JP6295628B2 - Transmission management system, transmission management method and program - Google Patents

Description

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

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, video conferencing systems as an example of a transmission system that performs communication via a communication network such as the Internet have become widespread along with requests for reducing business trip expenses and business trip times. In a video conference system, communication of content data such as image data and audio data is performed between video conference terminals as an example of a transmission terminal, thereby realizing a video conference.

  Techniques for realizing a video conference are conventionally known. Patent Document 1 discloses a video conference reservation system for reserving a conference terminal used for a video conference.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a transmission system for transmitting and receiving basic data essential for reproduction of an image or sound and extended data for improving the quality of an image or sound between transmission terminals via a communication network. ing. Patent Document 2 discloses a method in which a video conference terminal receives a call request from a user and executes a call between the video conference terminals in response to the request. Specifically, when the video conference terminal requesting the call receives the selection of the destination video conference terminal from the user, the management system that controls the connection between the video conference terminals receives the call with the destination video conference terminal. Request to start. Based on this request, the management system connects the requesting video conference terminal and the destination video conference terminal to start a call between the video conference terminals.

  However, the conventional conference reservation system cannot allow a user to flexibly use a communication terminal reserved in advance according to the communication status of the communication terminal. For example, since the conference ended earlier than the scheduled end time, it was necessary to change the reservation information even when another conference was to be performed on the same communication terminal. In addition, when a meeting is started after a meeting is unexpectedly interrupted due to a communication network problem or the like, it cannot be distinguished whether to continue the interrupted reserved meeting or use the remaining time as a new meeting.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and allows a user to flexibly use a communication terminal reserved in advance according to the communication status of the communication terminal at the time of requesting the start of communication. An object of the present invention is to provide a transmission management system, a transmission management method, and a program.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a scheduled time indicating a time from a scheduled start date and time to a scheduled end date and time, terminal identification information of a terminal participating in the conference, and unheld A start request information including a storage unit that stores reservation management information including a conference state indicating that the conference is being held or ended, terminal identification information of a communication request source terminal, and terminal identification information of a communication destination terminal. Receiving from the request source terminal, the reservation management information specified based on the received terminal identification information of the request source terminal, and the reservation management information specified based on the received terminal identification information of the destination terminal In order to confirm that the transmission confirmation information for confirming the transmission or the transmission cannot be performed according to the reservation management information including the date and time when the start request information is received in the scheduled meeting time. A creation unit for creating an outgoing Call information, and a transmission unit for transmitting the outgoing confirmation information or the calling failure information to the requesting terminal, the creation unit, the destination terminal and terminal identification information of the request source terminal Terminal identification information, and if there is reservation management information for the conference whose conference status is ended, transmission confirmation information for confirming whether to restart the conference that has ended or to newly start the conference create.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to allow a user to flexibly use a communication terminal reserved in advance in accordance with the communication status of the communication terminal when a communication start request is made.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of transmission / reception of image data, audio data, and various management information in the transmission system. FIG. 3 is an external view of a transmission terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of a transmission terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of a transmission management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of each terminal, device, and system constituting the transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing a relay device management table. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a terminal authentication management table. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a terminal management table. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a session management table. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing a reservation management table. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing in a preparation stage for starting communication between transmission terminals. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a reservation reception screen. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing for starting communication. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing processing for determining whether or not to permit a request to start communication. FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit. FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit. FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit. FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit. FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit. FIG. 21 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission disabling information created by the creation unit. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the session management process. FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing for terminating communication. FIG. 24 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a terminal according to another embodiment.

<< Overall Configuration of Embodiment >>
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, the overall configuration of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of transmission / reception of image data, audio data, and various management information in the transmission system.

  The transmission system of the present embodiment includes a data providing system that transmits content data in one direction from one transmission terminal to the other transmission terminal via the transmission management system, and a plurality of transmission terminals via the transmission management system. A communication system that communicates information and the like is included. This communication system is a system for mutually transmitting information between a plurality of communication terminals (corresponding to “transmission terminals”) via a communication management system (corresponding to “transmission management system”). Examples thereof include a video phone system, a voice conference system, a voice phone system, and a PC (Personal Computer) screen sharing system.

  In the present embodiment, assuming a video conference system as an example of a communication system, a video conference management system as an example of a communication management system, and a video conference terminal as an example of a communication terminal, a transmission system, a transmission management system, The transmission terminal will be described. That is, the transmission terminal and the transmission management system of the present embodiment are not only applied to the video conference system but also applied to the communication system or the transmission system. In the present embodiment, “video conference” is also simply referred to as “conference”.

  1 includes a plurality of transmission terminals (10aa, 10ab,...), A display (120aa, 120ab,...) For each transmission terminal (10aa, 10ab,...), And a plurality of relay devices ( 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d), the transmission management system 50, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100. The plurality of transmission terminals 10 perform communication by transmitting and receiving image data and audio data as an example of content data. The image of the image data may be a moving image or a still image, or both a moving image and a still image. In the present embodiment, a case where the image of the image data is a moving image will be described.

