JP2013255270A - Charge management system, charge management method, program, program provision system, and maintenance system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of unfair charge request in equally requesting the same communication charge for conversation from its start to end of all users even when the users include a user having a non-participation period, for example, in the case that conversation between two transmission terminals receives another speaker of another transmission terminal, or conversation among multiple transmission terminals releases a speaker using any transmission terminal participating in the conversation.SOLUTION: A charge management system calculates a total participation charge for participating in conversation for each user by calculating total participation time for each transmission terminal(S32), calculating a participation charge for each transmission terminal (S33) and summing the participation charge for transmission terminals possessed by the same user (S34). Thereby, an operator can request a user charge corresponding to a period during which a user participates in the conversation and can perform a charge request fair to users.

Description

  In the present invention, when a conversation is made between a plurality of transmission terminals, at least the above-mentioned participation fee is included among a communication fee generated by communication of each transmission terminal and a participation fee generated by participating in a conversation at each transmission terminal. The invention relates to an invention to be managed.

  In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of talkers who conduct remote conversations using transmission terminals such as PCs (Personal Computers) and mobile phones. Furthermore, it is possible to carry out conversations not only at two sites (between two parties) but also at multiple sites (between three parties).

  In addition, an operator who operates a communication service for conversation between transmission terminals makes a profit by charging a communication fee to each user of the transmission terminal. As a method for charging the communication fee, there is a method of charging the communication fee from the start to the end of the conversation equally to the talker (participant) who participated in the conversation (see Patent Document 1).

  However, for example, a conversation person who participates in a conversation using another transmission terminal during a conversation at two sites, or a conversation person who uses any transmission terminal during a conversation at a multi-site conversation May exit. In such a case, if the talker is charged evenly for the communication charge from the start to the end of the conversation even though there is time not participating in the conversation, the charge will be unfair. The problem arises.

  The invention according to claim 1 includes at least one of a communication fee generated by communication of each transmission terminal and a participation fee generated by participating in the conversation at each transmission terminal when the conversation is performed between a plurality of transmission terminals. A fee management system for managing the participation fee, wherein user identification information for identifying a user of the transmission terminal and terminal identification information for identifying a transmission terminal used by the user are associated and managed User management means, and a calculation means for calculating a participation fee for each transmission terminal based on a total participation time during which the transmission terminal participated in a conversation within a predetermined period. By referring to the user management means and summing up each participation fee of the transmission terminal indicated by the corresponding terminal identification information for each of the user identification information, the total participation fee for each user is calculated. It is a charge management system which is characterized in that.

  The invention according to claim 4 includes at least one of a communication fee generated by communication of each transmission terminal and a participation fee generated by participating in the conversation at each transmission terminal when the conversation is performed between a plurality of transmission terminals. A fee management method performed by a fee management system for managing the participation fee, wherein the fee management system includes user identification information for identifying a user of the transmission terminal, and a transmission terminal used by the user. User management means for associating and managing terminal identification information for identification, the fee management system is based on the total participation time that participated in the conversation within a predetermined period in each of the transmission terminals, A calculation step of calculating a participation fee for each transmission terminal is executed. Further, the calculation step refers to the user management unit and corresponds to each user identification information. That terminal identification by summing each participant rates for transmission terminal indicated by the information, a charge management method characterized by calculating the total participation fee for each of the user.

  The invention according to claim 7 is a program that causes a computer to execute the steps according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

  The invention according to claim 8 is a program providing system characterized in that the program according to claim 7 is provided to the fee management system via a communication network.

  The invention according to claim 9 is a maintenance system that performs maintenance of the charge management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the total participation fee is calculated from the total participation time of participation in the conversation for each user. As a result, the operator can charge the user for the amount of time for which the user has participated in the conversation, so that it is possible to charge the user fairly.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of transmission / reception of image data, audio data, and various management information in the transmission system. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the image quality of image data. FIG. 4 is an external view of the transmission terminal according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the transmission terminal according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of the transmission management system, the relay device, the program providing server, or the maintenance system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the transmission management system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a processing rule management table. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing raw history information. FIG. 10A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a participant history management table. FIG. 10-2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a conference history management table. FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a fee management system that is a characteristic part of the present embodiment. FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing a user management table. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which the transmission management system processes the raw history information to create the processing history information. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating processing from receiving a processing history information acquisition request from a user to providing the user with processing history information. FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram of a processing history information acquisition target period. FIG. 15-2 is an explanatory diagram showing search conditions for searching for raw history information. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display of the external input device. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing a charge billing method. FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram summarizing the participation fee. FIG. 19A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a participant history management table. FIG. 19-2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a conference history management table.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The transmission system of the present invention includes a data providing system for transmitting content data “in one direction” from one transmission terminal 10aa or the like to the other transmission terminal 10db or the like via the transmission management system 50.

  In addition, the transmission system of the present invention includes a communication system that transmits information, emotions, and the like “two-way” between a plurality of transmission terminals via the transmission management system 50. This communication system is a system for mutually transmitting information, emotions, etc. between a plurality of communication terminals (corresponding to “transmission terminals”) via a communication management system (corresponding to “transmission management systems”). An example is a conference system or a videophone system.

  Further, in the present embodiment shown below, a transmission system is assumed after assuming a video conference system as an example of a communication system, a video conference management system as an example of a communication management system, and a video conference terminal as an example of a communication terminal. A transmission management system and a transmission terminal will be described. That is, the transmission terminal and the transmission management system according to the present invention are not only applied to a video conference system, but are also a superordinate concept of the video conference system, and the above communication system capable of “bidirectional” communication, The present invention is also applicable to the above-described transmission system that can also communicate. In the present embodiment, “video conference” is described. However, it is generally called “video conference”, and both have the same content.

<< Overall Configuration of Embodiment >>
In this embodiment, each user of the transmission system 1 has a Tokyo office, an Osaka office, a New York office, and a Washington D.C. C. The case where there are four offices will be described.

  Further, in FIG. 1, the terminals and the like inside the network from the router 70a are managed by the Tokyo office, the terminals and the like inside the network from the router 70b are managed by the Osaka office, and the terminals inside the network from the router 70c. The terminal etc. are managed by the New York office, and the terminal inside the network from the router 70d is Washington D.C. C. Managed by the establishment.

  Among these, a plurality of talkers (participants) who have conversations with other transmission terminals using the transmission terminals (10aa, 10ab, 10ac,...) Belong to the Tokyo office as a user. This conversation person is a user's employee, for example.

  In addition, the Tokyo office, which is a user, manages each transmission terminal (10aa, 10ab, 10ac,...) And uses a user terminal 20a that accepts a charge for a participation fee from a fee management system 60 described later. Multiple or single usage managers belong. The Osaka Office, New York Office, and Washington D.C. C. Similarly, each office in the office has a plurality of conversation persons and a plurality or a single usage manager.

  Further, in the present embodiment, there is a participation fee generated when a user of the transmission terminal participates in a conversation using the transmission system 1 separately from the communication fee generated by communication between the transmission terminals. Of these, the communication fee is a packet communication fee charged by a telecommunications carrier. Currently, a fee plan is provided that allows unlimited packet communication at a fixed monthly fee. Further, the participation fee is a total fee generated when each conversation person participates in a conversation with another conversation person using the transmission terminal, and is charged for each user by the operator of the transmission system 1. In other words, in this embodiment, the participation fee is not charged for each talker belonging to the user or for each transmission terminal possessed by the user.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that each user pays a participation fee and a communication fee as separate accounts. Each user may be a completely different company or individual, not a different establishment.

  A transmission system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a transmission terminal (10aa, 10ab,...) Used by a plurality of talkers, a user terminal (20a, 20b, 20c, 20d) used by each usage manager, Display (120aa, 120ab,...) For each transmission terminal (10aa, 10ab,...), An external input device (40aa, 40ab,...) As a client PC (Personal Computer), and a plurality of relay devices (30a, 30b, 30c). 30d), the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100. The plurality of transmission terminals 10 perform transmission by receiving image data and audio data as an example of content data.

  In the following, an arbitrary transmission terminal among a plurality of transmission terminals (10aa, 10ab,...) Is represented as “terminal 10”, and an arbitrary terminal among a plurality of user terminals (20a, 20b,. 20 ". In addition, an arbitrary display among the plurality of displays (120aa, 120ab,...) Is represented as “display 120”, and an arbitrary external input device among the plurality of external input devices (40aa, 40ab,...) Is denoted as “external input device 40”. An arbitrary relay device among the plurality of relay devices (30a, 30b, 30c, 30d) is represented as “relay device 30”. Further, a terminal as a request source that requests the start of a video conference is expressed as “request source terminal”, and a terminal as a destination (relay destination) as a request destination is expressed as “destination terminal”.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of transmission / reception of image data, audio data, and various management information in the transmission system. As shown in FIG. 2, in the transmission system 1, a management information session sei for transmitting and receiving various types of management information is established between the request source terminal and the destination terminal via the transmission management system 50. Is done. Further, between the request source terminal and the destination terminal, four pieces of data of high resolution image data, medium resolution image data, low resolution image data, and audio data are transmitted and received via the relay device 30. Four sessions are established. Here, these four sessions are collectively shown as an image / audio data session sed.

