JP2002101398A - Electronic conference system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic conference system by which the prehistory of sources in conference item contents can be recorded and the recorded information can be retrieved and reproduced. SOLUTION: When the conference is started, conference speech and image are stored in time series from a speech and image input means 10 into a speech and image storing means 4. Information from an input means 2 is displayed on a display means 1. When an input interval detecting means 5 detects that an instruction or input from the means 2 is not made for a fixed period, display information is stored in a display information storing means 3, and index information to be made speech and image information correspond to the display information is generated by an index information generating means 6, then is stored in an index information storing means 7. A speech and image information accessing means 8 reads the index information from the means 7, obtains a storage address in the means 4, accesses the speech and image information, and a speech and image information reproducing means 9 reproduces the speech and image information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic conference system, and more particularly to storage and recall of conference data during a conference.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional general meeting, a blackboard or a whiteboard has been used to write down the contents of agenda during the meeting. In recent years, instead of a blackboard or whiteboard, an electronic conference system using an electronic blackboard, an electronic OHP, a large display, a board notter (Boardnotter), or the like has been introduced. For example, an electronic blackboard is described in JP-A-64-78889. Also, boardnoter (Boardno)
ter) is the Communications of
he ACM, Vol. 30, no. 1,1987, M
ark Stefik et al., “BEYOND THE C
HALBBOARD: COMPUTERSSUPPORT
FOR COLLABORATION AND PR
OBLEM SOLVING IN MEETING
S ", pp. 32-47. In a conference system using these devices, the contents of the proceedings during the conference are stored electronically, printed out, and displayed. Electronic blackboard and board noter (B
In the case of an order noter, only the written contents of the meeting are recorded, and the history of the contents of the meeting is not recorded, and important information other than the recorded result of the meeting is lost. .

[0003] For this reason, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. Hei.
No. 2, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-199186, an electronic conferencing system for storing the contents of a meeting in a time series, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-32751. As described above, an electronic conference system has been proposed in which comments during a conference are recorded by voice. However, Japanese Patent Application No. 3-138542 has a drawback in that information that is entered and displayed is recorded in chronological order, but information such as voices and gestures that are not entered is lost. In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-199186,
Images and sounds remain in chronological order, but when searching for desired information, look at the sounds and images recorded in chronological order from the beginning, or input the elapse of time to search for the previous or next. And it is difficult to search. In JP-A-64-32751,
Although it is possible to search by associating with a document, there is a drawback that the flow of the conference cannot be reproduced because there is no chronological record. In addition, if a document is changed or deleted during a meeting, voice memos attached to those locations cannot be searched, and voice memos can be identified by the speaker when attaching a memo. There is a drawback in that even if the user has to specify a location and speaks first, and a description based on the statement is added, the previous statement is not recorded.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and records the history of the contents of a meeting, and searches the recorded information.
It is an object to provide an electronic conference system that can be reproduced.

[0005]

According to the present invention, in an electronic conference system, display means, input means for inputting information to be displayed on the display means, and display information storage for storing information displayed on the display means. Means, audio-video input means for inputting audio and video of a conference participant, audio-video storage means for storing audio and video input to the audio-video input means, and detecting an interval between inputs from the input means Input interval detection means, and the display information stored in the display information storage means and the audio / video information stored in the audio / video storage means based on the detection result of the input interval detection means or an instruction from a user. Index generating means for generating index information to be associated, and an index for storing the index information generated by the index generating means Information storage means, audio-video calling means for calling audio-video information from the audio-video storage means based on the index information stored in the index information storage means, and audio-video information called by the audio-video calling means in sequence. It is characterized by having audio-video information reproducing means for reproducing.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the display information and the audiovisual information which are sequentially recorded are associated with each other by the index information generated by the index generating means. Based on this index information, for example, by browsing
The search can be easily performed, and the searched audio / video information can be reproduced.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a first embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a display means,
2 is input means, 3 is display information storage means, 4 is audio-video storage means, 5 is input interval detection means, 6 is index information generation means, 7 is index information storage means, 8 is audio-video information calling means, 9 is The audio / video information reproducing means 10 is an audio / video input means.