  In the following, “transmission terminal” is simply represented as “terminal”, and “transmission management system” is simply represented as “management system”. Further, an arbitrary terminal among the plurality of terminals (10aa, 10ab,...) Is represented as “terminal 10”, and an arbitrary display among the plurality of displays (120aa, 120ab,...) Is represented as “display 120”. An arbitrary relay device among the plurality of relay devices (30a, 30b, 30c, 30d) is represented as “relay device 30”.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the transmission system 1, a management information session sei for transmitting and receiving various types of management information is established between the terminals 10 via the management system 50. In addition, a session for transmitting and receiving image data and audio data is established between the terminals 10 via the relay device 30. Here, sessions for transmitting and receiving image data and audio data are collectively shown as a content data session sed.

  A terminal 10 shown in FIG. 1 transmits and receives content data such as image data and audio data in order to communicate with another terminal 10. That is, the communication in the present embodiment includes not only audio data transmission / reception but also image data transmission / reception. However, the terminal 10 may transmit and receive audio data without transmitting and receiving image data. The relay device 30 relays content data among a plurality of terminals 10. The management system 50 manages the terminal 10 and the relay device 30 in an integrated manner.

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

  The program providing system 90 includes an HD (Hard Disk) 204 described later, and stores a terminal program for causing the terminal 10 to realize various functions (or to cause the terminal 10 to function as various means). The terminal program can be transmitted to The HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a relay device program for causing the relay device 30 to realize various functions (or to cause the relay device 30 to function as various means). The relay device program can be transmitted. Further, the HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a transmission management program for realizing various functions in the management system 50 (or causing the management system 50 to function as various means). A transmission management program can be transmitted.

  The maintenance system 100 is a computer for performing maintenance, management, or maintenance of at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the program providing system 90. For example, when the maintenance system 100 is installed in the country and the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, or the program providing system 90 is installed outside the country, the maintenance system 100 is remotely connected via the communication network 2. Maintenance such as maintenance, management, and maintenance of at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the program providing system 90 is performed. In addition, the maintenance system 100 does not go through the communication network 2, but includes a model number, a manufacturing number, a sales destination, a maintenance check, at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the program providing system 90. Or, maintenance such as failure history management is performed.

  By the way, the terminals (10aa, 10ab,...), The relay device 30a, and the router 70a are communicably connected via the LAN 2a. The terminals (10ba, 10bb,...), The relay device 30b, and the router 70b are communicably connected via the LAN 2b. The LAN 2a and the LAN 2b are communicably connected by a dedicated line 2ab including a router 70ab, and are constructed in a predetermined area A. For example, the region A is Japan, the LAN 2a is constructed in a Tokyo office, and the LAN 2b is constructed in an Osaka office.

  On the other hand, the terminals (10ca, 10cb,...), The relay device 30c, and the router 70c are communicably connected via a LAN 2c. The terminals (10da, 10db,...), The relay device 30d, and the router 70d are connected to be communicable via the LAN 2d. The LAN 2c and the LAN 2d are communicably connected via a dedicated line 2cd including the router 70cd, and are constructed in a predetermined area B. For example, region B is the United States of America, LAN 2c is built in a New York office, and LAN 2d is Washington D.C. C. Is built in the office. Area A and area B are connected to each other via routers (70ab, 70cd) via the Internet 2i.

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

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

  Further, in FIG. 1, four sets of numbers shown at the top and bottom of each terminal 10, each relay device 30, management system 50, each router 70, program providing system 90, and maintenance system 100 are in general IPv4. An IP address is simply shown. For example, the IP address of the terminal 10aa is “1.2.1.3”. In addition, IPv6 may be used instead of IPv4, but IPv4 will be used for the sake of simplicity.

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

<< Hardware Configuration of Embodiment >>
Next, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described. First, the hardware configuration of the terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 is an external view of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the longitudinal direction of the terminal 10 will be described as the X-axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in the horizontal plane as the Y-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (vertical direction) will be described as the Z-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the terminal 10 includes a housing 1100, an arm 1200, and a camera housing 1300. Among them, the front side wall surface 1110 of the housing 1100 is provided with an air intake surface (not shown) formed by a plurality of air intake holes, and the rear side wall surface 1120 of the housing 1100 is formed with a plurality of exhaust holes. An exhaust surface 1121 is provided. As a result, by driving a cooling fan built in the housing 1100, the outside air behind the terminal 10 can be taken in via an intake surface (not shown) and exhausted to the rear of the terminal 10 via an exhaust surface 1121. A sound collecting hole 1131 is formed in the right wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100, and sounds such as voice, sound, noise can be collected by a built-in microphone 114 described later.

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

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

  Next, the arm 1200 is attached to the housing 1100 via a torque hinge 1210, and the arm 1200 is configured to be able to rotate in the vertical direction with respect to the housing 1100 within a tilt angle θ1 of 135 degrees. ing. FIG. 3 shows a state where the tilt angle θ1 is 90 degrees.

