JP2003111042A - Conference support apparatus, information processor, electronic conference system and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic conference system that eliminates the need for synchronization processing in each information processor used by a conference participant so as to simplify the system. SOLUTION: An information share area A4 in which information being individual intelligence sent by conference participants via the information processor is shared by all of the conference participants and a selection display area A5 to edit a structure of the information being shared intelligence are clearly distinguished from each other and displayed on a large-sized display device 11 which the conference participants can visually recognize in common. When one object is designated among objects displayed on the information share area A4 displayed in the large-sized display device 11, the designated object is displayed at a desired position of the selection display area A5 , and the object is edited by a coordination work by all the conference participants by centering on a coordinator of the conference. Thus, it is not required to apply synchronization processing to each information processor used by each conference participant so as to simplify the system.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conference support device, an information processing device, an electronic conference system, and a program for electronically supporting a conference, particularly a knowledge-creating conference.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 20 shows a conventional electronic conference system 10.
It is a system configuration diagram schematically showing an example of 0. As shown in FIG. 20, the electronic conference system 100 includes a plurality of PCs.
(Personal Computers) 101, 102, 103 are connected to each other via a network 104. Each of the PCs 101 to 103 includes a PC main body 105 including a display, a keyboard / mouse 106,
The sharing management unit 107 and the application 108 are included. The sharing management unit 107 manages input / output of the application 108, management of peripheral devices and disk drives (not shown) connected to the PC main body 105, and communication management between the PCs 101 to 103. is there. The application 108 includes, for example, a word processor editor, spreadsheet software, drawing software, electronic conference software, and the like.
FIG. 20 shows a state where an electronic conference is being held using the application 108.

An example of an electronic conference using the electronic conference system 100 shown in FIG. 20 will be described below. For example, PC1
01 to 103 are assumed to be launched by the user at the start of the conference. And PC101-103
The first PC to boot up (for example, PC101)
The sharing management unit 107 manages the progress of the electronic conference. Sharing management unit 107 of PC 101
Is a desired application 1 according to a user's instruction.
08, and also sends the application 108 to the other PCs 102 and 103. In such a state, the user will perform various operations while viewing the display content displayed on the display of the PC 101 according to the application 108 loaded in the sharing management unit 107 of the PC 101.

In addition, the result of work by the user is obtained from another PC.
In order to display on the displays of 102 and 103 at the same time, the sharing management unit 107 of the PC 101 allows another PC 1
No. 02, 103 is transmitted to the sharing management unit 107. Further, the result of the work performed by the PC 102 or the PC 103 is transmitted to the sharing management unit 107 of another PC, as described above.

With such a configuration, the user can use each PC
It is possible to advance the electronic conference while viewing the work results performed in steps 101 to 103 in real time.

In addition, the sharing management section 107 of each PC manages the peripheral devices and disk drives connected to the PC as described above, and at the same time, provides a correspondence table showing the difference in environment from other PCs. It can also be resolved by using. Specifically, even if the same file is stored under different names on different PCs, the sharing management unit 107 sets all the PCs in the same environment and holds an electronic conference if it has the above correspondence table. You can

In such an electronic conference, the information processed by the execution of the same application is kept in the same execution state on all the computers participating in the conference.

[0008]

By the way, there is a case where the use of the PC is interrupted during the electronic conference due to a failure of a part of the network, a disconnection of the power supply of the PC, or the like. As described above, when the use of the PC is interrupted during the electronic conference, the following problems occur.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where the use of the PC is interrupted during the electronic conference. As shown in FIG.
The electronic conferencing system 200 has a different number of PCs from the electronic conferencing system 100 shown in FIG. There is.

Now, it is assumed that one user inputs "abc" using the PC 201 and then another user inputs "zyx" using the PC 202. After this, PC203
The case where the power source of the power source is turned off will be described below.

When the power of the PC 203 is turned off, another PC
The input / output information executed by the applications of 201 and PC 202 does not reach PC 203.
On the other hand, the display 2 of the PC 204 where the power is not turned off
On 06, “abczyx” input by the PC 201 and the PC 202 is displayed. Also, the PC 201
Also on the display 206 of the PC 202, "a
bczyx ”is displayed. After that, when the power of the PC 203 is restored, the PC 203 returns to the state where the electronic conference is held again. However, the PC in this case
203 refers to other PCs 201 and 20 during the interruption.
The "abczyx" performed by 2 remains missing. That is, the interrupted PC 203 receives the PC 201, the PC 202, and the P 202 that have continued the conference from the beginning.
The execution state of the application is different from that of C204.

Therefore, since the user who was using the interrupted PC 203 has a missing electronic conference content, the user who has continued the conference from the beginning PC 201, PC 20
2 and the user of PC 204 makes it difficult to conduct an electronic conference.

Further, due to a failure of a network or a PC, data may not be sent in the correct order during an electronic conference. As described above, when the data is not sent in the correct order during the electronic conference, the problems described below occur.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where the data is not sent in the correct order during the electronic conference. As shown in FIG. 22, the electronic conference system 300 is different from the electronic conference system 100 shown in FIG.
It is constituted by connecting them to each other by 03.

Now, it is assumed that the applications are being executed simultaneously on the PC 301 and the PC 302.
It is assumed that one user inputs “abc” using the PC 301 and another user inputs “zyx” using the PC 302. In this case, as shown in FIG. 20, each display 304 of the PC 301 and the PC 302 displays “a
bczyx ”is displayed.

However, if some failure occurs in the network 303 between the PC 301 and the PC 302, the data "a" to "x" may not be sent in the correct order. In such a case, it becomes difficult to smoothly proceed with the electronic conference.

That is, in the conventional electronic conferencing system that electronically supports the conference, the information provided by each participant to the public place is displayed on the common terminals of all the participants' hands or all the participants can see. We have provided a function to deliver and share, and to display (display, etc.) the results in real time without any contradiction, with all the participants editing the shared information at the same time.

However, in implementing such a function, a program that composes the system becomes complicated, which consumes a large amount of calculation resources and tends to cause a reduction in operating speed, reliability, and robustness. There is a problem that it is difficult to supply a system with high usability.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conference support device, an information processing device, an electronic conferencing system and a program which can simplify the system without requiring synchronization processing in each information processing device used by a conference participant. It is to be.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conference support device, an information processing device, an electronic conference system and a program capable of significantly improving the efficiency of collaborative work by all conference participants.

An object of the present invention is to provide a conference support device, an information processing device, an electronic conference system and a program capable of significantly improving the usability of the system.

[0022]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In a conference support device in an electronic conferencing system configured by a plurality of information processing devices used by the conference participants and a conference support device network-connected to these information processing devices, the conference participants can view the information in common. A large display device capable of displaying, an information sharing area for displaying a list of predetermined objects, and a selection display area for selectively displaying the objects listed in this information sharing area Display means, information receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the information processing device,
An object list display means for displaying the objects relating to the information received by the information receiving means in the information sharing area, and an object designating means for designating one of the objects displayed in the information sharing area. A designated object moving means for displaying the object designated by the object designating means at a desired position in the selection display area, and an object for editing the object displayed in the selection display area by the designated object moving means And editing means.

Therefore, information (object) which is the personal knowledge transmitted by the conference participants via the information processing device.
Information sharing area for sharing with all conference participants,
The selected display area for editing the structure of the information (object) that is the shared knowledge is clearly distinguished, and is displayed on a large display device that can be commonly viewed by the conference participants. When one object is designated from the objects displayed in the information sharing area while being displayed on such a large display device, the designated object is displayed at a desired position in the selection display area. Edited by collaborative work by all participants in the conference centered on the facilitator of the conference. As a result, other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference can easily recognize that the information provided by one conference participant has been updated, and the provided information is not directly displayed in the selection display area. Therefore, since it is not necessary to perform the synchronization process in each information processing device, it is possible to operate the conference without hindering the progress of the discussion. Also, by clearly distinguishing the function for sharing knowledge from the function for editing the shared knowledge structure by collaborative work, it is possible to simplify the system, which reduces the consumption of computational resources. Is reduced, and reliability and robustness are increased.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the conference support apparatus according to the first aspect, the object designating means and the designated object moving means are based on a Drag & Drop operation.

Therefore, the facilitator of the conference is simple and easy even though the information sharing region where the conference participants provide information and the selective display region which is the editing screen are not directly related. By intuitive Drag & Drop operation,
It becomes possible to move / copy the information provided by the conference participants to the place of editing and make it the object of editing. This allows
There is little division of thoughts during discussions, individual information can be easily shared, and the efficiency of collaborative work by all conference participants can be significantly improved.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the conference support device described above, the object designating means is one of the objects displayed in the information sharing area designated by a coordinate detection device that detects coordinates of a position designated on the display surface of the display device. Specify the object of.

Therefore, even though the information sharing area where the conference participants provide information and the selection display area that is the editing screen are not directly related, the facilitator of the meeting is a direct object. With the simple and intuitive operation of touching, it becomes possible to move / copy the information provided by the conference participants to the place of editing and make it the object of editing. As a result, it is possible to reduce the division of thoughts during the discussion, easily share the individual information, and significantly improve the efficiency of the collaborative work by all the conference participants. In addition, any conference participant can take the initiative in progress by simply stepping into a shared place (that is, in front of a large display device equipped with a coordinate detection device), and access right management is complicated. Since no special processing is required on the system, the access right can be handed over to the conference participants with only a very natural action, and the usability of the system can be significantly improved.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
In the conference supporting device according to any one of the above, the object editing unit groups at least two or more objects displayed in the selection display area.

Therefore, it becomes possible to group the information divergently generated / provided on the spot during the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen. This allows
Dynamic and electronic classification of information can be done before all conference participants are watching, which makes it easier to organize discussions and improves the convergence of discussions at meetings. Become.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claims 1 to 4.
In the conference support device according to any one of the above, the object editing unit adds a desired attribute to the object displayed in the selection display area.

Therefore, during the discussion using the selection display area which is the editing screen, the concept that is important in the conference such as “purpose”, “conclusion”, and “issue” is attributed to the information that is divergently generated / provided. Can be attached to the object as. This makes it possible to easily list only the objects with these important attributes even during the discussion, and it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency of proceedings. Furthermore, when used by a third party, it is possible to easily extract the essence of the conference, and it is possible to efficiently collect and grasp information.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claims 1 to 5.
In the conference support device according to any one of the above, the object editing means links the two objects displayed in the selection display area.