  Here, the image resolution of the image data handled in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the image quality of image data. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the horizontal image is composed of 160 pixels and the vertical image is 120 pixels, and a low-resolution image serving as a base image and a horizontal image as illustrated in FIG. 3 (b). There are a medium resolution image consisting of 320 pixels and 240 pixels vertically, and a high resolution image consisting of 640 pixels horizontally and 480 pixels vertically as shown in FIG. Among these, when passing through a narrow band route, low-quality image data consisting only of low-resolution image data serving as a base image is relayed. When the band is relatively wide, low-resolution image data serving as a base image and medium-quality image data composed of medium-resolution image data are relayed. When the bandwidth is very wide, high-quality image data composed of low-resolution image data, medium-resolution image data, and high-resolution image data serving as base image quality is relayed. The image of the image data may be a moving image or a still image, or both a moving image and a still image.

  The relay device 30 shown in FIG. 1 relays content data among a plurality of terminals 10.

  The transmission management system 50 centrally manages login authentication from the terminal 10, call status management of the terminal 10, destination list management, communication history management, and the like, and the communication status of the relay device 30. The transmission management system 50 will be described in detail later.

  The fee management system 60 is a characteristic part of the present embodiment, calculates a participation fee for each user, and performs management related to a fee for charging each user for the participation fee. The fee management system 60 will be described in detail later. Further, the fee management system 60 may calculate not only the participation fee but also the above-mentioned communication fee, and perform management related to the fee for charging each user with the communication fee.

  A plurality of routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, 70cd) select an optimum route for image data and audio data. In the following, an arbitrary router among the routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, 70cd) is represented as “router 70”.

  The program providing system 90 includes an HD (Hard Disk) 204 described below, and stores a terminal program for causing the terminal 10 to realize various functions (or to cause the terminal 10 to function as various means). The terminal program can be transmitted to The HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a relay device program for causing the relay device 30 to realize various functions (or to cause the relay device 30 to function as various means). The relay device program can be transmitted.

  Further, the HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a transmission management program for causing the transmission management system 50 to realize various functions (or to make the transmission management system 50 function as various means). 50, a transmission management program can be transmitted. The HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a charge management program for realizing various functions in the charge management system 60 (or causing the charge management system 60 to function as various means). 60, the charge management program can be transmitted.

  The maintenance system 100 is a computer for performing maintenance, management, or maintenance of at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, and the program providing system 90. For example, when the maintenance system 100 is installed in the country and the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, or the program providing system 90 is installed outside the country, the maintenance system 100 is connected to the communication network 2 The terminal 10, the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, and the program providing system 90 are remotely maintained through maintenance. In addition, the maintenance system 100 includes a model number, a manufacturing number, and a serial number in at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, and the program providing system 90 without using the communication network 2. Maintenance such as sales destination, maintenance inspection, or management of failure history.

  By the way, the terminals (10aa, 10ab,...), The relay device 30a, and the router 70a are communicably connected via the LAN 2a. External input devices (40aa, 40ab,...) Are connected to the terminals (10aa, 10ab,...) So as to communicate with each other. The terminals (10ba, 10bb,...), The relay device 30b, and the router 70b are communicably connected via the LAN 2b. External input devices (40ba, 40bb,...) Are connected to the terminals (10ba, 10bb,...) So as to communicate with each other. The LAN 2a and the LAN 2b are communicably connected by a dedicated line 2ab including a router 70ab, and are constructed in a predetermined area A. For example, the region A is Japan. As described above, the LAN 2a is constructed in the Tokyo office, and the LAN 2b is constructed in the Osaka office.

  On the other hand, the terminals (10ca, 10cb,...), The relay device 30c, and the router 70c are communicably connected via a LAN 2c. External input devices (40ca, 40cb,...) Are communicably connected to the terminals (10ca, 10cb,...), Respectively. The terminal 10d (10da, 10db...), The relay device 30d, and the router 70d are connected to be communicable with each other via the LAN 2d. External input devices (40da, 40db, ...) are communicably connected to the terminals (10da, 10db, ...), respectively. The LAN 2c and the LAN 2d are communicably connected via a dedicated line 2cd including the router 70cd, and are constructed in a predetermined area B. For example, the region B is the United States of America, and as described above, the LAN 2c is built in the New York office, and the LAN 2d is Washington D.C. C. It is built in the office. Area A and area B are connected to each other via routers (70ab, 70cd) via the Internet 2i. Furthermore, the transmission management system 50 and the charge management system 60 are connected to each other via a dedicated line 2x.

  Further, the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are connected to the terminal 10 and the relay device 30 via the Internet 2i so as to be communicable. The transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 may be installed in the region A or the region B, or may be installed in other regions.

  In this embodiment, the communication network 2 is constructed by the LAN 2a, the LAN 2b, the dedicated line 2ab, the Internet 2i, the dedicated line 2cd, the dedicated line 2x, the LAN 2c, and the LAN 2d. The communication network 2 may have a place where wireless communication such as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) is performed in addition to wired communication.

  In FIG. 1, the four sets of numbers shown under the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, the router 70, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are general. The IP address in IPv4 is simply shown. The four sets of numbers shown below the charge management system 60 simply indicate the IP address of the communication management server 510 in IPv4. For example, the IP address of the terminal 10aa is “1.2.1.3”. In addition, IPv6 may be used instead of IPv4. However, in order to simplify the explanation, explanation is made using IPv4.

  In addition, each terminal 10 is not only a call between a plurality of business establishments or a call between different rooms in the same business establishment, but a call within the same room or a call between the outdoors and indoors or outdoors and outdoors. May be used. When each terminal 10 is used outdoors, wireless communication such as a cellular phone communication network is performed.

<< Hardware Configuration of Embodiment >>
First, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is an external view of the terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10 will be described as the X-axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in the horizontal plane as the Y-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (vertical direction) will be described as the Z-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal 10 includes a housing 1100, an arm 1200, and a camera housing 1300. Among them, the front side wall surface 1110 of the housing 1100 is provided with an air intake surface (not shown) formed by a plurality of air intake holes, and the rear side wall surface 1120 of the housing 1100 is formed with a plurality of exhaust holes. An exhaust surface 1121 is provided. As a result, by driving a cooling fan built in the housing 1100, the outside air behind the terminal 10 can be taken in via an intake surface (not shown) and exhausted to the rear of the terminal 10 via an exhaust surface 1121. A sound collecting hole 1131 is formed in the right wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100, and sounds such as voice, sound, noise can be collected by a built-in microphone 114 described later.

  An operation panel 1150 is formed on the right wall surface 1130 side of the housing 1100. The operation panel 1150 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons (108a to 108e) to be described later, a power switch 109 to be described later, and an alarm lamp 119 to be described later, and outputs sound from a built-in speaker 115 to be described later. A sound output surface 1151 formed by a plurality of sound output holes for passing through is formed. Further, a housing 1160 as a recess for housing the arm 1200 and the camera housing 1300 is formed on the left wall surface 1140 side of the housing 1100. The right side wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100 is provided with a plurality of connection ports (1132a to 1132c) for electrically connecting cables to an external device connection I / F 118 described later. On the other hand, the left wall surface 1140 of the housing 1100 is provided with a connection port (not shown) for electrically connecting the cable 120c for the display 120 to an external device connection I / F 118 described later.

  In the following description, “operation button 108” is used when an arbitrary operation button is indicated among the operation buttons (108a to 108e), and “an arbitrary connection port is indicated among the connection ports (1132a to 1132c)”. This will be described using the connection port 1132 ”.

