicates that there is no utterance even if a predetermined time has elapsed from the last utterance time in the channel.

A value of "1" or "0" is registered in the "active flag". If the active flag is "1", it indicates that the number of users who have spoken within a predetermined time in the past is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio. Also, the active flag is “0”
If, the number of users who have spoken in the past predetermined time,
This indicates that the ratio is less than the predetermined ratio. "Central user"
Describes an identifier for identifying a user having the largest number of utterances among users registered in the utterance management table. In FIG. 5, the central user in channel #chocolat is USER-A. It should be noted that a user designation, a nickname, or the like can be used as the identifier for identifying the user. In this embodiment, a nickname is used.

The "user name" describes a nickname of a user participating in the channel. When the number of users registered in the user name reaches a predetermined number, the “active flag” becomes “1”. "Last utterance time"
The last time the user spoke on the channel is described. The “number of utterances” indicates the number of times a user registered in this table has uttered in the channel. For example, in FIG. 5, the last utterance time of USER-A is 11:14, and the number of utterances is five. However, the user name, the last utterance time, and the number of utterances are registered when the user makes a utterance, and are deleted when no utterance is made even after a lapse of a predetermined time.
For example, in FIG. 5, when the predetermined time is 10 minutes, 1
At 1:22, the entry for USER-B is deleted.

FIG. 6A is a conceptual explanatory diagram of the key person table. In the key person table, a channel name, a participation flag, and a key person are registered in association with each other. “Channel name” is the same as in the connection user table. A value of “1” or “0” is registered in the “participation flag”. If the participation flag is “1”, it indicates that the user specified in advance as the key person is participating in the channel. The key person is specified by the user as an important person in the channel from the users registered in the user DB 22 as the channel configuration user. Usually, the key person will be a different user on different channels,
Specified for each channel. If the participation flag is “0”, it indicates that the key person is not participating in the channel. The nickname of the designated user is registered in the “key person”.

FIG. 6B is a conceptual explanatory view of the user status table. In the user state table, the channel name, the number of seated users, the number of away users, the number of busy users, the number of business trip users, and the state are stored in association with each other. “Channel name” is the same as in the connection user table. The “number of occupied users” indicates the number of occupied users among the channel configuration users. Similarly, "number of unattended users"
Indicates the number of users who are away, “busy user number” indicates the number of busy users, and “business trip user number” indicates the number of users on a business trip. The user state can be obtained from the state detection unit 32. In addition, the user state is not limited to the above-described example, and may be a user state that can be detected by the user state detection system. "Status"
Is determined by the ratio of the number of users in each state to the number of channel constituent users in the channel. For example, if the number of occupied users is 50% or more, a predetermined ratio is determined in advance, such as setting the user to be in the “at stake” state. In FIG. 6, channel #icc and channel #chocolat are in the “at-seat” state, and channel #ume is in the “busy” state.

The determination unit 52 waits for the occurrence of a predetermined event, and determines the channel state after the occurrence of the event. In the present embodiment, a case where the predetermined events are the following 1) to 8) will be described as an example. However, the event is not limited to the following example, and can be set according to needs. 1) message, 2) user participation and withdrawal from channel, 3) change of user status, 4) start of application, 5) change of current channel, 6) click of channel icon, 7) described later. Reception of will notification 8) Timeout notification When an event occurs, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the channel state has changed. When judging that it has changed, the judging section 52 notifies the display control section 53 of the channel and the channel state.

The display control unit 53 displays, changes, or deletes an icon in the tool palette window shown in FIG. 2A and the channel list window shown in FIG. 2D according to the notification from the determination unit 52. The setting unit 54 displays a setting window and accepts registration in the keyword table, key person table, and nickname table. FIG.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a window for setting a call name. The user inputs his / her own name in the keyword character string and presses the OK button. In the figure, USER-A sets four names. The set nickname is as shown in FIG.
The name is registered in the name table of FIG. Keywords and key persons are registered in the same manner. In this example, the name is common to all the channels, but may be set for each channel.

The setting unit 54 displays a predetermined intention setting window, accepts setting of intention, and sends a notice of intention via the chat system 1. The will notification is detected by the self and other group status notification devices 5 as an event. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a will setting window displayed by the setting unit 54. For example, when a proposal in a channel is being discussed, each user opens the intention setting window of FIG. 8 and notifies his / her intention. The will of the user in the channel is counted by the determination unit 52. As a result of the counting, if there are many “agree”, the channel state is displayed as “agree”. As a result, it is possible to grasp the trend of the channel configuration user. It is preferable that a plurality of types of intention setting windows are prepared in advance, and a window corresponding to the topic of the channel can be used.

