JP2022189144A - Image display control apparatus for online conference, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To switch a shared screen through fewer operations smoothly, thereby improving the efficiency of a conference or a lecture.SOLUTION: A screen display control apparatus or method includes: generating a list of icons arranged for each of multiple participant terminals or each of multiple shared files that are transmitted by the participant terminals; displaying the list on the participant terminals; selecting, when an icon in the list is selected, a shared file corresponding to the selected icon; generating shared screen display data for displaying the selected shared file on a display screen together with the list; and displaying the data on the participant terminals.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Patent Act Article 30, Paragraph 2 application filed 1. August 31, 2020 Announced on the website listed in the attachment 2. August 31, 2020 https://newwork. app/login https://newwork. Announced at app/signup 3. Announced at the online workspace “NewWork” service experience meeting on September 4, 2020

One aspect of the present invention relates to a screen display control device, method, and program used, for example, in an online conference system.

In recent years, companies, schools, etc. are increasingly introducing online conference systems that can be used anywhere, such as workspaces and lecture spaces, from the perspective of diversifying work styles and lecture methods and preventing infectious diseases. In an online conference system, for example, the terminals of multiple participants are connected to a server device on the cloud or the Web via a network, and the server device appropriately selects or edits the voice and video of each participant and sends them to each terminal. This transmission enables conference communication between a plurality of terminals.

By the way, some online conference systems have a screen sharing function, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. The screen sharing function, for example, allows a participant to transfer a file saved on their own terminal to another participant's terminal via a server device and display it on the screen, so that one file can be shared between multiple participants. It is a function that allows you to share with By using this function, for example, the conference or lecture can proceed while the central person or the lecturer shares the reception materials created by the central person of the conference or the teaching material of the lecturer with all the participants or students. It is possible and very convenient.

JP 2010-086067 A

However, in general, an online conference system displays a single file provided by, for example, a host among participants as a shared screen on the terminals of other participants. Therefore, when the file displayed on the shared screen is to be switched to another file, the file provider cancels the sharing setting of the file being displayed each time, and then selects another file to use as the shared screen. An operation to reset the settings was required, and the operation of switching the display of the shared file required time and effort, leading to a decrease in the efficiency of meetings and lectures. Also, for example, when switching the display of a shared file provided by the host to a shared file provided by another participant, the host and participants need to perform similar operations while cooperating with each other. It required more work and time.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a technique for improving the efficiency of meetings, lectures, etc. by enabling smooth switching of display of shared files provided by a plurality of meeting participants with a small number of operations. I am trying to.

In order to solve the above problems, a screen display control device or method according to one aspect of the present invention generates a list including icons corresponding to each of a plurality of shared files provided from a plurality of participant terminals, When an arbitrary icon is selected from the list, the shared file corresponding to the selected icon is obtained. Then, display data for displaying the generated list and the acquired shared file on the display screen of the participant terminal is generated and output to the participant terminal.

According to one aspect of the present invention, for example, a list containing icons corresponding to each of a plurality of shared files provided from a plurality of participant terminals is generated, and the generated list is displayed on each participant terminal. displayed on the screen. Then, when an arbitrary icon is selected from the displayed list, the corresponding shared file is obtained and displayed on the display screen. Therefore, the participant can check the list of shared files from the list displayed on the display screen, and can switch the display of the shared file only by specifying the desired icon in the list in this state. .

That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, for example, when a plurality of participants each provide a shared file, each participant can smoothly switch the display of the shared file with a small number of operations. and the efficiency of lectures, etc. can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an online conference system according to the first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a conference server having functions as a screen display control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention in the system shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the conference server shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the overall processing procedure and processing contents of online conference control by the conference server shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure and processing contents of screen sharing processing in the processing procedure of online conference control shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first example of display data generated by the screen sharing process shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second example of display data generated by the screen sharing process shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a third example of display data generated by the screen sharing process shown in FIG.

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

[First embodiment]
(Configuration example)
(1) System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an online conference system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The online conference system includes a conference server SV that functions as a screen display control device according to the first embodiment of the invention. A plurality of terminals used by conference participants can be connected to the conference server SV via the network NW. The plurality of terminals includes a host terminal UT0 used by the central person of the conference and a plurality of participant terminals UT1 to UTn used by participants in the conference.

Since the basic functions of the host terminal UT0 and the participant terminals UT1 to UTn are the same, and the roles of the central person and the participants may be changed during the conference, the above host terminal UT0 and the participant terminals UT1 will be described below. ˜UTn are collectively referred to as participant terminals UT.

