JP2012085027A - Terminal device, information presentation method, and information presentation program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a terminal device capable of appropriately displaying a pointer image based on data transmitted from other terminal device, and to provide an information presentation method and an information presentation program.SOLUTION: The terminal device transmits data containing position data to other terminal device as transmitted data. The terminal device receives the transmitted data from other terminal device as received data (S110). The terminal device sets a predetermined time based on the received data (S134, S210, S250). The terminal device sets switching timing based on at least the received data (S220, S300). When the switching timing is not set, the terminal device controls a pointer image to be displayed at a display position according to position data in a first method (S190). When the switching timing is set, the pointer image is made to be displayed in a second method (S230, S310).

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal device capable of displaying a pointer image based on data transmitted from another terminal device, an information presentation method, and an information presentation program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Video conference systems that transmit and receive data representing images and audio between a plurality of terminal devices connected to each other via a network have become widespread. Examples of images shared among a plurality of terminal devices include materials used in video conferences and pointer images corresponding to the respective terminal devices (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-170354 A

  The above apparatus changes the display mode of the pointer image according to the operation state of the pointing device corresponding to each of the plurality of terminal apparatuses. In the conventional apparatus, the timing for changing the display mode is not sufficiently studied. For this reason, the conventional device may not be able to appropriately display the pointer images corresponding to each of the plurality of terminal devices.

  An object of this invention is to provide the terminal device which can display a pointer image appropriately based on the data transmitted from the other terminal device, the information presentation method, and the information presentation program.

  In order to solve the above problem, a terminal device according to a first aspect is a terminal device capable of establishing a connection with another terminal device via a communication network to which a plurality of terminal devices can be connected. Transmitting means for transmitting data including position data, which is data representing the display position of the cursor associated with the device, to the other terminal device as transmission data, and receiving the transmission data transmitted from the other terminal device A receiving means for receiving data and a display method of a pointer image, which is an image representing a display position of a cursor associated with the other terminal device, are different from the first method to a second method different from the first method. A time setting means for setting a predetermined time used for determination to set a switching timing, which is a timing for switching to a method, based on the received data, and at least the receiving means receives A timing setting means for setting, as the switching timing, a timing at which it is determined that the cursor of the other terminal device is not used for the predetermined time or more set by the time setting means based on the received data; If the switching timing is not set by the timing setting means, the pointer image is displayed by the first method at a display position corresponding to the position data included in the received data received by the receiving means, When the switching timing is set by the timing setting means, a display control means for setting the display method of the pointer image as the second method is provided.

  According to the terminal device of the first aspect, the switching timing can be set appropriately as compared with the case where the predetermined time is uniformly determined. The terminal device can appropriately display the pointer image based on at least data transmitted from another terminal device.

  In the terminal device according to the first aspect, the display method includes a first display method in which the pointer image is displayed in the first method, and the pointer image is not displayed in the second method. The second display method in which the transparency of the pointer image is set smaller than the transparency of the pointer image in the second method, and the size of the pointer image in the first method is the second The method may include at least one of the third display method that is set larger than the size of the pointer image.

  The terminal device in this case can make the pointer image less noticeable when the switching timing is set than when the switching timing is not set. For this reason, the terminal device can suppress a situation where a necessary part on the screen is hidden by a pointer image that is not used.

  In the terminal device according to the first aspect, the timing setting means displays the cursor for the other terminal device that is the same as the predetermined time set by the time setting means based on the received data received by the receiving means. The switching timing may be set when it is determined that the position is present. The terminal device in this case can appropriately determine whether or not the cursor of the other terminal device is being used based on whether or not the cursor of the other terminal device is at the same display position for a predetermined time or more.

  In the terminal device according to the first aspect, the transmission data includes utterance data that is data representing an utterance of the user of the terminal device, and based on the utterance data included in the reception data received by the reception unit, the other Utterance determination means for determining whether or not the user of the terminal device is speaking, and the timing setting means is based on at least the received data received by the reception means and the determination result of the utterance determination means The switching timing may be set. In general, when a user of another terminal device is speaking, even if the pointer image corresponding to the terminal device is at the same position for a predetermined time or more, the pointer image is likely to be used. In this case, the terminal device can suppress the display method of the pointer image being used from being changed unintentionally.

  In the terminal device according to the first aspect, the transmission data includes material data that is data representing material shared between the plurality of terminal devices, and the time setting means includes the plurality of terminal devices, For the terminal device that has transmitted the document data, the predetermined time may be set longer than that of the terminal device that has not transmitted the document data. In general, it is assumed that a pointer image corresponding to a terminal device that provides document data shared by a plurality of terminal devices is used more frequently than pointer images corresponding to other terminal devices. On the other hand, the terminal device in this case can appropriately set the predetermined time in consideration of the expected use frequency of the pointer image.

  In the terminal device according to the first aspect, when the plurality of pointer images are displayed within a predetermined range, the time setting means selects one of the plurality of pointer images selected based on a predetermined condition. The pointer image may be set longer than the other pointer images. When a plurality of pointer images are within a predetermined range, it is difficult to determine which pointer image is used. On the other hand, the terminal device in this case can appropriately set a predetermined time corresponding to each of pointer images in which a plurality of pointer images are displayed within a predetermined range. Thereby, the terminal device can suppress a plurality of pointer images from being displayed within a predetermined range.

  In the terminal device according to the first aspect, the transmission data includes a display flag instructing to continue displaying the pointer image corresponding to the terminal device, and the timing setting unit includes at least the reception received by the receiving unit The switching timing may be set based on whether the display flag is included in the data. The terminal device in this case can appropriately set the pointer image display method corresponding to the other terminal device that has transmitted the display flag.

  The terminal device according to the first aspect further includes color distribution acquisition means for acquiring a color distribution of an image of a planned area in which the pointer image is displayed based on the reception data received by the reception means, and the time setting means When the color distribution acquired by the color distribution acquisition unit is uniform, the predetermined time may be set longer than when the color distribution acquired by the color distribution acquisition unit is non-uniform. An area where the color distribution of the display screen is uniform is an area where the pointer image is assumed not to interfere with the display, such as a blank area of the document. In this case, the terminal device can appropriately set the predetermined time in consideration of whether or not the scheduled display position of the pointer image is within an area that hinders display.

  An information presentation method according to a second aspect is an information presentation method performed in a terminal device capable of establishing a connection with another terminal device via a communication network to which a plurality of terminal devices can be connected. A transmission step of transmitting data including position data, which is data representing the display position of the cursor associated with the transmission data, to the other terminal device, and receiving the transmission data transmitted from the other terminal device as reception data And a second method that is different from the first method, from the first method, to the reception step of receiving as a display method of a pointer image that is an image representing the display position of a cursor associated with the other terminal device. A time setting step for setting a predetermined time used for the determination to set the switching timing, which is a timing to switch to, based on the received data, and at least a previous time Based on received data, a timing setting step for setting an imming that is determined that the cursor of the other terminal device has not been used for the predetermined time or more as the switching timing, and when the switching timing is not set Displays the pointer image at the display position corresponding to the position data included in the received data by the first method, and when the switching timing is set, the display method of the pointer image is changed to the display method. And a display control step as a second method.

  According to the information presentation method of the second aspect, the switching timing can be set appropriately as compared with the case where the predetermined time is uniformly determined. According to the information presentation method, it is possible to appropriately display a pointer image based on at least data transmitted from another terminal device.