Next, the arm 1200 is attached to the housing 1100 via a torque hinge 1210, and the arm 1200 is configured to be able to rotate in the vertical direction with respect to the housing 1100 within a tilt angle θ1 of 135 degrees. ing. FIG. 4 shows a state where the tilt angle θ1 is 90 degrees.
The camera housing 1300 is provided with a built-in camera 112 described later, and can capture images of users, documents, rooms, and the like. A torque hinge 1310 is formed in the camera housing 1300. The camera housing 1300 is attached to the arm 1200 via a torque hinge 1310. The camera housing 1300 is attached to the arm 1200 via a torque hinge 1310. The pan angle θ2 of ± 180 degrees is assumed with respect to the arm 1200, with the state shown in FIG. And a tilt angle θ3 of ± 45 degrees can be rotated in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  The terminal 20, the relay device 30, each system for constructing the transmission management system 50, each system for constructing the charge management system 60, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 have the same external appearance as a general server computer. Therefore, description of the appearance is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 10 of the present embodiment has programs used for driving the CPU 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 and IPL (Initial Program Loader) that control the operation of the entire terminal 10. ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 used as a work area for the CPU 101, flash memory 104 for storing various data such as terminal programs, image data, and audio data, and control of the CPU 101 The SSD (Solid State Drive) 105 that controls the reading or writing of various data to the flash memory 104 according to the above, the media drive 107 that controls the reading or writing (storage) of data to the recording medium 106 such as the flash memory, and the destination of the terminal 10 The operation that is performed when selecting An operation button 108, a power switch 109 for switching on / off the power of the terminal 10, and a network I / F (Interface) 111 for data transmission using the communication network 2 are provided.

  The terminal 10 also includes a built-in camera 112 that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 101 to obtain image data, an image sensor I / F 113 that controls driving of the camera 112, a built-in microphone 114 that inputs sound, and sound. The built-in speaker 115 for outputting the sound, the sound input / output I / F 116 for processing the input / output of the sound signal between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101, and the image data on the external display 120 according to the control of the CPU 101. FIG. 5 shows a display I / F 117 for transmission, an external device connection I / F 118 for connecting various external devices, an alarm lamp 119 for notifying abnormality of various functions of the terminal 10, and the above-described components. A bus line 110 such as an address bus or a data bus is provided for electrical connection. To have.

  The display 120 is a display unit configured by a liquid crystal or an organic EL that displays an image of a subject, an operation icon, and the like. The display 120 is connected to the display I / F 117 by a cable 120c. The cable 120c may be an analog RGB (VGA) signal cable, a component video cable, or an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or DVI (Digital Video Interactive) signal. It may be a cable.

  The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state image sensor that converts light into electric charges and digitizes a subject image (video). As the solid-state image sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is used. Etc. are used.

  The external device connection I / F 118 includes an external camera, an external microphone, an external speaker, and the like by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like inserted into the connection port 1132 of the housing 1100 shown in FIG. Can be electrically connected to each other. When an external camera is connected, the external camera is driven in preference to the built-in camera 112 under the control of the CPU 101. Similarly, when an external microphone is connected or when an external speaker is connected, each of the external microphones and the built-in speaker 115 is given priority over the internal microphone 114 and the internal speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101. An external speaker is driven.

  The recording medium 106 is detachable from the terminal 10. Further, as long as it is a non-volatile memory that reads or writes data according to the control of the CPU 101, not only the flash memory 104 but also an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like may be used.

  Furthermore, the terminal program may be recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium (such as the recording medium 106) in a file in an installable or executable format. The terminal program may be stored in the ROM 102 instead of the flash memory 104.

  FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of the transmission management system according to this embodiment of the present invention. The transmission management system 50 includes a CPU 201 that controls the overall operation of the transmission management system 50, a ROM 202 that stores a program used to drive the CPU 201 such as an IPL, a RAM 203 that is used as a work area for the CPU 201, and a transmission management program. HD 204 for storing data, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 205 for controlling reading or writing of various data to the HD 204 according to control of the CPU 201, media for controlling reading or writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 206 such as a flash memory Drive 207, display 208 for displaying various information such as a cursor, menu, window, character, or image, network I / F 209 for data transmission using communication network 2, character A keyboard 211 having a plurality of keys for inputting numerical values and various instructions, a mouse 212 for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc., and a CD as an example of a removable recording medium A CD-ROM drive 214 for controlling reading or writing of various data to / from a ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) 213, and an address for electrically connecting the above components as shown in FIG. A bus line 210 such as a bus or a data bus is provided.

  The transmission management program is a file in an installable or executable format, and may be recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or CD-ROM 213. . The transmission management program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

  Further, since the relay device 30 has the same hardware configuration as that of the transmission management system 50, the description thereof is omitted. However, a relay device program for controlling the relay device 30 is recorded in the HD 204. Also in this case, the relay device program is a file in an installable or executable format, and is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or CD-ROM 213 for distribution. Good. The relay device program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

  Further, since the external input device 40 has the same hardware configuration as the transmission management system 50, the description thereof is omitted. However, the HD 204 records an external input device program for controlling the external input device 40. Also in this case, the external input device program is a file in an installable or executable format, and is recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213. Also good. The external input device program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

  The program providing system 90 has the same hardware configuration as that of the transmission management system 50, and therefore the description thereof is omitted. However, a program providing system program for controlling the program providing system 90 is recorded in the HD 204. Also in this case, the program providing system program is a file in an installable or executable format, and is recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213. Also good. The program providing system program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

  Further, since the maintenance system 100 has the same hardware configuration as the transmission management system 50, the description thereof is omitted. However, a maintenance program for controlling the maintenance system 100 is recorded in the HD 204. Also in this case, the maintenance program is a file in an installable or executable format, and may be recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213. . The maintenance program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

  As another example of the detachable recording medium, the recording medium is provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a Blu-ray Disc. May be.

<< Functional Configuration of Embodiment >>
Next, each functional configuration of the transmission management system 50 and the charge management system 60 of the present embodiment will be described. Note that descriptions of functions of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the external input device 40, the router 70, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are omitted.

<Transmission management system>
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the transmission management system 50 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the transmission management system 50 includes a communication management server 510, a temporary storage server 520, a plurality of processing servers (530 ₁ , 530 ₂ ,..., 530 _N ) (N is a positive number), history The management server 540, the terminal setting utility server 550, the accounting history creation server 560, and the file transfer server 570 are constructed. These servers are communicably connected via a LAN 590, and are connected to the Internet 2i via the LAN 590. Connected with.

Note that each server that constructs the transmission management system 50 has the same hardware configuration as that of the transmission management system 50, and thus description thereof is omitted. In addition, an arbitrary processing server among the plurality of processing servers (530 ₁ , 530 ₂ ,..., 530 _N ) is represented as “processing server 530”. The file transfer server 570 is also connected to the dedicated line 2x. (Communication management server)
Subsequently, a characteristic function of the communication management server 510 will be described. The communication management server 510 includes a transmission / reception unit 511 and a communication control unit 512.

  Among these, the transmission / reception unit 511 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The transmission / reception unit 511 transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from other terminals, devices, servers, or systems via the communication network 2 including the LAN 590 and the Internet 2i. For example, the transmission / reception unit 511 receives raw history information indicating a history related to communication at each terminal 10 from each terminal 10 via the Internet 2 i and the LAN 590.

  The raw history information is information indicating a history (log) regarding the communication state in each terminal 10, and is raw information before processing described later is performed. FIG. 9 shows an example of a raw history information group, and each raw history information is represented for each record of the schema shown in FIG. The raw history information is composed of attributes based on the communication state, request source terminal ID, destination terminal ID, session ID, conference ID, conference session ID, and communication date and time.

  Among these attributes, the attribute “communication state” represents the type of communication content of the terminal 10. Further, among the communication states, the communication state “online” indicates that the terminal 10 is powered on. The communication state “offline” indicates that the terminal is turned off (the value is also stored in the conference ID and the conference session ID when the terminal is offline during the conference). The communication state “invite” indicates a meeting invitation request. The communication state “call” indicates a request to participate in an ongoing conference. The communication state “accept” indicates permission of an invitation request (invite) or a participation request (call). The communication state “start” indicates the start of the conference. The communication state “end” indicates the end of the conference. The communication state “join” indicates that the terminal 10 participates in the conference. The communication state “leave” indicates that the terminal 10 leaves the conference.

  Further, the attribute “request source terminal ID” indicates an ID (Identification) for identifying the request source terminal as an example of the request source terminal identification information. The attribute “destination terminal ID” indicates an ID for identifying a destination terminal as an example of destination terminal identification information. The attribute “session ID” is an ID for specifying a session from online to offline. The attribute “conference ID” is an ID for specifying a conference. The attribute “conference session ID” is an ID for specifying a conference session from when the terminal 10 participates in the conference until the terminal 10 exits. For example, when a user joins or leaves the same conference multiple times over time, the conference session IDs have different values. Further, the attribute “communication date and time” is the date and time when communication in the communication state is performed by the terminal 10.

  Note that the above attributes and communication states are merely examples, and other data items and values may be included. In this example, each attribute is clearly defined as in a DB table, but there are various items in the raw history information. For example, JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), You may comprise only text data items, such as XML (Extensible Markup Language).

  Further, the communication control unit 512 is a function or means executed by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6, and the transmission / reception unit 511 sends each terminal 10 by the management information session sei shown in FIG. 2. Control to communicate with. For example, the communication control unit 512 controls and manages communication with each terminal 10, controls and manages to receive raw history information from each terminal 10, and the terminal 10 requested to acquire processing history information described later. Performs control and management for transmission. Note that the terminal 10 that makes a processing history information acquisition request in this way is referred to as an “acquisition request source terminal”.