As the plurality of participant terminals UT, for example, information terminals such as desktop personal computers, notebook personal computers, and tablet personal computers are used, but mobile terminals such as smartphones are also used. may be

The plurality of participant terminals UT has a hardware configuration including a control unit including a processor, a storage unit storing various programs and data, a communication interface unit for transmitting and receiving data to/from the network NW, and an input device. and a data input/output unit including a display device, and an audio input/output unit including a microphone and a speaker. Software used for the online conference includes a browser and an online conference application program that runs on the browser.

The online conference application program cooperates with the online conference control program of the conference server SV to execute predetermined control processing related to the online conference at the terminal. Specifically, in a state in which a communication link for an online conference is established with the conference server SV, various data such as voices, images and documents of conference participants are transmitted and received. Note that the online conference application program may use, for example, the mechanism of the WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) function.

The network NW is based on the Internet, for example, and has an access network for connecting the conference server SV and the plurality of participant terminals UT. As the access network, for example, a wired or wireless public communication network or a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network) is used, but a CATV (Cable Television) network or the like may also be used. good.

(2) Conference server SV
2 and 3 are block diagrams showing the hardware configuration and software configuration of the conference server SV, respectively.

The conference server SV is composed of, for example, a server computer installed on the cloud or on the Web, and includes a control section 10 using a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU). A storage unit having a program storage section 20 and a data storage section 30 and a communication I/F 40 are connected to the control section 10 via a bus 50 .

Under the control of the control unit 10, the communication I/F 40 uses a communication protocol defined by the network NW, such as TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), to communicate with a plurality of participant terminals UT. Each transmits and receives information data.

The program storage unit 20 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that can be written and read at any time as a storage medium, and a non-volatile memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory). , and in addition to middleware such as an OS (Operating System), stores an online conference control program necessary for executing various control processes according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The data storage unit 30 is, for example, a combination of a non-volatile memory, such as an HDD or an SSD, which can be written and read at any time, and a volatile memory, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), as a storage medium. A participant identification information storage unit 31, a list storage unit 32, and a shared file storage unit 33 are provided as main data storage areas necessary for carrying out the first embodiment.

The participant identification information storage unit 31 is used to store identification information (hereinafter also referred to as participant IDs) of a plurality of participants who have participated in the online conference. As the identification information of the participants, for example, identification numbers such as the participant's name, employee number, student ID number, etc. are used. UT account information or the like may be used.

The list storage unit 32 is used to store a list generated for each conference by the control unit 10, which will be described later, in association with conference identification information (hereinafter also referred to as a conference ID).

The shared file storage unit 33 is used to store a shared file indicating, for example, meeting materials, teaching materials, etc., transmitted from the participant terminal UT, in association with the participant ID of the provider. The shared file is composed of, for example, document data and image data created or obtained by the participant at the participant terminal UT or the like, video data obtained from the website or the like.

The control unit 10 includes a conference link connection processing unit 11, a list list generation processing unit 12, a shared file acquisition processing unit 13, display data A generation processing unit 14 and a display data transmission processing unit 15 are provided. These processing units 11 to 15 are realized by causing the hardware processor of the control unit 10 to execute the programs stored in the program storage unit 20 .

Each time a conference link connection processing unit 11 receives a conference participation request from a participant terminal UT, the conference link connection processing unit 11 performs a process of connecting the requesting participant terminal UT and the conference server SV using a communication link for an online conference. conduct. Further, the conference link connection processing unit 11 acquires a participant ID from the above-mentioned participant terminal UT requesting participation and stores it in the participant identification information storage unit 31 .

The list generation processing unit 12 generates a list when a shared file is sent from a participant terminal UT regardless of whether it is the host terminal UT0 or the participant terminals UT1 to UTn. Then, the list list generation processing unit 12 stores the generated list list in the list list storage unit 32 in association with the meeting ID. As the list, for example, a list in which icons corresponding to shared files are arranged in a horizontal line is used. Also, as the icon, for example, a reduced image of the shared file, a thumbnail image in place of it, or an image representing the file name is used, but it is not limited to this.

Further, the list generation processing unit 12 updates the list stored in the list list storage unit 32 each time a request for adding a shared file or a request for canceling sharing is sent from the participant terminal UT during the conference period. Perform update processing.

The shared file acquisition processing unit 13 acquires the shared file from the requesting participant terminal UT in response to the file sharing request, associates the acquired shared file with the requesting participant ID, and stores the shared file. A process to be stored in the unit 33 is performed.

The display data generation processing unit 14 edits the list stored in the list storage unit 32 and the shared files corresponding to the icons specified from this list so as to display them on a single shared screen. and performs processing for generating shared screen display data.

Further, when a display attribute setting request for the list or shared file displayed on the shared screen is sent from the participant terminal UT, the display data generation processing unit 14 responds to the display attribute setting request by: A process of changing the display attribute of the list or the shared file in the shared screen display data from the default state, for example, is performed. Display attributes to be set include, for example, the display position, display size, display color, display density, and the like on the shared screen.