[0008] The display means 1 displays materials used in the conference, information input from the input means 2 and information previously displayed. The input unit 2 is configured by an electronic pen or the like, is installed in correspondence with the display unit 1, and inputs information to be displayed on the display unit 1. The input means 2 can be composed of a keyboard and a mouse. The display information storage unit 3 stores information displayed on the display unit 1. The audio / video storage unit 4 stores the audio and video of the conference participants input from the audio / video input unit 10. The input interval detecting means 5 detects an interval between data input from the input means 2 and detects whether the input has been interrupted for a predetermined time. The index generation means 6 generates index information for associating the display information stored in the display information storage means 3 with the audio / video information stored in the audio / video storage means 4. The index information storage unit 7 stores the index information generated by the index generation unit 6.
The audio / video information calling means 8 calls the audio / video information corresponding to the index information stored in the index information storage means 7 from the audio / video storage means 4 according to a user's instruction. The audio / video information reproducing means 9 sequentially reproduces and displays the audio / video information called by the audio / video information calling means 8 as audio and images. The audio-video information reproducing means 9 can be configured to also serve as the display means 1. In the case of a dual-purpose configuration, the system can be configured at low cost. The audio / video input unit 10 is composed of a video camera, a microphone, and the like, and inputs audio and video during a conference and stores the audio and video in the audio / video storage unit 4. By arranging a plurality of video cameras and microphones in the audio-video input means 10, it is possible to eliminate blind spots in the conference hall and record and reproduce more detailed information.

FIG. 2 shows a first example of the electronic conference system according to the present invention.
6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment. When the conference is started, scenes and sounds of the conference input from the audio / video input unit 10 such as a video camera and a microphone are sequentially stored in the audio / video storage unit 4 in S21. At the same time, in S22, the index information generating means 6 generates index information for the audio / video information to be recorded. Next, S2
At 3, a command is read from the input means 2 and various processes are performed according to the instruction. First, if the read command is a write, a write process is performed in S28, and lines, figures, characters, and the like are displayed on the display unit 1. If the command is an erasure, the erasure process is performed in S27 to erase a part or all of the display information displayed on the display unit 1. This writing,
By erasing, a function as an electronic blackboard can be realized. When a save instruction is input, the display information displayed on the display unit 1 is stored in the display information storage unit 3 in S26. According to the page selection instruction from the user, the stored display information is subjected to page selection processing in S29, and the display information of the desired page can be read out from the display information storage unit 3 and displayed on the display unit 1.
The display information to be displayed on the display means 1 when a page is selected may be such that all pages are presented to the user over time, or only a certain page is presented to the user over time; The latest display information of the page is presented to the user, and the user can select a page based on the display information. In S30, after performing these processes such as writing, erasing, and page selection, if the input interval detecting unit 5 detects that there is no input of information for a certain period of time, in S31, the index generating unit 6 sets the display information and Index information that associates audio and video information is generated, and the generated index information is stored in the index information storage unit 7. Also, when the user issues an index generation instruction, the index generation unit 6 generates index information in S25,
The index information is stored in the index information storage means 7. If the reproduction of the audiovisual information is instructed, the process proceeds to S24.
In, an area in the currently selected page is selected, and index information corresponding to the area is searched from the index information storage means. The audio / video information calling means 8
Based on the searched index information, the audio / video information is called from the audio / video storage means 4 and displayed and reproduced on the audio / video information reproducing means 9. At the end of the meeting, an end is instructed. After the end processing is performed in S32, the recording of the audiovisual information is stopped in S33, and the processing is ended.