  An information presentation program according to a third aspect is an information presentation program for a terminal device capable of establishing a connection with another terminal device via a communication network to which a plurality of terminal devices can be connected. A transmission step of transmitting data including position data, which is data representing the display position of the associated cursor, to the other terminal device as transmission data; and the transmission data transmitted from the other terminal device as reception data. A receiving step for receiving and a method for displaying a pointer image, which is an image representing a display position of a cursor associated with the other terminal device, from the first method to a second method different from the first method. A time setting step for setting a predetermined time used for determination to set a switching timing, which is a switching timing, based on the received data; Based on received data, a timing setting step for setting a timing at which the cursor of the other terminal device is determined not to be used for the predetermined time or more as the switching timing, and when the switching timing is not set Displays the pointer image at the display position corresponding to the position data included in the received data by the first method, and when the switching timing is set, the display method of the pointer image is changed to the display method. And a display control step as a second method including an instruction for causing the controller of the terminal device to execute.

  The information presentation program according to the third aspect can appropriately set the switching timing by causing the computer to execute the program as compared with the case where the predetermined time is uniformly determined. Further, it is possible to appropriately display a pointer image based on at least data transmitted from another terminal device.

1 is a configuration diagram of a video conference system 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a terminal device 30. FIG. 6 is a timing chart of Example 1. It is explanatory drawing of the screen 101 and the cursor 102 of a video conference application which are displayed on the display 322. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a screen 101, a cursor 102, and a document application screen 103 shared by the video conference system 1 displayed on a display 322. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a screen 101, a cursor 102, and a material display area 104 set in the screen 101 displayed on a display 322. FIG. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a screen 101, a cursor 102, and a screen 103 displayed on a display 322. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a screen 101, a cursor 102, and a screen 103 displayed on a display 322. It is a flowchart of a transmission process. It is a flowchart of a display control process. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a screen 101, a material display area 104, a cursor 102, and a pointer image 105 displayed on a display 322. It is a table stored in the RAM 302. It is explanatory drawing of the screen 101 displayed on the display 322, the cursor 102, and the material display area 104. FIG. 6 is a timing chart of Example 1. It is a flowchart of a transmission data creation process. It is a table stored in the RAM 302. It is a flowchart of a timeout value setting process. It is a table stored in the RAM 302. It is a flowchart of a timeout value setting process. It is a flowchart of a timeout value setting process. It is explanatory drawing of the predetermined range 108 set based on the display position and magnitude | size of the pointer image 106. FIG. It is a flowchart of a transmission data creation process. It is a table stored in the RAM 302. It is a flowchart of a timeout value setting process. It is a flowchart of a timeout value setting process.

  Hereinafter, the video conference system 1 of the first to sixth embodiments will be described in order with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining the technical features that can be adopted by the present invention, and the configuration of the apparatus described, the flowcharts of various processes, etc. are not intended to be limited to them. It is just an illustrative example.

  A schematic configuration common to the video conference system 1 of the first to sixth embodiments will be described with reference to FIG. The video conference system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices 30, and these devices are connected to each other via a communication network 2 (for example, the Internet). In FIG. 1, four terminal devices 31 to 34 are illustrated as the plurality of terminal devices 30, but the number of terminal devices 30 is not limited to four. Hereinafter, when a plurality of terminal devices 30 are collectively referred to and when any one of the plurality of terminal devices 30 is specified without being specified, it is referred to as a “terminal device 30”. Further, in order to describe the processing executed in the terminal device 30, one terminal device 30 of interest is also referred to as “own device 30”. The terminal devices 30 other than the own device 30 among the plurality of terminal devices 30 are also referred to as “other terminal devices 30”.

  With reference to FIG. 2, a configuration common to the terminal devices 30 of the first to sixth embodiments will be described. In the present embodiment, a general-purpose notebook personal computer is employed as an example of the terminal device 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 30 includes a CPU 300, a ROM 301, a RAM 302, an input / output (I / O) interface 304, an external communication interface (I / F) 305, and a hard disk device (HDD). 310, a video controller 321, a display 322, a key controller 323, a keyboard 324, a microphone 331, a speaker 332, a CD-ROM drive 340, and a USB interface 350.

  The ROM 301, the RAM 302, and the I / O interface 304 are each connected to the CPU 300. The external communication I / F 305, HDD 310, video controller 321, key controller 323, CD-ROM drive 340, and USB interface 350 are connected to the I / O interface 304, respectively. The display 322 is connected to the video controller 321. The keyboard 324 is connected to the key controller 323.

  The USB interface 350 is a controller that is connected to an external device via a universal serial bus. A mouse 351 and a camera 352 are connected to the USB interface 350 by USB cables. In the present embodiment, a small and lightweight general-purpose camera (so-called WEB camera) that can output captured video data to the communication network 2 in real time is employed as the camera 352. The external communication I / F 305 is a controller that performs data transmission / reception via the communication network 2. In the present embodiment, the external communication I / F 305 transmits / receives data including audio data and video data to / from another terminal device 30 when a video conference is executed.

  The CPU 300 controls the operation of the terminal device 30 by executing various programs stored in the ROM 301 and the HDD 310. The ROM 301 stores a program for operating the terminal device 30, an initial value, and the like. The RAM 302 temporarily stores data such as calculation results when the CPU 300 executes various processes. The HDD 310 is a large-capacity storage device. The HDD 310 stores various processing programs executed by the CPU 300 such as a transmission processing and display control processing program described later, and a database used in the various processing. The HDD 310 also stores various data transmitted and received with other terminal devices 30. The various data includes, for example, video data, audio data, material data, and position data. The video data is acquired from the camera 352 or another terminal device 30. The audio data is acquired from the microphone 331 or another terminal device 30. The material data is data representing material shared between the terminal devices 30 included in the video conference system 1. The position data is data representing the position of the cursor of each terminal device 30. The position data is acquired from the mouse 351 or another terminal device 30.

  A CD-ROM 341 storing various processing programs executed by the CPU 300 can be inserted into the CD-ROM drive 340. In the terminal device 30, these programs are read from the CD-ROM drive 340 and set up in the HDD 310. A program downloaded from an external device via the communication network 2 may be set up in the HDD 310.

  Next, an overview of the transmission process and the display control process of the first embodiment will be described. Each of the transmission process and the display control process is a process that is started in the video conference system 1 when the sharing of the document is started and is executed while the document is shared. More specifically, the transmission process is a process of transmitting transmission data to another terminal device 30. The transmission data is data that the terminal device 30 transmits to another terminal device 30. The transmission data includes, for example, position data. The transmission data transmitted at a time from the terminal device 30 does not necessarily include position data. The position data included in the transmission data represents the position of the cursor of the own device 30 displayed on the display 322. The position of the cursor of the own device 30 is determined according to the electrical signal output from the mouse 351. On the other hand, the display control process receives transmission data transmitted from another terminal device 30 as reception data, and controls a display method of a pointer image corresponding to the other terminal device 30 based on the received reception data. The pointer image is an image representing the display position of the cursor corresponding to the other terminal device 30. The display method of the pointer image corresponding to the other terminal device 30 is set according to the usage state of the cursor in the other terminal device 30. The terminal device 30 specifies the use state of the cursor in the other terminal device 30 based on the following two determination processes. The first determination process is a process for determining whether or not the cursor of the other terminal device 30 is at the same display position in the material display area for a predetermined time. The second determination process is a process of determining whether or not the cursor of the other terminal device 30 is in a material display area described later.

  Next, specific example 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. Specific example 1 is an example for explaining the transmission process and the display control process of the first embodiment. In order to simplify the description, in the first specific example, the video conference system 1 including the two terminal devices 30 of the terminal device 31 and the terminal device 32 is assumed. In the video conference system 1 of the first specific example, when the video conference is started, the video conference application is activated as shown in FIG. 4, and the video conference application screen 101 and the cursor 102 are displayed on the display 322 of each terminal device 30. Is displayed. The cursor 102 moves in response to an operation on the mouse 351 connected to the own device 30.