The display data transmission processing unit 15 transmits the shared screen display data generated by the display data generation processing unit 14 from the communication I/F 40 to each participant terminal UT via the communication link for the online conference. conduct.

(Operation example)
Next, an operation example of the conference server SV configured as above will be described.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the overall processing procedure and processing details of online conference control executed by the control unit 10 of the conference server SV.

(1) Start of Online Conference Prior to the online conference, for example, the central person sets the conference schedule from the host terminal UT0 to the conference server SV. As the conference schedule, for example, the scheduled start date and time of the conference, the scheduled end date and time of the conference, host identification information, and the like are set.

Along with the setting of the conference schedule, the conference server SV notifies the host terminal UT0 of, for example, the conference ID and password, or the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for the conference. The central person sends the notified conference ID and password, or the URL for the conference, for example, by e-mail, SNS (Social Network System), etc., from the host terminal UT0 to a plurality of conference participants. It is transmitted to each of the participant terminals UT1 to UTn.

In this state, it is assumed that the central person and prospective participants access the above URL from their respective terminals UT0, UT1 to UTn according to the above conference schedule. Then, when the control unit 10 of the conference server SV receives the above access in step S10, it recognizes this access as a conference participation request, and under the control of the conference link connection processing unit 11, in step S11, each participation A communication link for an online conference is used to connect with the user's terminal UT. Also, the conference link connection processing unit 11 acquires the participant IDs of the respective participants from the terminals UT0, UT1 to UTn, and stores the acquired participant IDs in the participant identification information storage unit 31. FIG.

Thereafter, in step S12, the conference server SV edits and synthesizes the voice and video of the participant transmitted from each participant terminal UT, and transfers them to each participant terminal UT. Thus, after that, each participant can have an online conference using audio and video.

(2) Screen sharing of files During the above online conference, for example, in order for the central person to share the conference materials and browsing information with each conference participant, the request for setting the sharing of the conference materials and browsing information files is made. Suppose you sent On the other hand, when the control unit 10 of the conference server SV detects the request for the file sharing setting at step S13, thereafter at step S14, screen sharing control processing is executed as follows.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the processing procedure and processing contents of screen sharing control processing executed by the control unit 10 of the conference server SV.

(2-1) Acquisition of shared file That is, when a shared file is sent from the central host terminal UT0, for example, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV first receives the shared file in step S141 under the control of the shared file acquisition processing unit 13. , receives the shared file via the communication I/F 40 . Then, the received shared file is stored in the shared file storage unit 33 in association with the participant ID of the provider.

Similarly, even when a plurality of shared files are sent from one terminal UT, the conference server SV can receive each of the plurality of shared files and store them in the shared file storage unit 33 .

In addition, the conference server SV can similarly respond to requests for file sharing settings not only from the central person but also from other participants. For example, when a file sharing setting request is sent from the participant terminal UT1, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV, under the control of the shared file acquisition processing unit 13, transfers the shared file to the communication I/F 40 in step S141. to receive via Then, the received shared file is stored in the shared file storage unit 33 in association with the participant ID of the provider.

(2-2) Generation of List After the shared file is acquired, the control section 10 of the conference server SV subsequently generates a list in step S142 under the control of the list generation processing section 12. FIG. For example, assume that one shared file is sent from each of the host terminal UT0 and the participant terminals UT1 and UT2. In this case, the list list generation processing unit 12 generates icons corresponding to the total of three shared files acquired from the host terminal UT0 and the participant terminals UT1 and UT2, and horizontally displays the generated three icons. Generates an ordered list.

At this time, each icon is set to have a different display mode for an icon that has been set to "sharing setting" by the file sharing setting operation described later and an icon that has been set to "standby for sharing". For example, the icon "sharing setting in progress" is information for identifying the shared file, such as a reduced image of the shared file or a thumbnail image instead of the shared file, or the file name. On the other hand, for the "waiting to share" icon, information that identifies the participant who provided the file, such as a reduced face image or illustration image of the participant, or the participant's name, participant's nickname, initials and so on.

The list list generation processing unit 12 stores the generated list list in the list storage unit 32 in association with the meeting ID.

In addition, if a shared file is added from the host terminal UT0, the participant terminals UT1 and UT2, or another participant terminal UT3 after the list list is generated and saved, the list list generation processing unit 12 The icon corresponding to the shared file is added to the list stored in the list list storage unit 32 .

Conversely, when an operation to cancel the sharing setting of the shared file is performed on the participant terminal that provided the shared file, the list generation processing unit 12 selects from the list stored in the list storage unit 32. Delete the corresponding icon.

