JP5481693B2 - Video call system, calling terminal, receiving terminal, program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a system for realizing a video call function involving voice and image transmission / reception between two points or between multiple points.

  Video call systems that realize video calls between two points or video conferences between multiple points are well known (see, for example, the following non-patent document).

  In this type of video call system, identification information (IP (Internet Protocol) address, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) address, and other communication destinations represented by URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) is identified in this type of video call system. Information) and attribute information (name of the other party, location and other information about the other party) are registered in advance as a phone book (or address book) in the terminal, and candidates registered in the phone book when starting a call In many cases, an operation for designating a desired destination is performed, a call request is transmitted, and a session with the designated destination terminal is established.

  At that time, in the existing terminal, a list of candidates for the other party is displayed as a character string on the display screen, and the user is exclusively selected from the list. The character string to be displayed is the above-described identification information or attribute information. However, there are some inconveniences in such a case.

  First, it is often the case that a call request is sent to an incorrect destination that is not a desired destination, that is, a wrong call is made. The location of the other party, such as what meeting room on which floor of which office is located, can be easily changed. This is especially true if it is a dry number or symbol such as an IP address.

  Secondly, if the user does not try to actually transmit a call request by operating the terminal with his / her own hand, it will not be determined whether or not he / she can talk to the desired destination properly. When a failure occurs in the communication line connected to the partner terminal or the power of the partner terminal is turned off, it becomes clear that a session cannot be established only after a call request is transmitted. There is also a case where there is no problem with the communication line or the destination terminal, but there is a case where the person at the installation location of the destination terminal is not yet ready and cannot start talking. In order to avoid such wastefulness, it is troublesome to confirm the situation with a person at the installation location of the destination terminal with a mobile phone before sending a video call request.

  Third, it is also inconvenient that the call request is sent ignoring the situation of the person on the side receiving the call request. Video call system terminals are often installed in office meeting rooms, etc., but if a call request comes in while an important conference is held there, it will interfere with the meeting, whether it is accepted or ignored. become.

“XVD CamCast (R) CX”, [online], [searched on July 14, 2009], Internet <URL http://www.marubeni-sys.com/bs/xvd/cx.html>

  The present invention made by paying attention to the above-mentioned problem is in a situation where the other party can talk about whether or not it is possible to connect to the other party before sending a video call request that specifically identifies the other party. It is intended to provide a video call system that can know whether or not.

  In the present invention, transmission and reception of voice and images (herein, images are concepts including still images and moving images) are performed between a calling terminal and a receiving terminal via an electric communication line. A system for realizing a video call function, wherein a calling terminal stores at least one receiving terminal identification information and attribute information related to the receiving terminal, and a video call partner A live icon request transmitting unit for transmitting a live icon request, which is information for requesting transmission of a live icon image to the callee terminal based on identification information for identifying a callee terminal that is a previous candidate; A live icon receiver for receiving a live icon image brought from the callee terminal due to an icon request being sent, and attribute information relating to a callee terminal that is a candidate for a video call partner. Is displayed on the display screen, and the live icon image received from the receiving terminal is also displayed on the display screen, and the video call is selected from the candidates displayed on the display screen. Requests the callee terminal to start a video call based on the callee designation receiving unit that receives an operation input for designating the callee and identification information for identifying the callee terminal specified as the callee of the video call A call request transmitting unit for transmitting a call request, which is information to be transmitted, and a call reception for receiving a voice and an image during a call brought from a receiving terminal of a video call destination due to the transmission of the call request And the audio during the call received from the receiving terminal of the other party of the video call from the speaker, and the received image during the call The call output control unit displays on the display screen with a size larger than that of the image, the voice during the call recorded (or picked up) by the microphone and the image during the call taken by the camera are received by the other party of the video call. A live call request receiving unit for receiving a live icon request from the calling terminal, and a camera after receiving the live icon request. A live icon transmitter for transmitting to the calling terminal that has made a live icon request using the image of the installation location of the receiving terminal taken as a live icon image, and a calling terminal serving as a video call partner The call request receiving unit that receives the call request that comes from the phone, the voice during the call recorded by the microphone, and the image during the call taken by the camera A call sending unit for sending to a calling terminal of a video call, a call receiving unit for receiving voice and images during a call from a calling side terminal of a video call destination, and a call of a video call destination A video call system comprising: a call output control unit for outputting sound during a call received from a side terminal from a speaker and displaying a received image during a call on a display screen did.