  In the first specific example, it is assumed that the operation illustrated in FIG. 3 is performed in the terminal device 31 after the video conference is started. In the cursor movement period in FIG. 3, a period in which the cursor 102 is moved by the terminal device 31 is indicated by a double arrow. The period in the document area indicates a period in which the cursor 102 of the terminal device 31 is in the display area of the screen 103 with a double arrow. In the position data transmission period, a period during which transmission data including position data is transmitted from the terminal device 31 to the terminal device 32 is indicated by a double arrow. In the timer update period, a period in which the timer value of the terminal device 31 is updated in the terminal device 32 is indicated by a double arrow. In the pointer image display period, a period during which the pointer image 105 associated with the terminal device 31 is displayed by the first method in the terminal device 32 is indicated by a double arrow. Specifically, when a material used in the video conference is selected in the terminal device 31 at the timing T1 in FIG. 3, a screen 101 and a cursor 102 are displayed on the display 322 of the terminal device 31 as illustrated in FIG. 5. In addition, the screen 103 is displayed. The screen 101 in FIG. 5 is arranged on the left side of the display 322. The screen 101 in FIG. 5 is smaller than the screen 101 in FIG. A screen 103 is a screen of an application that displays material (for example, document) data, which is a part of the function of the video conference application. When the material used in the video conference is selected in the terminal device 31 at the timing T1, the material data is transmitted from the terminal device 31 to the terminal device 32.

  When receiving the material data, the terminal device 32 provides the material display area 104 shown in FIG. The terminal device 32 displays the material in the material display area 104 based on the received material data. Through such processing, the video conference system 1 starts sharing the material at the timing T2. In the terminal device 31 that provided the material, the display area of the screen 103 is the material display area. In the terminal device 32 provided with the material, the material display area 104 is an area corresponding to the display area of the screen 103. In order to simplify the explanation, in this embodiment, the number of materials that can be shared at one time is one. In the terminal device 31, as shown in FIG. 3, the mouse 351 is operated and the cursor 102 is moved in the period from the T2 timing to the T4 timing and in the period from the T6 timing to the T9 timing. As the cursor 102 moves, the cursor 102 is within the display area of the screen 103 as illustrated in FIG. 7 during the period from the T3 timing to the T7 timing. During the period excluding the period from the T3 timing to the T7 timing, the cursor 102 is outside the display area of the screen 103 as illustrated in FIGS. In the first specific example, the sharing of the material is stopped at the timing T10.

  Next, the transmission process will be described with reference to FIG. As an example, a case where the terminal device 31 of the first specific example executes transmission processing will be described. Therefore, in the following description, the terminal device 31 is the own device 30, and the terminal device 32 is the other terminal device 30. A program for executing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is stored in the ROM 301 or the HDD 310 of FIG. 2 and is executed by the CPU 300. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the display 322 is also referred to as the left-right direction of the display 322. The direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the display 322 is also referred to as the vertical direction of the display 322. The length in the left-right direction of the display 322 is also referred to as the width, and the length in the vertical direction of the display 322 is also referred to as the height.

  In the transmission process of FIG. 9, first, the CPU 300 acquires the display position of the cursor 102 on the display 322, and stores the acquired display position in the RAM 302 (S10). In step S10, for example, the absolute coordinates (X, Y) = (200, 300) of the center position of the cursor 102 are acquired as the display position. The absolute coordinates of this embodiment are set as follows. The absolute coordinate origin 151 is the upper left point of the rectangular display 322 as illustrated in FIG. The absolute coordinate X-axis is set in the longitudinal direction of the display 322, and the Y-axis is set in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the display. The number at each coordinate is a value in pixel units. The form representing the display position of the cursor 102 may be changed as appropriate.

  Next, the CPU 300 determines whether or not the cursor display position acquired in step S10 is within the display area of the screen 103 displaying the material data (S20). For example, when the upper left point of the screen 103 is (X, Y) = (100, 100), the width of the screen 103 is 500 pixels, and the height of the screen 103 is 300 pixels, as illustrated in FIG. The cursor 102 is in the display area of the screen 103 (S20: YES). In this case, the CPU 300 calculates the relative coordinates of the display position acquired in step S10, and stores the calculated relative coordinates (X ′, Y ′) in the RAM 302 (S30). For example, the relative coordinates are calculated as follows. For the X coordinate, X ′ = ((X coordinate of cursor display position) − (X coordinate of upper left point of screen 103)) / (width of screen 103) * 10000 = ((200−100) / 500) * 10000 = 2000 is calculated. Similarly, for Y coordinate, Y ′ = ((Y coordinate of cursor display position) − (Y coordinate of upper left point of screen 103)) / (height of screen 103) * 10000 = ((300-100) / 300 ) * 10000 = 6666 is calculated.

  Next, the CPU 300 creates transmission data and stores the created transmission data in the RAM 302 (S40). The transmission data of the first embodiment includes position data and ID. The position data of this embodiment is the relative coordinates calculated in step S30. ID is used in order to distinguish the some terminal device 30 with which the video conference system 1 is provided. The ID of the terminal device 31 is “31”. Next, the CPU 300 transmits the transmission data created in step S40 to the terminal device 32 (S60). Information regarding other terminal devices 30 is shared among a plurality of terminal devices 30 included in the video conference system 1 at the start of the video conference.

  When step S20 is executed in a period other than the period from the T3 timing to the T7 timing (S20: NO), or after step S60, the CPU 300 determines whether or not to end the sharing of the material (S70). ). The instruction to end the sharing of the material is detected by a process executed separately from the transmission process. The instruction to end the sharing of the material includes, for example, an instruction to make the video conference input by the user of the terminal device 31 in the middle, early exit or end, an instruction to end the application for displaying the material data, and a video conference system. 1 is an instruction to end a video conference transmitted by any one of the terminal devices 30 included in 1. When the document sharing is not finished (S70: NO), the CPU 300 returns to Step S10 and repeats the process. As described above, the CPU 300 repeatedly executes the process of step S10 at a predetermined cycle (for example, 20 msec) during a period in which the material is shared. When sharing of the material is to be ended (S70: YES), the transmission process is ended.

  Next, the display control process will be described with reference to FIG. As an example, the case where the terminal device 32 of the specific example 1 executes the display control process will be described. Therefore, in the following description, the terminal device 32 is the own device 30 and the terminal device 31 is the other terminal device 30. A program for executing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10 is stored in the ROM 301 or the HDD 310 of FIG. 2 and is executed by the CPU 300.

  When the display control process in FIG. 10 is started, the CPU 300 determines whether or not transmission data transmitted from another terminal device 30 has been received as reception data (S110). Processing when the CPU 300 has not received the received data will be described later (S110: NO). It is assumed that the CPU 300 receives transmission data from the terminal device 31 exemplified in the transmission process as reception data (S110: YES). In this case, the CPU 300 executes the following steps S120 to S250 for the terminal device 31 specified based on the ID included in the received data. CPU 300 determines whether or not the ID included in the received data is stored in RAM 302 (S120). Step S120 is a process for determining whether or not the reception data received in step S110 is reception data received for the first time after the display process is started from the terminal device 31 specified based on the ID “31”. . When the ID “31” is not stored in the RAM 302 (S120: YES), the CPU 300 determines that the ID “31” included in the received data received in step S110 and the position data (X ′, Y ′) = (2000, 6666) are stored in the RAM 302 in association with each other.

