JP2009237996A - Message management method and message management program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a face image for specifying a speaker in a message exchanged in a group where users are allowed to be identified. <P>SOLUTION: A system includes a mailing list server 10 and a plurality of clients 20. A hard disk in the server stores a message management program 11, a user list 12 for registering user information of the mailing list, and an image DB 13 for registering face images of users. The program 11 includes a registration receiving module 11a for receiving the registration of a user's face image and accepting its registration in the image DB 13, a message analysis module 11b for analyzing contents of an e-mail message to be exchanged to determine whether to include contents corresponding to a status of feelings of the user registered in the image DB 13, and an image embedding module 11c for embedding a face image in e-mail to be distributed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a message management method and program for managing the exchange of text-based messages, such as a mailing list, a bulletin board in a specific community, and a chat, and more particularly to a method and program capable of associating a personal face image with a message. .

  In an e-mail system using a mobile phone, it is generally performed to express a user's emotion that cannot be expressed only by text by including pictographs in the e-mail. However, since only the standard pictographs prepared by the mobile phone company can be used, there are few variations, and it is necessary for the user who sends the e-mail to select and use it by himself.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses an image communication system that transmits character data or the like that changes according to each user's emotion to the other party when information is exchanged between a plurality of communication terminals. In the abstract of Patent Document 1, an emotion analysis unit provided in a communication terminal analyzes voice data to detect an emotion parameter, extracts a change in facial expression caused by each user's emotion stored in advance, and extracts the emotion parameter It is disclosed that facial expression data is generated in accordance with the above, and this is combined with predetermined character data to generate a face image. Paragraphs 0080 to 0089 describe, as an application example to the chat system, analyzing input text to detect emotion parameters and generating a face image in the same manner as described above.

JP 2006-330958 A

  However, since the face image is formed by deforming the predetermined character data based on the emotion parameter in the system disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is possible to display the face image representing the user's individual characteristics. Can not. This is effective in the sense of avoiding identification of personal information in a chat system that can be browsed by an unspecified number of users, but a group in which users who do not need to avoid identification of personal information are identified. Inside it is a useless restriction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its task is to identify a speaker in a message exchanged within a group in which users who do not need to avoid specifying personal information are identified. Another object of the present invention is to provide a message management method and a message management program that can display a face image that can be displayed.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a message management method according to the present invention is a method for managing messages exchanged in a group composed of a plurality of clients via a server. Equipped with an image database that registers identification information and multiple face images according to emotion status, each user can access the image database via the client and register their information, and the server is sent from the client When the received message is received, the content of the message is analyzed to determine whether or not the content corresponding to the emotion status of the user registered in the image database is included. It is related to be displayed with a message.

  When a user can belong to a plurality of groups, the image database preferably includes a field for designating a group permitted to be used for each face image. In the image database, a user's photograph or an image such as an illustration created using a template can be registered as a face image.

  When the exchanged message is an e-mail, the server can embed a face image file in the e-mail and deliver it. Alternatively, the face image may be distributed together with the message data as a separate file.

  On the other hand, the message management program according to the present invention is a program for managing messages exchanged in a group composed of a plurality of clients via a server. Each user accesses an image database via a client to the server. A procedure for accepting registration of identification information of users belonging to a group and a plurality of face images according to emotion status, and when receiving a message sent from a client, the contents of the message are analyzed and an image database A procedure for determining whether or not the content corresponding to the emotion status of the registered user is included, and a procedure for associating the corresponding face image with the message when the content corresponding to the message is included Is executed.

  According to the message management method and program of the present invention, a face image that can identify a speaker can be displayed with an expression according to the emotion of the speaker, and is more direct and has a stronger impact than using character data. Messages can be delivered.

  Embodiments of a message management method and a message management program according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a mailing list system for realizing the message management method of the embodiment. This system includes a mailing list server 10 and a plurality of clients 20 connected to the server 10 via a network N such as the Internet.

  The mailing list server 10 is a general-purpose computer and includes a CPU, a memory, a hard disk, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a monitor (not shown). A message management program 11 is stored in the hard disk, and by executing this program, a face image is embedded in the distributed e-mail. The hard disk of the mailing list server 10 stores a user list 12 for registering information about users who participate in the mailing list and an image database (DB) 13 for registering user face images. A single mailing list server 10 can provide a plurality of mailing list services. The client 20 is a user terminal such as a personal computer (PC) or a mobile phone.

  The message management program 11 includes a registration acceptance module 11a corresponding to a procedure for accepting registration of a user's face image in the image DB 13, and analysis of the contents of the exchanged e-mail message and the registration of the user registered in the image DB 13. A message analysis module 11b corresponding to a procedure for determining whether or not content corresponding to an emotion status is included, and an image embedding module 11c corresponding to a procedure for associating a face image with a message based on the analysis result. include. In this example, the image embedding module 11c has a function of embedding a face image in an e-mail message.

  The user list 12 is provided with one table for each mailing list. Each table has one record for each user, and each record has fields for storing user identification information (user ID), name, and mail address. On the other hand, the image DB 13 has one record for each image, and each record includes a user ID, a photo file, a status, an illustration image, a use permission ML (mailing list), as shown in Table 1 below. Additional keyword fields are provided.

  Unique identification information of users registered in the mailing list is registered in the user ID field. The file name of the face image registered by the user is registered in the photo file field. In the status field, terms representing emotions such as “smiling”, “shuffled”, “pumpun”, “sasya” are registered as the status of the facial expression.