(Temporary storage server)
Next, characteristic functions of the temporary storage server 520 will be described. The temporary storage server 520 includes a transmission / reception unit 521 and a temporary storage unit 529.

  Among these, the transmission / reception unit 521 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The transmission / reception unit 521 transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from other servers via the LAN 590. For example, the transmission / reception unit 521 receives raw history information indicating a history related to communication at each terminal 10 from the transmission / reception unit 511 of the communication management server 510 via the LAN 590.

  In addition, the transmission / reception unit 521 transmits the raw history information stored in the temporary storage unit 529 to the processing server 530 via the LAN 590. In addition, the transmission / reception unit 521 receives the raw history information returned from the processing server 530.

  The temporary storage unit 529 is constructed by the HD 204 and the HDD 205 shown in FIG. The temporary storage unit 529 temporarily stores the raw history information received by the transmission / reception unit 511 or reads the already stored raw history information to the transmission / reception unit 521.

(Processing server)
Next, characteristic functions of the processing server 530 will be described. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a processing rule management table. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing raw history information. FIG. 10A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a participation history management table. FIG. 10-2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a conference history management table. In the present embodiment, by separating the temporary storage server 520 and the processing server 530, a state where the transmission management system 50 cannot receive the raw history information is avoided until the processing of the processing server 530 is completed. Furthermore, by using a plurality of processing servers 530, a plurality of processing servers 530 distribute and process a plurality of pieces of raw history information, thereby realizing processing load distribution.

  The processing server 530 includes a transmission / reception unit 531, a processing unit 532, and a processing rule management unit 539. The transmission / reception unit 531 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG.

  Among these, the transmission / reception unit 531 transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from other servers via the LAN 590.

  The processing rule management unit 539 is constructed by the HD 204 and HDD 205 shown in FIG. The processing rule management unit 539 is configured by a processing rule management table (T) in which communication state information indicating the communication state of a predetermined terminal 10 and processing processing information indicating processing contents of processing are associated with each other. As shown in FIG. 8, this processing rule management table (T) is composed of processing start conditions indicating a communication state, a post-processing target table, a post-processing target record, and attributes (fields) based on processing processing contents. Has been.

  Among these, the attribute “machining start condition” indicates a condition for the machining unit to start machining in accordance with the machining content. The processing start condition varies depending on “communication state”, “conference ID”, and “conference session ID” shown in FIG.

  The attribute “target table after processing” specifies each table (t1, t2) after processing shown in FIGS. The attribute “target table after processing” specifies a predetermined record of each table (t1, t2) after processing shown in FIGS.

  Further, the attribute “processing content” indicates a correspondence between a specific item in the raw history information and a specific item in the processing history information, so that the processing unit 532 processes the raw history information into the processing history information. The content of the processing is shown.

  If there is no post-processing target record in the processing rule management table (T), the processing unit 532 newly creates a corresponding record in the table (t1, t2).

  Further, when a value is already stored in the item to be processed at the time of processing, the processing unit 532 does not perform any processing. If none of the processing start conditions (communication state) is applicable, the processing unit 532 performs no processing. If the value of the start date / time or the end date / time of any terminal 10 is not stored in the raw history information when the conference time is updated, the processing unit 532 does not perform any processing. When the participation time is updated, if the value of the participation date / time or the departure date / time of any terminal 10 is not stored in the raw history information, the processing unit 532 performs no processing.

  The above processing rule is merely an example, and a different processing rule may be defined. Further, the processing may be performed by a program showing rules without using the processing rule management table (T).

  The processing unit 532 is a function or means executed by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6, and performs processing on the raw history information to obtain processing history information indicating a history after processing. Various processing such as creation is performed.

  As various types of processing, for example, the processing unit 532 determines whether the raw history information is stored in the temporary storage unit 529 via the transmission / reception unit 531, the LAN 590, and the transmission / reception unit 521. Further, the processing unit 532 searches the processing rule management table (T) using the communication state information indicating the communication state included in the raw history information received by the transmission / reception unit 531 as a search key, thereby corresponding processing. Extract processing information. Further, the processing unit 532 generates processing history information indicating a history after processing by processing the received raw history information according to the processing content of the processing indicated in the extracted processing information.

  The processing unit 532 stores the processing history information created by the processing unit 532 in a processing history storage unit 547 in the history management server 540 described later via the transmission / reception unit 531 and the LAN 590. The processing unit 532 stores the raw history information in the raw history storage unit 548 in the history management server 540 via the transmission / reception unit 531 and the LAN 590 regardless of whether the processing unit 532 processes the raw history information. Let However, when the processing history information cannot be stored in the processing history storage unit 547 and the raw history storage unit 548, the processing unit 532 temporarily stores the temporary storage server 520 via the transmission / reception unit 531, the LAN 590, and the transmission / reception unit 521. The raw history information before processing is returned to the part 529.

  The processing unit 532 has a defect (e) due to the absence of information on a predetermined item in the raw history information. Therefore, when the processing unit 532 cannot process the raw history information, this defect (e ) Is stored in the deficient history storage unit 549 in the history management server 540 via the transmission / reception unit 531 and the LAN 590.

(History management server)
Next, characteristic functions of the history management server 540 will be described. The history management server 540 includes a transmission / reception unit 541, a search unit 542, a deficiency history exclusion unit 543, a processing history storage unit 547, a raw history storage unit 548, and a deficiency history storage unit 549.

  The transmission / reception unit 541 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The transmission / reception unit 541 transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from other servers via the LAN 590.

  The search unit 542 searches the processing history storage unit 547 for the processing history information requested for acquisition and extracts the corresponding processing history information.

  The deficiency history exclusion unit 543 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6, and there is a processing history information acquisition request from the external input device 40 connected to the acquisition request source terminal. If there is a defect (E) due to the absence of information on a predetermined item in each requested processing history information stored in the machining history storage unit 547, Exclude machining history information with E).

  Note that if the raw history information is stored in the temporary storage unit 529 in the order of transmission from each terminal 10, no defect (E) occurs in the processing history information. However, in the asynchronous processing by the temporary storage unit 529, the raw history information is not necessarily stored in the order in which the information is transmitted from each terminal 10. Furthermore, when there are a plurality of processing servers 530 as in the present embodiment, even if the raw history information is stored in the temporary storage unit 529 in the order transmitted from each terminal 10, the processing processing is performed from each terminal 10. It is not always performed in the order of transmission. Therefore, depending on the timing of the acquisition request from the acquisition request source terminal, there is a possibility that processing history information with deficiency (E) will be provided. Therefore, the defect history exclusion unit 543 of this embodiment inspects whether there is a defect (E) in the processing history information before providing the processing history information to the acquisition request source terminal.

  Next, the machining history storage unit 547 stores the machining history information created by the machining unit 532 of each machining server 530. This processing history information is managed as a participant history management table (t1) as shown in FIG. 10-1, and is managed as a meeting history management table (t2) as shown in FIG. 10-2. The

  Among these, the participant history management table (t1) includes a history ID, a terminal ID, a conference ID, a conference session ID, a participation date / time, an exit date / time, a participation time, and an exit status, as shown in FIG. It consists of each attribute. Among these attributes, the attribute “history ID” indicates an ID for identifying a participant in the conference. The attribute “terminal ID” indicates an ID for identifying a terminal that has participated in the conference as an example of terminal identification information. The attribute “conference ID” indicates an ID for identifying a conference that has participated.

  Further, the attribute “conference session ID” indicates an ID for specifying a conference session seim from a join to a leave, which is an example of the management information session sei. For example, when a certain terminal 10 repeatedly joins and leaves the same conference several times over time, the conference session IDs have different values.

  Furthermore, the attribute “participation date” indicates the date and time when the terminal 10 participated in the conference. The attribute “exit date and time” indicates the date and time when the terminal 10 left the conference. The attribute “participation time” indicates the time from when the terminal 10 participates in the conference until it exits.

  Further, the attribute “leave state” indicates a leave state of the conference of the terminal 10. Of these leaving states, the state “leave” indicates that the terminal 10 has left the conference normally. The state “forced termination” indicates a case where the terminal 10 is forcibly terminated due to a power failure or the like. The state “meeting” indicates that the terminal 10 is participating in the conference.

  Note that the attributes and exit status of the participant history management table (t1) are merely examples, and may include other data items and values.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 10-2, the conference history management table (t2) is configured by attributes of conference ID, organizer terminal ID, conference start date / time, conference end date / time, and conference time. Yes. Among these attributes, the attribute “conference ID” is an ID for specifying a conference. The attribute “host terminal ID” is an ID for specifying a terminal that is a meeting host. For example, the meeting organizer indicates the meeting organizer when the meeting is performed by three persons, and one of them can participate or leave after the meeting starts. The participation and withdrawal of this one person in the conference is indicated by the participant history management table (t1).