  The camera housing 1300 is provided with a built-in camera 112 described later, and can capture images of users, documents, rooms, and the like. A torque hinge 1310 is formed in the camera housing 1300. The camera housing 1300 is attached to the arm 1200 via a torque hinge 1310. The camera housing 1300 is attached to the arm 1200 via the torque hinge 1310, and the pan angle θ2 of ± 180 degrees is assumed with respect to the arm 1200 with the state shown in FIG. And a tilt angle θ3 of ± 45 degrees can be rotated in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal 10 of the present embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that controls the operation of the entire terminal 10, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 that stores a terminal program, and a CPU 101. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 used as a work area, a flash memory 104 that stores various data such as image data and audio data, and an SSD (SSD) that controls reading or writing of various data to the flash memory 104 according to the control of the CPU 101 Solid State Drive) 105, a media drive 107 that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 106 such as a flash memory, and a destination of the terminal An operation button 108 that is operated when selecting the terminal 10, a power switch 109 for switching on / off the power of the terminal 10, and a network I / F (Interface) for data transmission using the communication network 2 described above. 111).

  The terminal 10 also includes a built-in camera 112 that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 101 to obtain image data, an image sensor I / F 113 that controls driving of the camera 112, a built-in microphone 114 that inputs sound, and sound. The built-in speaker 115 for outputting the sound, the sound input / output I / F 116 for processing the input / output of the sound signal between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101, and the image data on the external display 120 according to the control of the CPU 101. As shown in FIG. 4, a display I / F 117 for transmission, an external device connection I / F 118 for connecting various external devices, an alarm lamp 119 for notifying abnormality of various functions of the terminal 10, and each of the above components are shown. A bus line 110 such as an address bus or a data bus is provided for electrical connection. To have.

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

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

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

  The recording medium 106 is detachable from the terminal 10. Further, as long as it is a non-volatile memory that reads or writes data according to the control of the CPU 101, not only the flash memory 104 but also an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like may be used. Note that the external view of the terminal shown in FIG. 3 and the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 4 are merely embodiments, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the appearance and hardware may be a general desktop or notebook personal computer. In this case, the camera and microphone do not necessarily have to be built in and may be externally attached.

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

  Next, the hardware configuration of the management system 50, the relay device 30, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Note that the relay device 30, the management system 50, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 have the same external appearance as a general server computer, and thus the description of the external appearance is omitted.

  The management system 50 includes a CPU 201 that controls the overall operation of the management system 50, a ROM 202 that stores a transmission management program used to drive the CPU 201 such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader), a RAM 203 that is used as a work area for the CPU 201, a transmission HD 204 for storing various data such as a management program, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 205 for controlling reading or writing of various data to the HD 204 under the control of the CPU 201, and reading or writing of data to a recording medium 206 such as a flash memory ( Media drive 207 for controlling storage, a display 208 for displaying various information such as a cursor, menu, window, character, or image, a communication network Network I / F 209 for transmitting data using the network 2, a keyboard 211 having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, selection and execution of various instructions, selection of processing targets, Built-in mouse 212 for moving the cursor, CD-ROM drive 214 for controlling reading / writing of various data to / from a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) 213 as an example of a removable recording medium, and management system 50 As shown in FIG. 5, a clock 215 as a clock and a bus line 210 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the above-described components are provided.

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

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

  Further, since the program providing system 90 and the maintenance system 100 have the same hardware configuration as that of the management system 50, detailed description thereof is omitted. However, the HD 204 stores a program providing program for controlling the program providing system 90 or a maintenance program for controlling the maintenance system 100. Also in this case, these programs may be recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213 in a file in an installable or executable format. These programs may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

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

<< Functional Configuration of Embodiment >>
Next, the functional configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of each terminal, device, and system constituting the transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the terminal 10, the relay device 30, and the management system 50 are connected so that data communication can be performed via the communication network 2. Further, the program providing system 90 and the maintenance system 100 shown in FIG. 1 are omitted in FIG. 6 because they are not directly related to the video conference communication.

<Functional configuration of terminal>
The terminal 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 11, an operation input reception unit 12, a login request unit 13, an imaging unit 14, an audio input unit 15 a, an audio output unit 15 b, a display control unit 16, and a storage / read processing unit 19. Yes. Each of these units is a function realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 4 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 101 according to a terminal program developed from the flash memory 104 onto the RAM 103, or It is a means to function. Further, the terminal 10 includes a storage unit 1000 constructed by the RAM 103 shown in FIG. 4 and the flash memory 104 shown in FIG.

(Each functional part of the terminal)
Next, each functional configuration of the terminal 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the terminal 10, a relationship between main components for realizing each functional configuration of the terminal 10 among the respective components illustrated in FIG. 4 will also be described. .

  The transmission / reception unit 11 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 4 and the network I / F 111 shown in FIG. 4, and with the other terminals, devices, or systems via the communication network 2, various data ( Or information).