FIG. 3 shows a first example of the electronic conference system of the present invention.
13 is a flowchart showing a flow of an index generation process in the embodiment of FIG. When the index information generating means 6 is started, first, in S41, the address currently written in the audio / video storage means 4 is obtained. In S42, it is determined whether or not the page is a new page. If the page is a new page in which nothing is written, the index number is set to 1, and
In S43, a storage area is secured in the index information storage means 7, and the address of the audio / video storage means 4 acquired earlier is written in the secured storage area.

If it is determined in S42 that the page is not a new page, the current display information is stored in the display information storage means 3 in S45, and the previously stored display information of the same page is stored in S46 in S46. Read from
In S47, the difference between the read previous display information and the current display information is obtained, and in S48, it is determined whether or not there is a difference. If there is no difference, the index generation processing ends. If there is a difference, it is determined in S49 whether the designated processing is writing or deletion. If the designated process is writing, in S50, the information of the area including the difference between the previous display information and the current display information and the storage address of the audiovisual information acquired in S41 are added to the index information. I do. When the designated process is a deletion, in S51, the difference information, that is, the information of the area including the deleted portion and the storage address of the audiovisual information acquired in S41 are added to the previous index information. At the same time, the index information including the deleted information is corrected and stored as the current index information. After the addition and modification of the index information, in S52, the new index information is stored in the index information storage unit 7, and the index information generation processing ends.

The flow of the operation shown in FIG.
This will be described using a specific example. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of index information of a new page. First, in S42, when it is determined that the page is a new page, the index information generating means 6
Generates index information as shown in FIG. The index information includes a page number, a display information number, an index number, an index area, an audio-video information storage address, and the like. For a new page, the index number is 1. In FIG. 4, information “C” having the characteristic of being generated is added, and “1C” is written as an index number. Also, in the new page, since there is no difference from the previous display information, the column of the index area is not used. In FIG. 4, "-" is written. The address of the audio / video storage unit 4 acquired in S41, for example, “1000” is written in the audio / video information storage address column.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of adding index information by writing. It is assumed that display information as shown in FIG. 5A is stored in the display information storage unit 3 before writing is performed. As the index information at that time, information as shown in FIG. 5B is stored in the index information storage means 7. In FIG. 5B,
The index number “1C” is index information generated at the beginning of this page, and the index number “2C”
Is index information generated when the display information “XXXXX” is written. Here, as shown in FIG. 5 (C), it is assumed that information "A" is written and the index information generating means 6 is activated. First, S
At 41, the address of the audio / video storage means 4, "100450", is acquired. Next, in S45, the current display information, that is, the information shown in FIG. 5C is stored. And S4
6 reads the previous display information, that is, FIG. 5B, and detects the difference between FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C in S47. The detected difference is “A”. In S50, a new index number “3C” is generated, and information indicating an area including the difference “A”, for example, coordinates of four corners of the area is stored in the index area. Furthermore, the previously acquired address “100450” is stored in the audio / video information storage address. FIG. 5D shows the added index information. In this way,
The newly written display information and the audiovisual information at the time of writing are stored in association with each other.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of adding index information by erasing. The display information before the erasure is shown in FIG. The index information at this time is shown in FIG.
It is shown in (C). Here, “▽▽” is deleted from the display information of FIG.
Is activated. FIG. 6B shows the display information after the deletion. First, in S41, the current address of the audiovisual storage means 4, "1001500", is obtained. In S45, the current display information, that is, the display information shown in FIG. In S46, the display information stored last time, that is, the display information shown in FIG. 6A is read, and in S47, the difference between the display information in FIGS. 6A and 6B is detected. The detected difference is “Δ”.
In S51, a new index number “4E” indicating that the index information is the deletion index information is generated, and the index area includes information indicating an area including the deleted “Δ” and an audio-video information storage address. Stores the previously acquired address "1001500" in addition to the previous index information. In this index information, the index area of the index information including the deleted information is corrected so as to be the area after the deletion, and the index number is changed to the index number “4M” indicating that it has been corrected. save. FIG. 6D shows the previous index information to which the index information of the deletion is added, and FIG. 6E shows the current index information. In this way, the audiovisual information indicating how the display information was deleted is stored in association with the deleted display information.

