JP2017034641A - Transmission management system, transmission system, billing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transmission management system that makes it easy for a user to separately use a private communication charge and a public-use communication charge by using one account without relying on an account of a representative.SOLUTION: A transmission management system manages a session for transmitting content data among a plurality of transmission terminals. The transmission management system includes: group management means for managing information on a group including identification information on a plurality of accounts capable of participating in the session; billing destination management means for managing information on a billing destination of the charge of the group; session management means for managing identification information on the plurality of accounts participating in the session; and billing means for, if the identification information on the plurality of accounts participating in the session is included in one group managed by the group management means, billing a charge related to the session for the billing destination of the charge of the one group.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a transmission management system, a transmission system, a charging method, and a program.

  2. Description of the Related Art A transmission system such as a conference system that performs a remote conference with a remote place via a communication network such as the Internet is known.

  Also, there is known a charge management system that manages identification IDs of a plurality of mobile devices in units of groups, and allows a specific charge bearer to bear only a call charge between specific mobile devices in the group (for example, patents). Reference 1).

  In a transmission system such as a conference system, there is a request to use a private communication charge and a public communication charge separately with one account (for example, a user ID). However, in the conventional technique, the billing destination of the public communication fee is also associated with the personal account. For example, as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the representative account is defined and You are being charged for public communications charges using your account.

  As described above, in the conventional technology, for example, in a transmission system such as a conference system, a user can use a private communication charge and a public communication charge separately with the same account regardless of the representative account. It was accompanied by difficulties.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a user uses a private communication charge and a public communication charge by using the same account regardless of the representative account. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transmission management system that makes it easy to do.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a transmission management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is a transmission management system that manages a session for transmitting content data between a plurality of transmission terminals, and is capable of participating in the session. Group management means for managing group information including identification information of the account, billing destination management means for managing billing destination information for the group, and identification information for a plurality of accounts participating in the session. When the session management means to be managed and the identification information of a plurality of accounts participating in the session are included in one group managed by the group management means, the charge for the session is set to the charge of the one group Charging means for charging the billing destination.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a transmission management system that makes it easy for a user to properly use a private communication charge and a public communication charge with one account regardless of the representative account. can do.

1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system according to an embodiment. It is an external view of the terminal which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the terminal which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the management system which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a functional lineblock diagram of the transmission system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of the charge management part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram (1) of an example of the information which the management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment manages. It is a conceptual diagram (2) of an example of the information which the management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment manages. It is a conceptual diagram (3) of an example of the information which the management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment manages. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the accounting process of the management system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the determination process of the billing destination which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the example of the process of the preparation stage of the transmission system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the example of the communication process of the transmission system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a function block diagram of the transmission system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram of an example of the information which the management system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment manages. It is a figure which shows the example of the priority billing destination setting screen which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the determination process of the billing destination which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a function block diagram of the transmission system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram of an example of the information which the management system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment manages. It is a figure for demonstrating communication ID for determination concerning 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the accounting process of the management system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the selection screen of the charge billing destination which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the determination process of the billing destination candidate which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system according to an embodiment.

  The transmission system includes a data providing system for transmitting content data in one direction from one transmission terminal to the other transmission terminal via the transmission management system, information and emotions between a plurality of transmission terminals via the transmission management system, etc. A communication system that communicates with each other is included. This communication system is a system for mutually transmitting information, emotions, and the like between a plurality of communication terminals (corresponding to “transmission terminals”) via a communication management system (corresponding to “transmission management system”). Examples of the communication system include a video conference system and a video phone system.

  In the present embodiment, 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 are assumed. In addition, a transmission system, a transmission management system, and a transmission terminal will be described. That is, the transmission terminal and the transmission management system of the present invention are not only applied to a video conference system, but also applied to a communication system or a transmission system.

  First, a transmission system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of transmission terminals (10aa, 10ab,...) And displays (120aa, 120ab,...) For the transmission terminals (10aa, 10ab,...). .), A plurality of relay devices (30a, 30b, 30c, 30d), a transmission management system 50, a program providing system 90, a maintenance system 100, and the like. Further, the plurality of terminal transmission terminals (10aa, 10ab,...) Perform transmission by transmission / reception of image data and sound data as an example of content data.

  In the following description, “transmission terminal” is simply expressed as “terminal”, and “transmission management system” is simply expressed as “management system”. An arbitrary terminal among the plurality of terminals (10aa, 10ab,...) Is represented as “terminal 10”. Further, an arbitrary display among a plurality of displays (120aa, 120ab,...) Is represented as “display 120”, and an arbitrary relay apparatus among the plurality of relay apparatuses (30a, 30b, 30c, 30d) is “relay apparatus”. 30 ". Furthermore, the terminal 10 as a request source requesting the start of a video conference is expressed as “request source terminal”, and the terminal 10 as a destination (relay destination) as a request destination is expressed as “destination terminal”.

  The relay device 30 shown in FIG. 1 relays content data among a plurality of terminals 10. The management system 50 centrally manages login authentication from the terminal 10, call status management of the terminal 10, destination list management, communication charge management, and the like, and the communication status of the relay device 30. The image of the image data may be a moving image or a still image, or both a moving image and a still image.

  A plurality of routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, 70cd) select an optimum route for image data and sound 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 a later-described HD (Hard Disk) 204, and stores a terminal program for causing the terminal 10 to realize various functions (or cause the terminal 10 to function as various means). Further, the program providing system 90 can transmit a terminal program to the terminal 10.

  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 management system 50 to realize various functions (or to cause the management system 50 to function as various means). Further, the program providing system 90 can transmit a transmission management program to the management system 50.

  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 management system 50, and the program providing system 90. For example, it is assumed that the maintenance system 100 is installed in the country, and the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, or the program providing system 90 is installed outside the country. In this case, the maintenance system 100 performs maintenance such as maintenance, management, and maintenance of at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the program providing system 90 remotely via the communication network 2. . Also, the maintenance system 100 manages the model number, manufacturing number, sales destination, maintenance inspection, or failure history of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, the program providing system 90, etc. without going through the communication network 2. Perform maintenance such as.

  By the way, the terminals (10aa, 10ab, 10ac,...), The relay device 30a, and the router 70a are communicably connected via the LAN 2a. The terminals (10ba, 10bb, 10bc,...), The relay device 30b, and the router 70b are communicably connected via a LAN 2b. 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, and the LAN 2a is constructed in a business office in Tokyo. In addition, the region B is China, and the LAN 2b is built in a Chinese office.

  On the other hand, the terminals (10ca, 10cb, 10cc,...), The relay device 30c, and the router 70c are communicably connected via a LAN 2c. The terminal 10d (a, 10db, 10dc,...), The relay device 30d, and the router 70d are communicably connected via a LAN 2d. 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 C is the United States of America, and the LAN 2c is built in an office in the United States. In addition, the region D is Europe, and the LAN 2d is built in a European office. Each router (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d) is connected to be communicable via the Internet 2i.

  In addition, the management system 50 and the program providing system 90 are communicably connected to the terminal 10 and the relay device 30 via the Internet 2i. The management system 50 and the program providing system 90 may be installed in the region A, the region B, the region C, or the region D, or may be installed in a region other than these.

  In the present embodiment, the LAN 2a, the LAN 2b, the Internet 2i, the LAN 2c, and the LAN 2d are included in the communication network 2 of the present embodiment. The communication network 2 may include not only a wired line but also a place where wireless communication such as WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) is performed.

  Further, in FIG. 1, four sets of numbers shown below each terminal 10, each relay device 30, management system 50, each router 70, and program providing system 90 are simplified IP addresses in general IPv4. Is shown. For example, the IP address of the terminal 10aa is “1.2.1.3”. In addition, IPv6 may be used instead of IPv4, but in order to simplify the description, description will be 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, for example, a public wireless communication such as a mobile phone communication network or a public wireless LAN is used.

<Hardware configuration>
Next, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described.

(Appearance of terminal)
FIG. 2 is an external view of the terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the terminal 10 includes a housing 1100, an arm 1200, and a camera housing 1300. Among these, the front wall surface 1110 of the housing 1100 is provided with an air intake surface formed by a plurality of air intake holes, and the rear wall surface 1120 of the housing 1100 is provided with an air exhaust surface formed with a plurality of air exhaust holes. 1121 is provided. As a result, the driving of the cooling fan built in the housing 1100 takes in outside air in front of the terminal 10 through the intake surface provided on the front side wall surface 1110 of the housing 1100, and the terminal 10 of the terminal 10 through the exhaust surface 1121. It is possible to exhaust backward. A sound collecting hole 1131 is formed in the right side wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100, and sounds such as sound, sound, noise, and heartbeat 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) described later, a power switch 109 described later, and an alarm lamp 119 described later. Further, the operation panel 1150 is formed with a sound output surface 1151 formed by a plurality of sound output holes through which an output sound from a built-in speaker 115 described later passes.

  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 for electrically connecting a cable 120c for the display 120 to an external device connection I / F 118 described later.

  In the following description, when an arbitrary operation button is indicated among the operation buttons (108a to 108e), "operation button 108" is used, and an arbitrary connection port is indicated among the connection ports (1132a to 1132c). In this case, “connection port 1132” is used.

  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. 2 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. Further, the camera housing 1300 has a pan angle θ2 of ± 180 degrees and a tilt angle θ3 of ± 45 degrees with respect to the arm 1200, with the state shown in FIG. The range is configured to be rotatable in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  2 is merely an example, and is not limited to this appearance. For example, the terminal 10 may be a general-purpose PC, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. The camera and microphone are not necessarily built-in and may be externally attached. Further, since the management system 50 has the same appearance as that of a general server computer, description of the appearance is omitted.