[Processing Flow] (1) Main Routine Next, the flow of processing performed by the group status notifying device 5 will be specifically described. FIGS. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing the flow of the processing of the main routine performed by the group status notification device 5. When the chat client 31 is activated, the following processing is started.

First, in step S1, the judgment section 52
The process waits for the occurrence of a predetermined event. When the event occurs, the process proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the judgment unit 5
2 specifies the channel in which the event has occurred. In step S3, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the generated event is a connection or disconnection of another chat client 31 to the chat server 2. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S4. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S8 described below.

In step S4, the judgment section 52 updates the connection user table shown in FIG. Specifically, the other chat client 31 is the chat server 2
, The number of connected users of the channel whose chat client 31 is a constituent user is increased. Conversely, when the connection with the chat server 2 is disconnected, the number of connected users is reduced. In addition, with the change in the number of connected users, the connection ratio of the channel is calculated and written in the connected user table.

In step S5, the determination unit 52 determines whether to change the channel connection state based on the new connection ratio. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S6, and if "No", the process proceeds to step S7 described below. That is, when the connection ratio is equal to or more than the predetermined connection ratio, the process proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the determination section 52 notifies the display control section 53 of the channel and the new state of the channel, and instructs the display control section 53 to change the display of the channel state. In accordance with this instruction, an icon indicating the connection state of the channel is displayed or deleted. In step S7, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the chat client 31 has ended. If the determination is "No", the process returns to step S1 and repeats the above processing. If "Yes" is determined, the process ends.

If "No" is determined in step S3, the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the determination unit 52 determines whether the event that has occurred is a message of the message. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S9. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S14 described later. In step S9, the judgment unit 5
2 executes a keyword subroutine described later.

In step S10, the determination section 52 executes a calling subroutine described later. Step S11
Then, the determination unit 52 executes an unread subroutine described later. In step S12, the determination unit 52 executes a statement management subroutine described later.

In step S13, the judgment section 52 executes a speech subroutine described later. Thereafter, the process returns to step S7 to repeat the same processing as described above. If "No" is determined in step S8, step S14
Move to In step S14, the determination unit 52 determines that the event that has occurred is the chat client 3
It is determined whether it is the participation or withdrawal of No. 1. “Ye
If "s" is determined, the process proceeds to step S15, and if "No", the process proceeds to step S16 described below.

In step S15, the judgment section 52 executes a key person subroutine described later. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S7. If "No" is determined in step S14, the process proceeds to step S16. In step S16, the determination unit 52 determines whether the event that has occurred is a change in the user state. “Y
If "es" is determined, the process moves to step S17, and "No"
Then, the process proceeds to step S20 described later.

In step S17, the judgment section 52 updates the user status table (FIG. 6B). Further, the determination unit 52 counts the changed user state, that is, the new user state, and determines a new channel state. For example, as a result of the aggregation, when the user state “busy” becomes a predetermined ratio or more, the new channel state is determined to be “busy”.

In step S18, the determination section 52 determines whether the new channel state has changed from the previous channel state. If “Yes” is determined, step S
Move to 19. If "No" is determined, the step S
Move to 7. In step S19, the determination unit 52 notifies the new channel state and the new channel name, and instructs the display control unit 53 to change the display of the channel state. The display control unit 53 changes the display of the channel state according to the instruction. For example, when the channel state changes from “at present” to “busy”, the display control unit 53 deletes the icon indicating the “many users at present” state. Then, an icon indicating a “busy” state is displayed.

If "No" is determined in step S16, the process proceeds to step S20. Step S2
In the case of 0, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the generated event is the activation of an application. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S21. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S22 described later. Activating the application includes, for example, activating a document editing application in order to open a file presented in the statement, activating a browser, and the like.

In step S21, the judgment section 52 executes a read subroutine described later. Then step S7
Return to If "No" is determined in step S20, the process proceeds to step S22 in FIG. Step S
At 22, the determining unit 52 determines whether or not the occurred event is a change in the current channel. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S23. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S24 described later.