(2-3) List Display Next, in step S143, the control unit 10 of the conference server generates display data (shared screen display data) to be displayed as a shared screen under the control of the display data generation processing unit 14. do. That is, at this stage, the display data generation processing unit 14 reads the list from the list list storage unit 32 and generates shared screen display data including only the read list. For example, display data in which the list is arranged in a list display area set in advance on the shared screen is generated.

Subsequently, in step S144, the control unit 10 of the conference server transmits the generated shared screen display data to all the participant terminals UT from the communication I/F 40 under the control of the display data transmission processing unit 15. Send over a communication link for online meetings. As a result, on the display device of each participant terminal UT, for example, the shared screen is displayed superimposed on the online conference screen on which face images or participant IDs of each participant are listed. Therefore, each participant can check the list of shared files by viewing the shared screen.

(2-4) Display of shared files In this state, for example, the central person or the participant who provides the shared file can select the icon corresponding to the file to be shared from the above list on his/her own participant terminal UT. For example, it is assumed that selection is made by a click operation or a tap operation. Then, the selection information of the icon is transmitted from the participant terminal UT to the conference server SV via the communication link for the online conference as the sharing designation information.

On the other hand, when the control unit 10 of the conference server SV receives the sharing designation information in step S146, first, under the control of the list list generation processing unit 12, the list stored in the list list storage unit 32 corresponds to Change the display form of the icon from the default "waiting for sharing" to a form showing "setting for sharing".

Subsequently, in step S143, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV selects the shared file corresponding to the icon specified by the sharing specifying information from the shared file storage unit 33 under the control of the display data generation processing unit 14. read out to Then, it generates display data for displaying the read shared file and the list read from the list list storage unit 32 on a single shared screen. For example, on the shared screen, display data is generated in which the list is arranged in a preset list display area and the shared file is arranged in the shared file display area.

Then, in step S144, under the control of the display data transmission processing unit 15, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV transmits the generated display data to each participant terminal UT of the sharing destination from the communication I/F 40. Send over a communication link for conferencing.

As a result, a shared screen displaying the specified shared file in addition to the list is displayed on the display device of each participant terminal UT. That is, the shared file is forcibly displayed on the display screen of each participant terminal UT.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a displayed shared screen. In this example, a list in which three icons L1, L2, and L3 are arranged in a horizontal row is displayed in the list display area E1 in the shared screen DS, and the specified icon L1 is displayed in the shared file display area E2. shows an example in which the shared file F1 corresponding to is displayed in an enlarged manner.

In the state in which the shared file is displayed, the display form of the corresponding "display setting" icon may be, for example, enclosing the icon with a thick line frame, increasing the display size, or adjusting the density of color or the like. change to a darker display. On the other hand, the display mode of the icon "waiting for sharing" is to enclose the icon with a frame of thin lines, to display the icon in a small size, or to display it in a light color or the like. As another example, in the case of "sharing setting", text information such as "sharing" is superimposed on the icon, or a circle or star-shaped mark is displayed instead of text information. may

Furthermore, among the icons L1, L2, and L3 in the list, the icon corresponding to the file "under sharing setting" is a reduced image of the file under sharing setting, while the icon "waiting for sharing" is the icon corresponding to the file. The face image or illustration of the participant who is the providing source may be set as a reduced thumbnail image.

By setting the display mode of the icons as described above, the participants can clearly identify which files are set to be shared or are waiting to be shared when viewing the list display area E1. becomes possible.

FIG. 8 shows another display example of the shared screen. In this example, on a single shared screen DS, a list G1 to G4 of face images of conference participants, a list in which the icons L1, L2, and L3 are arranged in a row, and a shared image selected from the list are displayed. 10 shows an example in which files F1 and F1 are respectively displayed.

Also, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV can cope with a case where multiple icons of the list displayed on the shared screen are selected on the participant terminal UT.
For example, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV, under the control of the list generation processing unit 12, first changes the display mode of the plurality of icon information corresponding to the list stored in the list storage unit 32 to "sharing setting in progress". ” is changed to a form indicating

Subsequently, in step S143, under the control of the display data generation processing unit 14, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV reads out from the shared file storage unit 33 the plurality of shared files respectively corresponding to the plurality of selected icons. . Then, display data is generated in which the plurality of shared files that have been read out and the list list in which the display form of the icons has been changed are arranged so as to be displayed side by side on a single shared screen.

In step S144, under the control of the display data transmission processing unit 15, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV transmits the generated display data to each participant terminal UT from the communication I/F 40 via the communication link for the online conference. send each.

As a result, on the display device of each participant terminal UT, a list in which the display form of the icon under sharing setting is changed and a shared screen on which the selected plurality of shared files are displayed side by side are displayed.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the display result. In this example, two icons L1 and L2 are specified in the list displayed in the list display area E1, and the corresponding two shared files F1 and F2 are displayed side by side in the shared file display area E2. example. Also, in this case, the display mode of each icon of "sharing setting" and "sharing standby" in the list is set differently as in the case described in the example of FIG.