(Device hardware configuration)
FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal 10 according to this embodiment of the present invention. The terminal 10 includes a general computer configuration, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a flash memory 104, and an SSD (Solid State Drive). 105. Further, the terminal 10 includes a media drive 107, operation buttons 108, a power switch 109, a network I / F (Interface) 111, a camera 112, an image sensor I / F 113, a microphone 114, a speaker 115, and a sound input / output I / F 116. Have. Further, the terminal 10 includes a display I / F 117, an external device I / F 118, a bus 110, and the like.

  The CPU 101 is an arithmetic device that implements each function provided in the terminal 10 by reading a program and data from the ROM 102, the flash memory 104, and the like and executing processing. The ROM 102 is a nonvolatile memory that stores in advance a program used to start the CPU 101 such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader). The RAM 103 is a volatile memory used as a work area for the CPU 101.

  The flash memory 104 is a storage device that stores, for example, an OS (Operating System), application programs, and various data. The SSD 105 controls reading and writing of various data with respect to the flash memory 104 according to the control of the CPU 101. The media drive 107 controls reading or writing (storage) of data with respect to the medium 106 that is a storage medium such as a memory card.

  The operation button 108 is an input device that receives an input operation of a user of the terminal 10. The power switch 109 is a switch for switching on / off the power of the terminal 10. The network I / F 111 is a communication interface for performing data transmission using the communication network 2.

  The camera 112 includes an image sensor for imaging a subject in accordance with the control of the CPU 101. The imaging element I / F 113 controls imaging by the camera 112 and converts the captured data into predetermined image data. The microphone 114 converts the collected sound into an electrical signal. The speaker 115 converts the sound signal into sound and outputs the sound. The sound input / output I / F 116 controls sound input / output through the microphone 114 and the speaker 115.

  The display I / F 117 transmits image data to the external display 120 under the control of the CPU 101. The external device I / F 118 is an interface for connecting various external devices. The bus 110 is commonly connected to the above-described components, and transmits an address signal, a data signal, various control signals, and the like.

  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 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.

  External devices such as an external camera, an external microphone, and an external speaker can be connected to the external device connection I / F 118 by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like. 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 medium 106 is a storage medium such as various memory cards or a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card. The medium 106 is detachable from the terminal 10.

  Further, the program for the terminal 10 may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as the medium 106 and distributed as a file in an installable or executable format. Further, the program for the terminal 10 may be stored in the flash memory 104, or may be stored in advance in the ROM 102, for example.

(Hardware configuration of management system)
FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management system according to the embodiment. The management system 50 has a general computer hardware configuration, and includes, for example, a CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, HD 204, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 205, media drive 207, and display 208. The management system 50 includes a network I / F 209, a keyboard 211, a mouse 212, an optical drive 214, a bus 210, and the like.

  The CPU 201 is an arithmetic device that implements each function included in the management system 50 by reading a program or data stored in the ROM 202, the HD 204, or the like and executing the processing. The ROM 202 is a non-volatile memory that stores in advance a program used to start the CPU 201 such as an IPL. The RAM 203 is a volatile memory used as a work area for the CPU 201.

  The HD 204 is a storage device that stores, for example, an OS, a program such as an application program, and various types of data. The HDD 205 controls reading or writing of various data with respect to the HD 204 according to the control of the CPU 201. The display 208 is a display device that displays various types of information such as a cursor, menu, window, character, or image.

  The network I / F 209 is a communication interface for performing data communication using the communication network 2. The keyboard 211 is an example of an input device for accepting input operations such as characters, numerical values, and various instructions by the user. The mouse 212 is an example of a pointing device that receives operations such as selection and execution of various instructions by a user, selection of a processing target, movement of a cursor, and the like.

  The media drive 207 controls reading and writing (storage) of data with respect to the medium 206 such as a memory card, for example. The optical drive 214 controls reading or writing of data with respect to various optical disks 213 as an example of a removable recording medium. The bus 210 electrically connects the above-described components and transmits an address signal, a data signal, various control signals, and the like.

  Note that the hardware configuration of the computer is just an example. For example, the display 208, the keyboard 211, the mouse 212, and the like may be externally attached to the outside of the management system 50.

  The program for the management system 50 is a file in an installable or executable format, and is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as the medium 206 or the optical disk 213 for distribution. May be. The program for the management system 50 described above may be stored in the HD 204 or may be stored in the ROM 202 in advance.

  Further, since the relay device 30 has the same hardware configuration as that of the management system 50, the description thereof is omitted. However, a program for the relay device 30 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 medium 206 or the optical disk 213 and distributed. good. The program for the relay device 30 may be stored in the HD 204 or may be stored in the ROM 202 in advance.

  Further, since the program providing system 90 and the maintenance system 100 have the same hardware configuration as the management system 50, the description thereof is omitted. However, a program for the program providing system 90 for controlling the program providing system 90 is recorded in the HD 204. Also in this case, the program for the program providing system 90 is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as the medium 206 or the optical disk 213 and distributed. Anyway. The program for the program providing system 90 may be stored in the HD 204 or may be stored in the ROM 202 in advance.

  Next, the functional configuration of the transmission system 1 will be described.

[First Embodiment]
<Functional configuration>
FIG. 5 is a functional configuration diagram of the transmission system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 5, the transmission system 1 is connected so that the terminal 10, the relay device 30, and the management system 50 can perform data communication via the communication network 2. Further, the program providing system 90 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted in FIG. 5 because it is not directly related to the video conference communication.

(Functional configuration of terminal)
The terminal 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 11, an operation input reception unit 12, a communication control unit 13, an imaging unit 14, a sound input unit 15 a, a sound output unit 15 b, a display control unit 16, and a storage / readout unit 17. Each of these units is realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 3 operating according to a command from the CPU 101 according to the program for the terminal 10 expanded from the flash memory 104 onto the RAM 103. Function or means to function. Further, the terminal 10 includes a storage unit 1000 that is realized by the RAM 103 illustrated in FIG. 3 and the flash memory 104 illustrated in FIG. 3. Further, a storage medium 1010 constructed by the medium 106 shown in FIG. 3 is attached (inserted) to the terminal 10, and various data is read or written by the storage / reading unit 17.

(Functional configuration of terminal)
Next, each functional configuration of the terminal 10 will be described in detail. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the terminal 10, among the components illustrated in FIG. 3, a relationship with main components for realizing each functional configuration of the terminal 10 will also be described. .

  The transmission / reception unit 11 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 illustrated in FIG. 3 and the network I / F 111 illustrated in FIG. 3, and various data ( Or information). The transmission / reception unit 11 starts receiving state information indicating the state of each terminal as a destination candidate from the management system 50 before starting a call with a desired destination terminal. This status information is not only the operating status of each terminal 10 (ON line or OFF line status), but if it is ON line, whether it is possible to make a call, whether it is a call, or whether it is away from the office. The detailed state is shown.

  The operation input receiving unit 12 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 3 and the operation buttons 108 and the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 3 and receives various inputs by the user. For example, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 3, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in FIG. 5 receives the power ON and controls the power ON.

  The communication control unit 13 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. The communication control unit 13 receives, for example, the login request information indicating that the login is requested from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 and the current time of the request source terminal. Automatically send IP address. When the user turns the power switch 109 from the ON state to the OFF state, the operation input receiving unit 12 turns off the power after the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits state information indicating that the power supply is turned off to the management system 50. As a result, the management system 50 side can grasp that the terminal 10 has been turned off from being turned on.

  In addition, the communication control unit 13 performs various communication controls such as establishment and disconnection of a communication session for transmitting / receiving content data to / from another terminal 10 via the relay device 30. In addition, the communication control unit 13 according to the present embodiment includes the communication ID (Identification) of the terminal 10 in the control information (for example, start request information, start response information, etc. described later) transmitted to the management system 50. Send.

  The communication ID is an example of identification information of an account that can participate in a session in which content data is transmitted using the terminal 10. The communication ID includes, for example, identification information (terminal ID) of the terminal 10, identification information (user ID) of the user of the terminal 10, or identification information (contract ID) of the contractor stored in the storage medium 1010. It is.

  The imaging unit 14 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 3 and imaging data obtained by imaging a subject, which is realized by the camera 112 and the imaging device I / F 113 shown in FIG. Converted to image (video) data and output.

  The sound input unit 15a is realized by the instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 3 and the sound input / output I / F 116 shown in FIG. 3, and the user's voice is converted into a voice signal by the microphone 114. Thereafter, the audio signal is converted into predetermined sound data and output. The sound output unit 15b is realized by the command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 3 and the sound input / output I / F 116 shown in FIG. 3, and converts the sound data into an audio signal and outputs it to the speaker. Then, sound is output from the speaker 115.

  The display control unit 16 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 3 and the display I / F 117 shown in FIG. For example, the display control unit 16 causes the display 120 to display image data included in the content data received by the terminal 10. In addition, the display control unit 16 can transmit information on the destination list received from the management system 50 to the display 120 and cause the display 120 to display the destination list.

  The storage / reading unit 17 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 3 and the SSD 105 shown in FIG. 3, or realized by an instruction from the CPU 101. The storage / reading unit 17 performs a process of storing various data in the storage unit 1000 and reading out various data stored in the storage unit 1000. In the storage unit 1000, for example, the above-described communication ID (for example, terminal ID, user ID, etc.) and a password corresponding to the communication ID are stored. Furthermore, the storage unit 1000 overwrites and stores image data and sound data received when a call is made with the destination terminal. Among these, an image is displayed on the display 120 by the image data before being overwritten, and sound is output from the speaker 115 by the sound data before being overwritten.

  The storage / reading unit 17 may read a communication ID (such as a contract ID) and a password stored in the storage medium 1010. The storage medium 1010 in which the communication ID is recorded may be a readable / writable medium such as a memory card, for example, or a recording medium such as a SIM card in which contract information of the contractor is recorded. It may be.