In step S23, the determination section 52 executes a current channel subroutine described later, and proceeds to step S7. “No” in step S22
When the determination is made, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S24, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the icon indicating the channel state has been double-clicked in the predetermined window. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S25. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S26 described later. The predetermined window is, for example, a list window in the tool palette window of FIG.

In step S25, the determination unit 52 instructs the chat client 31 to change the current channel. Further, the determination unit 52 notifies the display control unit 53 of the new current channel and instructs the display control unit 53 to change the display of the channel state. Upon receiving the instruction, the display control unit 53 displays an icon indicating the “current channel” state on the channel on which the double-click has been performed. An icon indicating the “participation channel” state is displayed on the previous current channel.

If "No" is determined in step S24, the process proceeds to step S26. Step S2
In 6, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the event that has occurred is the will notification. If you decide "Yes,"
Move to step S27. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S30 described later. In step S27, the determination unit 52 totals the intentions using the received intention notification and determines the atmosphere of the entire channel. For example,
The determination unit 52 calculates the ratio of each of “agree”, “disagree”, and “other” to the channel configuration user. The determination unit 52 determines which channel state is based on the calculation result.

In step S28, the determination section 52 determines whether or not the channel state has changed. If the determination is "Yes", the flow proceeds to step S29. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S29,
The determination unit 52 notifies the channel name and the new channel state, and instructs the display control unit 53 to change the display. Thereby, the display of the channel state is changed. For example, if the channel status changes from “agree” to “disagree”, instead of the “agree” icon,
An icon indicating the status is displayed. In addition, it is preferable to set a predetermined time limit for counting the will notification.

If "No" is determined in step S26, the process proceeds to step S30. Step S3
At 0, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the event that has occurred is the timeout notification. If “Yes”, the process moves to step S31. If “No”, the process shifts to step S7. In step S31, the judgment unit 5
2 updates the comment management table of FIG. Specifically, the determination unit 52 rewrites the speech flag of the channel for which the timeout notification has been made from “1” to “0”.

In step S32, the determination section 52 notifies the channel name and instructs the display control section 53 to change the display of the channel state based on the change of the speech flag. As a result, the icon indicating the “recently uttered” state is deleted for the channel where the event has occurred. (2) Keyword Subroutine FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing of the keyword subroutine. When the process proceeds to step S9 in the main routine, a process described later is started.
In step S91, the determination unit 52 determines whether a predetermined keyword is included in the received message. This determination is made by referring to the keyword table shown in FIG. If "Yes" is determined, the process moves to step S92. If "No" is determined, the process returns to the main routine.

In step S92, the judgment section 52 judges whether or not the topic flag of the channel is already "1". If "No" is determined, the process shifts to step S93,
If "Yes" is determined, the process returns to the main routine. In step S93, the determination unit 52 updates the keyword table. Specifically, the topic flag of the channel on which the keyword is stated is rewritten from “0” to “1”.

In step S94, the display control unit 53
Based on the instruction from the determination unit 52, an icon indicating a “keyword is spoken” state is displayed on the corresponding channel. This icon is displayed until the corresponding channel becomes the current channel. Thereafter, the process returns to the main routine. (3) Call Subroutine FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the call subroutine. When the process proceeds to step S10 in the main routine, the following processing is executed.

First, in step S101, the judgment unit 52
Determines whether the uttered message contains a call name specified by the user. This determination is made based on the name table shown in FIG.
If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S102,
If "No" is determined, the process returns to the main routine. In step S102, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the call flag of the channel whose name is mentioned is already "1". If "Yes" is determined, the process returns to the main routine. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S103.

In step S103, the judgment section 52 updates the call name table. Specifically, the determination unit 52
The call flag of the corresponding channel is rewritten from “0” to “1”. In step S104, the display control unit 53
An icon indicating the “user called” state is displayed on the corresponding channel. This icon is displayed until the corresponding channel becomes the current channel. Thereafter, the process returns to the main routine.

(4) Unread Subroutine FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed in the unread subroutine. When the process proceeds to step S11 in the main routine, the following processing is executed. First, in step S111, the determination unit 52
It is determined whether or not materials are provided in the uttered message. For example, a web page address,
It is determined whether the file name and its address are included in the message. If "Yes" is determined, step S1 is performed.
The process proceeds to step S12, and if "No" is determined, the process returns to the main routine.