(2-5) Changing the setting of display attributes on the shared screen While the above shared screen is displayed, for example, the central person or the participant who is the provider of the shared file can change the shared screen to the shared screen by operating the cursor on the participant terminal UT. Suppose that an operation is performed to change the display attribute setting for the displayed list or shared file. Types of display attribute setting changes include, for example, display position, display size, display color, and display density.

In this case, when the control unit 10 of the conference server SV receives the request for setting change of the display attribute transmitted from the participant terminal UT in step S145, under the control of the display data generation processing unit 14, in step S143, Generates display data in which the display position, display size, display color or display density in the shared screen of the list or shared file specified by the display attribute setting change request is changed. Then, under the control of the display data transmission processing unit 15, in step S144, the display data after the display attribute setting change is transmitted to each participant terminal UT.

Thus, the display device of each participant terminal UT displays a shared screen in which the display position, display size, display color or display density of the list or shared file is changed.

(2-6) Cancellation of shared file sharing setting Suppose you have performed an operation. This release operation may be, for example, a delete operation of the icon, or may be a click or tap operation of a software button provided for release.

When the control unit 10 of the conference server SV detects in step S147 the release operation by the participant terminal UT during the display period of the shared screen, first, in step S148, under the control of the list generation processing unit 12, the above The display form of the icon of the list specified by the cancellation operation is restored from "sharing setting" to "sharing standby".

Subsequently, under the control of the display data generation processing unit 14, display data is generated in which the display of the shared file corresponding to the icon whose sharing setting has been canceled is deleted from the shared file display area E2 of the shared screen. Then, under the control of the display data transmission processing unit 15, the generated display data is transmitted from the communication I/F 40 to each participant terminal UT via the communication link for the online conference.

Thus, on the display device of each participant terminal UT, the display of the shared file is erased by canceling the sharing setting, and a shared screen on which only the list is displayed is displayed.

For example, when a plurality of shared files F1 and F2 are displayed side by side as shown in FIG. 7, only the display of the shared file whose sharing setting is canceled is erased, and the shared file whose sharing setting is not canceled is displayed. File display continues.

(3) End of Online Conference During the above-described online conference, the control section 10 of the conference server SV monitors the operation of ending the conference in step S15. Then, if the conference end operation is not performed, the process returns to step S12, and the series of processes for the online conference are repeated from steps S12 to S14.

On the other hand, for example, it is assumed that the central person performs an operation to end the conference on the host terminal UT0. Then, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV first disconnects the online conference communication link with each participant terminal UT under the control of the conference link connection processing unit 11 in step S16.

Subsequently, in step S17, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV causes the conference link connection processing unit 11 to erase the participant identification information of the finished online conference from the participant identification information storage unit 31, and the list generation processing unit 12, the list used in the conference is erased from the list list storage unit 32; Also, under the control of the shared file acquisition processing unit 13, the shared files acquired in the finished online conference are collectively erased from the shared file storage unit 33. FIG.

Note that the participant identification information may be left in the participant identification information storage unit 31 as it is as the conference participation history. In this way, the participant identification information can be used as reference information when the same central person or participant schedules an online conference at a later date.

(action/effect)
(1) As described above, in the first embodiment, when the conference server SV receives a plurality of requests for sharing files such as conference materials from a plurality of participant terminals UT, it first responds to the plurality of files. A list of icons arranged side by side is generated and transmitted to each participant terminal UT for display. In this state, when an icon corresponding to a desired shared file in the list is selected and operated on the participant terminal UT, the corresponding shared file is read from the shared file storage unit 33, and the shared file is displayed in the list. Display data to be displayed on a single shared screen together with the list is generated and transmitted to the participant terminals UT for display.

Therefore, the participants of the conference can check the list of shared files from the list displayed on the displayed shared screen, and in this state, the participants simply select the desired icon in the list. , it is possible to switch and display multiple shared files. Therefore, when multiple participants wish to present their own meeting materials, etc., to the online conference, any participant can smoothly switch the display of the shared file with a few operations. It is possible to increase the efficiency of

(2) Further, in the first embodiment, when a plurality of icons in the list are selected, the corresponding plurality of shared files can be displayed side by side on the shared screen. Therefore, for example, it is possible to proceed with an online conference while viewing shared files such as a plurality of conference materials at the same time, thereby further increasing the efficiency of the online conference.

(3) Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the display form of the icon specified by the participant in the list is changed to a form different from that of the unspecified icon. Therefore, it is possible to easily confirm which shared file is in the sharing setting from the display form of the icon of the list, thereby reducing erroneous operation of the sharing setting.