  Next, the CPU 300 creates data representing a pointer image corresponding to the terminal device 31, and stores the created data in the RAM 302 (S130). The pointer image corresponding to the terminal device 31 is an image for displaying the display position of the cursor 102 of the terminal device 31 on the display 322 of the terminal device 32. The pointer image corresponding to the terminal device 31 is represented as the pointer image 105 in FIG. 11 based on the data created in step S130, for example. As shown in FIG. 11, the cursor 102 of the terminal device 32 and the pointer image 105 representing the display position of the cursor 102 of the terminal device 31 are different in appearance. The pointer image 105 includes an alphabet “B” representing the terminal device 31 in addition to the arrow. The alphabet for identifying the other terminal device 30 may be associated with the ID of the other terminal device 30 and stored in advance in the HDD 310 or the like, or may be included in the received data.

  Next, the CPU 300 starts a timer count process corresponding to the terminal device 31 (S132). The timer count process is a process executed separately from the display control process. In the timer count process, the CPU 300 sets the timer value corresponding to the terminal device 31 to an initial value (for example, 0), then increments the timer value every predetermined time (for example, 1 msec), and sets the incremented timer value. The data is stored in the RAM 302 in association with the ID “31” of the terminal device 31. The timer value corresponding to the terminal device 31 is used for processing for controlling the display method of the pointer image 105 corresponding to the terminal device 31. Next, the CPU 300 performs initial settings corresponding to the terminal device 31 (S134). Specifically, the CPU 300 sets an initial value (for example, 50 msec) as a timeout value corresponding to the terminal device 31.

  The timeout value is a threshold value that serves as a criterion for determining whether or not to set the switching timing. The switching timing is a timing at which the display method of the pointer image 105, which is an image representing the display position of the cursor associated with the terminal device 31, is switched from the first method to the second method different from the first method. . The first method of the present embodiment is a method of displaying the pointer image 105 with the transmittance set to 0%. The second method of the present embodiment is a method of displaying the pointer image 105 with the transmittance set to 100%. When the pointer image 105 is displayed by the second method, since the transmittance is set at 100%, the state is the same as the non-display state, and the pointer image 105 is not visually recognized on the display 322. In the present embodiment, the CPU 300 sets the switching timing when the timer value is larger than the timeout value.

  When the received data received in step S110 is not the received data received from the terminal device 31 for the first time after starting the display control process (S120: NO), or after the process of step S134, the CPU 300 executes step S140. To do. In step S140, the CPU 300 calculates absolute coordinates based on the position data included in the reception data received in step S110, and stores the calculated absolute coordinates in the RAM 302 in association with the ID of the terminal device 31. The width of the material display area 104 in FIG. 13 is 300 pixels, the height is 200, the upper left point of the material display area 104 is (X, Y) = (500, 200), and the position data is ( Assume that X ′, Y ′) = (2000, 6666). In this case, the absolute coordinate is X = ((width of the material display area 104) * (X 'coordinate of the position data)) / 10000+ (width of the material display area 104) = 300 * 2000/10000 + 500 = 560 with respect to the X coordinate. Is calculated. Similarly, Y = ((the height of the material display area 104) * (the Y ′ coordinate of the position data)) / 10000+ (the height of the material display area 104) = 200 * 6666/10000 + 200 = 333 with respect to the Y coordinate. Is done.

  In step S140, CPU 300 stores the calculated absolute coordinates as the current absolute coordinates. The absolute coordinates this time are the values calculated in the immediately preceding step S140. The RAM 302 stores the previous absolute coordinate in addition to the current absolute coordinate. The previous absolute coordinate is the value calculated in step S140 before one round. When step S140 is executed in the first round of processing, a default value (for example, (0, 0)) is set for the previous absolute coordinate. Through the processing from step S132 to step S140, the “ID” of the terminal device 31 and the data are associated with each other and stored in the RAM 302 as shown in FIG.

  Next, the CPU 300 stores the absolute value of the difference between the previous absolute coordinate (X, Y) = (0, 0) and the current absolute coordinate (X, Y) = (560, 300) stored in the RAM 302. (X, Y) = (560, 300) is calculated, and the calculated absolute value is stored in the RAM 302 (S150).

  Next, the CPU 300 determines whether or not at least one of the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the absolute value (X, Y) = (560, 300) of the difference calculated in step S150 is larger than one pixel (S160). . Step S160 is processing to extract a case where at least one of the X coordinate and the Y coordinate in the absolute value of the difference is larger than one pixel as a case where the cursor 102 is moved in the terminal device 31. The threshold used in step S160 of the present embodiment is a value set in consideration of the detection accuracy of the movement of the cursor 102. The threshold used in step S160 may be changed as appropriate. The process when at least one of the X coordinate and the Y coordinate in the absolute value of the difference is larger than one pixel (S160: YES) will be described later. In the first specific example, when the position data corresponding to the period from the timing T4 to the timing T6 in FIG. 3 is received, neither the X coordinate nor the Y coordinate in the absolute value of the difference is greater than one pixel (S160: NO). . In this case, the CPU 300 refers to the timer value associated with the terminal device 31 and determines whether it is a switching timing (S220). The process in step S220 corresponds to the first determination process described above.

  When the timer value associated with the terminal device 31 is greater than the timeout value associated with the terminal device 31, the CPU 300 determines that it is the switching timing. The timeout value is changed in step S210 or step S250 described later. The display control process of this embodiment is executed every 20 msec, which is sufficiently shorter than the timeout value. Therefore, it is not determined that it is the switching timing during the period in which the timer value is updated based on the received data. In the specific example 1 in FIG. 3, the switching timing is not determined in the period from the T3 timing to the T4 timing and in the period from the T6 timing to the T7 timing.

  When it is not the switching timing (S220: NO), the CPU 300 sets 2 seconds as the timeout value and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302 (S250). The timeout value set in step S250 is a value applied when the absolute coordinates of the pointer image 105 of the terminal device 31 do not change. The timeout value set in step S250 is longer than the initial value of the timeout value and the value 50 msec set in step S210 described later. Next, the CPU 300 executes step S330 described later.

  In the first specific example, it is assumed that reception data corresponding to a period from the T5 timing to the T6 timing is received. It is assumed that the length of the period from the T4 timing to the T5 timing is 2 seconds. In this case (S220: YES), the CPU 300 sets 100% as the transparency of the pointer image 105 corresponding to the terminal device 31 (S230). By the processing in step S230, the pointer image 105 is not displayed on the display 322 of the terminal device 32 as shown in FIG. Next, the CPU 300 executes a process of step S330 described later.

  In the first specific example, when the reception data corresponding to the period from the T3 timing to the T4 timing and the period from the T6 timing to the T7 timing is received, the absolute value of the difference is larger than one pixel (S160: YES). In this case, the CPU 300 sets 0% for the transparency of the pointer image 105, and displays the pointer image 105 corresponding to the terminal device 31 at the absolute coordinate position calculated in step S140 (S190). Next, the CPU 300 sets 0 to the timer value corresponding to the terminal device 31, and stores the set timer value in the RAM 302 (S200). Step S200 is a process for updating the timer value corresponding to the terminal device 31. Next, the CPU 300 sets 50 msec as the timeout value corresponding to the terminal device 31, and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302 (S210). The timeout value set in step S210 and step S134 is a value applied when the pointer image 105 of the terminal device 31 is moved out of the material display area from the material display area (display area of the screen 103). Next, the CPU 300 executes a process of step S330 described later.