The above-mentioned index information does not need to be stored in the format shown in the figure, but can be configured in various formats such as a data structure and a list structure. In addition, items to be stored may be stored together with data other than the illustrated data, such as date and time and time information, or characteristic information included in the index number may be stored as another item. Can also be configured. Further, the data to be stored need not be numerical values or characters as shown in the figure, but may be data in other formats such as code data.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of changes in display information of one page and index information corresponding thereto. In a meeting,
Information is written and erased over time. FIG. 7 shows how the display information and the index information change when writing and erasing are performed over time from the top to the bottom. In the figure, (1) to (5) respectively indicate the elapsed time during the meeting, (a) shows the display information, (b) shows the difference between the display information,
(C) shows each index information, (d) shows generated index information of this page, and (e) shows erase index information of this page. In this figure, the index information indicates only the index area.

First, at time (1), the display information is
"OOOO" is written. The index information generated up to this time is the index information when this page is first selected and the index information of the area indicated by vertical hatching. Subsequently, at time (2), “△△△△” is written. Then, the difference between the display information at time (1) and the display information at time (2) is
It is detected as shown in column (b). For this difference, (c)
Column-like index information is generated, and the generated index information at time (2) is stored in a form added to the index information at time (1). Further, at time (3), “「 ”is written. As in the case of the time (2), a difference between the display information of the time (2) and the display information of the time (3) is detected, index information corresponding to the difference is generated, and a generation index of the time (2) is generated. In addition to the information, it is stored as generation index information at time (3).

At time (4), “▽▽▽▽” has been erased. A difference between the display information at time (3) and the display information at time (4) is detected, and index information corresponding to the difference is generated. Since the generated index information is the index information for the erased information, it is used as the previous time, that is, as the erase index at time (3).
This is shown at time (3) in column (e). At this time, the index information at time (3) is the generated index information stored at time (3) and the erasure index information added at time (4). At the same time, the generation index information corresponding to the deleted information is deleted from the generation index at time (3), and stored as the generation index information at time (4). At time (5),
“△△” has been deleted. Similarly to the time (4), the information of the erased portion is detected, the index information thereof is generated, and this is added as the erase index information of the time (4). Since the erasure at time (5) is partial, the index area of the generation index information at time (4) is modified and stored as the generation index information at time (5).