  The operation input receiving unit 12 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 4 and the operation buttons 108 and the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 4 and receives various inputs by the user. For example, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 4, the operation input accepting unit 12 shown in FIG. 6 accepts the power ON and turns on the power. Further, the operation input receiving unit 12 receives a selection as to whether or not to start communication between the terminals 10.

  The login request unit 13 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 4, and requests the login from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 when the power-on is accepted. And the current IP address of the terminal 10 as the request source are automatically transmitted. When the user turns the power switch 109 from the ON state to the OFF state, the operation input receiving unit 12 completely turns off the power after the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits the state information indicating that the power supply is turned off to the management system 50. To do. As a result, the management system 50 side can grasp that the terminal 10 has been turned off from being turned on.

  The imaging unit 14 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 illustrated in FIG. 4 and the camera 112 and the image sensor I / F 113 illustrated in FIG. 4. Output data.

  The voice input unit 15a is realized by the instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 4 and the voice input / output I / F 116 shown in FIG. 4, and the user's voice is converted into a voice signal by the microphone 114. Thereafter, audio data relating to the audio signal is input. The audio output unit 15b is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 4 and the audio input / output I / F 116 shown in FIG. 4, and outputs an audio signal related to the audio data to the speaker 115. The voice is output from 115.

  The display control unit 16 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 illustrated in FIG. 4 and the display I / F 117 illustrated in FIG. 4, and performs control for transmitting received image data to the display 120. .

  The storage / reading processing unit 19 is realized by the instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 4 and the SSD 105 shown in FIG. 4, or realized by the instruction from the CPU 101, and stores various data in the storage unit 1000. Processing for reading various data stored in the unit 1000 is performed. The storage unit 1000 stores a terminal ID (Identification) for identifying the terminal 10, a password, and the like. Further, the storage unit 1000 overwrites and stores image data and audio data received when communicating with the destination terminal. Among these, an image is displayed on the display 120 by the image data before being overwritten, and sound is output from the speaker 115 by the audio data before being overwritten. Note that the terminal ID of the present embodiment and a relay device ID described later indicate identification information such as a language, characters, symbols, or various signs used to uniquely identify the terminal 10 and the relay device 30, respectively. Further, the terminal ID and the relay device ID may be identification information in which at least two of the language, characters, symbols, and various indicia are combined.

<Functional configuration of relay device>
The relay device 30 includes a transmission / reception unit 31, a relay unit 32, and a storage / read processing unit 39. Each of these units functions or functions realized by any of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 5 operating according to instructions from the CPU 201 according to the relay device program expanded from the HD 204 onto the RAM 203. Means. In addition, the relay device 30 includes a storage unit 3000 configured by the RAM 203 illustrated in FIG. 5 or the HD 204 illustrated in FIG.

(Functional parts of the relay device)
Next, each functional configuration of the relay device 30 will be described in detail. In the following description, in describing each functional configuration of the relay device 30, among the components illustrated in FIG. 5, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration of the relay device 30 is also described. explain.

  The transmission / reception unit 31 of the relay device 30 shown in FIG. 6 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. Various data (or information) is transmitted / received to / from other terminals, devices or systems. The relay unit 32 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 5, and relays content data transmitted / received between the terminals 10 in the content data session sed via the transmission / reception unit 31.

  The storage / reading processing unit 39 is realized by the instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5 and the HDD 205 shown in FIG. 5, and stores various data in the storage unit 3000 or stored in the storage unit 3000. To read various data.

<Functional configuration of management system>
The management system 50 includes a transmission / reception unit 51, a terminal authentication unit 52, a state management unit 53, a relay device selection unit 56, a session management unit 57, a storage / read processing unit 59, a search unit 61, a reservation determination unit 62, and a creation unit. 63. Each of these units functions or functions realized by any of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 5 operating according to a command from the CPU 201 according to the management system program expanded from the HD 204 onto the RAM 203. Means. Further, the management system 50 has a storage unit 5000 constructed by the HD 204 shown in FIG.

(Relay device management table)
In the storage unit 5000, a relay device management DB 5001 configured by a relay device management table as shown in FIG. 7 is constructed. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing the relay device management table. In this relay device management table, for each relay device ID of each relay device 30, the IP address of the relay device 30 is associated and managed. For example, in the relay device management table shown in FIG. 7, the IP address of the relay device 30a with the relay device ID “111a” is “1.2.1.2”.

(Terminal authentication management table)
Further, in the storage unit 5000, a terminal authentication management DB 5002 configured by a terminal authentication management table as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing a terminal authentication management table. In this terminal authentication management table, each password is associated with each terminal ID of all the terminals 10 managed by the management system 50 and managed. For example, the terminal authentication management table shown in FIG. 8 indicates that the terminal ID of the terminal 10aa is “01aa” and the password is “aaaa”.