  The terminal 10 may use a communication ID recorded in the storage unit 1000 or may use a communication ID recorded in the storage medium 1010.

  Note that the communication ID, the relay device ID, and the communication ID, which will be described later, are a language, characters, symbols, or various signs used to uniquely identify the terminal 10, the relay device 30, and the service contents. An example of identification information such as The communication ID and the relay device ID may be identification information in which at least two of the language, characters, symbols, and various indicia are combined.

(Functional configuration of management system)
The management system 50 includes a transmission / reception unit 51, a terminal authentication unit 52, a terminal state management unit 53, a terminal extraction unit 54, a terminal state acquisition unit 55, a session management unit 56, a group management unit 57, a fee information management unit 58, and a fee management unit. 59, a storage / reading unit 60, and the like. Each of these units is a function realized by any of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 4 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 201 according to the program for the management system 50 expanded from the HD 204 onto the RAM 203, or It is a means to function. In addition, the management system 50 includes a storage unit 5000 realized by the HD 204 or the like illustrated in FIG.

(Functional configuration of the management system)
Next, each functional configuration of the management system 50 will be described in detail. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the management system 50, among the components illustrated in FIG. 4, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration of the management system 50 is also described. explain.

  The transmission / reception unit 51 is executed by the instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 4 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. Or information).

  The terminal authentication unit 52 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. For example, the terminal authentication unit 52 determines whether or not a combination of a communication ID and a password included in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 is included in the authentication management DB (Database) 5002. To authenticate the terminal 10 (or account).

  The terminal state management unit 53 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 4 and manages the operating state of the request source terminal that has requested login. The terminal status management unit 53 stores and manages, in the terminal management DB 5003, the destination name, the operating status, the reception date and time of request information, and the IP address of the request source terminal in association with each communication ID. In addition, the terminal state management unit 53 sets the terminal on the basis of the state information indicating that the power is turned off, which is sent from the terminal 10 when the user turns the power switch 109 of the terminal 10 from ON to OFF. The operating state indicating the ON line of the management DB 5003 is changed to the OFF line. The terminal management DB 5003 will be described later.

  The terminal extraction unit 54 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. The terminal extraction unit 54 searches the destination list management DB 5004 using the communication ID of the request source terminal that requested the login as a key, and extracts the communication ID of the destination terminal that can communicate with the request source terminal. Further, the terminal extraction unit 54 searches the destination list management DB 5004 using the communication ID of the request source terminal that has requested the login as a key, and other requests that register the communication ID of the request source terminal as candidates for the destination terminal. The communication ID of the original terminal is also extracted.

  The terminal state acquisition unit 55 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. The terminal status acquisition unit 55 searches the terminal management DB 5003 described above using the destination terminal candidate communication ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as a search key, and operates for each communication ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54. Is read. Thereby, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 can acquire the operating state of the candidate destination terminal that can make a call with the request source terminal that has requested the login. Further, the terminal status acquisition unit 55 searches the terminal management DB 5003 described above using the communication ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as a search key, and also acquires the operating status of the request source terminal that has requested login. The destination list management DB 5004 will be described later.

  The session management unit 56 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 4 and manages a session for transmitting content data among a plurality of terminals 10. For example, the session management unit 56 performs control for establishing a session related to the session managed by the management system 50, control for causing the terminal 10 to participate in the established session, control for disconnecting the session, session ID generation, etc. Take control. Further, the session management unit 56 stores and manages a plurality of communication IDs (an example of account identification information) participating in the session in the session management DB 5005 in association with the generated session ID. The session management DB 5005 will be described later.

  The group management unit (group management means) 57 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 4 and manages group information including a plurality of communication IDs that can participate in a session. For example, the group management unit 57 associates a group ID, which is group identification information, with a plurality of communication IDs included in the group, and stores them in the group management DB 5006 for management. The group management DB 5006 will be described later.

  The charge information management unit (charge information management means) 58 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 4, and stores charge information related to a session managed by the management system 50 in, for example, a charge information management DB 5007. Manage. The information on the fee related to the session includes, for example, information such as “charging fee” indicating a time interval for charging a fee and “charge” indicating a fee per unit time. The fee information management DB 5007 will be described later.

  The fee management unit 59 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. The fee management unit 59 performs, for example, management of billing destination information regarding a session managed by the management system 50, determination of a billing destination, calculation of a fee, billing, and the like. An example of the functional configuration of the fee management unit 59 is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 6 is a functional configuration diagram of a fee management unit according to an embodiment. The fee management unit 59 includes a billing destination management unit 601, a billing destination determination unit 602, a fee calculation unit 603, a billing control unit 604, and a deposit control unit 605.

  The billing destination management unit (billing destination management means) 601 stores and manages billing destination information on a fee related to a session managed by the management system 50 in the billing destination management DB 5008. For example, the billing destination management unit 601 manages the group ID of the group managed by the group management unit 57 and the billing destination information corresponding to the group ID. Further, the billing destination management unit 601 manages communication IDs of a plurality of accounts that can participate in a session managed by the management system 50 and billing destination information corresponding to the communication IDs.

  For example, when the billing method is a prepaid method in which the fee is paid in advance, the billing destination information includes information on the charge amount charged in each communication ID, group ID, and the like.

  In addition, when the billing method is a postpaid method in which the fee is postpaid, the billing information includes information such as the billing credit card, bank account, billing address, etc. Information etc. are included.

  Here, the following description will be given on the assumption that the fee charging method is the prepaid method, but the charging method based on the prepaid method is merely an example. The billing destination management DB 5008 will be described later.

  The billing destination determination unit (determination unit) 602 determines a billing destination for a fee related to a session managed by the management system 50. For example, when the communication IDs of a plurality of terminals 10 participating in a session are included in one group (for example, group A) managed by the group management unit 57, the billing destination determination unit 602 relates to the session of each terminal 10 The billing destination is determined as the group A billing destination.

  Further, when the communication IDs of the plurality of terminals 10 participating in the session are not included in one group managed by the group management unit 57, the billing destination determination unit 602, for example, charges for the session of each terminal 10 Is determined as the billing address corresponding to the communication ID of each terminal 10. A specific method for determining the billing destination will be described later.

  The fee calculation unit (calculation means) 603 calculates a fee related to the session based on the fee information stored in the fee information management DB 5007 by the fee information management unit 58. For example, the fee calculation unit 603 uses a fee (communication fee) for a session based on information on a fee per unit time (for example, 10 yen / minute) at a predetermined charging time (for example, every minute). Calculate

  The charging control unit (charging unit) 604 charges the fee related to the session calculated by the fee calculating unit 603 to the billing destination determined by the billing destination determining unit 602. For example, when the charging method is a prepaid method, the charging control unit 604 subtracts (withdraws) the fee calculated by the fee calculating unit 603 from the charge amount of the billing destination determined by the billing destination determining unit 602. When the charging method is a postpaid policy, the charging control unit 604 adds the fee calculated by the fee calculating unit 603 to the billing scheduled amount of the billing destination determined by the billing destination determining unit 602.

  When the charging method is a prepaid method, the deposit control unit 605 controls the deposit (charge) to each billing destination. For example, the deposit control unit 605 performs an addition process to the charge amount of the billing destination stored in the billing destination management DB 5008 in accordance with a deposit notification notified from an external server or the like connected via the network.

  Returning to FIG. 5, the description of the functional configuration of the management system 50 will be continued.

  The storage / reading unit 60 of the management system 50 is realized by the command from the CPU 201 and the HDD 205 shown in FIG. 4 or by the command from the CPU 201. The storage / reading unit 60 stores various data to the storage unit 5000 and reads various data from the storage unit 5000. The storage / reading unit 60 may store various data in an external device (for example, a storage server) connected via the communication network 2 or the like.

<Functional configuration of relay device>
The relay device 30 includes a transmission / reception unit (transfer unit) 31, a relay management unit 32, a storage / reading unit 33, and the like. Each of these units functions or functions realized by any of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 4 operating according to instructions from the CPU 201 according to the relay device program expanded from the HD 204 onto the RAM 203. Means. The relay device 30 includes a storage unit 3000 configured by the RAM 203 illustrated in FIG. 4 and / or the HD 204 illustrated in FIG.

(Each functional configuration of the relay device)
Next, each functional configuration of the relay device 30 will be described. In the following description, in describing each functional configuration of the relay device 30, among the components illustrated in FIG. 4, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration of the relay device 30 is also described. explain.

  The transmission / reception unit (transfer unit) 31 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 4 and the network I / F 209 illustrated in FIG. 4, and a plurality of terminals 10 and management via the communication network 2. Various data (or information) is transmitted / received to / from the system 50 and the like. In addition, the transmission / reception unit 31 also serves as a transfer unit, and in accordance with instructions from the relay management unit 32, the content data (image data, sound data, etc.) received from the terminal 10 participating in the session participates in the session. Transfer (relay) to the terminal 10.

  The relay management unit 32 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 4, and based on session information notified from the management system 50, content data transfer (relay) processing by the transmission / reception unit (transfer unit) 31. To control. For example, the relay management unit 32 instructs the transmission / reception unit (transfer unit) 31 on the transfer destination of the content data received from each terminal 10 participating in the session. The relay management unit 32 also performs session control such as control for establishing a session with the terminal 10 and control for terminating the session.

  The storage unit 3000 stores, for example, session information notified from the management system 50, setting information of the transmission / reception unit 31, and the like.

<Example of information managed by the management system>
7 to 9 are conceptual diagrams of examples of information managed by the management system according to the first embodiment.