(4) Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the display attribute of the list displayed on the shared screen or the shared file can be changed by the participant who is the provider of the shared file by operating the participant terminal UT. there is Therefore, even when there are many shared files, the display state of the list or shared files on the shared screen can always be set to the optimum state according to the wishes of the participants.

[Second embodiment]
In the first embodiment, the conference server SV stores the shared file provided from the participant terminal UT in the shared file storage unit 33, and when the icon of the list is selected in this state, the corresponding shared file is displayed. A case where a file is read out from the shared file storage unit 33 and forcibly distributed to each participant terminal UT for display has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, each participant can selectively display a shared file of himself or another company that he/she wishes to view or view on his/her participant terminal by operating icons. It may be configured to

A second embodiment will be described below. Note that the main functions of the screen display control device in the second embodiment are provided on the participant terminal UT side, but these functions are similar to the functions of the screen display control device provided in the conference server SV described in the first embodiment. Since they are essentially the same, explanation will be made here using FIG. 3 as well.

In a state in which the participant terminals UT are connected by a communication link for an online conference, the control unit 10 of each participant terminal UT controls each of the connected terminals including its own terminal under the control of the list generation processing unit 12. A list of icons corresponding to the participant terminals is generated and displayed on the display screen of the own terminal. The list of icons may be generated by the conference server SV based on the connection destination of the communication link for the online conference, transmitted to each participant terminal UT, and displayed on the display screen.

In addition, each participant terminal UT sends a file that is a candidate for sharing consisting of video data, audio data, text data, etc. created or acquired in advance to other participant terminals via the communication link for the online conference. For example, streaming distribution. Streaming delivery of the files that are candidates for sharing is performed by each participant terminal UT operating a web browser by, for example, a WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) function. The conference server SV is operated as, for example, a TURN (Traversal Using Relay around NAT) server or an SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit) server, and the shared candidate files transmitted from each participant terminal UT are transmitted to all the participant terminals. It may be streamed to the UT.

In this state, it is assumed that the participant selects one of the icons in the list displayed on the display screen by clicking on the participant terminal UT. Then, in the control unit 10 of the participant terminal UT, the share candidate file distributed from the participant terminal corresponding to the selected icon is acquired by the shared file acquisition processing unit 13, and the acquired share candidate file is acquired. display data including the enlarged image of the file and the images of the list are generated by the display data generation processing unit 14 . Then, the generated display data is displayed on the display screen.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when a participant selects an icon L1 corresponding to his/her own terminal, the share candidate file F1 transmitted from his/her terminal is enlarged and displayed. Similarly, when an icon L2 corresponding to another participant terminal is selected and operated, the shared candidate file F2 streamed from the other participant terminal corresponding to the selected icon L2 is enlarged and displayed on the display screen. be. In other words, each participant can select and view or listen to the desired participant's shared candidate files one by one only by clicking the icon displayed in the list.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that a participant operates an icon L1 corresponding to his/her own terminal and an icon L2 corresponding to another participant's terminal. In this case, on the display screen of the participant's terminal, the shared candidate files F1 and F2 corresponding to the icons L1 and L2 are displayed in an enlarged manner in a row. In other words, the participant can view or listen to the shared candidate files of a plurality of desired participants side by side by selecting the icon.

The display mode of each icon in the list is controlled by the list generation processing unit 12 of the participant terminal UT as follows, for example. That is, for the icon corresponding to the participant terminal to which the shared candidate file is being distributed, for example, a reduced image of the shared candidate file, a thumbnail image instead thereof, or the file name is used. At this time, the periphery of the icon may be surrounded by a thick line, or the size of the icon may be set large. On the other hand, for the icons corresponding to the participant terminals to which the shared candidate file has not been distributed, the face image captured by the camera of the participant terminal UT, the face image or the illustration image of the participant stored in advance is used. Alternatively, the participant's name, nickname, initials, identification number, or the like may be used. In this way, each participant can easily determine whether or not the shared candidate file is being distributed from the display form of the icon.

Furthermore, the second embodiment has a function of forcibly controlling the display of files that are candidates for sharing. This function is realized, for example, by adding a shared file forced display processing unit to the control unit 10 of the participant terminal UT. Assume that the selected icon is clicked again on one of the participant terminals UT. In this case, the participant terminal UT, under the control of the shared file forced display processing section, sends a forced display request of the shared candidate file corresponding to the selected icon to all the other participant terminals UT. Send. Upon receiving the forced display request, each participant terminal UT enlarges and displays the corresponding shared candidate file according to the received forced display request under the control of the shared file forced display processing unit.

At this time, under the control of the list generation processing unit 12, each participant terminal UT changes the display mode of the corresponding icon to forced file sharing during the forced display period of the shared candidate file. change to a form that indicates Note that the forced file sharing state is canceled when, for example, the participant who has performed the operation for forced shared display clicks the corresponding icon again. This canceling process is also performed under the control of the shared file forced display processing unit.