  In the system according to the present invention, the user of the calling terminal can acquire and view a live icon image that captures the current situation of the installation location of the receiving terminal that is a candidate for a video call partner. And before you specify a video call partner and send a call request, you can establish a session with that partner or talk to the other party Can be confirmed. In other words, it becomes clear that the session can be established with the other party based on the fact that the live icon image has been acquired, and the current status of the other party can be grasped before the call is started by browsing the acquired live icon image. According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively avoid the waste of time for sending a call request to a partner whose session cannot be established and the inconvenience of starting a video call when the partner is not ready. . This eliminates the difficulty of using the existing video call system.

  The live icon image is displayed on a candidate selection screen for the user to designate a video call partner. Usually, there are a plurality of candidates for the other party of the video call, and it is necessary to display the plurality of candidates on the candidate selection screen. Accordingly, the live icon request transmission unit transmits a live icon request to a plurality of receiving terminals that are candidates for a video call destination, and the telephone directory output control unit includes the plurality of receiving terminals. The attribute information and the live icon image are displayed on the display screen.

  The display area of the display screen is limited, and there is an upper limit on the number of candidates for a video call partner that can be displayed at one time. On the other hand, the number of destinations registered in the telephone directory storage unit, that is, storing identification information and attribute information, often exceeds the number that can be displayed at one time. In this case, even if live icon images are acquired from all the destinations registered in the telephone directory storage unit, they cannot be displayed on the screen at the same time, resulting in wasted communication bandwidth, calling side terminal and receiving side. This is a waste of the processing capacity of the call terminal. In the present invention, the calling side terminal further includes a candidate change receiving unit that receives an operation input for changing a candidate for a video call destination for displaying the attribute information and the live icon image on a display screen. Each time the live icon request transmission unit receives an operation to change a candidate for a video call destination, a predetermined number of incoming calls that are candidates for a video call destination corresponding to the operation are received. Each time a live icon request is sent to the terminal, and the telephone directory output control unit accepts an operation to change a candidate for a video call destination, a video call destination corresponding to the operation is received. Conservation of communication bandwidth, caller side to display the attribute information and the live icon information related to the predetermined number of callee terminals as a candidate on the display screen Thereby achieving savings powder and consumption of processing power of the called terminal.

  On the other hand, from the standpoint of the user of the receiving terminal, a live icon image is automatically captured without being operated by the terminal itself, and transmitted to the calling terminal. Or there are concerns that can lead to information security breaches. For example, when a meeting is held in a conference room where the receiving terminal is installed, and only those with high authority participate, a live icon image of the scene is sent to the calling terminal and viewed It may be ugly to be served. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to control whether or not to transmit a live icon image according to the needs of the user of the receiving terminal. For this purpose, the receiving terminal accepts an operation input for selecting whether or not to accept a live icon request from the calling terminal, and a selection result indicating whether or not to accept a live icon request. And a setting storage unit for storing information, and the live icon transmission unit displays the live icon image only when the live icon request is stored as information indicating that the selection is accepted. A call is made to the calling terminal that caused the icon request.

  In addition, when the live icon image is transmitted from the receiving terminal to the calling terminal, it is preferable that the user of the receiving terminal can know that the live icon image is captured and transmitted. . Therefore, when the receiving terminal transmits the live icon image to the calling terminal that has caused the live icon request, the receiving terminal displays on the display screen that the live icon image is being transmitted. A notification output control unit is further provided.

  If the calling side terminal also has the function as the receiving side terminal, the calling side terminal and the receiving side terminal can be shared, which contributes to the reduction of the manufacturing cost of the terminal.

  According to the present invention, it is determined whether or not it is possible to connect to the other party and whether or not the other party can talk before the video call request is specifically identified and transmitted. It becomes possible to know, and it becomes a highly convenient video call system.

The figure which shows the outline | summary of the video call system of one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the hardware resource which the terminal in the embodiment comprises. Functional block diagram of the terminal. Functional block diagram of the terminal. The figure which illustrates the information memorize | stored and accumulated in the telephone directory memory | storage part. The figure which shows the example of a screen display on a terminal. The figure which shows the example of a screen display on a terminal. The figure which shows the example of a screen display on a terminal. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which a terminal performs according to a program. The flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which a terminal performs according to a program.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the video call system according to the present embodiment has terminals 1 distributed in various places connected to an electric communication line 2 such as the Internet, a WAN (Wide Area Network), a LAN (Local Area Network) and the like. It is constructed to connect to each other via the communication.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 1 includes a processor 1a, a main memory 1b, an auxiliary storage device 1c, an operation input device 1d, a microphone 1e, a speaker 1f, an audio codec 1g, a camera 1h, a display 1i, a video codec 1j, and a communication interface. Hardware resources such as 1k are provided, and these are controlled by a controller (system controller, I / O controller, etc.) 11 to perform a cooperative operation.

