JP2002009765A - Multi-point conference system via ip network using conference server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multi-point conference system employing a WWW browser and an Internet phone software program via an IP network that is equipped with functions that provide synchronous display of material data, broadcasting of voice data, and a right to speak to utterers. SOLUTION: A conference server 10 is provided with a control function (a conference server software 11) that operates a WWW browser 41 of participant terminals and an Internet phone software 42 for the conference system. Each participant terminal 31 is provided with a conference software 43 that is used to communicate a control signal with the conference server 10 to take part in the conference system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multipoint conference system via an IP network, and in particular, to material data (still images,
HTML format including moving images, recorded audio, text, etc.)
An IP network using a conference server that shares (synchronizes) with other participants, simultaneously broadcasts the voice data spoken by the speaker to each of the other participants' terminals, and holds a conference with audio commentary. The present invention relates to a via-point multipoint conference system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional multipoint conference system, depending on participant terminals, there is a case where equipment necessary for displaying, reproducing and executing material data or an application is required. However, there is a problem that the size becomes large.

Here, a method of combining a configuration of a conference system operating on an IP network with a WWW browser and Internet telephone software enabling voice communication on the IP network can be considered.

In many cases, the WWW browser and the Internet telephone software are provided in advance together with the OS of the PC, and can be relatively easily obtained and introduced. Therefore, it is easy to arrange the numbers required for the configuration of the conference system. Use HTML format to distribute the material data and browse it with a WWW browser. Internet telephony software is used for communication of voice utterance contents, and detailed explanations of material data displayed on the WWW browser, explanations of supplementary points and unknown points, and responses to questions are made by voice utterance. By introducing conferencing software to configure these WWW browsers and Internet telephone software as a conferencing system, WW
This makes it possible to configure a multipoint conference system using material data displayed by the W browser and voice utterance using Internet telephone software.

[0005]

One of the problems with the above-mentioned prior art configuration is the lack of broadcasting of voice data. When a WWW browser and Internet telephone software are configured to operate as a multipoint conference system, voice data is limited to exchange between only two specific terminals. The cause is that the Internet telephone software does not have a function of transmitting voice to a plurality of terminals. For this reason, in the operation of the multipoint conference system in which a plurality of participants participate, in the above configuration, only one conference participant can listen to the explanation by voice utterance, and the other conference participants use voice utterance. I cannot hear the explanation at the same time.

[0006] Another problem is a lack of a function for selecting a speaker from a large number of participants. Considering a conference system as an application, there should be an opportunity for multiple conference participants to speak uniformly, in which case the ability to grant and manage a specific individual from among multiple conference participants will be available. Will be needed. In addition, in order to view the same material data among a plurality of conference participants, it is necessary to control screen synchronization between terminals.

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide not only synchronous display of material data but also broadcast transmission of audio data to provide an audio explanation to all participants in order to solve the above problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multipoint conference system via an IP network using a conference server having a high interactive function by performing a function of selecting a speaker from each participant terminal and giving a floor with a simple procedure.

[0008]

The object of the present invention is to provide a WWW server for storing conference materials, a function of receiving voices of a plurality of participant terminals and delivering voice to the conference participant terminals, It consists of a conference server equipped with conference server software that also has the function of transmitting and receiving control information from the Internet, and multiple participant terminals equipped with conference software for performing voice communication control and WWW browser synchronization control. Achieved.

According to the above means, the conference server synchronously transmits the material data designated by the participant terminal having the right to speak to each participant terminal, so that each participant terminal can simultaneously display the material data. The conference server broadcasts the voice data transmitted from the participant terminal to each participant terminal, so that the participant terminals can simultaneously reproduce the voice data.

[0010] Further, since the conference server has means for selecting a speaker from a plurality of participant terminals and giving a right to speak, the conference participants are given an opportunity to speak uniformly.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment to which the multipoint conference system of the present invention is applied. The conference server 10 and the participant terminals 31, 32,... Are connected to the IP network 50. At this time, it is necessary to set the network so that the conference server 10 and each of the participant terminals 31, 32,...

FIG. 2 shows the conference server 10 and each participant terminal 3
1, 32,... Indicate software that needs to be introduced. The conference server 10 has conference server software 11 that operates as a conference server, and records and stores material data.
WWW server software 20 for controlling distribution is introduced.

The main control unit 111 in the conference server software 11 manages the voice control unit 113 and the control information communication unit 114, and operates the entire conference server software 11.
The voice control unit 113 performs broadcast transmission of voice data. The control information communication unit 114 receives control information transmitted from the participant terminals participating in the conference, and requests the main control unit 111 for processing. Material data used by the participant when speaking is recorded in the WWW server software 20 in advance.

Each participant terminal 31, 32,... Has a WWW browser 41 for browsing material data, Internet telephone software 42 for voice communication, and conference software 43 installed in advance.

FIG. 3 shows an overview of the occurrence of a conference and the setting of chairperson authority. When the participant terminal 31 having the chairperson authority logs on to the conference server 10, the conference server 10 generates a conference object and holds a conference.

Thereafter, the participant terminals 32, 33,... Logging on to the conference server 10 are the participant terminals 3 having the chairperson authority.
When the conference is held by 1, it becomes possible to participate in the conference. Since the chairperson authority is given only to the participant terminal that has held the conference, it is not given to the participant terminals that have joined the existing conference. The information of the other participant terminals participating in the conference is transmitted from the conference server 10 to the participant terminals participating in the conference and displayed on the screen.