FIG. 8 shows a first example of the electronic conference system of the present invention.
It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the audio-video information reproduction | regeneration process in Example of FIG. This processing is performed by the audiovisual information calling means 8. When the reproduction of the audio / video information is instructed and the audio / video information reading process is started, the index information of the current page is read from the index information storage means 7 in S61. Subsequently, in S62, the coordinates designated by the input unit 2 are obtained. In S63, it is determined whether or not the designated coordinates are in the area stored in the index information. If the designated coordinates are not in the area stored in the index information, in S64, the current audio The video information storage address is set to the reproduction end address. Next, in S65, the audio / video information storage address at the time when the page is generated is read from the index information and set to the reproduction start address. S
In 63, if the coordinates specified by the input means 2 are within the area of the index stored in the index information, in S66, the coordinate corresponding to the index number one smaller than the index number corresponding to the area is obtained. The audio-video information storage address is read out and set to the reproduction start address. Next, in S67, if there is an index number one larger than the index number corresponding to the area containing the designated coordinates, the audio / video information storage address corresponding to the index number is read out and set to the reproduction end address. If not, the storage address of the current audiovisual information is read out and set to the reproduction end address. Finally, in S68, the audio-video information from the reproduction start address to the reproduction end address is reproduced and displayed on the audio-video information reproducing means 9. If there is an interruption instruction from the user during the reproduction, the audio / video information reproduction processing is terminated at that point. When a plurality of pieces of index information are specified by coordinates specified by the user, the reproduction start address and the reproduction end address corresponding to each index information are sequentially connected in the specified order, and are reproduced. The audio-video information can be reproduced and displayed in the following order.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of the audio / video information reproducing process. FIG. 9A shows a state in which coordinates on the display screen are indicated by the input means. In this case, one “△” is indicated. The audio / video information calling means 8 detects the coordinates. FIG. 9B schematically shows the index information, and FIG. 9C shows the index information as data. The audio / video information calling means 8 reads the index information of the current page from the index information storage means 7 as shown in FIG. In this example, “△” is indicated, and the coordinates in the index information area at the center of the hatched index information area shown in FIG. 9B are indicated. That is, of the index information in FIG. 9C, the index number “3C” is indicated. This determination is made by referring to the information of the index area in each index information. If the designated index number is determined to be "3C", the audiovisual information storage address "100" corresponding to the index number "2C" which is one smaller than this index number.
200 "is read out and set as the reproduction start address. Also, the audio / video information storage address “10600” corresponding to the index number “4C” which is one greater than the index number “3C” is read out and set as the reproduction end address. When the setting of these data is completed, the audio / video information recorded from the set reproduction start address to the reproduction end address is read from the audio / video storage means 4 and reproduced and displayed on the audio / video information reproduction means 9. You. In this way, it is possible to know the state of the meeting before and after the specified display information, such as the background before the specified display information is written and the description after the writing. It is also possible to configure to reproduce and display the audio / video information only before the storage of the designated display information or only after the storage until the storage of the next display information.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numeral 11 denotes an instruction operation detecting means. The instruction operation detecting unit 11 monitors an operation that does not perform writing or erasing among operations input from the input unit 2, and detects an operation that does not perform writing or erasing. At the time of a meeting, the speaker often points to the displayed information or surrounds the displayed portion to add an explanation. These instruction operations are performed by moving a cursor or the like from the input unit 2. The pointing operation detecting means 11 performs these pointing operations, for example, an operation of drawing a line below a displayed item, an operation of enclosing a displayed item with an ellipse, and a preceding operation of a displayed item. When detecting an operation such as writing a circle in the mark, an operation of pecking a displayed item, and the like, and instructing the index information generating means 6 to generate index information, the instruction operation and the audio are requested. The video information can be stored in association with the video information.

The operation of the second embodiment of the electronic conference system according to the present invention will be described. The operation other than the instruction operation detecting means 11 is the same as the operation of the first embodiment. Only the detection of the instruction operation by the instruction operation detecting means 11 and the operation of generating index information based on the instruction operation will be described.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the index information generation process based on the instruction operation. The instruction operation detecting means 11 monitors an operation that does not perform writing or erasing, for example, movement of a cursor, and if an operation that does not perform writing or erasing is detected, in S71, the present audio-video information recording address is determined. At the same time, in S72, the coordinates of the movement start position of the cursor are obtained. Next, in order to acquire the trajectory of the movement of the cursor, the coordinates of the position of the cursor are sequentially acquired in S73, and in S74, it is determined whether or not the cursor has stopped for a certain period of time. , S7
The coordinates of the position of the cursor in 3 are obtained. When the cursor stops for a certain period of time, in S75, a movement locus is obtained from the acquired coordinates of the cursor, and this movement locus and an instruction operation registered in advance, for example, an operation of drawing a line below the displayed item. And whether it matches the action of enclosing the displayed item with an ellipse, the action of writing a circle in front of the displayed item, the action of pecking the displayed item, etc. When such an instruction operation registered in advance is detected, in S76, an instruction position corresponding to the instruction operation is obtained, and coordinates on the display unit 1 corresponding to the instruction position are acquired. The acquired designated coordinates are sent to the index information generating means 6. S
At 77, the index information generating means 6 checks which of the index information that has been sent corresponds to the index information generated so far, and acquires the corresponding index information. In S78, based on the obtained index information, the index information indicating the instruction, that is, the pointing index and the storage address of the audiovisual information are added. In S79, the index information with the added information is stored, and the index information generation processing based on the instruction operation ends. In the process of acquiring the storage address of the audiovisual information performed in S71, the process proceeds to S78 after it is determined in S75 that the instruction operation is registered in advance.
May be performed somewhere before the index information is generated.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of index information generation processing based on an instruction operation. FIG. 12 (A)
Shows the display information during the instruction operation, FIG. 12B shows the index information before the instruction operation, and FIG.
It shows the index information after the instruction operation. FIG. 12D shows an example of a registered instruction operation.