(Relay device management table)
The relay device management DB 5001 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes, for example, a relay device management table 701 as shown in FIG. In this relay device management table 701, for each relay device ID of each relay device 30, the operating status of each relay device 30, the reception date and time of the operating status, the IP address of each relay device 30, and the maximum data transmission of each relay device 30 The speed (Mbps) and the like are managed in association with each other.

  For example, the relay device management table 701 shown in FIG. 7A indicates that the relay device 30a with the relay device ID “111a” is in the “ON line” operating state. In addition, it is indicated that the date and time when the management system 50 receives the operating state is “13:00 on April 10, 20xx”. Further, the relay device management table 701 indicates that the IP address of the relay device 30a is “1.2.1.2”, and the maximum data transmission rate in the relay device 30a is “100 Mbps”. ing.

(Authentication management table)
The authentication management DB 5002 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes, for example, an authentication management table 702 as shown in FIG. In the authentication management table 702, the communication ID of the terminal 10 managed by the management system 50 and the password corresponding to the communication ID are managed in association with each other.

  For example, the authentication management table 702 shown in FIG. 7B indicates that the password corresponding to the communication ID “01aa” is “aaa”.

(Terminal management table)
The terminal management DB 5003 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes, for example, a terminal management table 703 as shown in FIG. In this terminal management table 703, for each communication ID of each terminal 10, the destination name when each terminal 10 is the destination, the operating status of each terminal 10, and the reception date and time when the log-in request information described later is received by the management system 50. , And the IP address of the terminal 10 are managed in association with each other.

  For example, in the terminal management table 703 shown in FIG. 7C, the terminal 10 whose communication ID is “01aa” has the terminal name “Japan Tokyo office AA terminal” and the operation state is “ON line (communication)”. Possible) ”. Further, the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01aa” has the date and time when the login request information is received by the management system 50 “13:40 on April 10, 20xx” and the IP address “1.2.1”. .3 ".

(Destination list management table)
The destination list management DB 5004 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes, for example, a destination list management table 801 as shown in FIG. In this destination list management table 801, the communication ID of the destination terminal registered as a destination terminal candidate is associated with the communication ID of the request source terminal that requests the start of communication (transmission) in a session such as a video conference. Managed.

  For example, in the destination list management table 801 shown in FIG. 8A, a destination terminal candidate that can request the start of communication from a request source terminal whose communication ID is “01aa” has a communication ID “ The terminals of “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad”. This destination terminal candidate is updated by being added or deleted in response to a request for addition or deletion from an arbitrary request source terminal to the management system 50.

(Session management table)
The session management DB 5005 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes, for example, a session management table 802 as shown in FIG. In this session management table 802, for each session ID that is session identification information, the relay device ID of the relay device 30 used for relay, the communication ID of the request source terminal, the communication ID of the destination terminal, the session start date and time, and the accounting Information such as the charging date and time indicating the date and time when the payment is made is managed.

  For example, in the session management table 802 shown in FIG. 8B, the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01ad” and the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01ca” participate in the session with the session ID “se2”. It is shown that In addition, the session with the session ID “se2” is started at “20xx / 3/25 16:11:11” and the latest billing date is “20xx / 3/25 16:20:11”. It is shown.

(Group management table)
The group management DB 5006 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes, for example, a group management table 803 as shown in FIG. In this group management table 803, a group ID, which is group identification information, and a plurality of communication IDs included in the group are managed in association with each other.

  For example, in the group management table 803 shown in FIG. 8C, it is indicated that the communication IDs “01aa”, “01ab”, and “01ac” are included in the group with the group ID “gr001”. .

  Note that the group according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of communication IDs that can participate in a session managed by the management system 50.

  Preferably, the group is a communication ID having a common billing destination for a session, such as a communication ID of a terminal 10 belonging to the same department in a company or a communication ID of a user participating in the same project. It is a gathering of.

(Billing address management table)
The billing destination management DB 5008 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes, for example, a billing destination management table 901 as shown in FIG. The billing destination management table 901 includes billing destination ID, which is billing destination identification information of a fee related to a session, and information of a communication ID or group ID corresponding to the billing destination ID. When the billing method is a prepaid method, the billing destination management table 901 may include information on the charge amount corresponding to each billing destination ID. When the billing method is the postpaid method, the billing destination management table 901 includes information on the billing amount (billing amount) corresponding to each billing destination ID, the credit card, bank account, or bill of the billing destination. Information such as a destination may be included.

  For example, in the billing destination management table 901 shown in FIG. 9A, the billing destination ID corresponding to the communication ID “01aa” is “ac001” and the charge amount is “10,000 yen”. It is shown. Further, it is indicated that the billing destination ID corresponding to the group ID “gr001” is “ac004” and the charge amount is “40,000 yen”. In addition, the charge amount decreases according to the charge by the charge control unit 604, and increases according to the deposit process by the deposit control unit 605.

(Price information management table)
The fee information management DB 5007 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes a fee information management table 902 as shown in FIG. 9B, for example. In the example of FIG. 9B, the charge information management table 902 includes information on a charge time indicating a time interval for charging a charge related to a session, and information on a charge per unit time.

  For example, in the charge information management table 902 shown in FIG. 9B, the charge processing for the session is performed every charging time “1 minute” and the charge per minute is 10 yen. Has been. Note that the “billing time” and “charge” information may be set to different values depending on, for example, the billing destination ID and the service content.

  FIG. 9C is another example of the charge information management table. In the example of FIG. 9C, the charge information management table 903 stores “billing time” and “charge” information corresponding to the service content for each billing destination ID.

  For example, in the charge information management table 903 shown in FIG. 9C, when the charge destination ID “ac004” transmits the content with the service content “image + audio”, the charging time is “3 minutes”. The charge is shown as “30 yen / minute”.

<Process flow>
(Example of billing process)
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of billing processing of the management system according to the first embodiment. For example, the management system 50 performs the charging process shown in FIG. 10 for each of the terminals 10 participating in the session.

  As another example, the management system 50 may perform, for example, the charging process shown in FIG. 10 for at least one terminal 10 (for example, a request source terminal) participating in a session.

  In step S1001, when the session is started, the fee management unit 59 of the management system 50 performs the processing from step S1002 on the terminal 10 (hereinafter referred to as the target terminal) that is the target of the charging process.

  In step S1002, the charge management unit 59 proceeds to step S1003 when the “billing time” of the charge information management table 902 shown in FIG. 9B has elapsed from the “session start date and time” of the session management table 802, for example. To migrate.

  In step S1003, the billing destination determination unit 602 of the management system 50 performs a billing destination determination process for the usage fee of the target terminal. In this embodiment, when there is a group including communication IDs of a plurality of terminals 10 participating in a session, the charge management unit 59 charges the usage fee for the session of the target terminal to the billing destination of the group.

  For example, it is assumed that the session with the session ID “se1” in the session management table 802 illustrated in FIG. In this case, the communication IDs of the plurality of terminals 10 participating in the session with the started session ID “se1” are “01aa”, “01ab”, and “01ac”.

  Further, referring to the group management table 803 shown in FIG. 8C, the communication IDs “01aa”, “01ab”, and “01ac” of the terminals 10 participating in the session all have the group ID “gr001”. Included in the group. In this case, the billing destination determination unit 602 determines the billing destination of the usage fee related to the session of the target terminal as the billing destination ID “ac004” that is the billing destination of the group ID “gr001”. The details of the billing destination determination process will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

  In step S1004, the fee calculation unit 603 calculates a usage fee per charging time based on the fee information management table 902 shown in FIG. 9B, for example. In the example of the charge information management table 902 in FIG. 9B, 1 (minute) × 10 (yen / minute) = 10 yen is the usage charge per charging time.

  In step S1005, the charging control unit 604 charges the usage fee (for example, 10 yen) calculated in step S1004 to the charging destination (for example, the charging destination ID “ac004”) determined in step S1003. For example, the charging control unit 604 deducts (subtracts) the usage fee “10 yen” from the charge amount “40,000 yen” of the billing destination ID “ac004” in the billing destination management table 901 shown in FIG. 9A. ). As a result, the charge amount of the billing destination ID “ac004” becomes “39,990 yen”.

  In step S1006, the charging control unit 604 updates the “charging date / time” information in the session management table 802 to the date / time when the usage fee was deducted.

  In step S1007, the fee management unit 59 determines whether the session has ended based on the session management table 802 or the like. When the session ends, the charge management unit 59 ends the charging process. On the other hand, if the session has not ended, the fee management unit 59 shifts the processing to step S1008.

  When the process proceeds to step S1008, the fee management unit 59 proceeds to step S1004 when the “billing time” of the fee information management table 902 shown in FIG. 9B has elapsed from the “billing date” of the session management table 802, for example. To migrate. As a result, the fee management unit 59 repeats the processing of steps S1004 to S1006 at the charging time interval while the session is being performed.

(Billing destination determination process)
FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of billing destination determination processing according to the first embodiment. Note that this processing corresponds to the billing destination determination processing shown in step S1003 of FIG.

  In step S1101, the billing destination determination unit 602 of the management system 50 acquires the communication IDs of the plurality of terminals 10 participating in the session. For example, the billing destination determination unit 602 acquires the communication IDs of all terminals 10 participating in the session. For example, when the session with the session ID “se1” is held in the session management table 802 shown in FIG. 8B, the billing destination determination unit 602 communicates with the communication ID “01aa” of the terminal 10 participating in the session. , “01ab”, “01ac” are acquired.

  In step S <b> 1102, the billing destination determination unit 602 determines whether the communication ID of the target terminal that is the target of the billing destination determination process is included in the group managed by the group management unit 57. For example, the billing destination determination unit 602 determines whether the communication ID of the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01aa” is included in the group management table 803 illustrated in FIG. In the example of FIG. 8C, since the communication ID “01aa” is included in the group with the group ID “gr001”, the billing destination determination unit 602 determines that the communication ID of the target terminal is included in the group. be able to.