  This status is a fixed term registered by the system, and the user registers a facial expression photo corresponding to these statuses as a photo file of the record. Further, the mailing list server 10 includes a keyword table in which keywords representing the status are registered in addition to the above-described terms as words representing the status. For example, keywords such as “fun”, “happy”, and “happy” are registered in correspondence with the status of “smile”. These keywords are used when the message analysis module 11b analyzes the content of the message.

  The photo file is data transmitted from the client 20. When the client is a camera-equipped mobile phone, photo data taken with this camera can be used, and when the client is a PC, photo data taken with a digital camera or the like can be read and used. The user takes a photograph of a facial expression corresponding to each status and registers it in the image DB 13 of the mailing list server 10.

  A face image created by a user using a template is registered in the illustration image field. The illustration image is a face image that can be supplementarily registered when no photo is registered, and is deleted when the photo is registered.

The name of the mailing list or the identification code that may use the face image of the record is registered in the field of use permission ML. As described above, the user can participate in a plurality of mailing lists, but there are also suitable and unsuitable face images that can be used depending on the type of mailing list. For example, in public mailing lists such as workplaces and academic societies, only face images with a relatively serious expression can be used so as not to disturb the atmosphere. In order to do this, it is possible to selectively use a facial image with a relatively small expression.

  In the additional keyword field, a keyword specific to the user representing the status of the record not included in the general keyword registered in the keyword table is registered. For example, when a user often uses the term “smooth” when expressing a “smile” status, the term is registered as an additional keyword.

  Next, the contents of the message management program 11 executed by the mailing list server 10 will be described based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. FIG. 2 shows the contents of the registration receiving module 11a, and FIG. 3 shows the contents of the message analysis module 11b and the image embedding module 11c.

When the registration acceptance module 11a is activated, the mailing list server 10 waits for a registration request from any of the clients 20 as shown in FIG. 2 (S001), and if there is a request (S001, Yes), The registration screen data is transmitted to the client 20 to prompt registration (S002). And the user ID, photo or created image entered on the client, use permission ML
The additional keyword is accepted (S003). The registration screen data comes with templates for creating illustration images and tools for processing them according to facial expressions. When users do not register photos, these templates and tools are used. You can create an illustration image.

  Then, the mailing list server 10 registers the received data in the image DB 13 (S004), and ends the processing by the registration receiving module.

Next, the operation when the mailing list server 10 receives a message by e-mail from the user will be described with reference to FIG. The mailing list server 10 waits to receive a message from one of the clients 20 (S101), and when received (S101, Yes), extracts a sentence including the name and emotional expression of the user who is an ML member from the received message. (S102). The user name is searched from names registered in the user list 12. For emotional expression, the keyword specified in the keyword table is checked, and an additional keyword in the image DB is further searched.

  The sentence extracted in step S102 includes not only a sentence including the emotional expression whose subject is the message sender, but also a sentence expressing the emotions of other users included in the group. For example, the sentence “I am very happy” with the caller as the subject corresponds to the “smile” status of the caller, and other users were the subject of the hearing and said “Mr. A was happy.” "Corresponds to the" smile "status of user A.

Then, it is determined whether or not there is a corresponding document (S103), and if it exists (S103, Yes), the extracted text is morphologically analyzed to identify the user ID and status (S104). The user ID is specified by searching the user list 12 based on the user name. The status is checked against keywords defined in the keyword table, and if a matching keyword is found, the status represented by the keyword is specified. Then, the record that matches the specified user ID and status is searched from the image DB 13 (S105).

Next, the mailing list server 10 reads the use permission ML field of the record hit by the search, and determines whether or not the use permission ML includes a mailing list for distributing the received message (S106). If it is included in the use permission ML (S106, Yes), the photograph or illustration image is read from the hit record (S107), and the read photo or illustration image is embedded in the received message (S108). return. If it is not included in the use permission ML (S106, No), steps S107 and S108 are skipped and the process returns to step S103.

  As described above, the processes in steps S104 to S108 are repeated until all the corresponding documents are processed. Thereby, a face image corresponding to each sentence is embedded in the message. If it is determined in step S103 that there is no corresponding document, the process proceeds to step S109, and a message in which a face image is embedded is transmitted based on the user list (S109).

  In the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the mailing list system has been described. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and a chat system in which participants are limited, community services such as social network services, etc. It is also applicable to.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a system configuration for realizing a message management method according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows a part of message management program which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows a part of other message management program which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Mailing list server 11 Message management program 11a Registration reception module 11b Message analysis module 11c Image embedding module 12 User list 13 Image DB
20 clients

Claims (5)

In a message management method for managing messages exchanged in a group composed of a plurality of clients via a server,
The server comprises an image database for registering identification information of users belonging to the group and a plurality of face images according to emotion status,
Each user can access the image database via the client and register his information.
When the server receives a message sent from the client, it analyzes the content of the message to determine whether or not the content corresponding to the emotion status of the user registered in the image database is included. Is associated with the corresponding face image so as to be displayed together with the message. The message management method according to claim 1, wherein a user can belong to a plurality of groups, and the image database includes a field for designating a group permitted to be used for each face image. 3. The message management method according to claim 1, wherein a user's photograph or an image created using a template is registered in the image database as a face image. 4. The message management method according to claim 1, wherein the message is an e-mail, and the server embeds the face image file in the e-mail. In a message management program that manages messages exchanged within a group consisting of multiple clients via a server,
To the server,
A procedure of accepting that each user accesses an image database via the client and registers a plurality of facial images corresponding to identification information and emotional status of users belonging to the group;
When receiving a message sent from the client, a procedure for analyzing the content of the message and determining whether or not the content corresponding to the emotion status of the user registered in the image database is included;
A message management program that, when content corresponding to the message is included, executes a procedure of associating so that the corresponding face image is displayed together with the message.

Images