  The attribute “start date / time” indicates the start date / time of the entire meeting. The attribute “end date and time” indicates the end date and time of the entire conference. The attribute “meeting time” indicates the duration of the entire meeting.

  Note that the attributes of the conference history management table (t2) are merely examples, and may include other data items and values.

  In this embodiment, two processing tables (t1, t2) are stored in one processing history storage unit 547. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a DB may be constructed for each table.

  Next, returning to FIG. 7, the raw history storage unit 548 stores the raw history information stored in the temporary storage unit 529 as it is for long-term storage as master data. Thereby, when some kind of trouble occurs in the transmission system 1, it can be used for trouble analysis.

  The deficient raw history storage unit 549 has this deficiency (e) due to the raw history information not indicating information on a predetermined item, so that the processing unit 532 cannot process the raw historical information. The raw history information in which the deficiency (e) has occurred is stored.

(Terminal setting utility server)
Next, characteristic functions of the terminal setting utility server 550 will be described. The terminal setting utility server 550 is a server for receiving a processing history information acquisition request from an acquisition request source terminal and providing the processing history information to the terminal 10. The terminal setting utility server 550 includes a transmission / reception unit 551 and an auxiliary function unit 552.

  Among these, the transmission / reception unit 551 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The transmission / reception unit 551 functions as a window for receiving a processing history information acquisition request from the acquisition request source terminal and providing the processing history information to the acquisition request source terminal. The auxiliary function unit 552 is a function or means executed by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. The auxiliary function unit 552 executes various auxiliary functions other than acquisition of raw history information and communication control.

(Billing history creation server)
Next, a characteristic function of the accounting history creation server 560 will be described. The charging history creation server 560 is a server that creates a charging history for charging the usage fee of the transmission system 1 to the user. The accounting history creation server 560 includes a transmission / reception unit 561 and an accounting history creation unit 562.

  Among these, the transmission / reception unit 561 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The transmission / reception unit 561 sends, to the history management server 540 via the LAN 590, “participation date / time” and “exit date / time” within a predetermined period for each predetermined terminal ID in the participation history management table (t1) (for example, A request for acquisition of participation time information (pi) indicating a participation time from September 1, 2010 to September 30, 2010) is made.

  In addition, the transmission / reception unit 561 acquires desired participation time information (pi) from the history management server 540. Further, the transmission / reception unit 561 transmits accounting history information (i), which will be described later, created by the accounting history creation unit 562 to the file transfer server 570.

  The accounting history creation unit 562 is a function or means that is executed by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. The accounting history creation unit 562 creates accounting history information (i), which is a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file, based on the participation time information (pi) acquired by the transmission / reception unit 561.

(File transfer server)
Next, characteristic functions of the file transfer server 570 will be described. The file transfer server 570 is connected to a later-described file transfer server 610 in the fee management system 60 through a dedicated line 2x. Thereby, since the transmission management system 50 can transfer the electronic file to the fee management system 60 via the dedicated line 2x without using the Internet 2i, it is possible to prevent falsification of the fee.

  The file transfer server 570 includes a transmission / reception unit 571 and a communication control unit 572. Among these, the transmission / reception unit 571 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The transmission / reception unit 571 receives the participation time information (pi) sent from the accounting history creation server 560, and participates in the file transfer server 610 (to be described later) in the fee management system 60 via the dedicated line 2x. Transfer (pi). Further, the communication control unit 572 is a function or means executed by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and controls transmission / reception of information (data) to the transmission / reception unit 571.

<Fee management system>
FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of the fee management system 60 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the fee management system 60 is constructed by a file transfer server 610 and a fee calculation server 620, and these servers are communicably connected by a LAN 690 and the LAN 690 is connected. Via the Internet 2i. The file transfer server 610 is also connected to the dedicated line 2x. Each server that constructs the charge management system 60 has the same hardware configuration as that of the transmission management system 50, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

(File transfer server)
Next, characteristic functions of the file transfer server 610 will be described. The file transfer server 610 is connected to the file transfer server 570 in the transmission management system 50 by a dedicated line 2x. Thereby, the charge management system 60 can receive an electronic file from the transmission management system 50 via the dedicated line 2x without going through the Internet 2i.

  In addition, the file transfer server 610 includes a transmission / reception unit 611 and a communication control unit 612. Among these, the transmission / reception unit 611 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The transmission / reception unit 611 receives participation time information (pi) as an electronic file sent from the file transfer server 570 via the dedicated line 2x, and sends the participation time information (pi) to the fee calculation server 620 via the LAN 690. pi). The communication control unit 612 is a function or means that is executed by a command from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 6, and controls transmission / reception of information (data) to the transmission / reception unit 611.

(Fee calculation server)
Next, characteristic functions of the fee calculation server 620 will be described. The fee calculation server 620 includes a transmission / reception unit 621, a calculation unit 622, a billing unit 623, and a user management unit 629.

  Among these, the user management unit 629 is constructed by the HD 204 and the HDD 205 shown in FIG. The user management unit 629 is configured by a user management table (Ty). As shown in FIG. 12, the user management table (Ty) includes a user contract number, a user ID, a user name, a user address, a user telephone number, and a user email address, and The terminal ID is associated with each attribute (field). The user's contract number, user ID, user name, user address, user phone number, and user e-mail address are each a user for identifying a user individually or in combination. Used as identification information.

  Among these, the attribute “contract number” is an identification number when a contract for using the transmission system 1 is concluded between the operator of the transmission system 1 and each user.

  The attribute “user ID” is configured by an identifier or the like used to identify the user.

  The attribute “user name” is information indicating the name or name of the user. The attribute “user address” is information indicating the address or residence of the user, and is, for example, the installation location of the terminal 20.

  The attribute “user telephone number” is information indicating the telephone number of the user. The attribute “user mail address” is information indicating the electronic mail address of the terminal 20.

  The attribute “terminal ID” is shown as an example of terminal identification information, and is information indicating the terminal IDs of all the terminals 10 that the user has. For example, the user with the user ID “a123” has the terminal 10 indicated by the terminal IDs “11001”, “11002”, “11003”, and the like.

  The transmission / reception unit 621 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The transmission / reception unit 621 transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from other terminals and systems via the Internet 2i and the LAN 690.

  The calculation unit 622 is a function or means executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. 6, and calculates the total participation fee for each user. In addition, the calculation unit 622 includes a participation time calculation unit 622a, a participation fee calculation unit 622b, and a participation fee total unit 622c in order to calculate the total participation fee for each user.

  Among these, the participation time calculation unit 622a refers to the participation history management table (t1) (see FIG. 10-1) stored in the processing history storage unit 547 of the transmission management system 50, and within a predetermined period, the terminal ID The total participation time for each terminal 10 within a predetermined period is calculated by summing up the participation times indicated by the participation time information corresponding to. For example, in FIG. 10A, the terminal ID “110001” is managed by the history ID “001”, “005”, etc. during the predetermined period shown in FIG. 15A (for example, one month in September 2010). The total participation time of the terminal indicated by the terminal ID “110001” is calculated by adding the respective participation times “1 hour 30 minutes 25 seconds”, “1 hour 10 minutes 10 seconds”, and the like. .

  In addition, the participation fee calculation unit 622b calculates the participation fee for each terminal 10 within the predetermined period based on the total participation time calculated by the participation time calculation unit 622a. For example, when the operator has determined the participation fee so that the participation time is 1 minute and the participation fee is 10 yen, the total participation time of any terminal 10 calculated by the participation time calculation unit 622a is 10 hours. If it is (600 minutes), the participation fee will be 6000 yen.

  Further, the participation fee totaling unit 622c refers to the user management table (Ty) (see FIG. 12) managed by the user management unit 629, and corresponds to the user ID of the user as the billing destination. The total participation fee for each user is calculated by summing up the participation fees (calculated by the participation fee calculation unit 622b) of the terminal 10 indicated by the terminal ID. For example, in FIG. 12, since the terminal IDs corresponding to the user ID “a123” are “11001”, “11002”, “11003”, etc., the terminal ID “11001” calculated by the participation fee calculation unit 622b, The total participation fee for the user indicated by the user ID “a123” is calculated by summing up the participation fees for the terminals 10 indicated by “11002” and “11003”.

  Next, the billing unit 623 is a function or means executed by the instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. The billing unit 623 refers to the user management table (Ty) shown in FIG. 12, and sends the participation fee to the user mail address that is the notification destination of the participation fee from the transmission / reception unit 621 via the communication network 2. Send billing information by email. This participation fee request information includes information such as the total participation fee for all terminals 10 owned by each user, the date of participation, the claimant of the operator, the payment method, the transfer destination of the participation fee, etc. It is included.