(Terminal management table)
Further, in the storage unit 5000, a terminal management DB 5003 configured by a terminal management table as shown in FIG. 9 is constructed. FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram showing a terminal management table. In this terminal management table, for each terminal ID of each terminal 10, a destination name when each terminal 10 is a destination, an operating state of each terminal 10, and an IP address of the terminal 10 are managed in association with each other. For example, in the terminal management table shown in FIG. 9, the terminal 10aa with the terminal ID “01aa” has the destination name “Japan Tokyo Office AA terminal”, the operation state “online”, and the terminal 10aa It is shown that the IP address is “1.2.1.3”.

(Session management table)
Further, in the storage unit 5000, a session management DB 5005 configured by a session management table (an example of session management information) as shown in FIG. 10 is constructed. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a session management table. The session management table includes fields for session ID, reservation ID, relay device ID, terminal ID, conference state, start date and time, and end date and time.

  The session ID is identification information for identifying the content data session sed between the terminals 10. The reservation ID is identification information for identifying the reserved conference. In the reservation ID field, when a conference realized by communication identified by the session ID is a conference that has been reserved, a reservation ID of the conference is set. A record in the session management table in which “null” is set in the reservation ID field represents a communication session state of a conference that is not reserved.

  The relay device ID is identification information for identifying the relay device. In the relay device ID field, the relay device ID of the relay device that relays the communication identified by the session ID is set. The terminal ID is identification information for identifying the terminal. In the terminal ID field, the terminal ID of a terminal participating in communication identified by the session ID is set. The conference status indicates the status of the conference depending on whether it is not held, being held, or ended. In the conference status field, a conference status realized by communication identified by the session ID is set. The start date and time is the date and time when communication is started. In the start date / time field, the date / time when the communication identified by the session ID is started is set. The end date and time is the date and time when communication is ended. In the end date and time field, the date and time when communication identified by the session ID is ended is set. If “null” is set in the end date / time field, it indicates that a conference realized by the communication is being held.

  In the session management table of FIG. 10, for example, the following information can be acquired from the record of the session ID “se03”. The communication identified by the session ID “se03” is a communication that realizes a conference whose reservation ID is identified by “rsv01”. The communication is communication between the terminal 10 identified by the terminal ID “01bb” and the terminal ID “01da”, and is relayed by the relay device 30c identified by the relay device ID “111c”. Further, the conference state of the conference realized by the communication is “end”, the start date and time of the communication is “2011/11/09: 59: 33”, and the end date and time of the communication is “2011/11”. / 09 10:02:00 ”.

(Reservation management table)
Furthermore, in the storage unit 5000, a reservation management DB 5009 configured by a reservation management table (an example of reservation management information) as shown in FIG. 11 is constructed. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing a reservation management table. The reservation management table includes fields for reservation ID, scheduled start date and time, scheduled end date and time, conference name, terminal ID, and conference status.

  The reservation ID is identification information for identifying the reserved conference. The scheduled start date / time is the scheduled date / time of the conference identified by the reservation ID. The scheduled end date and time is the date and time when the conference is scheduled to be identified by the reservation ID. The conference name is the name of the conference identified by the reservation ID. The terminal ID is terminal identification information of a terminal that participates in the conference identified by the reservation ID. The conference status indicates the status of the conference depending on whether it is not held, being held, or ended.

  In the reservation management table of FIG. 11, for example, the following information can be acquired from the record of the reservation ID “rsv03”. The conference identified by the reservation ID “rsv03” has a scheduled start date and time of “2011/11/10 15:00”, and a scheduled end date and time of “2011/11/10 17:00”. The meeting name of the meeting is “security meeting”. The terminals 10 participating in the conference are the terminal 10 identified by the terminal ID “01ca” and the terminal 10 identified by the terminal ID “01da”. The conference state of the conference is “not held”.

  Records in the reservation management table are added or deleted by the storage / read processing unit 59. When the terminal 10 requests the management system 50 to add or delete a reservation, the storage / read processing unit 59 adds or deletes a record in the reservation management table.

(Functional configuration of the management system)
Next, each functional configuration of the management system 50 will be described in detail. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the management system 50, among the components illustrated in FIG. 5, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration of the management system 50 is also described. explain.

  The transmission / reception unit 51 is executed by the instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. Or information). In addition, the transmission / reception unit 51 controls the connection between the terminal 10 and the relay device 30 by transmitting the relay device connection information to the terminal 10. The transmission / reception unit 51 receives a request to start communication between the terminals 10 by receiving the start request information. Further, when receiving a request to start communication, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits to the terminal 10 a request including transmission confirmation information for confirming transmission or transmission impossible information for confirming that transmission cannot be performed.

  The terminal authentication unit 52 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 5, and uses the terminal ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 as a search key, and the storage unit 5000. Terminal authentication management table (see FIG. 8) is searched, and terminal authentication is performed by determining whether the same terminal ID and password are managed in the terminal authentication management table.