In step S112, the judgment section 52 updates the data table shown in FIG. 4D. In particular,
The address and the name of the uttered material are registered as “material” of the corresponding channel in the material table. If there are materials already written, new materials are additionally registered.
In step S113, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the material flag of the channel to which the material has been provided is already “1”. If "Yes" is determined, the process returns to the main routine. If "No" is determined, the process moves to step S114.

In step S114, the judgment section 52 rewrites the material flag of the corresponding channel from "0" to "1". In step S115, the display control unit 53 displays an icon indicating a “material has been submitted” state on the corresponding channel based on the instruction from the determination unit 52. This icon is displayed until all the materials in the channel are browsed. Then, the process returns to the main routine.

(5) Message Management Subroutine FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed in the message management subroutine. When the process proceeds to step S12 of the main routine, the following processing is executed. In step S121, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the user who has made the utterance is already registered in the utterance management table of FIG. If you decide "Yes,"
The process moves to step S126 to be described later. If "No" is determined, the process moves to step S122.

In step S122, the judgment section 52 updates the comment management table. Specifically, the determination unit 52
Writes the nickname, the utterance time, and the number of utterances of the user who made the message in the utterance management table. The number of remarks is “1”. In step S123, the determination unit 52
Calculates the ratio of the number of users registered in the comment management table to the number of users in the channel. That is,
Calculate the ratio of users who continuously speak within a predetermined time interval. The determination unit 52 determines, based on the ratio of the speaking users,
Determine the value of the active flag.

In step S124, determination section 52 determines whether or not the active flag is changed. That is, when the active flag changes from “0” to “1” due to an increase in the number of speaking users, it is determined that the active flag is changed. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S125. If "No" is determined, the process returns to the main routine.
In step S125, the display control unit 53 displays an icon indicating the “many users are speaking” state on the corresponding channel.

If "Yes" is determined in the step S121, the process shifts to a step S126. Step S1
At 26, the determination unit 52 updates the utterance time of the user who made the utterance. In step S127, the determination unit 52
The number of utterances of the user who made the utterance is incremented.

In step S128, determination section 52 specifies a central user in the channel. That is, the determination unit 52 sets the user having the largest number of utterances in the utterance management table as the central user. In step S129, the determination unit 52 determines whether the central user changes.
If "Yes" is determined, the new central user is written in the comment management table, and the routine goes to Step S130. "N
If the determination is "o", the process returns to the main routine.

In step S130, the display controller 53
Displays a new central user. For example, when the icon of the user is displayed in the tool palette window, the user icon is blinked. Alternatively, a field for displaying the central user may be newly provided in the channel list window, and the nickname of the central user may be displayed in the field. Then, the process returns to the main routine.

(6) Comment Subroutine FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed in the comment subroutine. When the process proceeds to step S13 in the main routine, the following processing is executed. In step S131, the determination unit 52 resets the timer for the channel on which the statement has been made.
The timer measures the elapsed time from the last utterance time in each channel for each channel.

In step S132, the judgment section 52 refers to the message management table shown in FIG. 3 and judges whether or not the comment flag of the channel in which the comment has been made is "1". “Ye
If “s” is determined, the process proceeds to step S135 described later. If “No” is determined, the process proceeds to step S133. If “Yes” is determined, step S13 described later is performed.
Move to 5.

In step S133, the judgment section 52 rewrites the comment flag from "0" to "1" for the channel where the comment has been made. In step S134, the display control unit 53 displays an icon indicating a “recently uttered” state on the corresponding channel. In step S135,
The determination unit 52 starts a timer and starts measuring the elapsed time from the new utterance time. Then, the process returns to the main routine.

When the timer exceeds a predetermined time, the judging section 52 sends a timeout notice. In other words, this is a case where the elapsed time from the last utterance time in the channel exceeds a predetermined time. As described above, the comment flag is changed from "1" to "0" by the timeout notification (step S31), and the icon display changes (step S32).

Further, the determination unit 52 performs a process of deleting an entry of a user who does not have a next utterance even if a predetermined time has elapsed from the last utterance from the utterance management table. As a result, only the user who continuously speaks within the predetermined time interval is registered in the statement management table. (7) Key Person Subroutine FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed in the key person subroutine. When the process proceeds to step S15 in the main routine, the following processing is executed.