  The auxiliary storage device 1c is a hard disk drive, a flash memory, an optical disk drive, or the like.

  The operation input device 1d is a pointing device such as a push button that can be operated with a finger, a touch panel, or a track pad. In this embodiment, a remote controller that can wirelessly communicate with the terminal 1 is assumed.

  The audio codec 1g encodes the sound recorded through the microphone 1e, or decodes the encoded sound information and outputs the sound from the speaker 1f. The video codec 1j encodes an image (still image or moving image) photographed via the camera 1h, decodes the encoded image information, and displays and outputs it on the screen of the display 1i. Each of the audio codec 1g and the video codec 1j can be implemented as software instead of hardware.

  The communication interface 1g is a device for performing information communication via the telecommunication line 2 and is typified by NIC (Network Interface Card) or wireless LAN transceiver, but besides these, USB (Universal Serial Bus), IEEE 1394, etc. The interface can also be adopted.

  The terminal 1 is basically a dedicated device manufactured for the purpose of constructing this system. However, it does not prevent the terminal 1 according to the present invention from being configured by installing a program necessary for a general-purpose personal computer, workstation, video game machine or the like.

  A program to be executed by the processor 1a is stored in the auxiliary storage device 1c. When the program is executed, the program is read from the auxiliary storage device 1c into the main memory 1b and decoded by the processor 1a. The terminal 1 operates the hardware resources according to the program, and exhibits the function of the calling terminal 11 shown in FIG. 3 and the function of the receiving terminal 12 shown in FIG.

  The calling terminal 11 includes a telephone directory storage unit 111, a live icon request transmission unit 112, a live icon reception unit 113, a telephone directory output control unit 114, a candidate change reception unit 115, a destination designation reception unit 116, a call request transmission. Unit 117, call reception unit 118, call output control unit 119, and call transmission unit 110.

  The telephone directory storage unit 111 stores the identification information of one or a plurality of (for example, a maximum of 100) receiving terminal 12 and the attribute information related to the receiving terminal 12 in the storage area of the main memory 1b or the auxiliary storage device 1c. Use to memorize. The identification information is information for identifying a communication destination represented by, for example, an IP address, a SIP address, or another URI. The attribute information is information related to the other party's name or name, affiliation, location, and other destinations, and is character string information in this embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates information stored in the telephone directory storage unit 111. The telephone directory storage unit 111 stores identification information and attribute information in association with an ID number or the like for each terminal 1 for other terminals 1 that can be candidates for a video call partner.

  The identification information and attribute information of the other terminal 1 may be manually input directly, or may be transmitted from another terminal 1 or a computer connected via the telecommunication line 2. The terminal 1 accepts input of identification information and attribute information of the other terminal 1 via the operation input device 1d or receives it using the function of the communication interface 1k and registers it in the phone book, that is, a phone book storage unit 111.

  Identification information and attribute information related to another terminal 1 that has made a video call in the past can also be registered in the telephone directory as a past call history. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the attribute information includes a time stamp indicating the date and time when the video call was made with the terminal 1 and whether the call was made from us (calling). Information indicating whether the call is an incoming call is also stored.

  The live icon request transmission unit 112 is information that requests the callee terminal 12 to transmit a live icon image based on identification information for identifying the callee terminal 12 that is a candidate for a video call partner. A live icon request is transmitted using the function of the communication interface 1k. The live icon request sending unit 112 has a predetermined number (for example, 10) of terminals to be displayed on the screen of the display 1i as candidates for the other party of the video call from other terminals 1 registered in the phone book. 1 is selected, the identification information related to the selected receiving terminal 12 is read from the telephone directory storage unit 111, and a live icon request is transmitted to the corresponding terminal 1 based on the read identification information. The transmission of the live icon request to the selected terminal 1 may be executed intermittently. How to select a predetermined number of terminals 1 or less from a group of terminals registered in the telephone directory will be described later. The live icon request transmitted by the calling terminal 11 includes identification information (particularly, an IP address) indicating the calling calling terminal 11, attribute information and / or ID number of the calling terminal 11, and the like. Is attached.

  In the system of the present embodiment, in principle, the terminals 1 are interconnected in a peer-to-peer manner via the telecommunication line 2. In other words, it is not necessary to use another relay server or a relay device such as an MCU (Multi-point Control Unit) when performing a video phone call or a video conference. When the identification information does not require address resolution such as an IP address, a live icon request can be immediately transmitted to the receiving terminal 12 using the identification information. When the identification information requires address resolution, such as a SIP address, the invitee terminal 12 and the callee terminal 12 can be contacted by transmitting an invitation message to another computer (for example, a SIP proxy server) using the identification information. Establish a session between them, and then send a live icon request. Alternatively, the identification information is transmitted to another computer (for example, a DNS (Domain Name System) server) having an address resolution capability, and an IP address corresponding to the identification information is received from the computer, and the IP address, etc. Is used to transmit a live icon request to the receiving terminal 12.