  In the period from the T2 timing to the T3 timing and the T7 timing to the T10 timing in the first specific example, the CPU 300 does not receive the reception data from the terminal device 31 (S110: NO). In this case, the CPU 300 determines whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed since it was determined in step S290 that the predetermined time has elapsed (S290). The predetermined time is, for example, 20 msec. When the predetermined time has elapsed (S290: YES), the CPU 300 refers to the timer values of the other terminal devices 30 stored in the RAM 302 in order to determine whether it is the switching timing (S300). The process in step S300 corresponds to the second determination process described above. More specifically, in step S300, whether a predetermined time (50 msec) has elapsed from the time when it is determined that the cursor 102 of another terminal device 30 has shifted from a state in the material display area to a state outside the material display area. It is determined whether or not. In the specific example 1, it is assumed that step S300 is executed in the period from the T8 timing to the T10 timing. It is assumed that the length of the period from the T7 timing to the T8 timing is 50 msec. In this case (S300: YES), the CPU 300 sets 100% for the transparency of the pointer image 105 corresponding to the terminal device 30 as in step S230 (S310). If it is not the switching timing (S300: NO), or after step S310, the CPU 300 determines whether or not the process of step S300 has been executed for all the other terminal devices 30 stored in the RAM 302 (S320). . When there is another terminal device 30 that has not performed the process of step S300 (S320: NO), the process returns to step S300. When the process of step S300 is executed for all other terminal devices 30 (S320: YES), or when the predetermined time has not elapsed (S290: NO), the CPU 300 executes a process of step S330 described later.

  In step S330, the CPU 300 determines whether or not to end the process of sharing the material as in step S70 of FIG. 9 (S330). If the document sharing is not terminated (S330: NO), the process returns to step S110. When the document sharing is ended (S330: YES), the CPU 300 ends the display control process.

  In the terminal device 30 of the first embodiment, the CPU 300 that executes the transmission process of FIG. 9 functions as the “transmission unit” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes the process of step S110 in FIG. 10 functions as the “reception unit” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes the processes of step S134, step S210, and step S250 functions as the “time setting means” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes the processes of step S220 and step S300 functions as the “timing setting unit” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes each of step S190, step S230, and step S310 functions as the “display control unit” of the present invention.

  The terminal device 30 according to the first embodiment sets a display method of a pointer image representing the display position of the cursor 102 of the other terminal device 30 based on whether or not the cursor 102 is used in the other terminal device 30. . The terminal device 30 specifies the state of use of the cursor 102 in the other terminal device 30 based on the two determination processes described above. When the cursor 102 of another terminal device 30 is in the same display position for a predetermined time (2 sec) or longer (S220: YES), the terminal device 30 uses the cursor 102 for a predetermined time (2 sec). If not. When the terminal device 30 determines that the predetermined time (50 msec) has elapsed (S300: YES), it is assumed that the cursor 102 is not used in the other terminal device 30 for the predetermined time (50 msec). In the terminal device 30, the state of use of the cursor 102 in the other terminal devices 30 is appropriately determined based on whether the cursor 102 has moved and whether the cursor 102 is within the material display area. For this reason, the terminal device 30 can switch the display method of the pointer image corresponding to the other terminal device 30 at an appropriate timing as compared with the case where the timeout value is uniformly determined. More specifically, the terminal device 30 makes the pointer image less noticeable when the switching timing is set based on the received data received at step S110 than when the switching timing is not set. be able to. For this reason, the terminal device 30 can suppress the occurrence of a situation where an important part on the screen is hidden by an unused pointer image.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 14 to FIG. 17, transmission processing and display control processing executed in the terminal device 30 of the second embodiment will be described. When the pointer image corresponding to the terminal device 30 is in the document area during the period when it is determined that the user of the other terminal device 30 is speaking, the terminal device 30 of the second embodiment Set the image transparency to 0%. A program for executing each process shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 15 and 17 is stored in the ROM 301 or the HDD 310 of FIG. 2 and is executed by the CPU 300.

  First, transmission processing according to the second embodiment will be described. Although not shown, the transmission process of the second embodiment is different in that the transmission data creation process shown in FIG. 15 is executed in step S40 of the transmission process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. It is the same. The description of the same processing as that of the first embodiment will be omitted, and referring to FIG. 15, transmission data creation processing different from that of the first embodiment will be described below in the first specific example similar to that of the first embodiment. A case where the terminal device 31 executes transmission processing will be described as an example. Therefore, in the following description, the terminal device 31 is the own device 30, and the terminal device 32 is the other terminal device 30. As shown in FIG. 14, in the first specific example of the second embodiment, the user of the terminal apparatus 31 speaks during the period from the T11 timing to the T12 timing in addition to the events from the T1 to T10 timings shown in FIG. Is assumed. The utterance period in FIG. 14 indicates a period during which the user of the terminal device 31 is speaking with a double arrow. The utterance flag transmission period indicates a period during which the terminal device 31 transmits transmission data including the utterance flag to the terminal device 32 by double arrows.

  As shown in FIG. 15, in the transmission data creation process of the second embodiment, the CPU 300 determines whether or not the user of the terminal device 31 is speaking based on voice data input from the microphone 331 (S42). In step S42, for example, when the volume of the voice represented by the voice data is equal to or higher than a threshold (for example, 50 dB), the CPU 300 determines that the speech is being performed. When step S42 is executed during the period from the T3 timing to the T12 timing (S42: YES), the CPU 300 includes the utterance flag in the transmission data (S44) and creates the transmission data (S46). The speech flag is data indicating that the user of the terminal device 31 is speaking. In this case, the transmission data includes an utterance flag in addition to the position data and the ID. When step S42 is executed in the period from the T12 timing to the T7 timing (S42: NO), the CPU 300 creates transmission data without including the utterance flag in the transmission data (S46). The transmission data in this case does not include an utterance flag, but includes position data and an ID. The transmission data creation process ends here.

  Next, the display control process of the second embodiment will be described. Although not shown, the display control process of the second embodiment is different in that the timeout value setting process shown in FIG. 17 is executed in step S250 of the display control process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The process is similar. A description of processing similar to that in the first embodiment will be omitted, and a timeout value setting process different from that in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. A case where the terminal device 32 executes display control processing will be described as an example. Therefore, in the following description, the terminal device 32 is the own device 30 and the terminal device 31 is the other terminal device 30. In the display control process of the second embodiment, when received data is received (S110: YES), the CPU 300 associates other terminal devices 30 with various data and stores them in the RAM 302 as shown in FIG. 16, for example. Remember. As shown in FIG. 16, in the second embodiment, the data associated with the other terminal device 30 includes data related to the flag.

  As shown in FIG. 17, in the timeout value setting process according to the second embodiment, the CPU 300 determines whether or not an utterance flag is included in the received data received in step S110 (S252). When step S252 is executed in the period from the T4 timing to the T6 timing, an utterance flag is included as a flag associated with the terminal device 31 as shown in FIG. 16 (S252: YES). In this case, the CPU 300 sets 0 to the timer value corresponding to the terminal device 31, and stores the set timer value in the RAM 302 (S254). By step S254, CPU 300 continues the process of updating the timer value during the period in which the reception data including the speech flag is received, regardless of the position data value. When an utterance flag is not included as a flag associated with the terminal device 31 (S252: NO), the CPU 300 sets 2 seconds as the timeout value of the terminal device 31, and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302. (S256). Following the process of step S254 or step S256, the timeout value setting process ends.

  In the terminal device 30 of the second embodiment, the utterance flag corresponds to “utterance data” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes step S252 in FIG. 17 functions as the “utterance determination unit” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes the processes of step S134, step S210, and step S256 of FIG. 17 functions as the “time setting unit” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes the same step S220, step S300, and step S254 as in the first embodiment functions as a “timing setting unit”.