  The state management unit 53 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5 and stores the request source terminal in the terminal management table (see FIG. 9) in order to manage the operating state of the request source terminal that has requested login. The terminal ID, the operating state of the requesting terminal, and the IP address of the requesting terminal are stored and managed in association with each other. The state management unit 53 also manages the terminal based on the state information indicating that the power is turned off, which is sent from the terminal 10 when the user turns the power switch 109 of the terminal 10 from ON to OFF. Change the operating status indicating online of the table to offline.

  The relay device selection unit 56 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5 and selects the relay device 30 used for relaying content data in communication by the content data session sed between the terminals 10.

  The session management unit 57 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5, and identifies a content data session sed every time a content data session sed between terminals 10 is newly established. A session ID is generated. In addition, the session management unit 57 stores and manages the session ID, the reservation ID, the terminal ID, and the relay device ID in the session management table (see FIG. 10) in association with each other.

  The storage / reading processing unit 59 is executed by the instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5 and the HDD 205 shown in FIG. 5, and stores various data in the storage unit 5000 or stored in the storage unit 5000. A process of reading various data is performed.

  The search unit 61 is implemented by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5 and performs processing for searching various data stored in the storage unit 5000. For example, the search unit 61 searches the reservation management table using the terminal ID as a search key, and the reservation status (reservation ID, name, scheduled start date and time, and end schedule) of the conference in which the terminal 10 identified by the terminal ID is used. Date and time). In addition, the search unit 61 searches the session management table using the reservation ID as a search key, and acquires the state (start date / time and end date / time) of the session (communication) that realizes the conference identified by the reservation ID.

  The reservation determination unit 62 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5 and determines whether the information searched by the search unit 61 satisfies a predetermined condition. Details of the predetermined condition will be described later with reference to a flowchart (see FIG. 15).

  The creation unit 63 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 5, and depending on the result determined by the reservation determination unit 62, the transmission confirmation information or the transmission impossible information displayed on the communication request source terminal 10 Create

<< Processing or Operation of Embodiment >>
Next, processing or operation in the transmission system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. First, the transmission / reception process of each management information in the preparation stage before the terminal 10aa starts communication will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing in a preparation stage for starting communication between terminals. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a reservation acceptance screen. In FIG. 12, various types of management information are transmitted and received through the management information session sei shown in FIG.

  First, when the user of the terminal 10aa turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 4, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in FIG. 6 receives the power ON and turns on the power (step) S21). The login request unit 13 automatically transmits login request information indicating a login request from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 in response to the reception of the power ON (step S22). The login request information includes a terminal ID and a password for identifying the terminal 10aa that is the own terminal as a request source. These terminal ID and password are data read from the storage unit 1000 via the storage / read processing unit 19 and sent to the transmission / reception unit 11. When the login request information is transmitted from the terminal 10aa to the management system 50, the management system 50 that is the receiving side can grasp the IP address of the terminal 10aa that is the transmitting side.

  Next, the terminal authentication unit 52 of the management system 50 searches the terminal authentication management table (see FIG. 8) using the terminal ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 as search keys. Then, terminal authentication is performed by determining whether the same terminal ID and password are managed in the terminal authentication management table (step S23). Since the same terminal ID and password are managed by the terminal authentication unit 52, if it is determined that the login request is from the terminal 10 having a valid usage right, the state management unit 53 The table (see FIG. 9) stores the terminal ID of the terminal 10aa, the operating state, and the IP address of the terminal 10aa in association with each other (step S24). As a result, the terminal ID “01aa” is managed in association with the operation state “online” and the IP address “1.2.1.3” of the terminal 10aa in the terminal management table.

  Then, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits the authentication result information indicating the authentication result obtained by the terminal authentication unit 52 to the requesting terminal 10aa that has made the login request via the communication network 2. (Step S25). In the present embodiment, the case where the terminal authentication unit 52 determines that the terminal has a valid usage right will be described below.

  After receiving the authentication result information, the terminal 10aa accepts a reservation for communication between the terminals 10 (step S26). In this case, the display control unit 16 of the terminal 10aa displays the reservation acceptance screen shown in FIG. 13 on the display 120aa. Thereby, the operation input reception part 12 receives the input of the terminal 10 participating in a meeting name, a scheduled start date and time, a scheduled end date and time, and a meeting. When these inputs are accepted, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10aa includes reservation request information indicating that a reservation is requested, including the conference name, scheduled start date and time, scheduled end date and time, and the terminal ID of the terminal 10 participating in the conference. It transmits to the management system 50 (step S27).

  When the reservation request information is received by the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50, the storage / reading processing unit 59 associates the reservation request information with the reservation ID, the conference name, the scheduled start date / time, the scheduled end date / time, and the terminal ID included in the reservation request information. Is stored in the reservation management table (see FIG. 11) (step S28). The reservation ID may be created in the management system 50 or created in the terminal 10aa as long as the reservation ID can be uniquely identified. Thus, in the reservation management table (see FIG. 11), for example, the reservation ID “rsv05”, the scheduled start date and time “2011/11/11 12:00”, and the scheduled end date and time “2011/11/11 13:00” Minutes, meeting name “performance report meeting”, and terminal IDs “01aa, 01ba, 01ca” are managed in association with each other.