  The live icon receiving unit 113 receives a live icon image brought from the receiving terminal 12 that has accepted the live icon request due to the transmission of the live icon request, using the function of the communication interface 1k. When a live icon request is transmitted to a plurality of receiving side terminals 12, the live icon images transmitted from these receiving side terminals 12 are respectively received. The live icon image received by the calling terminal 11 includes identification information (in particular, an IP address) indicating the sender's receiving terminal 12, and attribute information and / or ID number of the receiving terminal 12. Accompanying.

  The telephone directory output control unit 114 displays the attribute information related to the receiving terminal 12 that is a candidate of the other party of the video call on the screen of the display 1 i and also displays the live icon image received from the receiving terminal 12. Display on the display screen. FIG. 6 shows an example of a list display of candidates for destinations of video calls. In the present embodiment, a predetermined number or less of candidates are displayed on the screen of the display 1i at a time. The live icon request is transmitted only to a predetermined number of terminals 1 selected as candidates to be displayed on this screen at a time, and is not transmitted to other terminals 1. The phone book output control unit 114 reads out the attribute information from the phone book storage unit 111 and displays the attribute information (symbol A in the figure) for each of a plurality of candidate receiving terminals 12, and A live icon image (symbol B in the figure) received from the calling terminal 12 (attached with the same identification information, attribute information, or ID number as that of the receiving terminal 12) is displayed alongside the attribute information.

  The live icon image is a real-time image taken at the place where the receiving terminal 12 is installed. The size of the live icon image (eg, 192 × 108 pixels) is smaller than the size of the image exchanged during a video call (eg, 1920 × 1080 pixels). The frame rate of the live icon image is affected by the bandwidth of the telecommunication line 2 to which each terminal 1 is connected, but is about 5 fps or more.

  For the receiving side terminal 12 that has not received the live icon image, the live icon image cannot be displayed, and therefore an image or character string indicating that fact is displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the display of “Connecting ...” (reference symbol C in the figure) indicates that a live icon request is transmitted to the terminal 1 and a response is awaited. The display of “communication impossible” (symbol D in the figure) indicates that a response has not been returned until a certain time has elapsed after transmitting the live icon request to the terminal 1, that is, for some reason, Indicates that session establishment is not possible. In response to the display of “not displayable” (symbol E in the figure), a response indicating that the live icon request is transmitted to the terminal 1 but the live icon request is rejected, in other words, the live icon image is not transmitted. Indicates that it was sent instead of the live icon image. In the display of “busy” (symbol F in the figure), a live icon request is transmitted to the terminal 1, but a response indicating that a video call is already being made with another terminal 1 is sent instead of the live icon image. It shows what has been done.

  The candidate change accepting unit 115 accepts an operation input for changing a candidate for a video call partner to be displayed on the screen of the display 1i via the operation input device 1d. As already described, only a predetermined number of partner candidate attribute information and live icon images can be displayed on the screen of the display 1i at a time. If the destination desired by the user of the calling terminal 11 is not displayed among the candidates currently displayed on the screen, it is necessary to update the candidate display contents to display the destination desired by the user. is there.

  In FIG. 6, some of all the destinations registered in the telephone directory are displayed as candidates. If the desired destination does not exist in this list, for example, the desired destination can be displayed by returning to the previous page or sending to the next page. At that time, the user operates the operation input device 1d to move the cursor (reference symbol J in the figure) to instruct page return or page feed (at this time, the page return button displayed on the screen (reference symbol in the figure)). G) or a page feed button (symbol H in the figure) may be clicked). When this operation is accepted, the live icon request transmission unit 112 refers to the information stored in the telephone directory storage unit 111 and has a smaller ID number than the receiving terminal 12 currently displayed on the screen as a candidate. A predetermined number or less of the receiving terminals 12 or a predetermined number or less of the receiving terminals 12 having a large ID number are selected as new candidates.

  It is also possible to extract and display destination candidates that match specific conditions. For example, the user operates the operation input device 1d to move the cursor, and clicks any initial letter tab (symbol I in the figure) displayed on the screen. When this operation is accepted, the live icon request transmission unit 112 refers to the information stored in the phone book storage unit 111, and starts with the initial letter corresponding to the clicked tab ("A" line character, "TA The callee terminal 12 having the attribute information starting with “characters, numbers, symbols, etc.” is selected as a new candidate.