  In general, when a user of another terminal device 30 is speaking, the pointer image is used even if the pointer image corresponding to the terminal device 30 is in the same position for a predetermined time (timeout value) or longer. There is a high possibility. On the other hand, in the terminal device 32 of the second embodiment, the pointer image 105 of the terminal device 31 is continuously displayed by the first method during the period from the T4 timing to the T6 timing in the specific example 1 of FIG. In this way, the terminal device 30 can suppress the display method of the pointer image being used from being changed unintentionally.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19, a display control process executed in the terminal device 30 according to the third embodiment will be described. Since the transmission process executed in the terminal device 30 of the third embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. A program for executing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 19 is stored in the ROM 301 or the HDD 310 of FIG. 2 and is executed by the CPU 300.

  First, an overview of the display control process of the third embodiment will be described. The terminal device 30 according to the third embodiment sets different timeout values for the terminal device 30 that transmits the material shared in the video conference system 1 and the other terminal devices 30. As a specific example 2, it is assumed that the video conference system 1 includes terminal devices 31 to 33, and the terminal device 31 provides materials to other terminal devices 30. In this case, in the third embodiment, the material data and the material provision flag are transmitted from the terminal device 31 to the terminal device 32 and the terminal device 33, respectively. The material provision flag is data indicating that the terminal device 31 that transmitted the material provision flag is the terminal device 30 that provided the material. The received material provision flag is stored in the RAM 302 in association with the ID of the terminal device 31.

  Next, display control processing according to the third embodiment will be described. Although not shown, the display control process of the third embodiment is different in that the timeout value setting process shown in FIG. 19 is executed in step S250 of the display control process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The process is similar. A description of processing that is the same as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 19, a timeout value setting process that is different from that in the first embodiment is executed in the terminal device 32 of the specific example 2. Will be described as an example. Therefore, in the specific example 2, the terminal device 32 is the own device 30, and each of the terminal device 31 and the terminal device 33 is the other terminal device 30. In Specific Example 2, it is assumed that, for example, the table in FIG. 18 is stored in the RAM 302 of the terminal device 32 based on the reception data received from the other terminal device 30. ID “33” is the ID of the terminal device 33.

  As illustrated in FIG. 19, in the timeout value setting process according to the third embodiment, the CPU 300 refers to the RAM 302 and determines whether or not a material provision flag is associated with another terminal device 30 (S <b> 258). . As illustrated in FIG. 18, in the second specific example, when the CPU 300 receives the received data from the terminal device 31 (S258: YES), the timeout value corresponding to the terminal device 31 is set to 10 sec, and the set timeout value is stored in the RAM 302. (S260). The timeout value set in step S260 is longer than the timeout value set in step S262 described later. As shown in FIG. 18, when receiving the received data from the terminal device 33 (S258: NO), the CPU 300 sets 2 seconds as the timeout value of the terminal device 33 and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302 (S262). . Following the process of step S260 or step S262, the timeout value setting process ends.

  In the terminal device 30 according to the third embodiment, the CPU 300 that executes step S134, step S210, step S260, and step S262 in FIG. 10 functions as the “time setting unit” of the present invention. In general, it is assumed that the pointer image 105 corresponding to the terminal device 31 that provided the document data shared by the plurality of terminal devices 30 is used more frequently than the pointer images corresponding to the other terminal devices 33. The terminal device 30 of the third embodiment can appropriately set the timeout value of each other terminal device 30 in consideration of the expected usage frequency of the pointer image of the other terminal device 30.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 20 and FIG. 21, a display control process executed in the terminal device 30 of the fourth embodiment will be described. Since the transmission processing executed in the terminal device 30 of the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. A program for executing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 20 is stored in the ROM 301 or the HDD 310 of FIG. 2 and is executed by the CPU 300.

  First, an outline of the display control process of the fourth embodiment will be described. When a plurality of pointer images are displayed within a predetermined range, the terminal device 30 according to the fourth embodiment is different from the one pointer image selected based on a predetermined condition from the plurality of pointer images. The timeout value is set longer than that of the pointer image. For example, the predetermined range is set as follows in consideration of the conditions including the size of the pointer image, the size of the material display area, and the number of pointer images. As a specific example 3, it is assumed that the video conference system 1 includes terminal devices 31 to 33 and the terminal device 32 receives reception data from the terminal device 33. As shown in FIG. 21, when the pointer image 106 corresponding to the terminal device 33 has a width of T pixels and a height of S pixels, the predetermined range 108 is centered on the center of the pointer image 106 and has a width of 2 T pixels. It is a rectangular range whose height is 2S pixels.

  Next, display control processing according to the fourth embodiment will be described. Although not shown, the display control process of the fourth embodiment differs in that the timeout value setting process shown in FIG. 20 is executed in step S250 of the display control process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The process is similar. A description of processing that is the same as that of the first embodiment will be omitted, and a timeout value setting process that is different from that of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. In Specific Example 3, the terminal device 32 is the own device 30, and each of the terminal device 31 and the terminal device 33 is the other terminal device 30.

  As illustrated in FIG. 20, in the timeout value setting process according to the fourth embodiment, the CPU 300 determines whether the current position data of the terminal device 30 other than the terminal device 33 is included in the predetermined range 108. (S264). The predetermined range 108 is set around the absolute coordinates of the pointer image 106 corresponding to the terminal device 33. The absolute coordinates of the pointer image are the values calculated in step S140 in FIG. The current position data of the terminal device 30 (terminal device 31) other than the terminal device 33 is associated with the ID of the terminal device 30 and stored in the RAM 302 as illustrated in FIG. In the third specific example, when the current position data of the terminal device 31 is included in the predetermined range 108 (S264: YES), the CPU 300 determines whether or not the terminal device 33 satisfies a predetermined condition (S266).

  The predetermined condition may be a condition for selecting one pointer image from a plurality of pointer images. For example, the predetermined condition is a pointer image corresponding to the other terminal device 30 in which step S266 is first executed among the pointer images arranged in the predetermined range 108. In this case, for example, the CPU 300 may determine another terminal device 30 on which step S266 is first executed using a flag. When the terminal device 33 satisfies the predetermined condition (S266: YES), the CPU 300 sets 5 seconds as the timeout value corresponding to the terminal device 33, and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302 (S268). When the terminal device 33 does not satisfy the predetermined condition (S266: NO), or when the current position data of the terminal device 31 is not included in the predetermined range 108 (S264: NO), the CPU 300 executes Step S270. In step S270, the CPU 300 sets 1 sec as the timeout value corresponding to the terminal device 33, and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302 (S270). Through the processing in step S268 and step S270, a longer timeout value is set in the other terminal device 30 that satisfies the predetermined condition than in the other terminal device 30 that does not satisfy the predetermined condition. Following the process of step S268 or step S270, the timeout value setting process ends.

  In the terminal device 30 of the fourth embodiment, the CPU 300 that executes Step S134 in FIG. 10, Step S210, Step S268 in FIG. 20, and Step S270 functions as the “time setting unit” of the present invention.

  When a plurality of pointer images are within a predetermined range, it is difficult for the user to determine which pointer image is used. In contrast, the terminal device 30 according to the fourth embodiment can appropriately set a timeout value corresponding to each of the pointer images in which a plurality of pointer images are displayed within the predetermined range 108 based on a predetermined condition.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 22 to 24, transmission processing and display control processing executed in the terminal device 30 of the fifth embodiment will be described. A program for executing each process shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 22 and 24 is stored in the ROM 301 or the HDD 310 of FIG. 2 and is executed by the CPU 300.

  First, the outline | summary of the terminal device 30 of 5th Embodiment is demonstrated. The terminal device 30 according to the fifth embodiment does not change the display method for the pointer image corresponding to the other terminal device 30 that has transmitted the display flag regardless of whether the pointer image is used. The display flag is data that is set when a pointer image corresponding to the terminal device 30 is to be displayed on another terminal device 30 regardless of whether or not the cursor 102 of the terminal device 30 is moving. However, when the pointer image is arranged outside the material display area, the terminal device 30 also changes the display method for the pointer image corresponding to the other terminal device 30 that has transmitted the display flag.