  Next, a process for starting communication using a request from the terminal 10aa as an opportunity will be described using the example of FIG. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing for starting communication between terminals. In each step of FIG. 14, various types of management information are transmitted and received through the management information session sei.

  The storage unit 1000 of the terminal 10aa stores the terminal name and terminal ID of the destination candidate terminal 10. Thereby, the display control unit 16 displays the terminal name of the destination candidate terminal 10 stored in the storage unit 1000 on the display 120aa. Subsequently, when the user of the terminal 10aa presses the operation button 108 shown in FIG. 3 and selects the terminal 10db from among the destination candidate terminals 10, the operation input receiving unit 12 is connected to the terminal 10db. A request to start communication is received (step S41).

  The transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10aa includes the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal 10aa that is a request source for starting communication and the terminal ID “01db” of the terminal 10db that is the destination, and indicates that a request to start communication is made. The start request information is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S42). The transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives a request for starting communication between the terminal 10aa and the terminal 10db by receiving the start request information.

  The management system 50 that has received the communication start request determines whether or not to permit the request based on the communication reservation (step S43). This process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing processing for determining whether or not to permit a request to start communication.

  First, the search unit 61 records a reservation management table (see FIG. 11) in which the terminal ID “01aa” of the requesting terminal 10aa is set in the terminal ID field, and the current day time is set in the scheduled start date and time field. Search (search for reservation ID of the conference in which the requesting terminal 10aa participates) (step S43-1). In the present embodiment, the search unit 61 searches for a conference reservation ID in which the time of the day is set to the scheduled start date and time based on the output of the clock 215 (see FIG. 5). It is not limited to the structure which searches the reservation ID of the meeting in which time is set.

  Subsequently, the search unit 61 stores a record of the reservation management table (see FIG. 11) in which the terminal ID “01db” of the destination terminal 10db is set in the terminal ID field and the current time is set in the scheduled start date and time field. Search (search for reservation ID of the conference in which the destination terminal 10db participates) (step S43-2).

  Next, the search unit 61 searches for a record in the session management table (see FIG. 10) in which the searched reservation ID is set in the reservation ID field (searches session information of communication that realizes the conference of the searched reservation ID). (Step S43-3). The search unit 61 transmits the record acquired in step S43-1, the record acquired in step S43-2, and the record acquired in step S43-3 to the reservation determination unit 62.

  Next, the reservation determination unit 62 sets the scheduled time (from the scheduled start date to the scheduled end date) from the scheduled ID (see step S42 in FIG. 14) of the reservation ID of the record acquired in step S43-1. Whether or not the reservation ID of the record included in the schedule time and the reservation ID of the record including the date and time when the start request information is received among the reservation IDs of the record acquired in step S43-2 match. Is determined (step S43-4).

  When the reservation IDs match (step S43-4, Yes), the reservation determination unit 62 refers to the conference state field of the record in which the reservation ID is set in the reservation ID field, and determines the conference state of the conference. (Step S43-5).

  When the conference state is “not held” (step S43-5, not held), the creation unit 63 displays a message indicating that there is a conference reservation common to the destination terminal 10, and the conference name and date / time (held) The transmission confirmation information indicating (scheduled time) is created (step S43-6). FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit 63 in step S43-6. The start button is a button for starting a conference indicated by the transmission confirmation information. The cancel button is a button for canceling the start of the conference indicated by the transmission confirmation information.

  When the conference state is “currently being held” (step S43-5, being held), the creation unit 63 displays a message indicating that a conference common to the destination terminal 10 is being held, the conference name and date / time of the conference ( The transmission confirmation information indicating the scheduled time is created (step S43-7). FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit 63 in step S43-7. The re-entry button is a button for re-entering the conference indicated by the transmission confirmation information. The cancel button is a button for canceling the re-entry of the conference indicated by the transmission confirmation information.

  When the conference state is “end” (step S43-5, end), the creation unit 63 resumes the ended conference or a new conference message indicating that the common conference with the destination terminal 10 has ended. To confirm whether to start (ad hoc conference) or not, and to confirm transmission information indicating the conference name and date (scheduled time) of the completed conference (step S43-8) . FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit 63 in step S43-8. The resume button is a button for resuming the conference indicated by the transmission confirmation information. The new start button is a button for newly starting a conference. The cancel button is a button for canceling the restart of the conference indicated by the transmission confirmation information or the start of a new conference.

  When the reservation IDs do not match (No at Step S43-4), the reservation determination unit 62 includes the date and time when the start request information is received among the records acquired at Step S43-1 and Step S43-2 as the scheduled time. And it is determined whether or not there is no record in which the reservation ID is set in the reservation ID field (step S43-9).