  If the communication ID of the target terminal is not included in the group managed by the group management unit 57, the billing destination determination unit 602 moves the process to step S1106, and sets the billing destination corresponding to the communication ID of the target terminal as the target terminal. Determine the billing destination for the session usage fee. On the other hand, when the communication ID of the target terminal is included in the group managed by the group management unit 57, the billing destination determination unit 602 shifts the process to step S1103.

  In step S1103, the billing destination determination unit 602 acquires the group ID of the group including the communication ID of the target terminal. In the example of FIG. 8C, the group ID “gr001” of the group including the communication ID “01aa” of the target terminal is acquired.

  In step S1104, the billing destination determination unit 602 determines whether the communication ID of the other terminal 10 participating in the session is included in the group corresponding to the group ID acquired in step S1103. For example, the billing destination determination unit 602 compares the communication ID acquired in step S1101 with the communication ID included in the group ID acquired in step S1103, and the communication ID of the other terminal 10 participating in the session is determined. , It is determined whether it is included in the group corresponding to the group ID.

  For example, in the group management table 803 of FIG. 8C, the communication IDs “01ab” and “01ac” of the other terminal 10 acquired in step S1101 are the group ID “gr001” including the communication ID “01aa” of the target terminal. Included in the group. Accordingly, in this case, the billing destination determination unit 602 can determine that the communication ID of the other terminal 10 participating in the session is included in one group corresponding to the acquired group ID.

  On the other hand, when the communication IDs of the other terminals 10 acquired in step S1101 are “01ab” and “01ad”, the communication ID “01ad” is assigned to the group ID “01” in the group management table 803 of FIG. It is not included in the group of “gr001”. Therefore, in this case, the billing destination determination unit 602 can determine that the communication ID of the other terminal 10 participating in the session is not included in one group corresponding to the acquired group ID.

  When the communication ID of the other terminal 10 participating in the session is not included in the group corresponding to the acquired group ID, the billing destination determining unit 602 bills the billing address corresponding to the communication ID of the target terminal in step S1106. Is determined as the billing destination for the session usage fee.

  On the other hand, when the communication IDs of the plurality of terminals 10 participating in the session are included in the group corresponding to the acquired group ID, the billing destination determination unit 602 shifts the process to step S1105.

  When the process proceeds to step S1105, the billing destination determination unit 602 uses the billing destination corresponding to the group ID including the communication ID of the target terminal and the other terminal 10 participating in the session as the usage fee for the session of the target terminal. To be billed to

  With the above processing, when a session is started, the billing destination determination unit 602 of the management system 50 can automatically determine a billing destination for a fee related to the started session.

  Next, the processing flow of the entire transmission system 1 will be described using a sequence diagram.

(Transmission system preparation stage processing)
FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of processing in a preparation stage of the transmission system according to the first embodiment. Here, as an example, processing in the preparation stage before the session is started by the terminal 10A, the terminal 10B, and the terminal 10C will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that the communication ID of the terminal 10A is “01aa”, the communication ID of the terminal 10B is “01ab”, and the communication ID of the terminal 10C is “01ac”.

  First, when the user of the terminal 10A, which is the request source terminal, turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 3, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in FIG. Is turned on (step S21). Then, the communication control unit 13 transmits login request information for requesting login from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 when the power is turned on (step S22). Note that the login request information is transmitted when the power switch 109 is turned on, and may be transmitted, for example, when the user operates the operation button 108 or the like.

  In addition, the login request information includes a communication ID (request source communication ID) and a password for identifying the terminal 10A that is the own terminal as the request source. These communication IDs and passwords are, for example, information read from the storage unit 1000 via the storage / readout unit 17. Alternatively, the communication ID and password may be recorded in the storage medium 1010 and read from the storage medium 1010. Further, when the login request information is transmitted from the terminal 10A to the management system 50, the management system 50 that is the reception side can grasp the IP address of the terminal 10A that is the transmission side.

  Next, the terminal authentication unit 52 of the management system 50 searches the above-described authentication management table 702 using the communication ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 as search keys. The terminal authentication unit 52 performs terminal authentication based on whether or not the combination of the communication ID and password included in the login request information received from the terminal 10A is included in the authentication management table 702 (step S23).

  When the terminal authentication unit 52 determines that the login request is from the terminal 10 </ b> A having a legitimate usage right, the terminal state management unit 53 stores the communication ID “01aa” of the terminal 10 </ b> A recorded in the terminal management table 703. Is changed to “ON line (communicable)”. At this time, the terminal state management unit 53 updates the reception date and time, and updates the IP address of the terminal 10 as necessary (step S24). Accordingly, in the terminal management table 703, the communication ID “01aa” of the terminal 10A, the operation state “ON line”, the reception date and time “20xx.4.1.13: 40”, and the IP address “1.2” of the terminal 10aa are displayed. .1.3 "is managed in association with each other.

  Then, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits the authentication result information indicating the authentication result obtained by the terminal authentication unit 52 to the terminal 10A that is the request source terminal that has requested the login via the communication network 2. (Step S25). Here, a case where the terminal authentication unit 52 determines that the terminal has a valid use authority will be described below.

  The terminal extraction unit 54 of the management system 50 searches the destination list management table 801 using the communication ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10A) that requested the login as a search key. Thereby, the terminal extraction unit 54 extracts communication IDs of candidate destination terminals that can communicate with the request source terminal (terminal 10A) (step S26). Here, as an example, “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad” are extracted as the communication IDs of the destination terminal corresponding to the communication ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10A).

  Next, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 searches the terminal management table 703 using the destination terminal candidate communication IDs (“01ab”, “01ac”, “01ad”) extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as search keys. To do. Thereby, each operation state of the communication ID (“01ab”, “01ac”, “01ad”) is acquired by reading the operation state for each communication ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 (step S27).

  Next, the transmission / reception unit 51 sends the destination state information including the operation states of the destination terminal candidate communication IDs (“01ab”, “01ac”, “01ad”) to the request source terminal (terminal 10A). Transmit (step S28). Thereby, the request source terminal (terminal 10A) grasps the current operating state of the communication IDs (“01ab”, “01ac”, “01ad”) that are candidates for the destination terminal of this request source terminal (terminal 10A). be able to.

  Further, the terminal extraction unit 54 of the management system 50 searches the destination list management table 801 using the communication ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10A) that has requested login as a search key. Thereby, the terminal extraction unit 54 extracts another request source communication ID in which the communication ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10A) is registered as a destination terminal candidate (step S29). In the destination list management table 801 shown in FIG. 11A, the communication IDs of other request source terminals to be extracted are “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad”.

  Next, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 of the management system 50 searches the terminal management table 703 using the communication ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10A) that has made the login request as a search key. Thereby, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 acquires the operating state of the request source terminal (terminal 10A) that has requested the login (step S30).

  The transmission / reception unit 51 sets the operation state to “ON line (communicable)” in the terminal management table 703 among the communication IDs (“01ab”, “01ac”, “01ad”) extracted in step S29. Communication IDs (“01ab”, “01ac”) are extracted. Further, the transmission / reception unit 51 sends the communication ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10A) and the operation state “ON line” to the terminals 10B and 10C corresponding to the extracted communication IDs (“01ab”, “01ac”). Destination state information including “communicable” is transmitted (steps S31-1, 2).

  When the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the destination state information to the terminals 10B and 10C, the IP address of the terminal managed in the terminal management table 703 is set based on each communication ID (“01ab”, “01ac”). refer. As a result, the communication ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10A) and the operating state are transmitted to each of the destination terminals (terminal 10B, 10C) that can communicate with the request source terminal (terminal 10A) that requested the login. "ON line (communicable)" can be transmitted.

  On the other hand, in the other terminals 10 as well, for example, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 3, the operation input reception unit 12 shown in FIG. And the same processing as the processing in steps S22 to S31-1, 2 is performed.

(Communication processing)
FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of communication processing of the transmission system according to the first embodiment. Here, an example of transmitting content data between the terminal 10A and the terminal 10B will be described.

  In step S1301, upon receiving a destination terminal (terminal 10B) selection operation by the user of the terminal 10A, the terminal 10A transmits start request information for requesting the management system 50 to start a session (step S1302). The start request information includes, for example, a request source communication ID that is a communication ID of the terminal 10A that is the request source terminal, a destination communication ID that is a communication ID of the terminal 10B that is the destination terminal, and the like. The start request information includes information such as the IP address (request source IP address) of the terminal 10A.

  In step S1303, the terminal state management unit 53 of the management system 50 that has received the start request information from the terminal 10A, based on the communication ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10A) included in the start request information. Update. For example, the terminal state management unit 53 changes the operation state information corresponding to the communication ID “01aa” of the terminal 10A to “ON line (during communication)” and updates the reception date information.

  In step S1304, the session management unit 56 of the management system 50 transmits start request information for requesting the start of the session to the terminal 10B that is the destination terminal. This start request information includes, for example, the request source communication ID of the terminal 10A that is the request source terminal.

  In step S <b> 1305, the terminal 10 </ b> B that has received the start request information from the management system 50 transmits start response information to the management system 50. This start response information includes, for example, the destination communication ID of the terminal 10B.

  In step S1306, the terminal state management unit 53 of the management system 50 that has received the start response information from the terminal 10B updates the terminal management DB 5003 based on the communication ID “01ab” of the terminal 10B included in the start response information. For example, the terminal state management unit 53 changes the operation state information corresponding to the communication ID “01ab” of the terminal 10B to “ON line (during communication)” and updates the reception date information.

  In step S1307, the session management unit 56 of the management system 50 creates a session ID that is identification information for identifying a session.