  Candidates based on past call history can also be displayed. For example, the user operates the operation input device 1d to move the cursor, and clicks a “history” button (not shown) displayed on the screen. When this operation is accepted, the live icon request transmission unit 112 selects the receiving terminal 12 stored in the telephone directory storage unit 111 and having a history of calls made in the past as a new candidate.

  Then, a live icon request is transmitted to the terminal 1 that is a new candidate. The live icon request transmission unit 112 transmits information requesting to stop transmission of the live icon image to the terminal 1 that is currently displayed on the screen as a candidate, or the live icon request to the terminal 1 is intermittent. The transmission and reception of the live icon image with the terminal 1 is terminated. The live icon receiving unit 113 receives a live icon image brought from the terminal 1 that is a new candidate. Then, the telephone directory output control unit 114 displays the attribute information related to the newly-candidate terminal 1 on the screen, and also displays the live icon image received from the terminal 1 on the screen. Thereby, the candidate display content can be updated.

  The partner designation accepting unit 116 accepts an operation input for designating a partner of a video call from candidates displayed on the screen of the display 1i via the operation input device 1d. If a destination desired by the user of the calling terminal 11 is displayed among the candidates currently displayed on the screen, one or a plurality of destinations are identified from the candidates and the video call is started. Can be requested. The user operates the operation input device 1d to move the cursor, and clicks the information display column (symbols A and B in the figure) of any of the receiving side terminals 12 displayed on the screen. Upon receiving this operation, the destination designation receiving unit 116 knows the receiving side terminal 12 corresponding to the clicked display field as the destination of the video call. However, the receiving terminal 12 displaying “communication impossible” or “busy” instead of the live icon image cannot be designated as the other party (move the cursor to the information display field related to the terminal 1). I can't)

  The call request transmission unit 117 is a call that is information for requesting the callee terminal 12 to start a video call based on identification information for identifying the callee terminal 12 designated as the destination of the video call. The request is transmitted using the function of the communication interface 1k. Even if the identification information related to the receiving terminal 12 requires address resolution, if the session has already been established or the address resolution has already been completed at the live icon request transmission stage, A call request can be sent. Otherwise, session establishment or address resolution is performed in the same manner as when a live icon request is transmitted, and a call request is transmitted to the receiving terminal 12.

  The call receiving unit 118 receives, by using the function of the communication interface 1k, a voice and an image during a call that is transmitted from the receiving terminal 12 of the other party of the video call due to the transmission of the call request. To do.

  The call output control unit 119 outputs the sound during the call received from the receiving terminal 12 of the other party of the video call from the speaker 1f and displays the received image during the call in a size larger than the live icon image. 1i is displayed on the screen. FIG. 7 shows a display example of the image of the other party during the video call.

  The call origination unit 110 uses the function of the communication interface 1k to the call side terminal 12 of the other party of the video call, using the voice during the call recorded by the microphone 1e and the image during the call taken by the camera 1h. To send. The functions of the call receiving unit 118, the call output control unit 119, and the call sending unit 110 are equal to those in the existing video call system.

  The receiving terminal 12 includes a setting reception unit 121, a setting storage unit 122, a live icon request reception unit 123, a live icon transmission unit 124, a notification output control unit 125, a call request reception unit 126, a call transmission unit 127, and a call reception. Unit 128 and a call output control unit 129.

  The setting accepting unit 121 accepts an operation input for selecting whether to accept a live icon request from the calling terminal 11. Whether to accept or reject the capture and transmission of the live icon image is left to the user's intention of the receiving terminal 12. Information on whether to accept the live icon request may be manually input directly or may be transmitted from another terminal 1 or a computer connected via the telecommunication line 2. The setting accepting unit 121 accepts a selection input as to whether or not to accept a live icon request via the operation input device 1d, or uses information regarding the selection as to whether or not to accept a live icon request using the function of the communication interface 1k. Receive.

  The setting storage unit 122 stores the information on the selection result whether or not to accept the live icon request received by the setting reception unit 121 using the storage area of the main memory 1b or the auxiliary storage device 1c. In the present embodiment, three stages are assumed as selection results: accepting a live icon request, accepting a live icon request, displaying that when shooting and transmitting a live icon, and rejecting without accepting a live icon request. Yes. The setting storage unit 122 stores information indicating which one of these is selected by the user of the receiving terminal 12.

  The live icon request receiving unit 123 receives a live icon request from the calling terminal 11 using the function of the communication interface 1k.