During a meeting, an operation of pointing to display information, for example, as shown in FIG. 12A, a cursor is moved by an input means and an underline is displayed under "A" which is one of the display information. When the pointing operation is performed, the pointing operation detecting means 11 detects this, and in accordance with the movement of the cursor,
The coordinate positions of the cursor on the display screen are sequentially acquired. Based on the acquired coordinates, it is determined whether or not there is a corresponding operation among the instruction operations registered in advance as shown in FIG. In FIG. 12D, the registered pointing operation is a straight line, for example, when the pointing operation is performed as if an underline is drawn, when the display information is surrounded so as to draw an ellipse, a small circle is placed at the pointing position. Are registered when an instruction operation is performed so as to draw. It is also possible to register other instruction operations, for example, an operation of enclosing in a square, an operation of pecking display information, and the like. In each instruction operation, an instruction position indicated by the instruction operation is set. When the instruction operation is performed so as to draw an underline as shown in FIG. 12A, the left end of the underline is set. A little above is registered as the designated position.
The designated position may be any position at which the display information designated by the designated operation can be specified. For example, the designated position may be the center position of the underline or the right end position. In this specific example, the area around "A" in the display information is the designated position,
These coordinates are obtained as designated coordinates. The acquired designated coordinates are sent to the index information generating means 6. The index information generating means 6 searches the index information before the pointing operation shown in FIG. 12B for index information that includes the sent pointing coordinates in the index area. Then, an index number “3C” corresponding to the designated “A” is acquired, and an index number “3P” obtained by adding “P” indicating the pointing index to the same index number “3”. Is generated. At this time, the storage address “100150” of the audiovisual information obtained before the generation.
With "0", index information is added. FIG. 12C shows the index information after the addition is performed. Since the information of the index area is unnecessary, "-" is stored. In this way, when the display information is instructed during the meeting, the state of the meeting at the time of the instruction, the explanation for the display information, and the like can be stored in association with the display information.

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram showing a third embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numeral 12 denotes index information browsing means.