  In step S1308, the session management unit 56 stores the created session ID in the session management DB 5005 in association with the request source communication ID (the communication ID of the terminal 10A) and the destination communication ID (the communication ID of the terminal 10B). .

  In step S <b> 1309, the session management unit 56 of the management system 50 transmits session information to the relay device 30. This session information includes, for example, information such as the session ID created in step S1307.

  In step S1310a, the session management unit 56 of the management system 50 transmits start instruction information for instructing the terminal 10A to start a session. Similarly, in step S1310b, the session control unit 56a of the management system 50 transmits start instruction information that instructs the terminal 10B to start a session. The start instruction information includes information such as a session ID which is session identification information.

  In step S1311a, the terminal 10A establishes a communication session with the relay device 30 based on the received start instruction information. Similarly, in step S1311b, the terminal 10B establishes a communication session with the relay device 30 based on the received start instruction information.

  Through the above processing, the terminals 10A and 10B can participate in a communication session having the same session ID and transmit content data such as image data and sound data to each other.

  When a communication session is established in steps S1311a and S1311b and content data can be transmitted between the terminal 10A and the terminal 10B, the management system 50 starts the accounting process described in FIG.

  For example, in step S1312, billing processing is performed when the “billing time” (for example, one minute) stored in the fee information management table 902 in FIG. 9B has elapsed since the establishment of the communication session.

  For example, the charge calculation unit 604 of the management system 50 calculates the charge calculation unit 603 for the billing destination (billing destination ID “ac004”) corresponding to the group ID “gr001” including the communication IDs of the terminals 10A and 10B. Charge (for example, debit) the fee. In addition, the charging control unit 604 updates, for example, charging date information in the session management table 802 illustrated in FIG.

  In step S1313, for example, the “billing time” stored in the charge information management table 902 in FIG. 9B has elapsed from the date and time stored in the charging date information in the session management table 802 illustrated in FIG. 8B. Then, a billing process similar to step S1312 is performed.

  The fee management unit 59 of the management system 50 repeats such billing processing at billing time intervals until the communication session ends.

  Through the above processing, the management system 50 according to the present embodiment, when the communication IDs of all the terminals 10 participating in the session are included in the predetermined group, the communication fee related to the session of the terminal 10 is determined as the predetermined group fee. It becomes possible to charge the billing destination.

  Therefore, by storing in advance a combination of a plurality of communication IDs used for public use as a predetermined group, the user can use the same communication ID and a private communication fee regardless of the representative account. It will be possible to easily use public communication charges.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, an example of processing in a case where target terminals to be charged for a session are included in a plurality of groups will be described.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 14 is a functional configuration diagram of a transmission system according to the second embodiment. The management system 50 according to the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14 includes a billing destination management unit 1401 in addition to the functional configuration of the management system 50 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. Further, the storage unit 5000 according to the present embodiment stores a communication ID management DB 1402 instead of the terminal management DB 5003 stored in the storage unit 5000 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. The other configuration of the transmission system 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as the configuration of the transmission system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The billing destination management unit (billing destination management means) 1401 is a means for setting and managing a billing destination ID (hereinafter referred to as a priority billing destination ID) for which a charge is made preferentially for each communication ID of the terminal 10. For example, it is realized by a program operating on the CPU 201 of FIG.

  The billing destination management unit 1401 displays, for example, a priority billing destination setting screen, which will be described later, on the terminal 10 and stores the billing destination ID selected by the user in the communication ID management DB 1402 for management. .

<Example of information managed by the management system>
FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram of an example of information managed by the management system according to the second embodiment.

(Communication ID management table)
The communication ID management DB 1402 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a communication ID management table 1501 as shown in FIG. The communication ID management table 1501 is an extension of the terminal management table 703 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7C so that the above-described priority billing destination ID can be stored.

  In the example of FIG. 15A, the communication ID management table 1501 stores “priority billing destination ID” in association with each communication ID. The priority billing destination ID is set and managed by the billing destination management unit 1401 described above.

  Note that information such as “destination name”, “operation status”, “reception date / time”, and “terminal IP address” included in the communication ID management table 1501 is the terminal status management unit 53 as in the first embodiment. Managed by.

  As another example, the communication ID management DB 1402 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 includes, for example, a communication ID management table 1502 as shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 15B, the communication ID management table 1502 stores a plurality of priority billing destination IDs having different priorities, such as “first priority billing destination ID” and “second priority billing destination ID”. It can be done. In this way, the billing destination management unit 1401 may store and manage a plurality of priority billing destination IDs having different priorities.

(Group management table)
FIG. 15C shows an example of the group management table 1503 according to this embodiment. A group management table 1503 illustrated in FIG. 15C includes “group name” information in addition to the configuration of the group management table 803 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. The information of the “group name” is used, for example, by the billing destination management unit 1401 to display on the priority billing destination setting screen to be displayed on the terminal 10 so that the user can easily select the billing destination.

(Billing address management table)
FIG. 15D shows an example of a billing destination management table 1504 according to this embodiment. The configuration of the billing destination management table 1504 is the same as the configuration of the billing destination management table 901 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, in the billing destination management table 1504 shown in FIG. 15D, part of the stored information is different from the billing destination management table 901 in FIG. 9C for explanation.

  Note that the configurations of the relay device management table 701, the authentication management table 702, the destination list management table 801, the session management table 802, the charge information management tables 902, 903, etc. that are not shown in FIG. 15 are the same as in the first embodiment. Good.

<Example of setting screen for priority billing party>
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a priority billing destination setting screen according to the second embodiment.

  FIG. 16A is an example of a priority billing destination setting screen. The user of the terminal 10 can set a priority billing destination using, for example, a priority billing destination setting screen 1610 as shown in FIG. The priority billing destination setting screen 1610 may be called, for example, from a setting screen of a conference application that operates on the terminal 10 or displayed on the terminal 10 when the conference starts. It may be a thing. Alternatively, the priority billing destination setting screen 1610 may be displayed on the terminal 10 by a web page provided by the billing destination management unit 1401 or the like.

  In the priority billing destination setting screen 1610 shown in FIG. 16A, the user of the terminal 10 displays a setting candidate by using a pull-down menu or the like, selects an individual or group name as the priority billing destination, and determines a button. Press 1613. In response to this, the billing destination management unit 1401 of the management system 50 displays the billing destination ID corresponding to the selected individual or group in the priority billing destination ID, for example, in the communication ID management table 1501 shown in FIG. Remember and manage as.

  Among the setting candidates displayed on the priority billing destination setting screen 1610, the name of “group” corresponds to, for example, “group name” of the group management table 1503 shown in FIG. In addition, “individual” among the setting candidates displayed on the priority billing destination setting screen 1610 is selected when the user wants to bill an individual (for example, himself) instead of a group. The priority billing destination setting screen 1610 preferably has a default setting, for example, “personal” is selected when no setting is made.

  FIG. 16B is another example of the priority billing destination setting screen. The priority billing destination setting screen 1620 shown in FIG. 16B has a first priority billing destination setting column 1621 and a second priority billing destination setting column 1622. The user of the terminal 10 displays the setting candidates by using a pull-down menu or the like, selects the first priority billing destination and the second priority billing destination, and presses the enter button. In response to this, the billing destination management unit 1401 of the management system 50 stores the selected first priority billing destination and second priority billing destination in the communication ID management table 1502 of FIG. It is stored and managed as a first priority billing destination ID and a second priority billing destination ID.

<Process flow>
FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of billing destination determination processing according to the second embodiment. Note that this processing corresponds to the “use fee billing destination determination processing” in step S1003 in the accounting processing flowchart shown in FIG. Note that steps other than step S1003 in the accounting process flowchart shown in FIG. 10 may be the same as those in the first embodiment.

  Here, the following description will be given on the assumption that the communication ID of the target terminal to be billed is “01aa”.

  In step S1701, the billing destination determination unit 602 of the management system 50 acquires the communication IDs of the plurality of terminals 10 participating in the session. For example, when the session with the session ID “se1” is held in the session management table 802 shown in FIG. 8B, the billing destination determination unit 602 communicates with the communication ID “01aa” of the terminal 10 participating in the session. , “01ab”, “01ac” are acquired.

  In step S <b> 1702, the billing destination determination unit 602 acquires a group ID including the communication ID of the target terminal that is the target of billing destination determination processing. For example, the billing destination determination unit 602 refers to the group management table 1503 illustrated in FIG. 15C and acquires group IDs “gr001” and “gr002” of the group including the communication ID “01aa” of the target terminal.

  In step S1703, the billing destination determination unit 602 branches the process according to whether or not the target terminal is included in one or more groups.

  In the above example, since the communication ID “01aa” of the target terminal is included in the groups with the group IDs “gr001” and “gr002”, the billing destination determination unit 602 shifts the processing to step S1704.

  On the other hand, when the communication ID of the target terminal is not included in the group managed by the group management unit 57, the billing destination determination unit 602 shifts the process to step S1710, and determines the billing destination corresponding to the communication ID of the target terminal. Decide where to charge for session usage.

  In step S1704, the billing destination determination unit 602 extracts a group including all of a plurality of terminals participating in the session from the group corresponding to the group ID acquired in step S1702.

  In step S1705, the billing destination determination unit 602 branches the process according to the presence / absence of the corresponding group.

  If there is no corresponding group, the billing destination determination unit 602 shifts the processing to step S1710, and determines the billing destination corresponding to the communication ID of the target terminal as the billing destination of the session usage fee. On the other hand, when there is a corresponding group, the billing destination determination unit 602 shifts the processing to step S1706.

  In step S1706, the billing destination determination unit 602 acquires a billing destination ID corresponding to the corresponding group and target terminal. For example, the billing destination determination unit 602 is a billing destination ID corresponding to the group ID “gr001”, “gr002” and the terminal ID “01aa” of the target terminal from the billing destination management table 1504 shown in FIG. Ac005 "," ac006 ", and" ac001 "are acquired.