Therefore, during the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen, it becomes possible to hierarchically link the information generated / provided divergently by linking the objects related to each information. Become. This makes it possible to classify information dynamically and electronically before all the conference participants are watching, which facilitates the organization of discussions and improves the convergence of discussions at meetings. Will be possible. Furthermore, it is possible to easily obtain the object that was used in the discussion in the course of reaching this conclusion from one object that occurred during the meeting (for example, the final conclusion), and the reusability of information. Can be significantly improved.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claims 1 to 6.
In the conference supporting device according to any one of the above 1 to 3, an object edit result storage unit that stores an edit result of the object by the object edit unit is provided.

Therefore, since the edited result of the object can be stored and retained, the reusability of information can be significantly improved.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the conference support apparatus according to the seventh aspect, the object subjected to a specific edit is extracted from the edit result of the object stored by the object edit result storage means, An edit result display means for displaying on the display device is provided.

Therefore, it becomes possible to confirm the objects to which various attributes are given during the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen. This makes it possible to confirm the flow of discussion at a glance, and it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency of discussion progress.

The invention according to claim 9 is an information processing apparatus in an electronic conferencing system comprising a plurality of information processing apparatuses used by conference participants, and a conference support apparatus network-connected to these information processing apparatuses. In the above, there is provided transmission information confirmation means for confirming transmission of predetermined information to be processed, and information transmission means for transmitting the information transmission confirmed by the transmission information confirmation means to the conference support device. .

Therefore, the predetermined information prepared by the participants is transmitted to the conference support device independently of the processing operation of the other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference, which prevents the progress of the discussion. Instead, it is possible to run a meeting.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, in the information processing apparatus according to the ninth aspect, there is provided information generating means for generating predetermined information to be processed.

Therefore, it is possible to activate the discussion by being able to generate the information that the participants came up with during the conference, the retrieved information, and the like.

An electronic conferencing system according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of information processing apparatuses according to the ninth or tenth aspects.
The conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is network-connected to these information processing devices.

Therefore, information (object) which is the personal knowledge transmitted by the conference participants via the information processing device.
Information sharing area for sharing with all conference participants,
The selected display area for editing the structure of the information (object) that is the shared knowledge is clearly distinguished, and is displayed on a large display device that can be commonly viewed by the conference participants. When one object is designated from the objects displayed in the information sharing area while being displayed on such a large display device, the designated object is displayed at a desired position in the selection display area. Edited by collaborative work by all participants in the conference centered on the facilitator of the conference. As a result, other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference can easily recognize that the information provided by one conference participant has been updated, and the provided information is not directly displayed in the selection display area. Therefore, since it is not necessary to perform the synchronization process in each information processing device, it is possible to operate the conference without hindering the progress of the discussion. Also, by clearly distinguishing the function for sharing knowledge from the function for editing the shared knowledge structure by collaborative work, it is possible to simplify the system, which reduces the consumption of computational resources. Is reduced, and reliability and robustness are increased.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, an electronic conference system is configured with a plurality of information processing devices, and a large-sized display device that can be viewed by all conference participants in common is provided to connect the information processing devices to the network. A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute the operation control of a conference supporting device, the information sharing area displaying a list of predetermined objects on the computer, and the objects listed in the information sharing area. A selection display area for selectively displaying, an area display function for displaying on the display device, an information receiving function for receiving information transmitted from the information processing device, and the information received by the information receiving function. An object list display function for displaying the objects in the information sharing area, and the information sharing area. An object designating function for designating one of the objects displayed in the object, and a designated object moving function for displaying the object designated by the object designating function at a desired position in the selection display area, And an object editing function of editing the object displayed in the selection display area by the designated object moving function.

Therefore, information (object) which is the personal knowledge transmitted by the conference participants via the information processing device.
Information sharing area for sharing with all conference participants,
The selected display area for editing the structure of the information (object) that is the shared knowledge is clearly distinguished, and is displayed on a large display device that can be commonly viewed by the conference participants. When one object is designated from the objects displayed in the information sharing area while being displayed on such a large display device, the designated object is displayed at a desired position in the selection display area. Edited by collaborative work by all participants in the conference centered on the facilitator of the conference. As a result, other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference can easily recognize that the information provided by one conference participant has been updated, and the provided information is not directly displayed in the selection display area. Therefore, since it is not necessary to perform the synchronization process in each information processing device, it is possible to operate the conference without hindering the progress of the discussion. Also, by clearly distinguishing the function for sharing knowledge from the function for editing the shared knowledge structure by collaborative work, it is possible to simplify the system, which reduces the consumption of computational resources. Is reduced, and reliability and robustness are increased.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, in the program according to the twelfth aspect, the object designating function and the designated object moving function are based on a Drag & Drop operation.

Therefore, although the information sharing area where the conference participants provide information and the selective display area which is the editing screen are not directly related, the facilitator of the conference is simple and easy. By intuitive Drag & Drop operation,
It becomes possible to move / copy the information provided by the conference participants to the place of editing and make it the object of editing. This allows
There is little division of thoughts during discussions, individual information can be easily shared, and the efficiency of collaborative work by all conference participants can be significantly improved.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the twelfth or thirteenth aspect, the object designating function is instructed via a coordinate detecting device which detects coordinates of a position instructing a display surface of the display device. One of the objects displayed in the information sharing area is designated.

Therefore, although the information sharing area where the conference participants provide information and the selective display area that is the editing screen are not directly related, the facilitator of the conference is directly connected to the object. With the simple and intuitive operation of touching, it becomes possible to move / copy the information provided by the conference participants to the place of editing and make it the object of editing. As a result, it is possible to reduce the division of thoughts during the discussion, easily share the individual information, and significantly improve the efficiency of the collaborative work by all the conference participants. In addition, any conference participant can take the initiative in progress by simply stepping into a shared place (that is, in front of a large display device equipped with a coordinate detection device), and access right management is complicated. Since no special processing is required on the system, the access right can be handed over to the conference participants with only a very natural action, and the usability of the system can be significantly improved.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, the object editing function groups at least two or more of the objects displayed in the selection display area.

Therefore, it becomes possible to group the information divergently generated / provided on the spot during the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen. This allows
Dynamic and electronic classification of information can be done before all conference participants are watching, which makes it easier to organize discussions and improves the convergence of discussions at meetings. Become.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to any one of the twelfth to fifteenth aspects, the object editing function adds a desired attribute to the object displayed in the selection display area. .

Therefore, during the discussion using the selection display area which is the editing screen, the concept that is important in the conference such as “purpose”, “conclusion”, and “task” is attributed to the information generated / provided divergently. Can be attached to the object as. This makes it possible to easily list only the objects with these important attributes even during the discussion, and it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency of proceedings. Furthermore, when used by a third party, it is possible to easily extract the essence of the conference, and it is possible to efficiently collect and grasp information.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, the object editing function links the two objects displayed in the selection display area.

Therefore, during the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen, it is possible to hierarchically link the information generated / provided divergently by linking the object related to each information. Become. This makes it possible to classify information dynamically and electronically before all the conference participants are watching, which facilitates the organization of discussions and improves the convergence of discussions at meetings. Will be possible. Furthermore, it is possible to easily obtain the object that was used in the discussion in the course of reaching this conclusion from one object that occurred during the meeting (for example, the final conclusion), and the reusability of information. Can be significantly improved.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to any one of the twelfth to seventeenth aspects, an object edit result storage function for storing the edit result of the object by the object edit function is executed.

Therefore, since the edited result of the object can be stored and held, the reusability of information can be significantly improved.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, in the program according to the eighteenth aspect, the object that has been subjected to a specific edit is extracted from the edit result of the object stored by the object edit result storage function, and the display is performed. The edit result display function to be displayed on the device is executed.

Therefore, it becomes possible to confirm the objects to which various attributes are given during the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen. This makes it possible to confirm the flow of discussion at a glance, and it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency of discussion progress.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, an electronic conference system is configured together with a conference supporting device having a large display device that can be visually recognized by the conference participants in common. A computer-readable program that causes a computer to execute operation control of an information processing device used by a person, and a transmission information confirmation function that confirms transmission of predetermined information to be processed by the computer, and the transmission information. And an information transmission function of transmitting the information, the transmission of which is confirmed by the confirmation function, to the conference support device.

Therefore, the predetermined information prepared by the participants is transmitted to the conference support device independently of the processing operation of the other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference, which prevents the progress of the discussion. Instead, it is possible to run a meeting.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the invention, in the program of the twentieth aspect, an information generating function for generating predetermined information to be processed is executed.

Therefore, it is possible to activate the discussion by being able to generate the information that the participant came up with during the conference, the retrieved information, and the like.

[0064]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The present embodiment is applied to an electronic conference system that electronically supports a conference, particularly a knowledge creation type conference.

Here, FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram schematically showing the electronic conference system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic conference system 1 is composed of various devices installed in a conference room. More specifically, the electronic conferencing system 1 includes an information input / output device 2, a document management server 4, various information processing devices 5, and input / output devices 6 such as digital cameras, scanners, printers, etc. Local Ar
It is configured by connecting to each other via a network 7 such as an ea network). In addition, one information processing device 5
An electronic whiteboard 3 is connected to.

The information input / output device 2 constituting the electronic conference system 1 will be described. Here, FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram schematically showing the information input / output device 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the information input / output device 2 functions as a conference support device, is a rear projection type projector, and is instructed by a display 11 that functions as a display device and an instruction means such as a fingertip or a pen. An information input / output unit 13 including a coordinate detection device 12 that detects a coordinate position in the coordinate detection area 12a, and an information processing device 1 such as a personal computer.
4 and the main components.

Display 11 and coordinate detection device 12
Are integrated so that the coordinate detection device 12 is located on the display surface side of the display 11, and the coordinate detection area 12a of the coordinate detection device 12 is located on the display surface 11a of the display 11. Thus, the information input / output unit 13 constitutes the display surface and the writing surface of the information input / output device 2. In addition, as the display 11,
A large screen type such as 80 inches that can be used as an electronic blackboard is used. Although illustration is omitted, the display 11 is provided with a video input terminal and a speaker, and various information devices such as a video player, a laser disc player, a DVD player, a video camera, and AV devices are connected to the display 11 to display the information. 11 is used as a large screen monitor.