<< Processing or Operation of Embodiment >>
Next, a processing method in the transmission system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG. 7, and FIG.

  In FIG. 1, when the communication state changes, each terminal 10 transmits raw history information indicating a history regarding the communication state to the transmission management system 50. In FIG. 7, the communication management server 510 of the transmission management system 50 receives the raw history information sent from each terminal 10 and transmits it to the temporary storage server 520. The transmission / reception unit 521 of the temporary storage server 520 receives the raw history information sent from the communication management server 510. The temporary storage unit 529 stores the raw history information received by the transmission / reception unit 521. Thereby, the temporary storage unit 529 sequentially stores the raw history information. In this state, a process in which the transmission management system processes the raw history information to create the processing history information will be described with reference to FIG. The temporary storage server 520 may receive the live history information directly from each terminal 10.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a process in which the transmission management system processes the raw history information to create the processing history information.

  First, the processing unit 532 of the processing server 530 determines whether raw history information is stored in the temporary storage unit 529 via the LAN 590 (step S1). If the processing unit 532 determines in step S1 that raw history information is not stored (NO), the process of step S1 is always repeated.

  Next, when the processing unit 532 determines in step S1 that raw history information is stored (YES), the raw history information is read from the temporary storage unit 529 via the LAN 590 (step S2).

  Next, the processing unit 532 determines whether communication with the raw history storage unit 548 is possible (step S3). If it is determined in step S3 that communication is not possible (NO), the processing unit 532 returns the raw history information to the temporary storage unit 529 via the LAN 590 (step S4). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 that communication is possible (YES), the processing unit 532 stores the raw history information as master data in the raw history storage unit 548 of the history management server 540 via the LAN 590. (Step S5).

  Next, the processing unit 532 extracts the corresponding processing information by searching the processing rule management table (T) using the raw history information read in step S2 as a search key, and further extracts this processing processing information. According to the processing content indicated in the processing information, the processing history information indicating the history after processing is created by performing predetermined processing on the raw history information (step S6). In this step S6, regarding the raw history information whose communication state is “online” or “accept” shown in FIG. 9, the processing rule management table (T) shown in FIG. Processing is not performed because it is not handled. Moreover, there is a defect (e) in the raw history information, and the processing unit 532 may not be able to process the raw history information normally.

  Next, the process part 532 judges whether the process according to the processing content was able to be performed by said step S6 (step S7). If the processing unit 532 determines in step S7 that the processing cannot be performed (NO), whether or not the reason why the processing could not be further processed to the processing rule management unit 539 is not possible. Is determined (step S8).

  In step S8, when the processing unit 532 determines that communication is not possible (YES), the processing unit 532 returns the raw history information to the temporary storage unit 529 via the LAN 590 (similar to step S4). On the other hand, when it is determined in step S8 that the processing unit 532 is not capable of communication (NO), the processing unit 532 is incomplete (e) in the incomplete history storage unit 549 of the history management server 540 via the LAN 590. Raw history information is stored (step S9). As a result, the operator of the transmission system 1 can analyze the raw history information with the deficiency (e) and examine the response to the problem.

  The processing unit 532 temporarily returns the raw history information to the temporary storage unit 529 even if the processing server 530 becomes unable to communicate with the processing record management unit (DB), unlike a communication network such as a LAN. This is because it can be stored in the DB again when the DB is recovered because it is considered to be a typical DB failure. As a result, since the raw history information is processed again, it is possible to avoid a situation in which raw history information without defect (e) cannot be processed.

  The processing unit 532 stores the raw history information in the defective raw history storage unit 549 even if the processing rule management unit 539 is accessed many times, such as when there is no item information necessary for the raw history information. This is an error case. In such a case, since it is meaningless to return the raw history information to the temporary storage unit 529, the raw history information (error log) with deficiency (e) is stored in the deficient history storage unit 549. did.

  Further, instead of returning the raw history information to the temporary storage unit 529 or storing the raw history information in the incomplete life history storage unit 549 or in combination, the fact that the deficiency (e) has occurred is managed by the operation of the transmission system 1. A person may be notified by e-mail or the like. Thereby, the operator can grasp immediately that the deficiency (e) has occurred.

  Next, returning to step S7, if the processing unit 532 determines that the processing has been completed (YES), it further determines whether communication is possible with the processing history storage unit 547 (step S10). . If it is determined in step S10 that communication is not possible (NO), the processing unit 532 returns the raw history information to the temporary storage unit 529 via the LAN 590 (similar to step S4). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S10 that communication is possible (YES), the processing unit 532 stores the processing history processed in step S6 in the processing history storage unit 547 of the history management server 540 via the LAN 590. Information is stored (step S11).

  Next, after the processes in steps S9 and S11, the processing unit 532 completely deletes the raw history information read in step S2 from the temporary storage unit 529 of the temporary storage server 520 via the LAN 590 (step S2). S12).

  Next, after the processing in steps S12 and S4, the processing unit 532 returns to step S1 and advances the processing from step S1 on for the next raw history information sequentially stored in the temporary storage unit 529.

  Subsequently, when the terminal 10 requests the transmission management system 50 to acquire the processing history information with reference to FIGS. 7 and 14 to 16, the transmission management system 50 is requested to acquire to the acquisition request source terminal. A process for providing the machining history information will be described.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a process from receiving a processing history information acquisition request from a user of a terminal to providing processing history information to the user. FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram of a processing history information acquisition target period. FIG. 15-2 is an explanatory diagram showing search conditions for searching for raw history information. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display of the external input device.

  First, the transmission / reception unit 551 of the terminal setting utility server 550 shown in FIG. 7 receives information from the acquisition request source terminal via the communication network 2 as shown in FIG. An acquisition request indicating an acquisition request for processing history information related to communication is received, and the acquisition request is transmitted to the history management server 540 (step S21). In this acquisition request, as a search key (search parameter) used when searching for processing history information, the terminal ID of the acquisition request source terminal and the acquisition target period of processing history information (for example, day, week, month, year) )It is included.

  In response to this, the search unit 542 of the history management server 540 searches the processing history storage unit 547 for the processing history information requested for acquisition and extracts the corresponding processing history information (step S22). Specifically, first, the search unit 542 calculates an acquisition target range (from_date, to_date) from the acquisition target period. For example, if the acquisition target period is 2010-09, the acquisition target range is from midnight on September 1, 2010 to 12:00 pm on September 30, 2010 (0:00 on October 1). The target ranges are “from_date” = 2010-09-01 00:00:00 and “to_date” = 2010-10-01 00:00:00. Next, the search unit 542 uses the terminal ID, “from_date”, and “to_date” of the acquisition request source terminal according to the search conditions (A, B, C, D) shown in FIG. The corresponding machining history information (i1) is searched and extracted from the history management table (t1). Next, the search unit 542 searches and extracts the corresponding processing history information (i2) from the conference history management table (t2) using the conference ID in the extracted processing history information (i1) as a search key. To do. Next, the search unit 542 merges the extracted processing history information (i1) and processing history information (i2) to create processing history information (I) to be provided to the request source terminal. When there are a plurality of machining history information (I), the search unit 542 creates a machining history information group (IG) by merging the plurality of machining history information (I).

  Here, the search method using the search conditions (A, B, C, D) will be described in more detail. In the present embodiment, the transmission management system 50 performs processing that can provide the processing history information even when the departure date / time extends from the participation date / time to multiple months. For example, when the terminal 10 participates in a meeting on “2010-08-30” (August 30, 2010) and exits from the meeting on “2010-10-01” (October 1, 2010), If it exists, the transmission management system 50 processes the processing history information for any of August, September, and October. That is, among the terminal IDs, those whose period from the participation date to the withdrawal date overlap with the from_date to to_date period are to be extracted. In FIG. 15A, all of the raw history information (L1 to L6) is an extraction target. More specifically, the extraction target is decomposed into four cases corresponding to the search conditions (A, B, C, D) as shown in FIG. By decomposing in this way, the search range can be limited by each search condition. Then, by integrating the search conditions with “OR”, desired raw history information can be extracted in a short search time. Each search condition of FIG. 15-2 shows the following case.

(1) Search condition A: Case where the participation date falls within the acquisition target month The search range of the participation date can be limited to the acquisition request target month.

(2) Search condition B: Case where withdrawal date / time falls within the acquisition target month The search range of the withdrawal date / time can be limited to the acquisition request target month.

(3) Search condition C: Participated before the acquisition request target month and still participating in the conference The search range of the exit status can be limited to “in conference” only. In addition, there is only one piece of live history information “in meeting” in a specific terminal 10, as long as there is no simultaneous participation in different meetings.