  Next, transmission processing according to the fifth embodiment will be described. Although not shown, the transmission process of the fifth embodiment is different in that the transmission data creation process shown in FIG. 22 is executed in step S40 of the transmission process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. It is the same. The description of the same processing as that of the first embodiment will be omitted, and the transmission data creation processing different from that of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. A case where the terminal device 31 executes transmission processing will be described as an example. Therefore, in the following description, the terminal device 31 is the own device 30, and the terminal device 32 is the other terminal device 30.

  As shown in FIG. 22, in the transmission data creation process of the fifth embodiment, the CPU 300 determines whether or not the display flag is set in the own apparatus 30 (S48). When the display flag is set (S48: YES), the CPU 300 includes the display flag in the transmission data (S50) and creates the transmission data (S52). The transmission data in this case includes a display flag in addition to the position data and the ID. When the display flag is not set (S48: NO), the CPU 300 creates transmission data without including the display flag in the transmission data (S52). The transmission data in this case does not include a display flag, but includes position data and an ID. The transmission data creation process ends here.

  Next, display control processing according to the fifth embodiment will be described. Although not shown, the display control process of the fifth embodiment is different in that the timeout value setting process shown in FIG. 24 is executed in step S250 of the display control process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The process is similar. A description of processing similar to that in the first embodiment will be omitted, and a timeout value setting process different from that in the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. A case where the terminal device 32 executes display control processing will be described as an example. Therefore, in the following description, the terminal device 32 is the own device 30 and the terminal device 31 is the other terminal device 30. In the display control process of the fifth embodiment, when received data is received (S110: YES), the CPU 300 associates other terminal devices 30 with various data and stores them in, for example, the RAM 302 as shown in FIG. Remember me. As shown in FIG. 23, in the fifth embodiment, data associated with another terminal device 30 includes data related to a flag.

  As shown in FIG. 24, in the timeout value setting process of the fifth embodiment, the CPU 300 determines whether or not a display flag is included in the received data received in step S110 (S272). When the display flag is included (S272: YES), the CPU 300 sets 0 to the timer value corresponding to the terminal device 31, and stores the set timer value in the RAM 302 (S274). In step S110, CPU 300 continues the process of updating the timer value when receiving the received data including the display flag regardless of the position data value. When the display flag is not included (S272: NO), the CPU 300 sets 2 seconds as the timeout value of the terminal device 31, and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302 (S276). Following the process of step S274 or step S276, the timeout value setting process ends.

  In the terminal device 30 of the fifth embodiment, the CPU 300 that executes Step S134 in FIG. 10, Step S210, and Step S276 in FIG. 24 functions as the “time setting unit” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes Step S220 in FIG. 10, Step S300, and Step S274 in FIG. 24 functions as a “timing setting unit”.

  In a video conference, the cursor does not move, such as when the speaker is explaining the same position with the cursor 102, but the cursor may be used. In such a case, it is inconvenient to change the display method of the pointer image based on whether or not the cursor has moved. The terminal device 30 according to the fifth embodiment does not change the display method for the pointer image corresponding to the other terminal device 30 that has transmitted the display flag regardless of whether the pointer image is used. be able to.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 25, the display control process performed in the terminal device 30 of 6th Embodiment is demonstrated. Since the transmission process executed in the terminal device 30 of the sixth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. A program for executing each process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 25 is stored in the ROM 301 or the HDD 310 of FIG. 2 and is executed by the CPU 300.

  First, an overview of the display control process of the sixth embodiment will be described. The terminal device 30 according to the sixth embodiment sets a different timeout value according to the color distribution of the area in which the pointer image is to be displayed in the material display area. Specifically, an area having a uniform color distribution on the display screen is an area where a pointer image is assumed not to hinder display, such as a blank portion of a document. Therefore, the terminal device 30 sets the timeout value based on the color distribution in consideration of whether or not the scheduled display position of the pointer image is within an area that hinders display.

  Next, display control processing according to the sixth embodiment will be described. Although not shown, the display control process of the fourth embodiment is different in that the timeout value setting process shown in FIG. 25 is executed in step S250 of the display control process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The process is similar. A description of processing similar to that in the first embodiment will be omitted, and referring to FIG. 25, a time-out value setting process different from that in the first embodiment will be described as a specific example 1 similar to that in the first embodiment. It explains using.

  As shown in FIG. 25, in the timeout value setting process of the sixth embodiment, the CPU 300 acquires the color distribution in the range of the size of the pointer image centered on the absolute coordinates of the pointer image 105 corresponding to the terminal device 31. And stored in the RAM 302 (S278). Since the method for obtaining the color distribution is known, the description thereof is omitted. Next, when the color distribution acquired in step S278 is uniform (S280: YES), the CPU 300 sets 10 seconds as the timeout value corresponding to the terminal device 31, and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302 ( S282). If the color distribution acquired in step S278 is not uniform (S280: NO), the CPU 300 sets 2 seconds as the timeout value corresponding to the terminal device 31, and stores the set timeout value in the RAM 302 (S284). When the color distribution is uniform by the processing of step S282 and step S284, a longer timeout value is set than when the color distribution is not uniform. Following the process of step S282 or step S284, the timeout value setting process ends.

  In the terminal device 30 of the sixth embodiment, the CPU 300 that executes step S278 functions as the “color distribution acquisition unit” of the present invention. The CPU 300 that executes the process of executing step S134, step S210, step S282, and step S284 of FIG. 25 functions as the “time setting unit” of the present invention.

  The terminal device 30 according to the sixth embodiment determines whether or not the scheduled display position of the pointer image is in an area that hinders display based on the color distribution acquired in step S278. Based on the determination result, the terminal device 30 can appropriately set the timeout value in consideration of whether or not the scheduled display position of the pointer image is within an area that hinders display.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the following modifications (1) to (9) may be added as appropriate.

  (1) The configuration of the terminal device 30 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the terminal device 30 may be a general-purpose desktop personal computer. In another example, the terminal device 30 itself may not include the display device as long as it can be connected to the display device.

  (2) The design, size, and display method of the pointer image may be changed as appropriate. For example, the display method is a display method in which the pointer image is less noticeable than a display method in the case where it is determined that the pointer image is not used, compared to a display method in which the pointer image is determined to be used. do it. Specifically, in the said embodiment, the 1st method and the 2nd method from which the transparency of a pointer image differs were illustrated as a display method. In another example, the display method may be a method in which a pointer image is displayed in the first method and a pointer image is not displayed in the second method. In another example, the pointer image size of the first method may be set larger than the pointer image size of the second method. In another example, a display method combining the above display methods may be used. In another example, when the first method and the second method, in which the transparency of the pointer image is different as the display method, are employed, in the second method, the transparency increases stepwise according to the timer value. May be. The display control process may be appropriately changed according to the display method.

  (3) Parameters used in the transmission process and the display control process may be changed as appropriate. For example, the timeout value set based on the transmission data and the execution frequency of the transmission process and the display control process are not limited to the values exemplified in the above embodiment.

  (4) The terminal device 30 of the first embodiment specifies whether or not the cursor 102 is used in another terminal device 30 based on the above-described two determination processes. The terminal device 30 may specify whether or not the cursor 102 is used in another terminal device 30 by another determination process. For example, the terminal device 30 may specify whether or not the cursor 102 is used based on whether or not the cursor 102 in another terminal device 30 is within a predetermined area for a predetermined time or more.