When a request to know the history of the meeting occurs after the meeting or during the meeting, based on the index information stored in the above-described first and second embodiments, the audio-video The information will be reproduced.
In order to easily search the index information, a list display of the stored display information, that is, a browse display is convenient. The index information browsing unit 12 refers to the index information stored in the index information storage unit 7 and reads only a part or all of the display information stored in the display information storage unit 3 according to an instruction from the user. The display is reduced and the display means 1 displays a plurality of pieces of display information.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a display screen at the time of browse display in page units. When a meeting is held based on many pages of materials, it may not be possible to determine which page has desired display information. In such a case, by browsing and displaying the display information of each page as shown in FIG. 14, a desired page can be confirmed and selected. FIG.
In this example, the display information on page 9 is reduced and displayed on one screen. The current display information is displayed in a bold frame. Here, the sixth page is the current display information. 1
The display information of the 0th page and thereafter can be configured so that the display information to be browse-displayed is changed or scrolled by designating the next page. The number of pages of display information to be displayed may be determined as appropriate. A page number is displayed below the display information of each page to facilitate selection of the page. In addition to inputting the number of pages, it is also possible to select a page by pointing to browsed display information.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a display screen at the time of browse display based on the passage of time of an arbitrary page. When a certain page is taken out, information may be added to or deleted from that one page. When it is desired to know the history of addition or deletion of information, the present invention stores index information and display information. Therefore, by browsing the stored display information based on the passage of time of the page, it is possible to know how the final display information was created, and to add or delete information. It is possible to select a desired operation and obtain audiovisual information. In FIG. 15, the display information of the selected arbitrary page is browsed and displayed in order of the elapsed time together with the elapsed time from the start of the conference. The elapsed time from the start of the conference can be stored together with the respective index information. The page number is displayed at the upper left of the screen. After confirming the browse display, the user selects desired information or selects the display information displayed in the browse mode, and then selects the desired information. Video information can be obtained. In this display example, the configuration is such that nine pieces of display information can be displayed at one time.
The number of pieces of display information, the layout of each piece of information, and the like can be appropriately changed depending on the visibility. Of course, the display information for the tenth and subsequent sheets can also be displayed. At this time, if the user can scroll, the display information can be confirmed over time. When index information is created by an instruction operation as in the second embodiment of the present invention, browse display can be performed including the instruction operation.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a display screen at the time of browse display based on the passage of time of a conference. Often, one wants to know not only the time lapse of an arbitrary page, but also the flow of the entire meeting based on the time lapse. In such a case, if the display information can be browsed and displayed based on the elapsed time of the meeting, the flow of the meeting can be easily grasped. In FIG. 16, the display information, the page number of the display information, and the elapsed time from the start of the conference are grouped based on the elapsed time of the conference, and the 12 pieces of display information are browsed and displayed on one display screen. The current display information is surrounded by a bold frame. The meeting start time is
It is displayed on the upper left. The user can confirm these displays, select desired display information, and know the history of the conference from the audiovisual information. The layout and display method of the displayed items can be changed as appropriate. The number of pieces of display information displayed on one display screen can also be changed. 13
Of course, the display information of the subsequent sheets can also be displayed. The display information to be browse-displayed may not be all of the stored display information, but may be picked up and browse-displayed under certain conditions. In this way, even in the case of a long-time conference, the flow of the conference can be grasped.

In the third embodiment, the browsing display in various formats can be performed by providing the index information browsing means 12 as described above. Since the video information can be reproduced, the details of the discussion can be easily reproduced by referring to and using the information after or during the conference.

FIG. 17 is a schematic block diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numeral 13 denotes an index information structuring unit. The index information structuring unit 13 performs a process of adding the relationship of the index information specified by the user to the index information as a user-defined item. In this user-defined item, characters, numerical values, designation of other indexes, and the like can be freely described. With this user-defined item, each index can be freely structured. In addition, a plurality of user-defined items can be defined, enabling more flexible structuring. The user-defined items are used when reproducing and displaying audio-video information or when browsing as in the third embodiment, and the reproduction and browsing are performed according to the defined items.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of the fourth embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention. FIG. 18 (A)
FIG. 18B shows display information, and FIG. 18B shows index information. In the case of display information as shown in FIG. 18A, as described in the first embodiment, an index number, an index area, an audio-video information storage address, and the like are stored as index information. When n user-defined items are added to each index by the index information structuring means 13, the index information becomes as shown in FIG. For example, the index number "2
"C" has "sub-theme" as user-defined item 1.
Is added, and “1-2” is added to the user-defined item n.
-3C ". The index number “3C” has “selection 1” as the user-defined item 1.
However, “selection 2” is added to the index number “4C”. For example, when a browse display function is provided as in the third embodiment, if a user-defined item is added, the user-defined item is referred to, index information matching the condition is searched, and the display information is searched. Can be browsed and displayed. Specifically, when the user instructs to browse and display the display information in which the information “selection” exists in the user-defined item 1, the index information browsing unit 12 reads the index information from the index information storage unit 7. "Selection" information is user defined item 1
Is retrieved, that is, index numbers "3C" and "4C" are retrieved, and corresponding display information is collected from the display information storage means 3 and browsed.
As described above, by using the index information structuring unit 13 and the index information browsing unit 12 in combination, browse display can be performed under various conditions. When another index is specified in the user-defined item, the audio-video storage addresses are sequentially acquired in accordance with the index specified in the user-defined item, and the necessary audio-video information is reproduced and displayed. For example,
In the user-defined item n of the index number “2C”, as in “1-2-3C”, the indexes 1, 2, 3
Is designated, when the reproduction and display of the audiovisual information of the index number "2C" is instructed, the audiovisual information storage addresses are acquired in the order of the index numbers "1C", "2C", and "3C", The reproduction and display of the audiovisual information is sequentially performed. In this way, by adding user-defined items to the display information and audio / video information stored during the meeting, the information during the meeting can be organized according to the user's own classification, and the information of the meeting can be quickly obtained when necessary. Can be searched.