In step S151, the determination section 52 determines whether the user who has joined or left the channel is designated as a key person. This determination is made based on the key person table shown in FIG. “Y
If "es" is determined, the process moves to step S152.
When the determination is "o", the process returns to the main routine. In step S152, the determination unit 52 determines whether or not the generated event is participation of a key person. If "Yes", that is, determination of participation of a key person, step S153 is performed.
Move to If "No", that is, it is determined that the key person has left, the process proceeds to step S154.

In step S153, the judgment section 52 changes the participation flag of the key person table to "1".
In step S154, the determination unit 52 changes the participation flag of the key person table to “0”. Step S1
At 55, the display control unit 53 changes the display of the channel state based on the instruction of the determination unit 52. For example, when the participation flag changes from “0” to “1”, an icon indicating a “participating in key person” state is displayed on the corresponding channel. Then, the process returns to the main routine.

(8) Read Subroutine FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the read subroutine. Step S21 of the main routine
Then, the following processing is executed. First, in step S211, the determination unit 52 determines whether a predetermined material has been acquired by the user terminal 3. That is, the determination unit 52 determines the “material” in the material table of FIG.
It is determined whether any of the materials described in the field has been acquired. If "Yes" is determined, the process proceeds to step S212. If "No" is determined, the process returns to the main routine.

In step S212, the judgment section 52 updates the material table. Specifically, the determination unit 52 deletes the material acquired by the application from the “material” field of the material table. Step S21
In 3, the determination unit 52 determines whether there is any unopened material among the materials submitted to the same channel. This determination is made based on whether the “material” field from which the material acquired in step S212 has been deleted is empty. If "No" is determined, the process proceeds to step S214, and if "Yes", the process returns to the main routine.

At step S 214, determination section 52 updates the material table. Specifically, the determination unit 52
The material flag of the channel whose “material” field is empty is rewritten from “1” to “0”. In step S <b> 215, based on the instruction from the determination unit 52, the display control unit 53 deletes the icon indicating the “material has been submitted” state for the corresponding channel. Then, the process returns to the main routine.

(9) Current Channel Subroutine FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the flow of the processing of the current channel subroutine. When the process proceeds to step S23 in the main routine, the following processing is executed. First, in step S231, the determination unit 52 determines whether the keyword flag of the channel that has become the new current channel is “1”. This judgment is shown in FIG.
This is performed based on the keyword table of (b). “Ye
s ”, the process moves to step S232, and“ No ”
When the determination is made, the process shifts to step S234 described later.

At step S 232, determination section 52 updates the keyword table. Specifically, the determination unit 52
Sets the keyword flag of the new current channel to
Rewrite from "1" to "0". In step S233, the display control unit 53 displays an icon indicating the “current channel” state for the new current channel. In addition, an icon indicating the “participation channel” state is displayed for the previous current channel.

In step S234, determination section 52 determines whether or not the call flag of the new current channel is "1". This determination is made based on the name table shown in FIG. If "Yes" is determined, the process moves to step S235. If "No" is determined, the process returns to the main routine. In step S235, the determination unit 52 updates the call name table. In particular,
The determination unit 52 rewrites the call flag of the new current channel from “1” to “0”.

In step S236, the display control unit 53
Deletes the display of the icon indicating the “user called” state for the new current channel based on the instruction from the determination unit 52. Then, the process returns to the main routine. <Other Embodiments> (A) In the first embodiment, the case where only the participating channels are displayed in the tool palette window has been described as an example. However, it is also possible to accept the registration of the channel that the user liked by the group status notification device 5 and display the favorite channel in the tool palette window. In this case, “favorite” is added to the channel status in the channel status table of FIG. 3, and the corresponding icon is registered. Further, a table for newly storing favorite channels is provided. This table is stored in the user terminal 3
Is not cleared even if is over. The setting unit 54 displays a screen for accepting registration of a favorite channel, and stores the input favorite channel in the storage unit 51.

For example, when the chat client 31 is activated, the judgment section 52 acquires the state of the favorite channel via the chat client 31. The status of the favorite channel is displayed as an icon in the tool palette window. For example, the group status notification device 5 can determine the status of the favorite channel by the chat client 31 participating in the favorite channel simultaneously with the activation. In this case, the favorite channel is not displayed on the channel list window. Thereby, it is possible to display as if the user were notified of the channel state of the favorite channel that has not participated. It is convenient for the user to be able to participate in the favorite channel by double-clicking the favorite channel in the tool palette window.