  (5) In the second embodiment, instead of the utterance flag, the transmission data may include voice data representing the voice around the terminal device 30. In this case, for example, in the terminal device 30 (self device 30) that executes the display control process, it may be determined whether or not the speech is being performed based on the received voice data. Based on the reception data received in step S110 and the determination result as to whether or not the other terminal device 30 is speaking, the transmission process and the display control process when setting the switching timing may be appropriately changed. . For example, during a period in which a user of another terminal device 30 is speaking, the pointer of the terminal device 30 is displayed on the own device 30 regardless of whether or not the cursor 102 of the terminal device 30 is in the material display area. The image may continue to be displayed. In this case, in the terminal device 30, for example, the following transmission process and the display control process of the second embodiment may be executed. In the transmission process of FIG. 9, the CPU 300 determines whether speech is being performed based on the audio data input from the microphone 331 between step S <b> 10 and step S <b> 20. When the speech is being performed, the CPU 300 performs the processing from step S30 to S60 in FIG. When not speaking, the CPU 300 performs the processing of steps S20 to S60 in FIG. However, in step S40, the CPU 300 executes a process similar to the transmission data creation process of FIG. In this way, the terminal device 30 can continue to display the pointer image of the terminal device 30 while the user of the other terminal device 30 is speaking.

  (6) In the third embodiment, the document provision flag may be transmitted together with the position data in the transmission process.

  (7) The predetermined range and the predetermined condition of the fourth embodiment may be changed as appropriate. For example, as the predetermined condition, a condition for selecting a pointer image corresponding to the terminal device 30 used by the user who is speaking may be set from a plurality of pointer images. In this case, for example, it is only necessary to determine whether or not the user of the terminal device 30 corresponding to the pointer image is speaking based on the same speech flag as in the second embodiment. In another example, a condition for selecting a pointer image associated with the terminal device 30 used by the user who is determined to be the most important based on the user attribute may be set as the predetermined condition. User attributes include, for example, job title, age, and role in a video conference (for example, chairman, secretary, etc.).

  (8) In step S272 of the timeout value setting process of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 24, whether to set the timeout value or clear the timer value may be determined according to the above-described user attribute. . In this case, for example, data representing a user attribute may function as a display flag. The transmission process and the display control process when the switching timing is set based on whether or not the display flag is included in the received data may be appropriately changed. For example, when a display flag is associated with another terminal device 30, the terminal device 30 in the own device 30 regardless of whether or not the cursor 102 of the terminal device 30 is in the material display area. May continue to be displayed. In this case, for example, the following transmission process and the display control process of the fifth embodiment may be executed in the terminal device 30. In the transmission process of FIG. 9, CPU 300 determines whether a display flag is set between step S10 and step S20. When the display flag is set, the CPU 300 performs the processing from step S30 to S60 in FIG. When the display flag is not set, the CPU 300 performs the processing from steps S20 to S60 in FIG. However, in step S40, the CPU 300 executes a process similar to the transmission data creation process of FIG. In this way, the terminal device 30 can continue to display the pointer image of the terminal device 30 when the display flag is associated with the other terminal device 30.

  (9) The first to sixth embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

30 terminal device 300 CPU
301 ROM
302 RAM
305 External communication I / F
310 HDD
322 Display 350 USB interface

Claims (10)

A terminal device capable of establishing a connection with another terminal device via a communication network to which a plurality of terminal devices can be connected,
Transmitting means for transmitting data including position data, which is data representing a display position of a cursor associated with the terminal device, to the other terminal device as transmission data;
Receiving means for receiving the transmission data transmitted from the other terminal device as reception data;
Switching timing that is a timing for switching a display method of a pointer image, which is an image representing a display position of a cursor associated with the other terminal device, from a first method to a second method different from the first method. A time setting means for setting a predetermined time used for the determination based on the received data;
Based on at least the received data received by the receiving unit, the timing at which the cursor of the other terminal device is determined not to be used for the predetermined time set by the time setting unit is set as the switching timing Timing setting means,
When the switching timing is not set by the timing setting means, the pointer image is displayed by the first method at a display position corresponding to the position data included in the received data received by the receiving means. When the switching timing is set by the timing setting means, the terminal apparatus comprises display control means for setting the display method of the pointer image as the second method. The display method is:
A first display method that displays the pointer image in the first method and does not display the pointer image in the second method;
A second display method in which the transparency of the pointer image of the first method is set smaller than the transparency of the pointer image of the second method;
2. The size of the pointer image of the first method includes at least one of a third display method set to be larger than the size of the pointer image of the second method. The terminal device described in 1.   When the timing setting means determines that the cursor of the other terminal device is at the same display position for the predetermined time or more set by the time setting means based on the received data received by the receiving means. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the switching timing is set. The transmission data includes speech data that is data representing the speech of the user of the terminal device,
Utterance determination means for determining whether or not a user of the other terminal device is speaking based on the utterance data included in the reception data received by the reception means;
The timing setting unit sets the switching timing based on at least the received data received by the receiving unit and a determination result of the utterance determining unit. The terminal device described. The transmission data includes material data that is data representing material shared between the plurality of terminal devices,
The time setting means sets the predetermined time longer for a terminal device that has transmitted the material data among the plurality of terminal devices than a terminal device that has not transmitted the material data. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   The time setting means, when a plurality of the pointer images are displayed within a predetermined range, for the one pointer image selected from the plurality of pointer images based on a predetermined condition, The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is set longer than a pointer image. The transmission data includes a display flag instructing to continue displaying the pointer image corresponding to the terminal device,
The timing setting means sets the switching timing based on at least whether or not the display flag is included in the received data received by the receiving means. The terminal device described. Based on the received data received by the receiving means, further comprising a color distribution acquisition means for acquiring a color distribution of an image of a planned area where the pointer image is displayed;
The time setting unit sets the predetermined time longer when the color distribution acquired by the color distribution acquisition unit is uniform than when the color distribution acquired by the color distribution acquisition unit is non-uniform. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein: An information presentation method performed in a terminal device capable of establishing a connection with another terminal device via a communication network to which a plurality of terminal devices can be connected,
A transmission step of transmitting data including position data, which is data representing a display position of a cursor associated with the terminal device, to the other terminal device as transmission data;
A reception step of receiving the transmission data transmitted from the other terminal device as reception data;
Switching timing that is a timing for switching a display method of a pointer image, which is an image representing a display position of a cursor associated with the other terminal device, from a first method to a second method different from the first method. A time setting step for setting a predetermined time used for the determination based on the received data;
A timing setting step for setting an imming at which the cursor of the other terminal device is determined not to be used for the predetermined time or more as the switching timing based on at least the received data;
When the switching timing is not set, the pointer image is displayed at the display position corresponding to the position data included in the received data by the first method, and when the switching timing is set. And a display control step in which the display method of the pointer image is the second method. An information presentation program for a terminal device capable of establishing a connection with another terminal device via a communication network to which a plurality of terminal devices can be connected,
A transmission step of transmitting data including position data, which is data representing a display position of a cursor associated with the terminal device, to the other terminal device as transmission data;
A reception step of receiving the transmission data transmitted from the other terminal device as reception data;
Switching timing that is a timing for switching a display method of a pointer image, which is an image representing a display position of a cursor associated with the other terminal device, from a first method to a second method different from the first method. A time setting step for setting a predetermined time used for the determination based on the received data;
A timing setting step of setting a timing at which the cursor of the other terminal device is determined not to be used for the predetermined time or more as the switching timing based on at least the received data;
When the switching timing is not set, the pointer image is displayed at the display position corresponding to the position data included in the received data by the first method, and when the switching timing is set. And an instruction for causing the controller of the terminal device to execute a display control step in which the display method of the pointer image is the second method.

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