  After receiving the live icon request, the live icon transmission unit 124 uses, as a live icon image, the image of the installation location of the receiving terminal 12 captured by the camera 1h to the calling terminal 11 that has caused the live icon request. , Using the function of the communication interface 1k. That is, the captured live icon image is transmitted to the calling terminal 11 identified by the identification information attached to the live icon request.

  However, when the live icon transmission unit 124 receives the live icon request, the live icon transmission unit 124 refers to the information stored in the setting storage unit 122 to determine whether to accept or reject the live icon request. The information stored in the setting storage unit 122 indicates that the selection of accepting the live icon request (or accepting the live icon request but displaying that when shooting and transmitting the live icon) has been made. In this case, the live icon image is captured and transmitted. If the information stored in the setting storage unit 122 indicates that the live icon request is rejected without accepting the live icon request, the live icon image is not captured and transmitted. Instead, information indicating that the live icon request is rejected is transmitted to the calling terminal 11 as a response to the live icon request.

  In addition, when the live icon transmission unit has already started a video call with another terminal 1 when the live icon request is received, the live icon transmission unit does not capture and transmit the live icon image as a response to the live icon request. Information indicating that a video call is in progress with another terminal 1 is transmitted to the calling terminal 11.

  The live icon image is captured and transmitted when the information requesting the stop of the transmission of the live icon image is received from the calling terminal 11 or when the live icon image is intermittently provided from the calling terminal 11. Abort when a predetermined time has passed since the icon request could not be received.

  When the notification output control unit 125 transmits a live icon image to the calling terminal 11 that has caused the live icon request, the notification output control unit 125 displays on the screen of the display 1i that the live icon image is being transmitted. The notification output control unit 125 refers to the information stored in the setting storage unit 122 and confirms that the information accepts the live icon request but displays that information when shooting and transmitting the live icon. Only when it is shown, a screen display indicating that the live icon image is being transmitted to the calling terminal 11 is executed. FIG. 8 shows a screen display example indicating that a live icon image is being transmitted to the calling terminal 11. In the example shown in FIG. 8, a message image or character string for notifying the user of the receiving side device of the fact that the live icon image is being transmitted together with the live icon image (reference symbol K in the figure) actually captured by the camera 1h. (Symbol L in the figure) is displayed.

  The call request receiving unit 126 receives a call request transmitted from the calling terminal 11 that is a partner of a video call by using the function of the communication interface 1k.

  The call transmission unit 127 uses the calling side terminal 11 that has caused a call request, that is, the calling side terminal of the other party of the video call, to the voice during the call recorded by the microphone 1e and the image during the call taken by the camera 1h. 11 using the function of the communication interface 1k.

  The call receiving unit 128 receives a voice and an image during a call transmitted from the calling side terminal 11 of the other party of the video call by using the function of the communication interface 1k.

  The call output control unit 129 outputs the sound during the call received from the calling terminal 11 of the other party of the video call from the speaker 1f and displays the received image during the call with a size larger than the live icon image. 1i is displayed on the screen. The functions of the call request receiving unit 126, the call sending unit 127, the call receiving unit 128, and the call output control unit 129 are equal to those in the existing video call system.

  Hereinafter, the procedure of processing executed when the terminal 1 configuring the video call system of the present embodiment starts a video call will be outlined. As shown in FIG. 9, the calling terminal 11 accepts an operation input for changing the candidate of the other party of the video call by the user's hand (step S1), and the receiving side registered in the telephone directory From the terminals 12, candidates for the receiving terminal 12 to be displayed in a list on the screen are selected (step S2), and a live icon request is transmitted to the selected receiving terminal 12 (step S3).

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the receiving terminal 12 receives a live icon request from the calling terminal 11 (step S4), whether or not to transmit a live icon image to the calling terminal 11 is determined. Is determined (step S5). In step S5, a determination is made based on whether or not a selection to reject the live icon request has been made in advance by the user's hand, and whether or not a video call is already in progress with another terminal 1. If it is determined that the live icon image can be transmitted by accepting the live icon request, the live icon image captured by the camera 1h is transmitted to the calling terminal 11 (step S6). Further, if necessary, a screen display indicating that the live icon image is currently being captured and transmitted is displayed to notify the user (step S7). If it is determined that the live icon request is rejected and the live icon image is not transmitted, response information indicating that is transmitted to the calling terminal 11 (step S8).

  The calling side terminal 11 displays on the screen the attribute information related to the receiving side terminal 12 selected as a candidate for the other party of the video call (step S9), and also displays the live icon image received from the receiving side terminal 12 or Instead, response information is displayed on the screen (step S10).