FIG. 4 shows that the participant terminal 32 has the right to speak. FIG. 5 shows a sequence until the participant terminal 32 obtains the floor.

The participant terminal 32 desiring to speak transmits a request to speak to the conference server 10 via the conference software 43 (step 501). The conference server software 11 of the conference server 10 that has received the statement request transmits all the participants who are participating in the conference except the participant terminal 32 in response to the request to speak from the participant terminal 32 received from the control information communication unit 114. The terminal notifies the terminal that the participant terminal 32 has requested to speak (step 502).

The participant terminal 31 having the chairperson authority transmits to the conference server 10 information for giving the right to speak to the participant terminal 32 via the conference software 43 (step 50).
3). The conference server software 11 of the conference server 10 that has received the request requests the main control unit 111 to switch the speaking right to the participant terminal 32 based on the speaking permission information received from the control information communication unit 114 (step 504). The main control unit 111 sets the voice control unit 113 to transmit the voice of the participant terminal 32 to all the members (step 50).
5) The control information communication unit 114 is notified that the setting of the floor has been completed (step 506). Control information communication unit 1
14 transmits the information that the participant terminal 32 has acquired the right to speak to all the participant terminals participating in the conference (step 507).

FIG. 6 shows a sequence diagram in which the audio data transmitted from the participant terminal 32 is broadcast by the conference server 10. The participant terminal 32 having the floor transmits the voice data to the conference server 10 (step 60).
1). When receiving the voice data, the voice control unit 113 transmits the received voice data to all the other participant terminals except the participant terminal 32 if the source participant terminal 32 of the voice data has the right to speak ( Step 602). The transmission of the conference server 10 is performed by broadcast transmission of audio data.

FIG. 7 shows a sequence in which the participant terminal 32 synchronously displays material data on other participant terminals as necessary. The participant terminal 32 reads, from the WWW server software 20, material data to be displayed synchronously with other participant terminals (step 701). The participant terminal 32 transmits to the conference server 10 via the conference software 43 a request to read and display the currently displayed material data on another participant terminal in synchronization (step 702).

The conference server software 11 of the conference server 10 that has received the synchronous display request receives the screen synchronization request of the participant terminal 32 received from the control information communication unit 114 and receives all the participants participating in the conference except the participant terminal 32. The participant terminal 32 transmits the location of the material data for which the synchronous display is specified to the participant terminal (step 703). All participant terminals participating in the conference except the participant terminal 32
A request to acquire the designated material data is transmitted to the WWW server software 20 via the conference software 43 (step 704). WWW server software 20
Will be sent to all participant terminals
The document data is transmitted synchronously (step 705).

The participant terminal 33 which has a question or a content to speak by itself from the participant terminal 32 is shown in FIG.
In the same manner as described above, a speech request is transmitted, and the right to speak is set, so that questions and speech can be made.

In the first embodiment, the conference server software 11 and the WWW server software 20
Is installed on the same device, the conference server 10
Although the configuration has the W server on the same device, the conference server 10 and the WWW server can be configured separately by introducing the WWW server to a device different from the conference server software 11.

[0026]

As explained above, according to the present invention,
In addition to synchronizing the display of material data, it can broadcast voice data and provide voice utterance to all participants, and a function to select speakers from each participant terminal and give the right to speak A multipoint conference system via an IP network using a conference server with a high interactive function can be realized with simple procedures.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a multipoint conference system via an IP network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of main software of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a conference holding and chairperson authority setting.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of setting of a floor.

FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram until a floor is set.

FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram until a voice is broadcast.

FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram of a screen synchronous display.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 conference server, 11 conference server software, 1
11: Main control unit, 113: Voice control unit, 114: Control information communication unit, 20: WWW server software, 31, 3
2, 33, 34: participant terminals, 41: WWW browser, 4
2 ... Internet telephone software, 43 ... Conference software, 50 ... IP network.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A conference server configured to transmit control information to a plurality of conference participants, and a plurality of participant terminals configured to receive the control information from the conference server via an IP network and participate in the conference. In the multipoint conference system described above, when the participant terminal has the right to speak, the participant terminal transmits, to the conference server, the location of the material data required for the content of the statement and control information for matching the display content of the screen information to the conference server Means, and means for matching display contents of screen information among all participant terminals according to control information from the conference server, wherein the conference server has a location of material data designated by a speaker, and control information. Characterized in that it comprises means for synchronously transmitting to a participant terminal each other. 2. A conference server for transmitting control information to a plurality of conference participants, and a plurality of participant terminals for receiving control information from the conference server via an IP network and enabling participation in the conference. In the multipoint conference system described above, when the participant terminal is given a right to speak, the participant terminal includes means for transmitting voice data as the content of the statement to the conference server, and the conference server is transmitted from the speaker. A multipoint conference system via an IP network using a conference server, comprising means for broadcasting audio data to each of the other participant terminals. 3. The multipoint conference system according to claim 1, wherein said participant terminal includes means for transmitting a statement request request to said conference server when said user desires to speak, wherein said conference server comprises a plurality of said conference terminals. A multipoint conference system via an IP network using a conference server, comprising means for selecting a speaker from among participant terminals and giving the right to speak. 4. The multipoint conference system according to claim 1, wherein said conference server has a function of using WWW server software.
Multipoint conference system via IP network. 5. The multipoint conference system according to claim 1, wherein the participant terminal has a function of displaying, reproducing, and executing material data transmitted from the conference server. Multipoint conference system via IP network.