The means described in the first to fourth embodiments can be combined as appropriate. For example, as described in the fourth embodiment, the index information structuring unit 13 of the fourth embodiment may be combined with the index information browsing unit 12 described in the third embodiment. It is also possible to combine the instruction operation detecting means 11 described in the second embodiment.

[0035]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, not only the display information which is the contents of the meeting in the meeting, but also the conversation and the gesture of the meeting information in the process of recording the contents of the meeting are recorded. be able to. As a result, there is an effect that recording and reproduction can be performed without losing a process or the like that is not recorded only by describing minutes or the like as in the related art. At this time, even if the contents of the agenda are deleted, the index information is generated and stored together with the display information before the deletion, so that the details of the correction and processing and the audio / video information of the deleted part can be reproduced. it can. During the conference, audio and video information is continuously generated from the start to the end of the conference, and an index is automatically generated for the audio and video information, so that the speech and gesture of the conference participants can be recorded without omission. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of an electronic conference system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of an index generation process in the first embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of index information of a new page.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of adding index information by writing.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of adding index information by erasing;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a change in display information of one page and index information corresponding thereto.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of audio / video information reproduction processing in the first embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of audio-video information reproduction processing.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of index information generation processing based on an instruction operation.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of index information generation processing based on an instruction operation.

FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a third embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a display screen at the time of browse display in page units.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a display screen at the time of browse display based on the passage of time of an arbitrary page.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a display screen at the time of browse display based on the passage of time of a conference.

FIG. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a specific example of the fourth embodiment of the electronic conference system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 display means, 2 input means, 3 display information storage means,
4 audio-video storage means, 5 input interval detection means, 6 index information generation means, 7 index information storage means, 8 audio-video information calling means, 9 audio-video information reproduction means, 10 audio-video input means .. 11 instruction operation detecting means, 12 index information browsing means, 13 index information structuring means.

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] August 3, 2001 (2001.8.3)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0005

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0005]

According to the present invention, in an electronic conference system, display means, input means for inputting information to be displayed on the display means, and display information storage for storing information displayed on the display means. Means, audio-video input means for inputting audio and video of conference participants, audio-video storage means for storing audio and video input to the audio-video input means, and audio-video information from the audio-video storage means. It is characterized by having audio-video calling means for calling and audio-video information reproducing means for reproducing audio-video information called by the audio / video calling means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Display means, input means for inputting information to be displayed on the display means, display information storage means for storing information displayed on the display means, and input of audio and video of conference participants Audio-video input means, audio-video storage means for storing audio and video input to the audio-video input means, input interval detection means for detecting an input interval from the input means, and input interval detection means An index generation unit that generates index information that associates display information stored in the display information storage unit with audio-video information stored in the audio-video storage unit based on a detection result or an instruction from a user; Index information storage means for storing the index information generated by the index generation means, and storage in the index information storage means Audio / video calling means for calling audio / video information from the audio / video storage means based on the index information obtained, and audio / video information reproducing means for sequentially reproducing the audio / video information called by the audio / video calling means. Electronic conference system.