In this manner, the participant can forcibly display the desired shared candidate file on all the participant terminals UT participating in the conference simply by operating the selected icon again. In other words, it is possible to forcibly display a share candidate file without providing a dedicated operation button or the like, and without performing a separate operation for forced display after temporarily ending the display of the share candidate file being selected and displayed. and can be released. The forcible display processing of the file of the sharing candidate described above may be performed under the control of the participant terminal UT, but may also be performed under the control of the conference server SV.

[Other embodiments]
(1) In the first embodiment, a list is generated corresponding to the shared files acquired from the participant terminals UT, transmitted to each participant terminal UT, and displayed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, instead of a shared file, a list corresponding to a plurality of participants may be generated in advance and transmitted to each participant terminal UT for display. .

That is, when the control unit 10 of the conference server SV is connected to each participant terminal UT by the communication ring for online conference, based on the participant ID stored in the participant identification information storage unit 31, A list is generated in which an icon display area is assigned to each of a plurality of participants participating in the conference. Then, display data of the generated list is generated and displayed on the participant terminal UT.

In this state, when an icon of the list is clicked on the participant terminal UT, the control section 10 of the conference server SV acquires the shared file from the participant terminal UT corresponding to the operated icon. Then, the acquired shared file is transmitted to the participant terminal of the sharing destination and displayed. At this time, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV changes the icon assigned to the corresponding participant in the list to, for example, a reduced image or a thumbnail image instead of the acquired shared file, or information indicating the file name. . As for the icon corresponding to the participant terminal for which the shared file has not been acquired, the participant's face image or illustration image is used, but the participant's name, nickname, initials, identification number, or the like may be used. .

With the above configuration, since the icon display area for each participant in the list is assigned in advance, each participant can easily recognize the display position of the icon assigned to him/herself in the list. , it is possible to easily perform the operation when trying to set the sharing of a shared file without making a mistake.

(2) In the first embodiment, the positions of the icons corresponding to the shared files in the list are arranged, for example, in the order in which the shared files were obtained. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, during the online conference, information regarding the amount of speech of each participant is measured, and based on the measurement results, the arrangement positions of the icons in the list are changed. may

For example, the control unit 10 of the conference server SV counts the number of statements or the frequency of occurrence of each participant during the online conference. Then, in descending order of the count value, the display positions of the icons corresponding to the participants are changed so that they are arranged in order from the left end of the list, for example. Alternatively, the display position of the icon corresponding to the participant having a large count value is changed so that the display position in the list is arranged near the center of the list, for example.

In general, a participant who has a large number of statements and a large frequency of occurrence is often the central figure of the conference, and in this case, there is a high probability that the central person's shared file will be specified and displayed on the shared screen. For this reason, by changing the display position of the icon corresponding to the participant with a high number of remarks or expression frequency to the most conspicuous position in the list, the participant can specify the shared file more easily. This makes it possible to conduct meetings more smoothly and efficiently.

(3) In the first and second embodiments, an example has been described in which a plurality of icons corresponding to shared files are arranged in a horizontal row as a list. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the list may be arranged, for example, by arranging a plurality of icons in a vertical line or in a ring, or by arranging them two-dimensionally in a matrix. Also, a plurality of icons may be arranged so that a part of them overlaps. In this way, even when the number of icons is large, it is possible to display a large number of icons in a comparatively small size list.

Furthermore, the configuration, shape, size, and the like of icons may be set in any way, and the display positions of the list and shared files on the shared screen can also be set as appropriate.

(4) In the first embodiment, the case where all the processes related to the display control of the shared screen are collectively executed by the conference server SV has been described as an example. That is, the case where all the functions of the screen display control device according to the present invention are provided in the conference server SV has been described as an example.

However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the conference server SV generates a list and transmits the generated list to each participant terminal UT separately from the shared file set to be shared. Each participant terminal UT may edit the list and the shared file received from the conference server SV to generate display data for the shared screen and display it on the display device. By doing so, it is possible to distribute and execute the processing related to the display control of the shared screen, and it is possible to reduce the processing load of the conference server SV.

Also, in this case, it is preferable that the conference server SV generates a display layout of the shared screen and notifies the participant terminals UT of the display layout in advance. In this way, each participant terminal UT can display a shared screen with a unified display layout according to the display layout specified by the conference server SV.

(5) In the first embodiment, the conference server SV serves as the core of the online conference system. However, any one of the participant terminals may serve as the conference server.

In addition, the configuration and use of the online conference system, the functions of the screen display control device, the procedure and processing details of the control processing, the types of shared files, the shape and size of the display area on the shared screen, etc. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely illustrative of the present invention in every respect. It goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. That is, in implementing the present invention, a specific configuration according to the embodiment may be appropriately employed.