  In step S1707, the billing destination determination unit 602 acquires a priority billing destination ID corresponding to the target terminal. For example, the billing destination determination unit 602 acquires the priority billing destination ID “ac005” corresponding to the communication ID “01aa” of the target terminal from the communication ID management table 1501 in FIG.

  In step S1708, the billing destination determination unit 602 determines whether or not the priority billing destination ID acquired in step S1707 is included in the billing destination ID acquired in step S1706.

  In the above example, the priority billing destination ID “ac005” acquired in step S1707 is included in the billing destination IDs “ac005”, “ac006”, and “ac001” acquired in step S1706.

  As described above, when the priority billing destination ID acquired in step S1707 is included in the billing destination ID acquired in step S1706, the billing destination determination unit 602 sets the billing destination corresponding to the priority billing destination ID in step S1709. Determine the billing destination for the usage fee.

  On the other hand, if the priority billing destination ID obtained in step S1707 is not included in the billing destination ID obtained in step S1706, the billing destination determination unit 602 selects the billing destination corresponding to the communication ID of the target terminal in step S1710. Decide where to charge for session usage.

  When the communication ID management table 1502 shown in FIG. 15B is used, the billing destination determination unit 602 acquires a plurality of priority billing destination IDs in step S1707. In step S1708, the billing destination determination unit 602 determines the billing destination corresponding to the priority billing destination ID having the highest priority as the billing destination of the session usage fee.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in the management system 50, when the target terminal to be charged is included in a plurality of groups, the session usage fee is charged based on the preset priority billing destination ID. The destination can be determined.

[Third Embodiment]
In the first and second embodiments, for example, an example has been described in which billing processing is performed for each “billing time” in the fee information management table 902 illustrated in FIG. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which billing processing is performed when the conference ends or when the user of the terminal 10 leaves the conference.

<Functional configuration>
FIG. 18 is a functional configuration diagram of a transmission system according to the third embodiment. The management system 50 according to the third embodiment illustrated in FIG. 18 includes a billing destination determination unit 1801 in addition to the functional configuration of the management system 50 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. The storage unit 5000 according to the present embodiment stores a communication ID management DB 1802 instead of the terminal management DB 5003 stored in the storage unit 5000 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. The other configuration of the transmission system 1 according to the third embodiment is the same as the configuration of the transmission system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  The billing destination determination unit (determination unit) 1801 determines the session ID of the session in which the terminal 10 is participating (hereinafter referred to as a participating session ID) and the billing destination of the fee in association with the communication ID of the terminal 10. Communication ID (hereinafter referred to as determination communication ID) is stored and managed. Further, the billing destination determination unit 1801 determines (extracts) a charge billing destination candidate of the target terminal that is the target of the billing process, using the determination communication ID.

  Further, the billing destination determination unit 1801 displays a list of the extracted billing destination candidates in a selectable manner on the target terminal that has left or ended the session, and the billing destination selected by the user is the billing destination for the session. Is determined (determined). Note that the billing destination determination unit 1801 is realized by, for example, a program that operates on the CPU 201 in FIG.

<Example of information managed by the management system>
FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram of an example of information managed by the management system according to the third embodiment.

(Communication ID management table)
The communication ID management DB 1802 stored in the storage unit 5000 of the management system 50 according to the present embodiment includes, for example, a communication ID management table 1901 as shown in FIG. This communication ID management table 1501 is an extension of the terminal management table 703 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7C so that “participation session ID” and “determination communication ID” can be stored. is there.

  In the example of FIG. 19A, the communication ID management table 1901 stores “participating session ID” and “determination communication ID” in association with each communication ID. The “participating session ID” and “determination communication ID” are managed by the billing destination determination unit 1801 described above.

  For example, when the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01aa” participates in the session with the session ID “se1”, the billing destination determination unit 1801 adds the session ID “se1” to the “participation session ID” corresponding to the communication ID “01aa”. Remember.

  In addition, the billing destination determination unit 1801 determines the communication ID of the terminal 10 that has communicated between the time when the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01aa” participates in the session with the session ID “se1” and leaves the time as “communication for determination”. ID ”.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the determination communication ID according to the third embodiment.

  For example, in Step A of FIG. 19, the communication ID “01aa” target terminal starts a session “se1” with the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01ab”. At this time, the communication IDs of the terminals participating in the session “se1” are “01aa” and “01ab”. In this case, the billing destination determination unit 1801 stores the communication IDs “01aa” and “01ab” in the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal (communication ID “01aa”) in the communication ID management table 1901.

  In step B, when the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01ac” participates in the session “se1”, the communication IDs of the terminals participating in the session “se1” are “01aa”, “01ab”, and “01ac”. Become. In this case, the billing destination determination unit 1801 stores the communication IDs “01aa”, “01ab”, and “01ac” in the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal in the communication ID management table 1901.

  In step C, when the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01ad” participates in the session “se1”, the communication IDs of the terminals participating in the session “se1” are “01aa”, “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad”. In this case, the billing destination determination unit 1801 stores the communication IDs “01aa”, “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad” in the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal in the communication ID management table 1901. .

  In step D, when the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01ad” leaves the session “se1”, the communication IDs of the terminals participating in the session “se1” are “01aa”, “01ab”, and “01ac”. Become. In this case, the billing destination determination unit 1801 does not delete the communication ID “01ad” from the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal (communication ID “01aa”) in the communication ID management table 1901. That is, the billing destination determination unit 1801 stores the communication IDs “01aa”, “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad” as they are in the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal in the communication ID management table 1901. To do.

  In step E, when the terminal 10 with the communication ID “01ab” leaves the session “se1”, the communication IDs of the terminals 10 participating in the session “se1” are “01aa” and “01ac”. Also in this case, the billing destination determination unit 1801 does not delete the communication ID “01ab” from the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal (communication ID “01aa”) in the communication ID management table 1901. That is, the billing destination determination unit 1801 stores the communication IDs “01aa”, “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad” as they are in the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal in the communication ID management table 1901. To do.

  In step F, when the session “se1” ends, there are no terminals 10 participating in the session “se1”. Also in this case, the billing destination determination unit 1801 does not delete the communication IDs “01aa” and “01ac” from the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal (communication ID “01aa”) in the communication ID management table 1901. That is, the billing destination determination unit 1801 stores the communication IDs “01aa”, “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad” as they are in the “determination communication ID” corresponding to the target terminal in the communication ID management table 1901. To do.

  As described above, the “communication ID for determination” in the communication ID management table 1901 stores all the communication IDs of the terminals 10 that have once participated in the “participation session ID”.

  The “determination communication ID” is reset and updated every time a new session is started.

  Returning to FIG. 19, the description of the communication ID management table 1901 will be continued.

  Information such as “destination name”, “operation status”, “reception date / time”, and “terminal IP address” included in the communication ID management table 1901 is managed by the terminal status management unit 53 as in the first embodiment. Is done.

(Session management table)
FIG. 19B shows an example of a session management table according to the third embodiment. In the session management table 1902 shown in FIG. 19B, the “billing date” information is deleted from the session management table 802 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 8B. In the present embodiment, the charging process is performed when the target terminal leaves the session or when the session ends. Therefore, it is not necessary to manage “charging date and time” in the session management table 1902.

(Group management table)
FIG. 19C shows an example of a group management table 1903 according to the third embodiment. A group management table 1903 illustrated in FIG. 19C includes “group name” information in addition to the configuration of the group management table 803 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG.

(Billing address management table)
FIG. 19D shows an example of a billing destination management table 1904 according to the third embodiment. The configuration of the billing destination management table 1904 is the same as the configuration of the billing destination management table 901 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, in the billing destination management table 1904 shown in FIG. 19D, part of the stored information is different from the billing destination management table 901 in FIG. 9C for explanation.

(Price information management table)
FIG. 19E shows an example of a charge information management table according to the third embodiment. In the present embodiment, charging processing is performed when the target terminal leaves the session. Therefore, the fee information management table 1905 according to the present embodiment may not include the “billing time” information included in the fee information management table 902 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9B. .

  The configurations of the relay device management table 701, the authentication management table 702, the destination list management table 801, the charge information management tables 902 and 903, etc. that are not described in FIG. 19 may be the same as those in the first embodiment.

<Process flow>
(Example of billing process)
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a charging process of the management system according to the third embodiment. The management system 50 according to the present embodiment, for example, charges the terminal 10 (target terminal) that is the target of the charging process when the session ends or when the target terminal leaves the session, as shown in FIG. Process.

  In step S2101, when the target terminal leaves the session or the session in which the target terminal participates ends, the management system 50 executes the processing from step S2102 onward.

  In step S2102, the fee calculation unit 603 of the management system 50 calculates a usage fee related to a session based on the session management table 1902 shown in FIG. 19B and the fee information management table 1905 shown in FIG. . For example, if the target terminal leaves the session after 5 minutes from the “session start date / time” in the session management table 1902, the charge calculation unit 603 is 5 (minutes) × 10 (yen / minute). It will be 50 yen.

  In step S2103, the billing destination determination unit 1801 of the management system 50 performs fee billing destination candidate determination processing described later. By this processing, the billing destination determination unit 1801 determines (extracts) a billing destination candidate.

  In step S2104, the billing destination determination unit 602 of the management system 50 causes the target terminal to display a billing destination selection screen including a list of candidate billing destinations determined in step S2103. FIG. 22 shows an example of a billing destination selection screen displayed on the target terminal at this time.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a billing destination selection screen according to the third embodiment. The charge billing destination selection screen 2201 displays, for example, a list of usage fees 2202 calculated in step S2102 in FIG. 21 and billing destination candidates 2203 that are candidates for the charge billing determined in step S2103. The user of the target terminal can designate the billing destination of the session fee by selecting one billing destination from the list of billing destination candidates 2203 and selecting the decision button 2204.