(4) Search condition D: Case where the date and time of participation spans multiple months from the date and time of participation. “Participation time (to_date-from_date) or more” (in this example, one month or more). It can be limited.

  In addition, although the case where the acquisition request target period is monthly (“2010-09”) has been described here, daily (for example, “2010-09-01”) or annual (for example, “2010”), Alternatively, it is possible to extract raw history information by the same search method according to designation of an arbitrary period (for example, “2010-09-01 00:00:00” to “2010-09-20 12:00:00”). it can. Further, in the example illustrated in FIG. 15B, a case is illustrated in which the search is performed using the terminal ID of a certain acquisition request source terminal, but the search is performed using each terminal ID of a plurality of acquisition request source terminals. May be. Further, parameters other than the terminal ID of the acquisition request source terminal or the acquisition target period may be used.

  Next, the case where the transmission management system 50 provides the processing history information group (IG) to the acquisition request source terminal will be described below.

  Subsequently, the defect history exclusion unit 543 determines whether there is machining history information (I) having a defect (E) in the machining history information group (IG) to be provided (step S23). In this step S23, when the deficiency history exclusion unit 543 determines that there is a deficiency (E) (YES), only the deficient machining history information (I) is selected from the machining history information group (IG). Are excluded (step S24). Thereby, the transmission management system 50 can prevent providing defective processing history information to the acquisition request source terminal.

  In the present embodiment, the raw history information is transmitted from each terminal 10 in the order of “invite”, “start”, “join”, “leave”, and “end”. Therefore, the deficiency history exclusion unit 543 refers to the items of “sponsor terminal ID”, “start date / time”, “participation date / time”, “exit date / time”, and “end date / time” corresponding to these communication states in the reverse order of the transmission order. If there is an item for which communication status information does not exist before an item for which communication status information exists, it is determined that the processing history information has a defect (E). The rule indicating such a determination may be expressed in an electronic file or the like managed outside the deficiency history exclusion unit 543.

  Next, after step S24 or after determining that there is no deficiency in step S23 (NO), the processing history information group (IG) is transmitted to the terminal setting utility server 550 from the transmission / reception unit 541 of the history management server 540. Then, the transmission / reception unit 551 transmits the processing history information group (IG) to the acquisition request source terminal (step S25).

  On the other hand, with respect to the above step S25, the display 208 of the external input device 40 connected to the acquisition request source terminal displays a “terminal setting utility” as shown in FIG. Screen 1000 is displayed. The screen 1000 includes a terminal ID 1001 of the terminal 10, a history period 1002 relating to communication indicated in the machining history information, an acquisition target period switching menu 1003 of the requested processing history information, a machining history information group (IG) 1004, and the like. Is displayed.

  Specifically, in the screen example shown in FIG. 16, the external input device 40 logs in to the terminal setting utility server 550 with the terminal ID “110001” of the acquisition request source terminal. When the user makes an acquisition request for processing history information, the user selects “September 2010” from the acquisition target period switching menu 1003. As a result, the external input device 40 makes an acquisition request for processing history information from the acquisition request source terminal to the transmission management system 50 under the conditions of the terminal ID “110001” and the acquisition target period “2010-09”. Thereby, the external input device 40 displays the screen 1000 shown in FIG. 16 on the display of the external input device 40 based on the processing history information group (IG) sent from the transmission management system 50 via the request source terminal. 208 will be displayed.

  In addition, every time the selection switching in the acquisition target period switching menu 1003 or the triangular switching buttons (the left side is the previous month and the right side is the next month) on both sides of the menu 1003, the processing corresponding to the changed acquisition target period is performed. A history information acquisition request is made.

  By the way, when the history of the meeting related to the processing history information extends over a plurality of months, it is displayed as follows. Here, participation date and time “2010-08-30 22:00:00” (August 30, 2010 22:00), exit date and time “2010-10-01 10:00:00” (October 1, 2010 10 The following three cases will be described.

(1) Case where communication history is displayed as is
(1-1) The communication history for August is displayed as participation date “2010-08-30 22:00:00” and exit date “2010-10-01 10:00:00”.
(1-2) The communication history for September is displayed as participation date “2010-08-30 22:00:00” and exit date “2010-10-01 10:00:00”.
(1-3) The communication history for October is displayed as the participation date “2010-08-30 22:00:00” and the exit date “2010-10-01 10:00:00”.

(2) When trimming (deleting) a part that spans a month at the boundary of the month but displaying all of the participation date and time and leaving date and time The auxiliary function unit 552 of the terminal setting utility server 550 performs this trimming process. Alternatively, the search unit 542 of the history management server 540 may perform this.
(2-1) The communication history for August is displayed as the participation date “2010-08-30 22:00:00” and the exit date “2010-08-31 23:59:59”.
(2-2) The communication history for September is displayed as the participation date “2010-09-01 00:00:00” and the exit date “2010-09-30 23:59:59”.
(2-3) The communication history for October is displayed as the participation date “2010-10-01 00:00:00” and the exit date “2010-10-01 10:00:00”.

(3) Trimming the part that straddles a month at the boundary of the month and not displaying the date and time of participation or leaving (The case that the part that straddles a month is displayed as "<-", "->", etc.) )
The trimming process may be performed by the auxiliary function unit 552 of the terminal setting utility server 550 or the search unit 542 of the history management server 540.
(3-1) The communication history for August is displayed as the participation date “2010-08-30 22:00:00” and the exit date “->”.
(3-2) The communication history for September is displayed as a participation date “<-” and an exit date “->”.
(3-3) The communication history for October is displayed as the participation date “2010-08-30 22:00:00” and the exit date “2010-10-01 10:00:00”.

  By receiving the transmission of the communication log with the message queue (asynchronous communication messaging system), the communication log transmission side does not have to wait for the completion of the log shaping process, so that the original processing such as communication control is not hindered. .

  Subsequently, using FIG. 11, FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, it occurs when the user of the transmission system 1 participates in the video conference using the transmission system 1 to the user of the transmission system 1. The case where the participation fee is charged will be described. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram showing a charge billing method. FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram summarizing the participation fee.

  In addition, this user shows not the user unit for every terminal 10, but the user of the unit which pays a participation fee. In the example shown in FIG. 1, this user unit is Tokyo office, Osaka office, New York office, and Washington D.C. C. It is assumed that four business establishments pay participation fees as separate accounts.

  First, the terminal ID and participation time information (pi) are transmitted from the transmission management system 50 to the charge management system 60 via the dedicated line 2x (step S31). Thereby, the fee management system 60 receives the participation time information (pi) for each terminal 10. Specifically, in the charge calculation server 620 of the charge management system 60, the transmission / reception unit 621 is connected to the transmission / reception unit 541, the LAN 590, the transmission / reception unit 571, the dedicated line from the processing history storage unit 547 in the history management server 540 of the transmission management system 50. The terminal ID and participation time information (pi) are received via 2x, the transmission / reception unit 611, the LAN 690, and the transmission / reception unit 621 in this order. Note that the transmission management system 50 may request the transmission management system 50 to transmit participation time information (pi), or the transmission management system 50 may participate in the fee management system 60 periodically (for example, on the first day of every month). Time information (pi) may be transmitted.

  Next, the participation time calculation unit 622a calculates each participation time indicated by the participation time information corresponding to the terminal ID based on the participation time information (pi) for a predetermined period (for example, one day) acquired from the history management server 540. By summing up, the total participation time for each terminal 10 within a predetermined period is calculated (step S32). The transmission / reception unit 621 may acquire the participation time information (pi) from the history management server 540 via the LAN 690, the Internet 2i, the LAN 590, and the transmission / reception unit 541 in this order.

  Next, the participation fee calculation unit 622b of the calculation unit 622 calculates a participation fee for each terminal 10 within the predetermined period based on the total participation time calculated in step S31 (step S33). For example, when the operator has determined the participation fee in advance so that the participation time is 1 minute and the participation fee is 10 yen, the total participation time of any terminal 10 calculated in step S31 is 10 hours (600 minutes) ), The participation fee will be 6000 yen.

  Next, the participation fee totaling unit 622c of the calculation unit 622 refers to the user management table (Ty) (see FIG. 12) managed by the user management unit 629, and determines the user's billing destination as the billing destination. The total participation fee for each user is calculated by summing up the respective participation fees (calculated in step S33) of the terminal 10 indicated by the terminal ID corresponding to the user ID (step S34). For example, in FIG. 12, since the terminal IDs corresponding to the user ID “a123” are “11001”, “11002”, “11003”, etc., the terminal IDs “11001”, “11002” calculated in step S32 above. And the total participation fee for each user indicated by the user ID “a123” is calculated by summing up the participation fees for each terminal indicated by “11003” and the like.

  As described above, the fee management system 60 can calculate the total participation fee for each user as shown in FIG.