The coordinate detecting device 12 has a coordinate detecting area 12a formed by a luminous flux film projected in a radial or fan shape from at least two light sources (not shown), and in this coordinate detecting area 12a. By inserting a pointing means such as a fingertip or a pen to block the light beam in the coordinate detection area 12a, a CCD (Charge Coupled Dev
A light-shielding coordinate detection device that detects a designated position by a triangulation method based on a light receiving position of a light receiving element (not shown) such as ice) and enables input of characters and the like
2000-105671) is applied. Such a light-shielding coordinate detection device does not have a physical surface such as a coordinate input surface (touch panel surface), and is made of a special material or
Excellent visibility because no mechanism is required.

As the coordinate detection device 12, in addition to the light-shielding type, a light reflection system for reflecting a light beam in the coordinate detection area by inserting an indicating means to detect the indicated position, and a coordinate detection area in the coordinate detection area. Needless to say, it is possible to apply a camera imaging method, an LED array method, an ultrasonic elastic wave method, an analog capacitive coupling method, a pressure-sensitive method, etc., in which the pointing device is imaged by a camera to detect the pointing position.

Next, the information processing device 14 will be described. Here, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection of each unit incorporated in the information processing apparatus 14. As shown in FIG. 3, the information processing device 14 is a CP that controls the entire system.
U (Central Processing Unit) 15, ROM (Read Only Memory) 16 storing a boot program and the like, CP
RAM used as a work area for U15 (Random
Access memory) 17, and a keyboard 18 for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, a mouse 19 for moving the cursor, selecting a range, and a hard disk 20. A graphics board 21 connected to the display 11 and controlling the display of images on the display 11,
A network card 22 for connecting to the network 7, an interface (I / F) 23 for connecting various peripheral devices, and a bus 24 for connecting the above units.
It has and.

Further, the hard disk 20 has an operating system (OS) 25,
A device driver 26 for operating the coordinate detection device 12 on the information processing device 14, various application programs 27 such as drawing software, word processor software, spreadsheet software, presentation software, etc. are stored. The various application programs 27 also include a master client application described later. The OS 25 of the information processing device 14 is a so-called GUI (Graphical User Interface) -based operating system, which is a Microsoft Wi
ndows and Apple's Macintosh.

Further, the information processing device 14 has an OS 25,
Various program codes (control programs) such as the device driver 26 and various application programs 27
Of the storage medium 28, that is, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk (CD-
ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-ROM, DV
D-RAM, etc., magneto-optical disk (MO), floppy disk drive, which is a device for reading the program code stored in a memory card, CD-R
A program reading device 29 such as an OM drive device or an MO drive device is installed.

The various application programs 27 are
OS that starts when the information processing device 14 is powered on
It is executed by the CPU 15 under the control of 25.
For example, when the drawing software is activated by a predetermined operation of the keyboard 18 or the mouse 19, the display 11
A predetermined image based on the drawing software is displayed on the graphics board 21. In addition, the device driver 26 is also activated together with the OS 25, and is ready for data input from the coordinate detection device 12. When the user inserts the pointing means into the coordinate detection area 12a of the coordinate detecting device 12 and draws a character or a figure while the drawing software is activated, the coordinate information is processed as image data based on the description of the pointing means. The image is input to the device 14 and is displayed as an overwrite image over the image on the screen displayed on the display 11, for example. More specifically, the CPU 15 of the information processing device 14 generates drawing information for drawing a line or a character based on the input image data, and performs graphics / graphics matching with the position coordinates based on the input coordinate information. Data is written in a video memory (not shown) provided on the board 21. Then graphics board 21
However, by transmitting the drawing information written in the video memory to the display 11 as an image signal, the same character as the character written by the user is displayed on the display 11.

That is, the information processing device 14 recognizes the coordinate detection device 12 as a pointing device such as the mouse 19, and the coordinates designated in the coordinate detection area 12a of the coordinate detection device 12 are treated as a mouse event by the information processing device 1.
4 will be transmitted. Regarding the input operation in the coordinate detection device 12, “touch” is “mouse button down”, “release” is “mouse button up”,
"Move with touch" corresponds to each event of "mouse button down &move", and these mouse events will be used in the following description.

Next, the information processing device 5 will be described. The information processing device 5 is used by each participant of the conference to refer to, input, edit, etc. information, and includes a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, a PDA (Personal Dig
Italic assistants) called portable information terminals are applied. The information processing apparatus 5 will be described below by taking a notebook personal computer as an example.

Here, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection of the respective parts incorporated in the information processing device 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the information processing device 5 includes a CPU 30 that controls the entire system and a ROM 31 that stores a boot program and the like.
And a RAM used as a work area for the CPU 30
32 and a computer configuration including
A keyboard 33 for inputting numerical values and various instructions
A pointing device 34 such as a mouse, a touch pad, or a trackball for moving the cursor or selecting a range, a hard disk 35, an LCD (Liquid C
a graphics board 37 connected to a display 36, which is a rystal display, and controlling the display of images on the display 36; a network card 38 for connecting to the network 7; and various peripheral devices. An interface (I / F) 39,
And a bus 40 for connecting the above respective parts.

Further, the hard disk 35 has an operating system (OS) 41,
Drawing software, word processor software, spreadsheet software,
Various application programs 42 such as presentation software are stored. The various application programs 42 also include a slave client application described later. The OS 41 of the information processing device 5 is a so-called GUI (Graphical User I).
nterface) based operating system such as Microsoft Windows or Apple Macinto
sh etc.

Further, the information processing device 5 has a storage medium 4 storing various program codes (control programs) such as the OS 41 and various application programs 42.
3, namely floppy disk, hard disk,
Optical disc (CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, D
VD-ROM, DVD-RAM, etc.), magneto-optical disk (MO), floppy disk drive, which is a device for reading program codes stored in a memory card, CD-ROM drive, program reading of MO drive, etc. A device 44 is mounted.

The electronic whiteboard 3 is, for example, a "smart board (white board type)" manufactured by Smart Board. The "smart board (white board type)" has a resistive film on the surface that senses the pressure of the pen during writing, and the same principle is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-217717. The description of the configuration and operation is omitted. According to such a "smart board (white board type)",
This is a device in which when a marker is drawn in the same manner as drawing on a normal whiteboard, the locus thereof is captured as time-series data by a predetermined information processing device 5 and can be digitally processed. Various types of this type of electronic whiteboard have been put into practical use, and other types of methods include, for example, "mimio" and Electronics of the US Virtual Inc.
For example, "eBeam" of For Imaging, Inc and Softboard of Softboard are known.

Further, the document management server 4 has a CPU, an R
A computer-configured control unit (not shown) including an OM, a RAM, etc. and a storage device (not shown) are provided. The details will be described later, but the “conference document” created by the information input / output device 2 is provided. Storage management of the storage device of “”, a search service from the storage device of the “conference document” created in the information input / output device 2, and the like.

Next, the operation of each part constituting the electronic conference system 1 will be described.

First, the operation of the information processing device 5 will be described. The various program codes (control programs) stored in the hard disk 35 of the information processing device 5 or the various program codes (control programs) stored in the storage medium 43 are stored in the RAM 32 in accordance with the power-on of the information processing device 5. Is written in the
It operates according to this program code (control program). Here, an operation that is a characteristic function of the information processing apparatus 5 according to the present embodiment and that is controlled by the CPU 30 based on a slave client application included in various application programs 42 will be described. The information processing device 5 on which the slave client application is operating will be referred to as a slave client.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of the display screen of the display 36 based on the slave client application. The OS 41 of the information processing device 5 is a so-called GUI-based operating system as described above, and displays the window w on the display screen of the display 36 as shown in FIG. This operating system has a function of displaying a list of files stored in the information processing device 5 and files stored in the information processing device 5 used by other participants in the window w in the form of an icon i. Is to have. The files stored in the information processing device 5 and the files used by other participants are stored in the drawing software, word processor software,
In addition to files created by various application programs 42 such as spreadsheet software and presentation software, files created via the input / output device 6 such as a digital camera or a scanner or the electronic whiteboard 3 are also included. Further, when the slave client application is activated, as shown in FIG.
The window W ₁ of the slave client application is also displayed in the display screen of ₁ . In this window W ₁ , a “Drag & Drop area” A ₁ is defined.

That is, the participant points the icon i displayed on the display 36 by using the pointing device 34 such as the mouse or the touch pad of the information processing device 5, and the "Drag & Drop area" A _{1 of} the window W ₁ is displayed as it is.
To (drag), and cancel (drop) the instruction for icon i here. This is so-called Drag & Drop operation. By this operation, the slave client application is instructed that the dragged and dropped file is the processing target.

The icon i is not limited to the file icon, and for example, information temporarily stored in the RAM 32, that is, information copied to the clipboard (character strings, images, etc.), or a pointer to a file, that is, Microsoft Corporation. It may be an information unit called "shortcut" on Windows and "alias" on Apple's Macintosh. In addition, you can change the pointer to the so-called URL (Un
iform Resource Locater). For the sake of explanation, the information to be processed is simply referred to as "object" below.
Will be called.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing another example of the display screen of the display 36 based on the slave client application. As shown in FIG. 6, when the slave client application is activated, the window W ₂ of the slave client application is displayed on the display screen of the display 36. This window W
_{In “2} ,” a “key input area” A ₂ is defined.

That is, the participant is in the “key input area” A displayed on the display 36 by the pointing device 34 such as the mouse or the touch pad of the information processing apparatus 5.
_A predetermined text (character string) is input by placing the pointer in ₂ and performing key input through the keyboard 33. Then, the return key prepared on the keyboard 33 is tapped. By this operation, the slave client application is instructed that the input character string is the processing target. Instead of inputting the return key, the "OK" button B displayed in the window W ₂ is designated by the pointing device 34 such as the mouse or the touch pad of the information processing device 5 to process the input character string. You can also instruct the slave client application as the target.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing still another example of the display screen of the display 36 based on the slave client application. As shown in FIG. 7, when the slave client application is activated, the window W ₃ of the slave client application is displayed on the display screen of the display 36. The window W _3, "stroke input area" A ₃ are defined.