  Next, the calling terminal 11 accepts an operation input for designating the other party of the video call from the candidates displayed on the screen by the user's hand (step S11), and the incoming call designated as the other party A call request is transmitted to the side terminal 12 (step S12).

  The receiving side terminal 12 starts a video call with the calling side terminal 11 after receiving a call request from the calling side terminal 11 (step S13). That is, the voice during a call recorded by the microphone 1e and the image during a call taken by the camera 1h are transmitted to the caller terminal 11 of the other party (step S14). In addition, the voice and image during a call received from the calling terminal 11 of the other party are output via the speaker 1f and the display 1i (step S15).

  The calling side terminal 11 also transmits the voice during the call recorded by the microphone 1e and the image during the call taken by the camera 1h to the receiving side terminal 12 of the other party (step S16). In addition, the voice and image during a call received from the receiving terminal 12 of the other party are output via the speaker 1f and the display 1i (step S17).

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in detail above. In particular, in the above-described embodiment, information such as images, sounds, and live icon requests is transmitted and received between terminals 1 in a peer-to-peer form. However, these are transmitted and received via a relay server or a relay device such as an MCU. Not disturb.

  In addition, the specific configuration of each unit, the processing procedure, and the like can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The present invention can be used, for example, as a system for realizing a video call between two points or a video conference between multiple points.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Terminal 11 ... Calling side terminal 12 ... Calling side terminal B ... Live icon image

Claims (10)