  Next, the billing unit 623 of the fee management system 60 refers to the user management table (Ty) shown in FIG. 12, and sends the participation fee billing information to the user email address to which the participation fee is notified. Is transmitted by electronic mail (step S35). This participation fee billing information includes the total participation fee for each user shown in FIG. 18, so that each user can grasp the total participation fee to be paid by each user.

<< Main effects of embodiment >>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the total participation fee is calculated from the total participation time for participating in the conversation for each user. As a result, the operator of the transmission system 1 can charge each user for the amount of time for which the user (each conversation person) participates in the conversation. There is an effect that it can be performed.

  In addition, since the transmission management system 50 creates and stores the processing history information from each terminal 10 before receiving the processing history information acquisition request regarding the communication at each terminal 10, the transmission history concession from each terminal 10. When the acquisition request is received, the processing history information can be quickly provided to the requesting terminal 10.

  In addition, the conversation session seim may be continued across a certain month (here, September), for example, August, September, and October. In such a case, even if there is a request for obtaining the processing history information for September from the user, the transmission management system 50 does not change the raw history of the communication state “join” or “leave” only in September. The corresponding raw history information cannot be retrieved by searching for information. Therefore, the transmission management system 50 first searches the raw history information of the communication state “join” in which communication has been started before September, and further, one raw history information from the predetermined conference ID (x). Must be identified. Subsequently, the transmission management system 50 retrieves the raw history information of the communication state “leave” in which communication is terminated after September, and further, one transmission based on the same conference ID as the conference ID (x). Raw history information must be specified. Therefore, the transmission management system 50 has a problem that it takes a long time to search the raw history information, and it takes a long time to create the processing history information. However, in the present embodiment, since the search time can be shortened by the search method as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, the processing history information can be quickly created.

[Other Embodiments]
The processing unit 532 adds a “deficiency flag” to the attribute of the participant history management table (t1) shown in FIG. 10A, and adds the participant history management table (t11) shown in FIG. ) May be created. Similarly, the processing unit 532 adds a “deficiency flag” to the attribute of the conference history management table (t2) shown in FIG. 10-2, and the conference history management table (t12) shown in FIG. ) May be created. In this case, the defect history exclusion unit 543 illustrated in FIG. 7 has a defect (E) in the machining history information stored in the machining history storage unit 547 before accepting the processing history information acquisition request from the terminal 10. If there is no deficiency, “0” is input as inspection result information in the “deficiency flag” attribute portion of each record shown in FIGS. In this case, “1” is input as the inspection result information. As a result, the communication management server 510 can receive the machining history information from the history management server 540 by excluding the machining history information whose “deficiency flag” is “1”. In addition, since the defect history exclusion unit 543 does not need to determine whether the machining history information is defective after receiving the machining history information acquisition request from the acquisition request source terminal, the defect history exclusion unit 543 promptly sends the processing history information to the acquisition request source terminal. Processing history information can be provided. In this example, “0” is normal and “1” is deficient (abnormal). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and “true” “false”, “normal” “deficient”, etc. Any information that can be determined is acceptable.

  Further, for example, in the transmission management system 50, a plurality of sets in which the temporary storage unit 529, the processing unit 532, and the processing history storage unit 547 illustrated in FIG. A plurality of types of processing history information may be created from one piece of raw history information by sequentially transferring information or the like to various sets of temporary storage units 529 using a message relay or the like.

  Furthermore, although the communication management server 510, the temporary storage server 520, the plurality of processing servers 530, the history management server 540, and the terminal setting utility server 550 have been described as separate servers, the present invention is not limited to this. A transmission management system 50 having one or a plurality of functions in which any of the functions is collected may be used.

  Further, the relay device 30, the external input device 40, the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 may be constructed by a single computer, or each unit (function or means). It may be constructed by a plurality of computers arbitrarily assigned by dividing. In addition, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a single computer, the program transmitted by the program providing system 90 may be transmitted by dividing it into a plurality of modules. It may be transmitted. Further, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a plurality of computers, a plurality of modules may be divided and transmitted from each computer.

  Further, a recording medium on which the programs of the relay device 30, the external input device 40, the transmission management system 50, the charge management system 60, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are recorded together or separately, and these programs Are stored together or separately, and the program providing system 90 including the HD 204 is provided when a program product is provided to a user or the like domestically or abroad as a program product. Used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case of a video conference system has been described as an example of the transmission system 1. . Further, the transmission system 1 may be a car navigation system. In this case, for example, one of the terminals 10 corresponds to a car navigation device mounted on a car, and the other of the terminals 10 is mounted on a management terminal or management server of a management center that manages car navigation, or another car. This corresponds to a car navigation device. Furthermore, the communication history of the mobile phone or the call history may be used as the history related to the call for a certain period.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transmission system 2 Communication network 2x Dedicated line 10 Transmission terminal 30 Relay apparatus 40 External input device 50 Transmission management system 60 Charge management system 90 Program provision system 100 Maintenance system 510 Communication management server 511 Transmission / reception part (an example of a transmission means)
512 Communication control unit 520 Temporary storage server 521 Transmission / reception unit 529 Temporary storage unit 530 Processing server 531 Transmission / reception unit 532 Processing unit 539 Processing rule management unit 540 History management server 541 Transmission / reception unit 542 Search unit 543 Incomplete history exclusion unit 547 Processing history storage unit 548 Raw history storage unit 549 Incomplete raw history storage unit 550 Terminal setting utility server 551 Transmission / reception unit 552 Auxiliary function unit 560 Accounting history creation server 561 Transmission / reception unit 562 Accounting history creation unit 570 File transfer server 571 Transmission / reception unit (an example of transmission means)
572 Communication control unit 610 File transfer server 611 Transmission / reception unit (an example of reception means)
612 Communication control unit 620 Charge calculation server 621 Transmission / reception unit (an example of reception means)
622 calculation unit 622a participation time calculation unit (an example of participation time calculation means)
622b Participation fee calculation unit (an example of participation fee calculation means)
622c Participation fee total part (example of participation fee total means)
623 Claiming unit 629 User management unit (an example of user management means)

JP 9-172509 A

Claims (9)

Fee management for managing at least the participation fee among the communication fee generated when each transmission terminal communicates and the participation fee generated when participating in the conversation at each transmission terminal when talking between a plurality of transmission terminals A system,
User identification information for identifying the user of the transmission terminal, and user management means for managing the terminal identification information for identifying the transmission terminal used by the user,
Based on the total participation time in which each of the transmission terminals participated in the conversation within a predetermined period, the calculation means for calculating a participation fee for each transmission terminal,
The calculation means refers to the user management means and totals the participation fees of the transmission terminals indicated by the corresponding terminal identification information for each of the user identification information, so that the total participation fee for each user A charge management system characterized by calculating   The calculation means refers to participation history management means for managing participation time information indicating participation time during participation in the conversation at the transmission terminal for each terminal identification information, and a participation time corresponding to the terminal identification information The fee management system according to claim 1, wherein the total participation time for each of the transmission terminals is calculated by summing up the participation times indicated by the information. The user management means further manages the email address of the user indicated by the user identification information for each user identification information,
Claim means for referring to the user management means and transmitting an e-mail for charging the total participation fee to an e-mail address corresponding to the user identification information of the user for whom the total participation fee is charged When,
A charge management system characterized by comprising: Fee management for managing at least the participation fee among the communication fee generated when each transmission terminal communicates and the participation fee generated when participating in the conversation at each transmission terminal when talking between a plurality of transmission terminals A charge management method performed by the system,
The charge management system has user management means for managing user identification information for identifying a user of the transmission terminal and terminal identification information for identifying the transmission terminal used by the user in association with each other. And
The fee management system is:
A calculation step of calculating a participation fee for each transmission terminal based on a total participation time during which the transmission terminal participated in a conversation within a predetermined period;
Further, the calculating step refers to the user management means, and totals each participation fee of the transmission terminal indicated by the corresponding terminal identification information for each user identification information, so that a total for each user is obtained. A fee management method characterized by calculating a participation fee.   The calculating step refers to participation history management means for managing participation time information indicating a participation time during participation in the conversation at the transmission terminal for each terminal identification information, and a participation time corresponding to the terminal identification information 5. The fee management method according to claim 4, wherein the total participation time for each transmission terminal is calculated by summing up the respective participation times indicated by the information. The user management means further manages the email address of the user indicated by the user identification information for each user identification information,
The fee management system is:
A step of referring to the user management means and transmitting an e-mail for charging the total participation fee to an e-mail address corresponding to the user identification information of the user for whom the total participation fee is charged. The charge management method characterized by performing.   A program for causing a computer to execute the steps according to any one of claims 4 to 6.   8. A program providing system, wherein the program according to claim 7 is provided to the fee management system via a communication network.   The maintenance system characterized by performing the maintenance of the charge management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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