[0090] That is, participants together pointer displayed on the display 36 by the pointing device 34 such as a mouse or a touch pad of the information processing apparatus 5 "stroke input area" A ₃ creates a drawing by simple strokes . After that, the “OK” button B displayed in the window W ₂ is designated by the pointing device 34 such as the mouse or the touch pad of the information processing device 5. By this operation, the slave client application is instructed that the input drawing is the processing target. Instead of operating the "OK" button B, to instruct the slave client application drawing input by the operation such as the input to the "stroke input area" A ₃ a predetermined stroke indicating a drawing end for processing You can also

By the way, it is realistic to integrate and implement the above-mentioned functions. Here, FIG. 8 is a front view showing still another example of the display screen of the display 36 based on the slave client application in which the above-described functions are integrated. As shown in FIG. 8, when the slave client application is activated, the window W ₄ of the slave client application is displayed on the display screen of the display 36. This window W ₄ has a “Drag & Drop area” A ₁ , a “key input area (title input area)” A ₂ , and a “stroke input area”.
A ₃ is defined.

FIG. 9 shows an operation flow in the slave client application when the respective functions are integrated. Note that, in FIG. 9, the event loop is a part that performs a process of branching the operation depending on the difference in the event that occurs in the slave client application. -It is the function that the system takes.

First, a case where a key input occurs in event processing will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, "key input region" if the key input occurs in the A _2, an input character by the key input acceptance processing by the key additionally stored in a predetermined storage area (information generation means), "key feedback and displayed as it is in the input area "A _2. Further, when the key input in the "Title input area" A ₂ occurs, additionally stored in a predetermined storage area of the input title characters by the key input acceptance processing by the key, as it is fed back to the "title input area" A ₂ To display.

At this time, if the “OK” button B is operated, the input character string and the title character string which have been input and stored until then are passed to the transmission processing (transmission information determining means),
At the same time as clearing the storage area, the character string displayed in the "key input area (title input area)" A ₂ is also cleared. In addition, even if the "OK" button B is not operated,
If the input key is the return key, the stored character string is passed to the transmission processing and the same processing is performed (transmission information determining means).

On the other hand, if the return key has not been pressed, the storage area is not cleared and the processing returns to the event processing.
In addition, "key input area (the title input area)" string that is displayed in the A ₂ is also not clear.

The character string displayed in the "key input area (title input area)" A ₂ is "key input area (title input area)" before the return key or the "OK" button B is pressed. By moving the pointer to A ₂ with the pointing device 34 and inputting a key, it is possible to edit / change independently of the input character string.

Next, the case where drawing in the "stroke input area" A ₃ occurs in the event processing will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, when the start of the drawing in the "stroke input area" A ₃ occurs, additionally stored drawing input by the stroke by the stroke input acceptance processing in a predetermined storage area (information generation means), " feedback and displayed as it is on the stroke input area "A _3.
Incidentally, the detection of the occurrence of the start of the drawing in the "stroke input area" A ₃ is carried out by detecting the occurrence of a mouse down event in the "stroke input area" A _3. Even when an input device such as a tablet is used as the pointing device 34, the pen down event of the tablet is often assigned to the mouse button down event of the operating system. Therefore, although the drawing event in this case is obtained from the operating system, the slave client application may directly monitor the operation of the input device.

At this time, if the "OK" button B is operated, the drawing input and stored until then is transferred to the transmission processing (transmission information determining means), and the storage area is cleared and at the same time the "stroke input area" A _The drawing displayed in ₃ is also cleared.

On the other hand, when the "OK" button B is not operated, the storage area is not cleared and the processing returns to the event processing. In addition, also not clear drawing that is displayed in the "stroke input area" A _3.

Next, in event processing, "Drag & Drop area"
A₁When a file icon drop occurs in
The case will be described. As shown in Figure 9, "Drag & Drop
Area "A₁File icon drop occurs in
Corresponds to the dropped file icon
The file is additionally stored in a predetermined storage area. After that,
Hand over the file that you remembered to the transmission process.
Dan), clear the storage area. Also, the dropped
The file name of the file corresponding to the file icon is
It is passed to the sending process as an ital character string. In addition, "Drag
& Drop area "A ₁The detection of the start of drawing in
"Drag & Drop area" A₁The mouse down event in
This is done by detecting raw. Also, the file icon
The processing by the Drag & Drop operation of the
The system is responsible.

Each object (character string, stroke data, file) passed to the transmission process as described above is given an attribute to be described later, and then is transmitted from the slave client via the network 7 to the master client (master client to be described later). The information is transmitted to the information processing device 14) on which the application is operating (information transmitting means).

Now, attribute assignment to objects (character strings, stroke data, files) will be described. As the attribute given to the object, in addition to the above-mentioned title character string, a terminal ID for specifying the information processing device 5 (slave client) of the participant or the user of the user of the information processing device 5 (slave client) The ID, time information when the object is transmitted, and the like. Furthermore, an attribute indicating the content of the object to be processed is also added. This is an attribute that represents the application that created the object. For example, Apple's Ma
In the case of cintosh, it is the CREATOR recorded in the resource fork of the file, and in the case of Microsoft Windows, it is the file extension. Hereinafter, for the sake of explanation, such an attribute is referred to as a creator attribute.

Next, the operation of the information processing device 14 will be described. Hard disk 20 of information processing device 14
The various program codes (control programs) stored in the storage medium 28 or the various program codes (control programs) stored in the storage medium 28 are written in the RAM 17 when the information processing device 14 is powered on. 14 operates according to this program code (control program). Here, an operation that is a characteristic function of the information processing apparatus 14 according to the present embodiment and that is controlled by the CPU 15 based on a master client application included in various application programs 27 will be described. The information processing device 1 in which the master client application is operating
4 will be referred to as a master client.

Here, FIG. 10 is a front view showing an example of the display screen of the display 11 based on the master client application, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory view schematically showing the behavior of the object in the master client application. As shown in FIG. 10, when the master client application is activated, a window W ₅ of the master client application is displayed on the display screen of the display 11 of the information input / output unit 13 connected to the information processing device 14. This window W _5, an information sharing space "stacking area" A _4, a selection display area "editing area" A _5, "button area" A ₆ are defined. Here, the function of the area display means is executed.

As shown in FIG. 11, the message reception process 14a is created and operating in the master client. The message receiving process 14a functions as an information receiving unit, receives various objects transmitted from the slave clients, and takes them in the master client. Then, the objects captured in the master client are displayed in the internal areas of the “stacking area” A ₄ and the “editing area” A ₅ according to the functions described below.

The object sent by the slave client received by the message receiving process 14a is
It is stored in a storage area accessible to the master client. Specifically, the object is the hard disk 2
Each file is stored as a file in a predetermined area of 0.
Furthermore, in the object management list (see FIG. 17) that the master client stores and manages in a predetermined storage area,
Record the ID of the received object and its attributes. The object ID is, for example, a unique character string generated for each object based on the received time character string.
When the object transmitted by the slave client is a file, the attributes of the object are the user ID or terminal ID, time information when the object was transmitted, and the like, as described above.

[0107] Simultaneously with this storage process, the object is displayed in the "stacking area" A _4. The display of the object O in the “stacking area” A ₄ is displayed, for example, in the order of the time received from above the “stacking area” A ₄ . In this case, the display form in the “stacking area” A ₄ of each object O is a predetermined icon display defined in advance depending on the above-mentioned attribute difference of each object O, or a thumbnail display of file contents (FIG. 11). In particular, when the object O is an image file, thumbnail display is suitable. In addition to the icon, the user ID of the participant who has transmitted the title character string and the assigned attributes may be written together with the icon. Further, the text input by the participant on the slave client is displayed as it is as text. Here, the text does not fit the display width of the "stacking area" A ₄ is selected, the display of only the first predetermined number of characters, displayed on multiple lines wrap together the text to the width, or the small size character fonts And display it in a reduced size.
In addition, the object O in the “Stacking Area” A ₄
If it is has been reached to the lower end of the "stacking area" A _4, continued display to scroll by a predetermined amount upward. Here, the function of the object list display means is executed.

[0108] In this way information is displayed in the "stacking area" A ₄ (object O) is, because it is a display on the large screen of the display 11, such as 80 inches, conference participants visually share information It is possible to do. Since the coordinate detection area 12a of the coordinate detecting device 12 is provided on the display surface 11a of the display 11, the object O displayed in the “stacking area” A ₄ is not detected through the coordinate detecting device 12. hand,
It is possible to perform point operations such as direct click / double click. That is, if the type of the object O that was double-clicked is a file, the application that created the file can be activated and the file can be opened. The point operation is performed by the mouse 19 of the master client (here, the information processing device 14).
You may use pointing devices, such as.

[0109] Also, the object O that is displayed in the "stacking area" A ₄ is, by Drag & Drop operation,
It can be moved / copied to the "editing area" A _5. At this time, the object O in the “stacking area” A ₄ is visually copied to the “editing area” A ₅ . That is, if the type of the object O is a file, the application in which the object O was created is determined from the creator attribute of the object O and displayed in the form of a corresponding icon on the “editing area” A ₅ . Further, based on the title attribute, the title character string is displayed near the icon in a predetermined font. On the other hand, the type of object O If a string, the string in a predetermined font displayed on "editing area" A _5. If the type of the object O is stroke data, the stroke is enlarged or reduced to a predetermined size and displayed in the same manner. At this time, if the title attribute of the stroke data is not empty, the character string is also written near the stroke. At this time, the file stored in the storage area (predetermined area of the hard disk 20) accessible to the master client corresponding to the object O is not copied as an entity. Information indicating that the object O is visually copied to the “editing area” A ₅ is added to the object management list. Furthermore, the visual position (coordinates) on the “editing area” A ₅ is also added. In "editing area" A _5, although some operating modes to be described later are defined, regardless of the operating mode "editing area" A _5, it is assumed the operation is possible at any time. Here, the function of the object designating means and the function of the designated object moving means are executed.

Therefore, the information provided by the conference participants
"Stacking area" A _FourAnd the edit screen
"Editing area" A₅Is not directly related to
Despite its unique structure, the facilitator of the meeting is simple and straightforward.
Provided by meeting participants by touching Drag & Drop behavior
Moved / copied the edited information to the place for editing, and edit it
It will be possible. This will help break the thinking
There are few and easy to share individual information,
To significantly improve the efficiency of collaborative work by all participants
Will be possible.

[0111] In the following for explanation, as described above, "editing area" from the "stacking area" A ₄
Visually copied to A _5, the operation of updating the object management list, simply referred to as "copy of the object from the stacking area to editing area".
Further, the object O displayed in the “editing area” A ₅ is not the substance of the object O in the “stacking area” A ₄ , but will be expressed as “object” for the sake of description.