(B) In the first embodiment, the case where the chat client 31 can independently display the function-specific windows has been described. However, the present invention is also applicable when the chat client 31 displays a fixed window shown in FIG. In this case, since the tool palette window is not displayed, the channel state may be displayed in the channel list window.

(C) In the first embodiment, the case where the user state detection system is operable with both the chat client 31 has been described. However, the present invention is applicable even when a user state detection system is not provided. In this case, no icon indicating the user state is displayed in the tool palette window. Also, the channel state based on the user state is not displayed.
Other channel states can be displayed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0088]

According to the present invention, the state of the network can be grasped without referring to conversations in the network shared by the users. By visually displaying the state of the network, the user can easily determine whether or not it is necessary to refer to a conversation in the network.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a group status notification device and a device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing that function-specific windows are displayed independently.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory conceptual diagram of a channel state table.

FIG. 4A is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a connected user table. (B) Conceptual illustration of keyword table (c) Conceptual illustration of call name table (d) Conceptual illustration of material table.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a statement management table.

FIG. 6A is a conceptual explanatory diagram of a key person table. (B) Conceptual illustration of a user status table.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a setting window.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a will setting window.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart (part 1) illustrating a flow of processing of a main routine performed by the group status notification device.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart (part 2) illustrating the flow of processing of a main routine performed by the group status notification device.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of a keyword subroutine.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a processing flow of a calling subroutine.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed in an unread subroutine.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed in a comment subroutine.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed in a comment management subroutine.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed in a key person subroutine.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of a read subroutine.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of a current channel subroutine.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the chat client.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Chat system including group status notification device 2; Chat server 3; User terminal 4; Internet 5; Group status notification device 31; Chat client 32; Status detection unit 33;

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Jun Tsunoda 4-1-1 Kamikadanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fujitsu Limited (72) Ai Manabe 4-1-1 Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture No. 1 Fujitsu Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Osamu Watanabe 4-1-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture 1-1 (Within Fujitsu Co., Ltd.) Kazuo Sasaki 4-1-1, Kamiodanaka, Nakahara-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa No. 1 Fujitsu Limited F-term (reference) 5B045 BB38 GG01 5B089 GA11 GA21 GB02 JA18 KA03 KB06 KC34 KC35 KC46 LB07 LB15 LB19

Claims (5)

[Claims] The present invention is used together with a conversation device capable of communicating by transmitting and receiving a text message while sharing the same network, and associating a predetermined state of the network with a symbol representing the predetermined network state. Determining a new network state after the occurrence of the event, displaying a symbol corresponding to the new network state in accordance with the determination, and displaying the new network state to the user. Notify, group status notification method. 2. A communication device which is used together with a conversation device capable of communicating by transmitting and receiving a text message while sharing the same network, and associating a predetermined state of the network with a symbol representing the predetermined network state. A state table to hold and hold, a determination means for determining a new network state after the occurrence of the event in response to the occurrence of a predetermined event, and acquiring and displaying a symbol corresponding to the new network state from the state table. And a notifying unit for notifying a user of the new network state. 3. The conversation device can independently display a function-specific window and a call window for receiving a call of each window, and the notifying means includes a function-specific window or a call window for at least one of the function-specific windows and the call window. The group status notification device according to claim 2, wherein a representation is displayed in association with the network. 4. In addition to the conversation apparatus, the apparatus is used together with a state detection apparatus capable of detecting a predetermined user state and transmitting / receiving and displaying each other's user states via the conversation apparatus. The user state can be displayed on at least one of another window or a call window, and the notifying unit responds to the new network state,
The group status notification device according to claim 3, wherein the display of the representation and the user status can be changed. 5. A computer-readable recording medium on which a group status notification program is recorded, which is used for a conversation device capable of having a conversation by transmitting and receiving a text message by sharing the same network with each other, wherein: A; Holding a predetermined state of the network and a representation representing the predetermined network state in association with each other; B: determining a network state after the occurrence of the predetermined event, and C; Acquiring and displaying a representation corresponding to the network state from the state table, and notifying a user of the network state after the occurrence of the event; andrecording a group state notification program for executing recoding media. It has the same function and effect as the second invention.