A system for realizing a video call function involving transmission and reception of voice and images via a telecommunication line between a calling terminal and a receiving terminal,
The calling terminal
A telephone directory storage unit for storing identification information of at least one receiving terminal and attribute information related to the receiving terminal;
A live icon request transmitting unit that transmits a live icon request that is information for requesting transmission of a live icon image to the receiving terminal based on identification information for identifying a receiving terminal that is a candidate for a video call partner. When,
A live icon receiving unit for receiving a live icon image brought from the receiving terminal due to the sending of the live icon request;
A telephone directory output control unit that displays attribute information related to a receiving terminal that is a candidate for a video call partner on the display screen and also displays a live icon image received from the receiving terminal on the display screen. When,
A destination designation receiving unit that receives an operation input for designating a destination of a video call from candidates displayed on the display screen;
A call request sending unit for sending a call request, which is information for requesting the receiving side terminal to start a video call based on identification information for identifying the receiving side terminal designated as a destination of the video call;
A call receiving unit for receiving a voice and an image during a call brought from a receiving terminal of a call destination of a video call due to sending the call request;
Call output control for outputting the voice during a call received from the receiving terminal of the other party of the video call from the speaker and displaying the received image during the call on the display screen with a size larger than the live icon image. And
A call sending unit for sending a voice during a call recorded by a microphone and an image during a call taken by a camera to a receiving terminal of a video call partner;
The receiving terminal
A live icon request receiving unit for receiving a live icon request brought from the calling terminal;
A live icon transmitter for transmitting to the calling terminal that brought the live icon request as a live icon image an image of the installation location of the receiving terminal taken by the camera after receiving the live icon request;
A call request receiving unit for receiving a call request from a calling terminal serving as a partner of a video call;
A call sending unit for sending a voice during a call recorded by a microphone and an image during a call taken by a camera to a calling party terminal of a video call partner;
A call receiving unit for receiving voice and images during a call brought from a caller terminal of a video call partner;
A voice output control unit for outputting a voice during a call received from a calling-side terminal of a video call partner from a speaker and displaying a received image during a call on a display screen; A video call system featuring the system. The live icon request transmitting unit transmits a live icon request to a plurality of receiving terminals that are candidates for a video call partner,
The video call system according to claim 1, wherein the telephone directory output control unit displays the attribute information and the live icon image on a display screen for each of the plurality of receiving terminals. The calling terminal further includes a candidate change accepting unit that accepts an operation input for changing a candidate of a video call partner to display the attribute information and the live icon image on a display screen,
Each time the live icon request transmission unit receives an operation to change a candidate for a video call destination, the live icon request transmission unit responds to the predetermined number or less of receiving side terminals that are candidates for a video call destination in response to the operation. Send a live icon request to
Each time the telephone directory output control unit receives an operation to change a candidate for a video call destination, the phonebook output control unit responds to the predetermined number or less of receiving side terminals that are candidates for a video call destination in response to the operation. The video call system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the attribute information and the live icon information are displayed on a display screen. The receiving terminal is configured to accept an operation input for selecting whether or not to accept a live icon request from the calling terminal;
A setting storage unit that stores information on a selection result as to whether to accept a live icon request;
The live icon transmitting unit transmits the live icon image to the calling terminal that has caused the live icon request only when information indicating that the selection to accept the live icon request is stored. The video call system according to claim 1, 2, or 3. When the receiving terminal transmits the live icon image to the calling terminal that has caused the live icon request, a notification output control for displaying on the display screen that the live icon image is being transmitted. The video call system according to claim 1, further comprising a section. The video call system according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5, wherein the calling terminal also has a function as the receiving terminal. It is used for configuring a video call system according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
A telephone directory storage unit for storing identification information of at least one receiving terminal and attribute information related to the receiving terminal;
A live icon request transmitting unit that transmits a live icon request that is information for requesting transmission of a live icon image to the receiving terminal based on identification information for identifying a receiving terminal that is a candidate for a video call partner. When,
A live icon receiving unit for receiving a live icon image brought from the receiving terminal due to the sending of the live icon request;
A telephone directory output control unit that displays attribute information related to a receiving terminal that is a candidate for a video call partner on the display screen and also displays a live icon image received from the receiving terminal on the display screen. When,
A destination designation receiving unit that receives an operation input for designating a destination of a video call from candidates displayed on the display screen;
A call request sending unit for sending a call request, which is information for requesting the receiving side terminal to start a video call based on identification information for identifying the receiving side terminal designated as a destination of the video call;
A call receiving unit for receiving a voice and an image during a call brought from a receiving terminal of a call destination of a video call due to sending the call request;
Call output control for outputting the voice during a call received from the receiving terminal of the other party of the video call from the speaker and displaying the received image during the call on the display screen with a size larger than the live icon image. And
A calling side terminal comprising: a call transmitting unit configured to transmit a sound during a call recorded by a microphone and an image during a call photographed by a camera to a receiving side terminal of a video call destination. It is used for configuring the video call system according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, comprising a computer,
A telephone directory storage unit for storing identification information of at least one receiving terminal and attribute information related to the receiving terminal;
A live icon request transmitting unit that transmits a live icon request that is information for requesting transmission of a live icon image to the receiving terminal based on identification information for identifying a receiving terminal that is a candidate for a video call partner. ,
A live icon receiver for receiving a live icon image brought from the receiving terminal due to the transmission of the live icon request;
A telephone directory output control unit that displays attribute information related to a receiving terminal that is a candidate for a video call partner on the display screen and also displays a live icon image received from the receiving terminal on the display screen. ,
A destination designation receiving unit for accepting an operation input for designating a destination of a video call from candidates displayed on the display screen;
A call request sending unit for sending a call request, which is information for requesting the receiving side terminal to start a video call, based on identification information for identifying the receiving side terminal designated as the destination of the video call;
A call receiving unit for receiving a voice and an image during a call brought from a receiving terminal of a video call partner due to the calling of the call request;
Call output control for outputting the voice during a call received from the receiving terminal of the other party of the video call from the speaker and displaying the received image during the call on the display screen with a size larger than the live icon image. Part, and
A program for functioning as a call transmission unit for transmitting a voice recorded by a microphone and an image captured by a camera to a receiving terminal of a video call partner. It is used for configuring a video call system according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6.
A live icon request receiving unit for receiving a live icon request brought from the calling terminal;
A live icon transmitter for transmitting to the calling terminal that brought the live icon request as a live icon image an image of the installation location of the receiving terminal taken by the camera after receiving the live icon request;
A call request receiving unit for receiving a call request from a calling terminal serving as a partner of a video call;
A call sending unit for sending a voice during a call recorded by a microphone and an image during a call taken by a camera to a calling party terminal of a video call partner;
A call receiving unit for receiving voice and images during a call brought from a caller terminal of a video call partner;
A receiving terminal having a call output control unit for outputting a sound during a call received from a calling terminal of a call partner of a video call from a speaker, and displaying a received image during a call on a display screen . It is used for configuring the video call system according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, comprising a computer,
A live icon request receiving unit for receiving a live icon request from the calling terminal;
A live icon transmitter for transmitting to the calling terminal that has brought the live icon request as a live icon image, an image of the installation location of the receiving terminal taken by the camera after receiving the live icon request;
A call request receiving unit for receiving a call request from a calling terminal serving as a video call partner;
A call sending unit for sending a voice recorded with a microphone and a picture taken with a camera to a calling terminal of the other party of the video call,
A call receiving unit for receiving voice and images during a call brought from the calling terminal of the other party of the video call; and
A program for functioning as a call output control unit for outputting a voice during a call received from a calling terminal of a call partner of a video call from a speaker and displaying a received image during a call on a display screen.

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