[Stacking area] A_FourFrom
"Editing area" A₅Objects copied to
Various edits can be performed on the object O (
Ject editing means). Below, you will find the
"A"₅The editing function of object O in
It As a premise of the explanation, FIG.
An example of a display screen is shown. As mentioned above, the window W
₅In the "Stacking area" A_Four, "Editin
Guería "A₅Other than "button area" A₆Is defined
ing. This "button area" A₆The "Edity
Area "A₅5 operating modes that determine
Mode switching button B₁~ B₅And "Summary" B ₆、 「Re
Strike ”B₇There are 7 buttons in total. Five
Mode switching button B₁~ B₅Are mutually exclusive,
"Editing area" A₅Is always in 5 modes
It is in one of these modes. The user
Switch to the desired mode at any time by operating the button
You can Also, "Summary" B₆And "list" B
₇Button can be operated in any of the above 5 modes.
And can perform the operations described below.

[Editing mode in "Edit" mode
Operation explanation of a] "Edit" button B₁Is operated and the "Editing error
"A"₅Behavior when is switched to "edit" mode
Will be explained. "Editing area" A₅Move in /
The copied object O is displayed on the coordinate detection device 12 or
Displayed by a pointing device such as Us 19
The position can be changed. This is the master client
"Editing area" A₅Mouse in
Vents are constantly monitored and the event type and location
To change the display position of the corresponding object O.
Can be achieved with. Specifically, "Editing area"
A ₅When a mouse down event occurs in
The object whether the object O exists at the inter position
The coordinates of all objects O recorded in the
inspect. As a result of the inspection, the object is displayed on the mouse-down coordinate.
If there is a cut-out O, the next mouse-up event will occur.
Mouse up the display position of object O when it is born
Move to the event occurrence coordinate and at the same time, manage the object.
Set the coordinates of the corresponding object O in the strike
Update with the coordinates at which the event occurred.

[0114] is [ "drawing" description of the operation of the editing area in the mode "Draw" button B ₂ is operated, the "editing area" A ₅ illustrating the operation when switched to "drawing" mode . "Editing area" A ₅ is "drawing"
When switched to mode, mouse event firing is considered a drawing action. When a mouse button down event and a mouse move occur, a line is drawn along the mouse pointer position on the “editing area” A ₅ until the mouse button up occurs. That is, free drawing is performed. In this mode, the user can write freely characters and graphics in the "editing area" A _5, is to provide the functionality of a conventional whiteboard in a conference. In the present embodiment, the "drawing" button B ₂ installed, the user is assumed to select the explicit "drawing" mode, not limited to this, for example, when a mouse down event occurs When the object O does not exist on the mouse pointer coordinate, it is also possible to carry out as a modeless operation such that it is regarded as a drawing operation until a mouse button up event occurs thereafter.

[0115] [Description of Operation of editing area in the "attributes" mode "attribute" button B ₃ is operated, "editing area" A ₅ will be described operation when switched to "attribute" mode . "Editing area" A ₅ is "attribute"
When switched to mode, mouse event firing is considered a "set attribute" action. That is, an attribute having a predetermined meaning can be given to the selected object O. For example, as attributes "purpose", "conclusion",
An attribute having a predetermined meaning such as “task” is set in advance, and when the pointer is moved to the target object O with the pointing device such as the coordinate detection device 12 or the mouse 19 and clicked, “purpose” and “ Make sure that "Conclusion" and "Issue" are displayed in a pull-down menu. By selecting and clicking, for example, "conclusion" from these attributes ("purpose", "conclusion", "task"), the "conclusion" attribute is added to the selected object O. At this time, it is described that the "conclusion" attribute is added to the description of the corresponding object in the above-mentioned object management list. further,
In the vicinity of the object O displayed on the "editing area" A _5, performs a display indicating that the "conclusion" attribute is assigned a predetermined format. Specifically, the characters "conclusion" are written near the display object O, a symbolic mark corresponding to a predetermined "conclusion" is added, the display color of the object O is changed, and the like. Either way is possible.

Therefore, during the discussion using the “Editing Area” A ₅ which is the editing screen, it is important for the meeting such as “Purpose”, “Conclusion” and “Issue” for the information divergently generated / provided. It becomes possible to add the following concept to the object O as an attribute. As a result, it becomes possible to easily list only the objects O having these important attributes even during the discussion, and it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency of proceedings. Furthermore, when used by a third party, it is possible to easily extract the essence of the conference, and it is possible to efficiently collect and grasp information.

[Editing in "link" mode
Rear operation description] "Link" button B_FourIs operated and `` Editing Edit
Rear "A₅Is switched to "link" mode
The operation will be described. "Editing area" A ₅Is "
If a mouse event is triggered,
Raw is considered a "link setup" operation. I.e. select
A link with a predetermined meaning is attached to the created object O
can do. User clicks "Link" button B_FourManipulate
"Editing Area" A₅Is the "link" mode
As shown in FIG. 12, for example,
The text "This is a conclusion" and the text "final report"
As if penetrating two objects O with a file icon
Pointing device such as coordinate detection device 12 and mouse 19
Move the pointer while clicking with a chair
Perform an operation (trajectory A). As a result, "this is a conclusion"
From the character string object O which says "Final report draft"
A link will be defined for file object O.
It The defined link is the object management list above.
In item of object O called "this is conclusion" of
Write a pointer to object O called "Final report"
It is saved by the action of updating the list
It Also, the generated link is
"A"₅As the display above, for example, as shown in FIG.
Visual feedback such as displaying the trajectory A is performed.

Here, as shown by the locus B in FIG. 12, a case will be described in which the operation of setting a link from the character string object O "This is a conclusion" to the file object O "Summary chart" is performed. In this case, two objects O are a character string "This is a conclusion" and a file icon "Summary chart".
When the pointer is moved by clicking with the pointing device such as the coordinate detecting device 12 or the mouse 19 so as to penetrate the file, the file object O called "lecture recording record" is penetrated during the movement of the pointer. . In such a case, the file object O called "lecture record recording" is excluded from the link target. That is, in the "link" mode, when the pointer is moved, the object O that penetrates first and the object O that penetrates last are the processing targets, and the object O that penetrates halfway is excluded.

More specifically, when the pointer is moved, the coordinates of the moving stroke are inspected in order from the starting point, the coordinates of the object O described in the object management list are inspected for each coordinate on the stroke, and the object O It is determined whether or not the coordinates of O overlap the coordinates of the stroke under inspection. When it is determined that the coordinates of the moving stroke and the coordinates of the object O first overlap, the ID of the object O is stored as the object O at the link start point. When the inspection is further continued and it is determined that the object O overlaps at the coordinates of the moving stroke, the ID of the object O is stored as the object O of the link end point. After that, the inspection is continued, and when it is determined that the object O overlaps with the coordinate of the moving stroke, the ID of the object O at the link end point stored previously is updated to the ID of the object O. As a result, at the stage when the end point of the moving stroke is inspected, the first penetrated object ID and the last penetrated object ID are stored. Based on this, the item of the corresponding object in the object management list is updated. The role of such a link is to, for example, when an object O is discovered by some means such as search or visual inspection, know the object O related to the object O only from the discovered object O.

Therefore, during the discussion using the “Editing Area” A ₅ which is the editing screen, the information O divergently generated / provided is linked to the object O related to each information to form a hierarchy. It becomes possible to do. This makes it possible to classify information dynamically and electronically before all the conference participants are watching, which facilitates the organization of discussions and improves the convergence of discussions at meetings. Will be possible. Furthermore, from one object O (for example, final conclusion) generated during the meeting, it becomes possible to easily obtain the object O used in the discussion on the way to the conclusion of this conclusion, and it is possible to re-import the information. It is possible to significantly improve the usability.

[Explanation of Editing Area Operation in "Group" Mode] The operation when the "group" button B ₅ is operated and the "editing area" A ₅ is switched to the "group" mode will be described. . If the "editing area" A ₅ is switched to the "group" mode, a mouse event occurs is considered operation "group setting". That is, a group attribute having a predetermined meaning can be added to the selected object O. The user operates the "Group" button B ₅ to enter the "Editing area" A
_{When 5} is in the “group” mode, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, a file icon “final report” and a file icon “summary chart” displayed in the “editing area” A ₅ are displayed. The closed curve stroke in which the pointer is moved while being clicked by the pointing device such as the coordinate detection device 12 or the mouse 19 so as to surround the two objects O is input. As a result, it is defined that the file object O called “final report” and the file object O called “summary chart” belong to the same “group”. The defined "group" describes, for example, a unique "group ID" that is automatically generated by serial number in the object O called "final report proposal" and the item "summary chart" in the above-mentioned object management list. Then, it is saved by the action of updating the list. The unique "group ID" is automatically generated by a serial number or the like each time the user inputs a closed curve stroke including at least one object O when the "editing area" A ₅ is in the "group" mode. And The role of such a group is, for example, when a certain object O is discovered by some means such as search or visual inspection, the objects O having the same property as the object O are listed, or when the property is known in advance. It is responsible for extracting objects O having the property in a list. Whether or not the stroke input by the user is a closed curve is determined by whether or not there is a point intersecting with itself in one stroke. Furthermore, it is possible to determine whether or not the coordinates of the object O such as a file icon are included in the closed curve by a known technique (for example, http://www.wombat.or.jp/).
tomoyashuttle / shtml / algorithm / Hougan.htm), so the explanation is omitted.

Therefore, it becomes possible to group the information divergently generated / provided on the spot during the discussion using the “editing area” A ₅ which is the editing screen. This makes it possible to classify information dynamically and electronically before all the conference participants are watching, which facilitates the organization of discussions and improves the convergence of discussions at meetings. Will be possible.

[0123] [Description of operation in the case where the "List" button has been operated] "List" button B ₆ is for explaining the operation of the case that has been manipulated. When the "List" button B ₆ is operated, regardless of the differences in the operation mode "editing area" A _5, functions described below to operate. When the "List" button B ₆ is operated, in the object management list described above, among the attributes granted "attributes" mode described above, the object O having a specific attribute is searched. Here, the object O having the attributes "purpose", "conclusion", and "issue" described above is searched. When the search is completed, as shown in FIG. 14, the corresponding object O is displayed in the form of a list. Here, the function of the editing result display means is executed. The title, attribute, and poster in FIG. 14 are referred to from the contents described in the object management list. Further, by using a well-known operation interface of Windows of Microsoft, for example, and clicking the title of each column in FIG. 14, the entire table can be sorted by the contents of the column.