In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying constituent elements without departing from the scope of the present invention at the implementation stage. Also, various inventions can be formed by appropriate combinations of the plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, constituent elements of different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

SV... Conference server UT0... Host terminal UT, UT1 to UTn... Participant terminal NW... Network 10... Control part 11... Conference link connection processing part 12... List list generation processing part 13... Shared file acquisition processing part 14... Display data generation Processing unit 15 Display data transmission processing unit 20 Program storage unit 30 Data storage unit 31 Participant identification information storage unit 32 List storage unit 33 Shared file storage unit 40 Communication I/F
50 Bus

Claims (14)

A screen display used in a system in which participant terminals used by a plurality of participants are connected to a server device via a network, and conference communication is performed between the participant terminals under the control of the server device. a controller,
a list list generation processing unit that generates a list including a plurality of icons associated with each of the plurality of participant terminals or shared files transmitted by the plurality of participant terminals;
a shared file selection processing unit that selects, when an icon in the list is selected, the shared file transmitted by the participant terminal associated with the selected icon;
a display data generation processing unit that generates display data for displaying the generated list and the selected shared file on a display screen of the participant terminal, and outputs the display data to the participant terminal; screen display controller. The shared file selection processing unit selects a plurality of shared files corresponding to the plurality of selected icons when a plurality of the icons are selected in the list,
The display data generation processing unit generates shared screen display data for collectively displaying the list and the plurality of selected shared files on the display screen of the participant terminal.
The screen display control device according to claim 1. 3. The list list generation processing unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the display form of the selected icon in the list list is set to a form different from the display form of other icons that are not selected. Screen display controller. The list list generation processing unit represents the selected icon in the list list by information identifying the corresponding shared file, and represents other icons not selected by the information identifying the corresponding participant. 4. The screen display control device according to claim 3, representing 2. The display data generation processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the display attribute on the display screen of the list or the shared file is variably set according to a display attribute setting request input from the participant terminal. Screen display controller. The list list generation processing unit acquires information about the speech volume of the participant during the conference period, and changes the display position of the corresponding icon in the list list based on the acquired information about the speech volume. 2. The screen display control device according to claim 1. A screen display used in a system in which participant terminals used by a plurality of participants are connected to a server device via a network, and conference communication is performed between the plurality of participant terminals under the control of the server device. A screen display control method executed by a control device,
generating a list including a plurality of icons associated with each of the plurality of participant terminals or shared files transmitted by the plurality of participant terminals;
selecting, when an icon in the list is selected, the shared file transmitted by the participant terminal associated with the selected icon;
A screen display control comprising: generating display data for displaying the generated list and the selected shared file on the display screen of the participant terminal, and outputting the display data to the participant terminal. Method. A program for causing a program included in the screen display control device to execute processing by each of the processing units included in the screen display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A screen display control device used in a system for conducting conference communication between participant terminals respectively used by a plurality of participants via a network or a server device arranged on the network,
a list list generation processing unit that generates a list containing icons corresponding to each of the plurality of participant terminals and displays the generated list on display screens of the plurality of participant terminals;
When an icon included in the list is selected on the participant terminal, the shared file transmitted by the participant terminal corresponding to the selected icon is transferred to the participant terminal where the selection operation is performed. and a shared file display processing unit for displaying together with the list on the display screen of . When the icon corresponding to the participant terminal that is the transmission source of the shared file is operated again while the shared file is being displayed, the shared file being displayed is transferred to the plurality of participant terminals. 9. The screen display control device according to claim 8, further comprising a shared file forced display processing unit for forcibly displaying the shared file on the display screen. The list generation processing unit detects that the display form of the icon corresponding to the participant terminal that is the transmission source of the shared file is being forcibly displayed in a state where the shared file is forcibly displayed. 11. The screen display control device according to claim 10, which is changed into a form shown. A screen display control method executed by a screen display control device used in a system in which conference communication is performed between participant terminals used by a plurality of participants respectively via a network or a server device arranged on the network. hand,
a step of generating a list including icons corresponding to each of the plurality of participant terminals, and displaying the generated list on the display screens of the plurality of participant terminals;
When an icon included in the list is selected on the participant terminal, the shared file transmitted by the participant terminal corresponding to the selected icon is transferred to the participant terminal where the selection operation is performed. a process of displaying together with the list on the display screen of
A screen display control method comprising: When the icon corresponding to the participant terminal that is the transmission source of the shared file is operated again while the shared file is being displayed, the shared file being displayed is transferred to the plurality of participant terminals. 13. The screen display control method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of forcibly displaying on the display screen. A program for causing a program included in the screen display control device to execute processing by each of the processing units included in the screen display control device according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

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