  In step S2105 of FIG. 21, the billing destination determination unit 602 of the management system 50 acquires information on the billing destination selected by the user of the target terminal.

  In step S2106, the billing destination determination unit 602 of the management system 50 determines the billing destination selected by the user of the target terminal as the session usage fee billing destination, and the charging control unit 604 determines the determined billing. Charge first. For example, the charging control unit 604 deducts the usage fee (for example, “50 yen”) from the charge amount of the billing destination ID corresponding to the selected billing destination in the billing destination management table 1904 shown in FIG. (Subtract).

(Billing destination candidate determination process)
FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a billing destination candidate determination process according to the third embodiment. This process corresponds to the “fee billing destination candidate determination process” in step S2103 of FIG.

  In step S2301, the billing destination determination unit 1801 of the management system 50 acquires a communication ID for determination corresponding to the target terminal (communication ID “01aa”) from the communication ID management table 1901 shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 19A, the determination communication IDs corresponding to the target terminal are “01aa”, “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad”.

  In step S2302, the billing destination determination unit 1801 acquires the group ID of the group to which the target terminal belongs from the group management table 1903 shown in FIG. In the example of FIG. 19C, the group IDs of the groups to which the target terminal belongs are “gr001” and “gr002”.

  In step S2303, the billing destination determination unit 1801 determines whether the target terminal is included in one or more groups.

  If the target terminal is not included in one or more groups, the billing destination determination unit 1801 shifts the processing to step S2307 and sets the billing destination ID “ac001” corresponding to the target terminal as a charge billing destination candidate. .

  On the other hand, when the target terminal is included in one or more groups, the billing destination determination unit 1801 shifts the processing to step S2304. In the example of FIG. 19C, since the target terminal is included in the groups corresponding to the group IDs “gr001” and “gr002”, the process proceeds to step S2304.

  In step S2304, the billing destination determination unit 1801 determines whether there is a group including all of the determination communication IDs acquired in step S2301 among the groups including the target terminal.

  If there is no group including all the determination communication IDs acquired in step S2301 among the groups including the target terminal, the billing destination determination unit 1801 shifts the processing to step S2307 and sets the billing destination ID “ “ac001” is a candidate for the billing destination.

  On the other hand, when there is a group including all the determination communication IDs acquired in step S2301 among the groups including the target terminal, the billing destination determination unit 1801 shifts the process to step S2306. In the above example, the communication IDs for determination acquired in step S2301 correspond to the group IDs “gr001” and “gr002” acquired in step S2303 for “01aa”, “01ab”, “01ac”, and “01ad”. Included in the group.

  In step S2306, the billing destination determination unit 1801 sets the billing destination ID corresponding to the corresponding group (group ID “gr001”, “gr002”) and the target terminal (communication ID “01aa”) to the charge billing destination. Judge as a candidate. In the example of FIG. 19D, the billing destination IDs “ac005”, “ac006”, and “ac001” are candidates for the billing destination.

  Note that the processing illustrated in FIG. 23 is merely an example. For example, if the determination communication ID matches the communication ID of the group including the target terminal in step S2304, the billing destination determination unit 1801 uses the group as a candidate for the billing destination. good. In addition, in step S2306, the billing destination determination unit 1801 does not set the billing destination ID corresponding to the target terminal as the fee billing destination candidate, but sets the billing destination ID corresponding to the corresponding group as the fee billing destination candidate. It may be.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when target terminals to be charged are included in a plurality of groups, the charge billing destination selection screen is displayed on the terminal 10 to allow the user to select the billing destination. Will be able to.

[Other Embodiments]
In the first embodiment, when communication IDs of all the terminals 10 participating in a session are included in one group, the session usage fee is charged to the billing destination of the group. However, the charging method according to the present invention can be applied in various ways.

  For example, when a predetermined number (for example, 3) or more of communication IDs are included in one group among the communication IDs of the terminals 10 participating in the session, the management system 50 determines the usage fee for the session of the target terminal, It may be one that charges the billing destination of the group.

  Thereby, for example, a session in which three or more communication IDs participate can be determined as a session by the group, and the group can be charged regardless of the presence or absence of a terminal ID outside the group. .

<Summary>
When the communication IDs of a plurality of terminals 10 participating in a session are included in one group, the management system 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a session usage fee including the communication IDs of the plurality of terminals 10. Charge the group billing address.

  As a result, the management system 50 determines, for example, a session including a plurality of communication IDs belonging to one group as a public session, and charges the usage fee for the session to a public billing destination (group billing destination). Will be able to.

  Therefore, according to the transmission management system 50 according to each of the above-described embodiments, the user can easily use the private communication charge and the public communication charge properly with one account regardless of the representative account. Will be able to.

[Supplement of Embodiment]
The relay device 30, the management system 50, etc. in each of the above embodiments may be constructed by a single computer, or by a plurality of computers arbitrarily assigned by dividing each unit (function or means). May be.

  7 and 8, the date and time are managed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least the time of the date and time may be managed.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case of a video conference terminal has been described as an example of a transmission terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a telephone system such as an IP (Internet Protocol) telephone or an Internet telephone may be used. Moreover, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a car navigation terminal, a wearable computer, a monitoring camera, an electronic blackboard, a projector, a game machine, or an industrial device having a communication function may be used. The wearable computer includes a wristwatch, a head mounted display, and the like. Industrial equipment includes office equipment such as an MFP (Multifunction Peripheral / Printer / Product), medical equipment such as an endoscope, and agricultural equipment such as a cultivator.

  In the above embodiment, image data and sound data have been described as an example of content data. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and touch data may be used. In this case, the sense that the user touched on one terminal side is transmitted to the other terminal side. Further, the content data may be smell data. In this case, the odor (odor) on one terminal side is transmitted to the other terminal side. The content data may be at least one of image data, sound data, tactile data, and olfactory data.

1 Transmission system 10 Terminal (Transmission terminal)
30 relay device 50 management system (transmission management system)
56 Session management section (session management means)
57 Group management department (group management means)
58 Fee information management department (fee information management means)
601 Billing address management unit (billing address management means)
602 Billing destination determination unit (determination means)
603 Charge calculator (calculation means)
604 Charge control unit (billing means)
1010 storage medium
1401 Billing address management unit (billing address management means)
1801 Billing destination determination unit (determination means)
5005 Session management DB
5006 Group management DB (Group information)
5007 Charge information management DB (charge information)
5008 Billing destination management DB (Billing party information)

JP 2005-303540 A

Claims (11)

A transmission management system for managing a session for transmitting content data between a plurality of transmission terminals,
Group management means for managing group information including identification information of a plurality of accounts that can participate in the session;
Billing address management means for managing billing address information of the group;
Session management means for managing identification information of a plurality of accounts participating in the session;
When the identification information of a plurality of accounts participating in the session is included in one group managed by the group management unit, a billing unit that charges the charge for the session to the billing destination of the one group When,
A transmission management system. The billing means is
When the identification information of all the accounts participating in the session is included in one group managed by the group management means, the fee related to the session of at least one account participating in the session is The transmission management system according to claim 1, wherein the billing destination of the group is charged. The account identification information is:
The identification information of the transmission terminal, the identification information of the user of the transmission terminal, or the identification information of a contractor stored in a storage medium attached to the transmission terminal. Transmission management system. Fee information management means for managing fee information relating to the session;
Calculation means for calculating a charge for the session at a predetermined charge time based on the charge information;
The transmission management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The billing means is
The transmission management system according to claim 4, wherein the charging is performed at each charging time. The billing management means
Manages billing information corresponding to identification information of a plurality of accounts that can participate in the session;
The billing means is
When the identification information of one account participating in the session is not included in the group managed by the group management means, the fee for the session of the one account corresponds to the identification information of the one account The transmission management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a billing destination is charged. Billing destination management means for managing information on a priority billing destination that preferentially charges a fee related to the session of the account;
When identification information of a plurality of accounts participating in the session is included in a plurality of groups managed by the group management unit, a billing destination for the session is determined based on the priority billing information. A determination means;
Have
The billing means is
The transmission management system according to claim 1, wherein a charge related to the session of one account participating in the session is charged to the determined billing destination. When the identification information of a plurality of accounts that participated in the session is included in a plurality of groups managed by the group management unit, a determination unit that determines the plurality of groups as billing destination candidates;
A determination means for causing the transmission terminal of one account participating in the session to display the charge billing candidate so as to be selectable, and determining the selected group to be a group that charges the fee related to the session;
Have
The billing means is
The transmission management system according to claim 1, wherein a charge related to the session of one account participating in the session is charged to a charge destination of the charge of the determined group. The transmission management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A relay device connected to the transmission management system via a network;
A plurality of transmission terminals for transmitting content data via the relay device using a session managed by the transmission management system;
A transmission system. A computer that manages a session for transmitting content data between a plurality of transmission terminals.
Group management means for managing group information including identification information of a plurality of accounts that can participate in the session;
Billing address management means for managing billing address information of the group;
Session management means for managing identification information of a plurality of accounts participating in the session;
When the identification information of a plurality of accounts participating in the session is included in one group managed by the group management unit, a billing unit that charges the charge for the session to the billing destination of the one group When,
Program to function as. A charging method by a transmission management system for managing a session for transmitting content data between a plurality of transmission terminals,
The transmission management system is
Managing group information including identification information of multiple accounts that can participate in the session;
Manage the billing information for the group,
Managing the identification information of multiple accounts participating in the session;
A charging method, wherein identification information of a plurality of accounts participating in the session is included in the group, and a charge related to the session is charged to a billing destination of the group.

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