Therefore, it is possible to confirm the object O given various attributes during the discussion using the "editing area" A ₅ which is the edit screen. This makes it possible to confirm the flow of discussion at a glance, and it is possible to significantly improve the efficiency of discussion progress.

[Operations when the "Summary" button is operated
Description of the work] "Summary" button B₇The operation when is operated is explained.
It "Summary" button B₇Is operated, the message “Edit
Swing area "A₅Irrespective of the difference in the operation mode of
The functions described below work. "Summary" button B₇But
When operated, in the object management list mentioned above
Then, among the attributes given in the “attribute” mode described above,
An object O having a certain attribute is searched. here
Is an attribute with the attributes "Conclusion" and "Issue" described above.
Object O is retrieved. When the search is completed, "Edit
Seating area "A₅Add a new page to the
The copied object O is copied. "Editing
Rear "A₅Page newly added to and copied to it
Object with the attributes "Conclusion" and "Issue"
FIG. 15 shows the display state of ACT O. In this way,
Seating area "A ₅The page newly added to
"Editing area" A explained up to now₅Equivalent to
Since it is a thing, by switching to "draw" mode, you can
The handwriting can be written. Smell in Figure 15
Object O with the attribute "Conclusion"
And object O with the attribute of “issue”
Then, the “note writing” option to instruct the subsequent action
An example with object O is shown.

[Editing area] A as described above
The structure of the objects organized by the various operations described above in ₅ is described in the form of the object management list described above. Here, FIG. 16 is an explanatory view showing an example of various operations in the “editing area” A ₅ , FIG.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the data structure of the object management list based on various operations in the “editing area” A ₅ of FIG. In FIG. 17, a square with rounded corners indicates a pointer to an object, and an angular square indicates a tag indicating the structure of the object. Hereinafter, the object management list will be described in detail step by step.

[Editing Area] A on page 1₅
The structure of can be expressed by an object called "canvas".
And That is, “Editing Area” A₅Is
You can span multiple pages, so here is the first page
"Editing area" A ₅Is called "canvas1"
It will be expressed as a object. Object management
The strike is expressed in XML (Extensible Markup Language).
The tag that represents the structure of the object is XML as it is.
It shall correspond to a tag.

As shown in FIG. 17, "canvas" is an "individuality tag" that describes the object that constitutes it.
And “relationship
Below the "individuality tag", the pointers (object1, object2, ...) to the appearing objects in "canvas" are described, and below each object pointer. The attributes of each object are described. In addition to the attributes described above, the attributes mentioned here include attributes necessary for display other than the semantic attributes such as the display position and color in the “canvas”. When the attribute of the object is changed, the corresponding individually described value is changed.

“Rela that describes the relationship between objects
Below the "tionship tag", a "group tag" and a "link tag" are described. Under the "group tag", "canva
The groups defined in "s" are defined by names such as group1, group2, .... This is the name that is automatically generated to define sequential number when the group defined operation is performed by the "editing area" A within _5. Below the groups (group1, group2, ...) Defined in “canvas”, pointers to the objects belonging to each group are described. The pointer to the object described here is included in the objects described below the "individuality tag" described above.

On the other hand, below the "link tag" is "canvas".
The links defined within are defined with names like link1, link2, .... This is "Editing Area" A
It is a name automatically and automatically defined by a serial number when the link definition operation is performed in ₅ . Under the links (link1, link2, ...) defined in "canvas", the tags "source" and "destination" are defined, and the source (source) of each link is defined under each. Destination (destinatio
The pointer to the object corresponding to n) is described. The pointer to the object described here is included in the objects described below the "individuality tag" described above.

Such an object management list is X
It is described in ML and is stored in a recording medium such as a disc. When the master client application starts, it is read from the disk, canvas1, canvas2,
It is made into an object like ... and expanded on the memory. When the master client application ends, these objects are again stored in a storage medium such as a disk in the XML format. Here, the function of the object edit result storage means is executed. In the present embodiment, this object management list is sent to the document management server 4 together with the substance of the object, that is, the file, associated with each other, and stored as a “meeting document”.

[Embodiment] With respect to the electronic conference system 1 described above, a flow of a series of operations will be described with reference to a concrete example.

In the electronic conferencing system 1 of the present embodiment, the facilitator of the conference holds a pointing device such as the mouse 19 connected to the information processing device 14 as the master client at his or her hand and sits in a series of seats. Operations can be performed, and a series of operations can be performed using the coordinate detection device 12 while standing upright in front of the information input / output device 2 while standing up. In addition, participants in conferences other than the facilitator,
It is possible to perform a series of operations using the coordinate detection device 12 while standing up and standing in front of the information input / output device 2. Further, in the electronic conference system 1 of the present embodiment, from the viewpoint of sharing information, the participants of the conference can select objects (character strings, strokes) from each information processing device 5 (slave client) at any time. data, and allowing only to throw the file) to the information processing apparatus 14 "stacking area" a ₄ (master client). That is, the “editing area” A ₅ can be accessed by, for example, a pointing device such as the mouse 19 connected to the information processing apparatus 14 which is a master client and the information input connected to the information processing apparatus 14 which is a master client. Coordinate detection device 1 of output unit 13
Limited to 2 only.

Thus, each information processing device 5 of the participant
From the (slave client), at the same time, operate an object in the display screen of the display 11 of the information input / output unit 13 connected to the information processing device 14 which is the master client, and each information processing device 5 (slave client) of the participant. It is possible to avoid the problem of access right control by operating objects from all slave clients while always synchronizing the display state of, and the problem of overhead due to large consumption of computing resources.

Here, FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of object operation on the display screen. As shown in FIG. 18, various objects transmitted (shared) from each participant of the conference are arranged in the “stacking area” A ₄ . "Stacking area" A in Figure 18
Among the objects ₄ , the object having only the character string is a character string input by the participant on the spot from the information processing device 5 (slave client) of the participant. Usually it is a simple one sentence opinion or headline. In addition, "Stacking area" A in Figure 18
Among the objects ₄ , the object with the icon added to the character string is a file or URL transmitted from the information processing apparatus 5 (slave client) of the participant. The file may be a multimedia file such as an audio file or a moving image file, a bitmap image file, or a file created by an appropriate application such as a word processor.

The facilitator of the meeting can directly write handwritten characters by using the “editing area” A _{5 as if it} were a conventional whiteboard, and the “stacking area” A 5
Objects stacked in ₄ can be moved / copied to “Editing Area” A ₅ by Drag & Drop. Further, the facilitator of the conference may have the information processing device 5 (slave client) as a participant himself.

The facilitator of the meeting writes the discussion items by handwriting in the "editing area" A ₅ in an agenda manner. On the other hand, when the participants of the conference discuss each item, various information related to the item is displayed in the “stacking area” A.
Throw to _four . For example, when discussing the “trend of external research”, one of the participants throws the URL to the home page of the other company, which is checked on the spot or in advance, into the “stacking area” A ₄ . Conference participants can send objects from slave clients as soon as they come up with the idea, even in the middle of a discussion. In the master client, even if the “editing area” A ₅ is in the process of being processed (being processed, active state), when the master client receives an object from the slave client, the “stacking area” is almost real-time.
Display of A ₄ is updated. Facilitator of the meeting, the file object of the URL that has been thrown into the "stacking area" A ₄ in the vicinity of the handwritten characters of "external research trends" Drag &
Drop.

[0138] In addition, the facilitator of the conference, after switching by operating the "Group" button B ₅ in "group" mode, which is Drag & Drop the string "external research trends" URL
Surround the file object of and with a curve. This allows
The character string “Trend of external research” and the file object of the URL are grouped.

Further, for the “previous working result”, the participant who has obtained the relevant materials throws it into the “stacking area” A ₄ . The participant who threw in tells the meeting facilitator that he or she threw the material. Facilitator of the conference, the thrown into the material objects to the "editing area" A ₅ to Drag & Drop. Further, the facilitator of the conference moves the object near the handwritten character of “previous working result”, operates the “group” button B ₅ to switch to the “group” mode, and then similarly groups. If there are other related materials (for example, the file object of "kick-off report" in the figure), these can be similarly grouped.

Further, when the discussion progresses and the participants of the conference comment on the content of the “kick-off report” and the facilitator of the conference recognizes that it is important, the “link” button B ₄ is operated. Link the comment "I agree with you about this" to the "Kickoff Report."

As described above, the information in the “editing area” A ₅ to which links and groups are added is displayed as a tree structure as shown in FIG. 19 by operating the “collection” button B ₇ , for example. You can also do it. In this example, the horizontal axis corresponds to the depth of the link, and the vertical axis represents, for example, the time order in which the objects were generated. Further, when a group is defined by objects in the same hierarchy, they are connected by vertical lines in FIG.
Further, the object arranged on the leftmost side in FIG. 19 is an object at the highest level (that is, the object is not linked from any object), and this is unconditionally connected by a vertical line. It is represented as a tree. In this way, "summary"
By operating the button B ₇ , it is possible to visualize the structure between objects using the links and attributes attached to the objects. This allows conference participants to visually confirm the structure of various materials presented in the discussion, and effectively functions to suppress the occurrence of meetings where the discussion deviates sideways or the conclusion is ambiguous. .

[0142] In addition, the object of "editing area" A ₅ are, other attributes by grouping as described above, for example, "object", "conclusion", to impart attributes having a predetermined meaning, such as "object" be able to. As shown in FIG. 18, the facilitator of the conference operates the “attribute” button B ₃ when, for example, the phrase “Next homework should be analyzed based on this material” Then, select "Conclusion" from the pull-down menu and add the attribute "Conclusion" to this word (object) on the spot.

The usage pattern of attributes having a predetermined meaning such as “purpose”, “conclusion”, and “task” will be described below. Or back at the discussion up to now in the middle of a discussion, if you want to re-confirm the decisions, operates the "List" button B _6. When the "List" button B ₆ is operated, in the object management list described above, among the attributes granted "attributes" mode described above, the object having specific attributes are extracted (see FIG. 14).

Although the description has been centered on the operation by the facilitator of the conference, it is shared by all the conference participants (that is, the large display 11 provided with the coordinate detecting device 12).
Just before), it becomes possible to take the initiative in the progress. In other words, complicated processing such as access right management is not required on the system, and it is possible for the conference participants to pass the access right from the facilitator of the conference with only very natural actions, which can significantly improve the usability of the system. become.

As described above, in the electronic conference system 1 of the present embodiment, the function of sharing knowledge and the function of editing the shared knowledge structure by collaborative work are clearly distinguished. There is.

In general, in a knowledge-creating conference premised on collaborative work, it is considered that knowledge is developed by circulating the following process. First, a problem (agenda) is raised by the organizer or chairperson as a common recognition. Next, each conference participant shows his / her own data (idea and objective data on hand), and shares the proposal for problem solving with everyone.
We will proceed with discussions based on the shared data and formulate new proposals and conclusions. Participants bring back the conclusions (data) formulated in a coordinated manner for each person in charge, edit the brought-back data, and bring it to the next meeting. Here, it is further refined through the same process and created as knowledge. That is, the above scene includes a process of sharing individual knowledge and a process of structuring by sharing the shared knowledge.

In the conventional electronic conferencing system, the process of sharing individual knowledge and the process of structuring the shared knowledge by editing are performed at the same time. That is, a screen where various objects (texts, figures, images, etc.) can be freely arranged and edited is shared visually and operationally, and all the participants can simultaneously display objects on this screen. I am able to create and edit. However, in the conventional electronic conferencing system in which the process of sharing such individual knowledge and the process of editing the shared knowledge and structuring are performed at the same time, the contents of the electronic conference are There is a problem that the discussion is confused due to the occurrence of omissions.

Therefore, in the electronic conference system 1 of the present embodiment, since the function of sharing knowledge and the function of editing the shared knowledge structure by collaborative work are clearly distinguished, It is possible to run the conference without disturbing the discussion.

Here, the information (object), which is the personal knowledge transmitted by the conference participants via the information processing device 5, is shared with the “stacking area” A ₄ for sharing with all the conference participants. "Editing area" for editing the structure of information (object) that is knowledge
It is clearly distinguished from A ₅ and displayed on a large display 11 that can be commonly viewed by conference participants. In the state where it is displayed on the large display 11 like this,
Center when one object is specified from among the objects displayed in the "stacking area" A _4, the specified object is displayed at a desired position of the "editing area" A _5, the facilitator of the conference Edited by collaborative work by all participants in the conference. As a result, other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference can easily recognize that the information provided by one conference participant has been updated, and the provided information is stored in the “editing area” A ₅ . Since it is not directly displayed, the synchronization processing in each information processing device 5 is not necessary, so that it is possible to operate the conference without hindering the progress of the discussion. Also, by clearly distinguishing the function for sharing knowledge from the function for editing the shared knowledge structure by collaborative work, it is possible to simplify the system, which reduces the consumption of computational resources. Is reduced, and reliability and robustness are increased.

[0150]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an electronic conference system including a plurality of information processing devices used by conference participants and a conference support device network-connected to these information processing devices. In the conference support device in, a large display device that is commonly visible to conference participants, an information sharing area that lists predetermined objects, and the objects listed in the information sharing area are selectively selected. The area display means for displaying the selection display area to be displayed on the display device, the information receiving means for receiving the information transmitted from the information processing device, and the object relating to the information received by the information receiving means are displayed. One of the objects displayed in the information sharing area and one of the objects displayed in the information sharing area. An object designating means for designating an object, a designated object moving means for displaying the object designated by the object designating means at a desired position in the selective display area, and a designated object moving means for displaying the object in the selective display area. An object editing means for editing the object, and an information sharing area for sharing information (object), which is the personal knowledge transmitted by the conference participants via the information processing device, with all the conference participants. , A selection display area for editing the structure of information (object) that is shared knowledge is clearly distinguished and displayed on a large display device that can be commonly viewed by conference participants. One of the objects displayed in the information sharing area while being displayed on the large display device When the object is designated, by the the specified object displayed in the desired position of the selected display area, is edited by the cooperative work by all conference participants at the center of the facilitator of the meeting,
The fact that the information provided by one conference participant has been updated can be easily recognized by other conference participants and the moderator of the conference, and the provided information is not directly displayed in the selection display area. Since the synchronization processing is not required in each information processing device, the conference can be operated without interrupting the progress of the discussion. Also, by clearly distinguishing the function for sharing knowledge from the function for editing the shared knowledge structure by collaborative work, the system can be simplified, reducing the consumption of computing resources. It is possible to improve reliability and robustness.

According to the second aspect of the invention, in the conference supporting apparatus according to the first aspect, the object designating means and the designated object moving means perform Drag & Drop operation so that information can be provided from the conference participants. Although the information sharing area and the selection display area that is the edit screen are not directly related to each other, the meeting facilitator is provided by the meeting participants by a simple and intuitive Drag & Drop operation. Move / copy information to the place for editing,
Since it can be edited, there is little division of thoughts during discussions, individual information can be easily shared, and the efficiency of collaborative work by all conference participants can be significantly improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the conference supporting apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the object designating means includes a coordinate detecting device for detecting coordinates of a position designated on the display surface of the display device. By specifying one of the objects displayed in the information sharing area designated via the information sharing area, which is a place for providing information from conference participants, and a selection display area, which is an editing screen. Although the configuration is not directly related to, the facilitator of the conference can move / copy the information provided by the conference participants to the place of editing by a simple and intuitive operation of touching the object directly. Since it can be edited, there is little division of thought during discussion, and
Individual information can be easily shared, and the efficiency of collaborative work by all conference participants can be significantly improved. Furthermore, it is possible for any conference participant to take the initiative in progress by simply stepping into a shared space (that is, in front of a large display device equipped with a coordinate detection device), and access right management is complicated. Since no special processing is required on the system and the access right can be handed over to the conference participants only by an extremely natural action, the usability of the system can be remarkably improved.

According to the invention described in claim 4, in the conference support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the object editing means stores at least two or more of the objects displayed in the selection display area. By grouping, information that is divergently generated / provided can be grouped on the spot during the discussion using the selection display area that is the edit screen, so that the information can be dynamically and electronically classified. Performing the discussion before all the participants in the conference facilitate the organization of the discussion and improve the convergence of the discussion at the conference.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the conference supporting apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the object editing means sets a desired object for the object displayed in the selection display area. By assigning an attribute, the "purpose" for the information that is divergently generated / provided during the discussion using the selection display area that is the edit screen
Concepts such as “conclusions” and “issues” that are important in meetings can be added to objects as attributes, so it is possible to easily list only objects with these important attributes even during discussions and The efficiency of can be significantly improved. Further, when used by a third party, the essence of the conference can be easily extracted, so that efficient information collection and information grasping can be performed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the conference support apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the object editing means is a link between the two objects displayed in the selection display area. By adding, during the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen,
Since information that is divergently generated / provided can be layered by linking objects related to each information, all conference participants see the classification of dynamic and electronic information. This can be done in advance, the discussions can be easily organized, and the convergence of the discussions at the meeting can be improved. In addition, from one object that occurred during the meeting (for example, the final conclusion), it is possible to easily obtain the object that was used in the discussion in the course of reaching this conclusion. It can be significantly improved.

According to the invention described in claim 7, in the conference supporting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the object editing result storing means for storing the editing result of the object by the object editing means is provided. As a result, since the edited result of the object can be stored and held, reusability of information can be significantly improved.

According to the invention described in claim 8, in the conference support apparatus according to claim 7, the object subjected to a specific editing is extracted from the editing result of the object stored by the object editing result storage means. Then
By providing the edit result display means for displaying on the display device, it is possible to confirm the objects to which various attributes are added during the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen, and thus the flow of the discussion can be seen at a glance. It can be confirmed, and the efficiency of discussion progress can be significantly improved.

According to the invention described in claim 9, the information in the electronic conferencing system is composed of a plurality of information processing devices used by the conference participants and a conference support device network-connected to these information processing devices. In the processing device,
By including transmission information confirming means for confirming transmission of predetermined information to be processed, and information transmitting means for transmitting the information confirmed to be transmitted by the transmission information confirming means to the conference support device. , Since it is possible to transmit the predetermined information prepared by the participant to the conference support device independently of the processing operation of the other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference, without disturbing the progress of the discussion. Can run meetings.

According to the invention of claim 10, claim 9 is provided.
In the described information processing apparatus, by providing the information generating means for generating the predetermined information to be processed, it is possible to generate the information that the participant came up with during the conference, the searched information, etc. Can be transformed.

According to the electronic conference system of the invention described in claim 11, a plurality of information processing devices according to claim 9 or 10 and any one of claims 1 to 8 connected to these information processing devices via a network The meeting support device described,
And an information sharing area for sharing the information (object), which is the personal knowledge transmitted by the conference participants via the information processing device, with all the conference participants, and the information (object) that is the shared knowledge. ) Is clearly distinguished from the selected display area for editing the structure, and is displayed on a large display device that can be commonly viewed by conference participants. , When one object is specified from the objects displayed in the information sharing area, the specified object is displayed at a desired position in the selected display area, and all the participants in the meeting center on the facilitator of the meeting. By collaboratively editing, the information provided by one conference participant can be easily updated by other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference, and the information provided by the conference participant can be easily recognized. Since synchronization is not required in the information processing apparatus since the selection display area not displayed directly, without disturbing the progress of the discussion, it is possible to operate the conference. Also, by clearly distinguishing the function for sharing knowledge from the function for editing the shared knowledge structure by collaborative work, the system can be simplified, reducing the consumption of computing resources. It is possible to improve reliability and robustness.

According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, an electronic conference system is configured with a plurality of information processing devices, and the information processing device is provided with a large-sized display device that can be commonly viewed by the conference participants. A computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute the operation control of a conference support device connected to a network, the information sharing area displaying a list of predetermined objects, and the information sharing area displaying a list. An area display function that causes the display device to display a selection display area that selectively displays the object, an information reception function that receives information transmitted from the information processing device, and the information reception function that is received by the information reception function. An object list display function for displaying the object related to information in the information sharing area, and the information An object designating function for designating one of the objects displayed in the existing area, and a designated object moving function for displaying the object designated by the object designating function at a desired position in the selection display area. , An object editing function for editing the object displayed in the selection display area by the designated object moving function, and information (object) which is the personal knowledge transmitted by the conference participant via the information processing device. The information sharing area for sharing the information with all the participants in the meeting and the selection display area for editing the structure of the information (object) that is the shared knowledge are clearly distinguished, and the participants in the meeting share the same information. Displayed on a large display device that can be visually recognized, and thus displayed on a large display device. When one object is designated from the objects displayed in the information sharing area, the designated object is displayed at a desired position in the selected display area, and the conference participants are mainly displayed as the facilitator of the conference. By editing in a collaborative work by all, the information provided by one conference participant can be easily recognized by other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference, and the information provided is Since the information is not directly displayed in the selection display area, the synchronization processing in each information processing device is not necessary, and thus the conference can be operated without hindering the progress of the discussion. Also, with the function of sharing knowledge,
The system can be simplified by clearly distinguishing the shared knowledge structure from the function of editing collaborative work, so that the consumption of computing resources can be reduced, and the reliability and robustness can be reduced. Can be increased.

According to the invention of claim 13, claim 1
In the program described in 2, the object designating function and the designated object moving function are based on the Drag & Drop operation, so that the information sharing area where the conference participants provide information and the selection display area serving as the editing screen are directly connected. Although it is a configuration that is not related to, the facilitator of the conference can move / copy the information provided by the conference participants to the place of editing by a simple and intuitive Drag & Drop operation and make it the editing target. Because it is possible, there is little division of thought during discussion, and individual information can be easily shared,
The efficiency of collaborative work by all conference participants can be significantly improved.

According to the invention of claim 14, claim 1
In the program according to 2 or 13, the object designating function may be one of the objects displayed in the information sharing area designated via a coordinate detection device that detects coordinates of a position designated on the display surface of the display device. By specifying one of the above objects, the information sharing area where the information is provided from the conference participants and the selection display area which is the editing screen are not directly related, but the conference The facilitator can move / copy the information provided by the conference participants to the place of editing by a simple and intuitive operation of directly touching the object, so that it can be the target of editing, so that the thoughts in discussion can be divided. In addition, the sharing of individual information can be easily performed, and the efficiency of collaborative work by all conference participants can be significantly improved. Furthermore, it is possible for any conference participant to take the initiative in progress by simply stepping into a shared space (that is, in front of a large display device having a coordinate detection device).
No complicated processing such as access right management is required on the system,
Since the access right can be handed over to the conference participants only by a very natural action, the usability of the system can be significantly improved.

According to the invention of claim 15, claim 1
In the program according to any one of 2 to 14,
The object editing function divergently generates / provides information during a discussion using the selection display area, which is an editing screen, by grouping at least two or more objects displayed in the selection display area. Can be grouped on-the-fly, so dynamic and electronic classification of information can be done in front of all meeting participants,
Discussions can be organized more easily, and the convergence of discussions at meetings can be improved.

According to the invention of claim 16, claim 1
In the program according to any one of 2 to 15,
The object editing function is divergently generated / provided during a discussion using the selection display area, which is an editing screen, by adding a desired attribute to the object displayed in the selection display area. For information, "purpose"
Concepts such as “conclusions” and “issues” that are important in meetings can be added to objects as attributes, so it is possible to easily list only objects with these important attributes even during discussions and The efficiency of can be significantly improved. Further, when used by a third party, the essence of the conference can be easily extracted, so that efficient information collection and information grasping can be performed.

According to the invention of claim 17, claim 1
In the program according to any one of 2 to 16,
The object edit function links information between the two objects displayed in the selection display area to divergently generate / provide information during a discussion using the selection display area, which is an edit screen. On the other hand, since it is possible to create a hierarchy by linking objects related to each information, it is possible to dynamically and electronically classify information before all the participants in the conference are watching. This makes it easier to organize and improves the convergence of discussions at meetings. In addition, from one object that occurred during the meeting (for example, the final conclusion), it is possible to easily obtain the object that was used in the discussion in the course of reaching this conclusion. It can be significantly improved.

According to the invention of claim 18, claim 1
In the program according to any one of 2 to 17,
By executing the object edit result storage function of storing the edit result of the object by the object edit function, the edit result of the object can be stored and held, so that reusability of information can be significantly improved.

According to the invention of claim 19, claim 1
In the program according to 8, by extracting the object that has been subjected to a specific edit from the edit result of the object stored by the object edit result storage function, and executing an edit result display function for displaying on the display device. During the discussion using the selection display area which is the edit screen, it is possible to confirm the objects to which various attributes are added, so that the flow of the discussion can be confirmed at a glance and the efficiency of the discussion progress is significantly improved. be able to.

According to the twentieth aspect of the invention, an electronic conferencing system is configured together with a conference support device having a large display device that can be viewed by conference participants in common, and is connected to the conference support device via a network. A computer-readable program that causes a computer to execute operation control of an information processing device used by a conference participant, and a transmission information confirmation function for confirming transmission of predetermined information to be processed by the computer, By executing the information transmission function of transmitting the information whose transmission has been confirmed by the transmission information confirmation function to the conference support device, it becomes independent of the processing operation of other conference participants and the facilitator of the conference. Since the predetermined information prepared by the participants can be transmitted to the conference support device, the conference can be performed without hindering the progress of the discussion. It is possible to operate.

According to the invention of claim 21, claim 2
In the program described in 0, by executing the information generation function that generates the predetermined information to be processed, it is possible to generate the information that the participants came up with during the conference, the retrieved information, etc. Can be transformed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram schematically showing an electronic conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram schematically showing an information input / output device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection of each unit built in the computer.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection of each unit incorporated in the information processing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of a display screen of a display based on a slave client application.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing another example of the display screen of the display based on the slave client application.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing still another example of the display screen of the display based on the slave client application.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing still another example of the display screen of the display based on the slave client application in which the respective functions are integrated.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation in the slave client application when the respective functions are integrated.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing an example of a display screen of a display based on a master client application.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the behavior of an object in a master client application.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing an example of a display screen of a display for explaining the generation of a link.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing an example of a display screen of a display for explaining generation of a group.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a list of searched objects.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing an example of a display screen of a display for explaining a display state of an object with an attribute.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of various operations in an “editing area”.

17 is a schematic diagram showing a data structure of an object management list based on various operations in the "editing area" of FIG.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an object operation on a display screen.

FIG. 19 is a front view showing an example of a display screen of a display for explaining the tree structure of an object.

FIG. 20 is a system configuration diagram schematically showing an example of a conventional electronic conference system.

FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where use of a PC is interrupted during an electronic conference.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where data is not sent in a correct order during an electronic conference.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Electronic Conference System 2 Conference Support Device 5 Information Processing Device 7 Network 11 Display Device 12 Coordinate Detection Device A ₄ Information Sharing Area A ₅ Selection Display Area

Claims (21)

[Claims] 1. A conference support device in an electronic conference system comprising a plurality of information processing devices used by conference participants, and a conference support device network-connected to these information processing devices, wherein The display includes a large-sized display device that can be viewed in common, an information sharing area that lists predetermined objects, and a selection display area that selectively displays the objects listed in the information sharing area. Area display means for displaying on the apparatus, information receiving means for receiving information transmitted from the information processing apparatus, and object list display for displaying the object related to the information received by the information receiving means in the information sharing area Means and an object for specifying one of the objects displayed in the information sharing area. An object designating means, a designated object moving means for displaying the object designated by the object designating means at a desired position in the selective display area, and an object displayed in the selective display area by the designated object moving means. A conference support device comprising: an object editing unit for editing. 2. The conference supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the object designating unit and the designated object moving unit are based on a Drag & Drop operation. 3. The object designating means selects one of the objects displayed in the information sharing area designated by a coordinate detection device that detects coordinates of a position designated on a display surface of the display device. The meeting support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an object is designated. 4. The conference supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the object editing unit groups at least two or more of the objects displayed in the selection display area. 5. The conference supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the object editing unit adds a desired attribute to the object displayed in the selection display area. 6. The conference supporting device according to claim 1, wherein the object editing unit links the two objects displayed in the selection display area. 7. The conference support device according to claim 1, further comprising an object edit result storage unit that stores an edit result of the object by the object edit unit. 8. An edit result display means for extracting the object subjected to a specific edit from the edit result of the object stored in the object edit result storage means and displaying the extracted object on the display device. The conference support device according to claim 7. 9. An information processing apparatus in an electronic conferencing system comprising a plurality of information processing apparatuses used by conference participants and a conference support apparatus network-connected to these information processing apparatuses, which is a processing target. Transmission information confirmation means for confirming transmission of predetermined information, and information transmission means for transmitting the information transmission confirmed by the transmission information confirmation means to the conference support device,
An information processing device comprising: 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an information generating unit that generates predetermined information to be processed. 11. A plurality of information processing apparatuses according to claim 9 or 10, and the conference support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 that is network-connected to these information processing apparatuses. An electronic conferencing system. 12. A conference support device which comprises an electronic conference system together with a plurality of information processing devices, and which has a large display device which can be visually recognized by conference participants in common and which is network-connected to the information processing device. A computer-readable program that causes a computer to execute operation control, wherein the computer selectively displays an information sharing area that lists predetermined objects and the objects listed in the information sharing area. An area display function for displaying a selective display area on the display device, an information reception function for receiving information transmitted from the information processing device, and the information related to the object related to the information received by the information reception function The object list display function to be displayed in the shared area and the object displayed in the information sharing area. With an object designating function for designating one of the objects from among the objects, a designated object moving function for displaying the object designated by the object designating function at a desired position in the selection display area, and a designated object moving function. A program for executing an object editing function of editing the object displayed in the selection display area. 13. The program according to claim 12, wherein the object designating function and the designated object moving function are based on a Drag & Drop operation. 14. The object designation function is one of the objects displayed in the information sharing area designated by a coordinate detection device that detects coordinates of a position designated on a display surface of the display device. 14. The program according to claim 12, wherein an object is designated. 15. The program according to claim 12, wherein the object editing function groups at least two or more objects displayed in the selection display area. 16. The object editing function adds a desired attribute to the object displayed in the selection display area.
5. The program according to any one of 5. 17. The object editing function links the two objects displayed in the selection display area with each other.
The program according to any one of. 18. The program according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein an object edit result storage function for storing an edit result of the object by the object edit function is executed. 19. The edit result display function for extracting the object subjected to a specific edit from the edit result of the object stored by the object edit result storage function, and executing the edit result display function for displaying on the display device. 19. The program according to claim 18. 20. An information processing system, which comprises a conference support device having a large display device that can be visually recognized by conference participants in common, and which is connected to the conference support device via a network and used by the conference participants. A computer-readable program that causes a computer to control the operation of the device, the transmission information confirming function for confirming transmission of predetermined information to be processed to the computer, and the transmission confirmation by this transmission information confirming function. An information transmission function for transmitting the information thus obtained to the conference support device,
A program characterized by causing to execute. 21. An information generating function for generating predetermined information to be processed is executed.
The listed program.