  If there is not one (step S43-9, Yes), the creating unit 63 creates call confirmation information indicating the message to be sent to the destination terminal 10 and the name of the destination terminal 10 (step S43-10). FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit 63 in step S43-10. The start button is a button for starting a conference. The cancel button is a button for canceling the start of the conference.

  When there is one or more (Step S43-9, No), the reservation determination unit 62 includes the date and time when the start request information is received among the records acquired in Step S43-1 and Step S43-2 in the scheduled time, Further, it is determined whether or not there are a plurality of records in which the reservation ID is set in the reservation ID field (step S43-11).

  If there are a plurality of reservations (step S43-11, Yes), the reservation determination unit 62 ends the reservation conferences identified by the reservation IDs set in the reservation ID fields of the plurality of records and ends at the end. It is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the meeting (step S43-12). Specifically, the reservation determination unit 62 determines the date and time of the reservation meeting that has ended last from the reservation ID set in the reservation ID field of the plurality of records and the session information acquired in step S43-3. In the description of the present embodiment, the predetermined time (corresponding to the second threshold time) is 5 minutes, but the predetermined time may be arbitrary.

  Here, the significance of the predetermined time (5 minutes) will be described. This is in order to prevent a conference that does not depend on reservation from starting for 5 minutes after the reserved conference ends, considering that there is a high possibility that the conference will be resumed for 5 minutes after the reserved conference ends. If this predetermined time (guard time) is shortened, there is an advantage that the remaining reservation time can be utilized more. On the other hand, since it is not known whether or not there is a reservation meeting immediately before the start at the destination terminal 10 (unless it is the same reservation as the requesting terminal 10), the destination terminal 10 is disconnected unintentionally, There is a demerit that there is a high risk that another terminal 10 (requesting terminal 10 that is about to start a new conference) is connected to the destination terminal 10 that is about to re-enter the room. The predetermined time (guard time) should be determined by comparing the advantage of using the remaining time with the disadvantage of interrupting where you are going to re-enter the room.

  When the predetermined time (5 minutes) has elapsed since the last reserved conference (step S43-12, Yes), the process proceeds to step S43-14.

  When the predetermined time (5 minutes) has not elapsed since the last reserved conference (step S43-12, No), the process proceeds to step S43-15.

  When there are not a plurality (step S43-11, No), the reservation determination unit 62 finishes the reservation meeting identified by the reservation ID set in the reservation ID field of the plurality of records, and performs predetermined processing after the reservation meeting ends. It is determined whether or not the time (5 minutes) has elapsed (step S43-13).

  When the predetermined time (5 minutes) has elapsed since the end (step S43-13, Yes), the process proceeds to step S43-14.

  If the predetermined time (5 minutes) has not elapsed since the end (step S43-13, No), the process proceeds to step S43-15.

  Created when a predetermined time has elapsed since the last scheduled conference (step S43-12, Yes), or when a predetermined time has elapsed since completion (step S43-13, Yes) The unit 63 creates transmission confirmation information indicating a message indicating that a new conference can be started because the reserved conference has ended earlier than the scheduled end date and time (step S43-14). FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission confirmation information created by the creation unit 63 in step S43-14. The start button is a button for starting a conference. The cancel button is a button for canceling the start of the conference.

  Created when the predetermined time has not elapsed since the last reserved conference (step S43-12, No), or when the predetermined time has not elapsed since completion (step S43-13, No) The unit 63 creates a message indicating that a call cannot be made because there is a reserved conference, and call disabling information indicating the conference name and date / time (scheduled time) of the reserved conference (step S43-15). FIG. 21 is a conceptual diagram showing the transmission disabling information created by the creation unit 63 in step S43-15. The OK button is a button for confirming that the call cannot be made.

  In the above description, the reservation ID of a record including the date and time when the start request information is received (see step S42 in FIG. 14) in the scheduled time (the time from the scheduled start date to the scheduled end date and time) is targeted. However, a case where the date and time when the start request information is received (see step S42 in FIG. 14) is earlier than the scheduled start date and time may be further targeted. This is because, for example, there is no reservation at the date and time when the start request information is received, but a case where there is little grace time for a meeting such as a case where a reservation is made after 5 minutes is taken into consideration. If the communication is expected to be prolonged, it is possible to guide the user of the terminal 10 to select not to start the communication, so that it becomes difficult to generate a situation in which the communication based on the reservation cannot be executed. There is an effect that can be done. The time used as a reference for this determination (corresponding to the first threshold time) is not limited to 5 minutes, and may be a positive value such as 10 minutes or 30 minutes.

  Returning to FIG. 14, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal 10aa, the terminal ID “01db” of the destination terminal 10db, and the transmission confirmation information or transmission generated in step S43. A request including the impossibility information is transmitted to the terminal 10aa (step S44). When the reservation ID corresponding to the requesting terminal 10aa matches the reservation ID corresponding to the destination terminal 10db (Yes in step S43-4), the transmission / reception unit 51 uses the common reservation ID as a request. Include and send.

  The transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10aa receives a request including the transmission confirmation information or the transmission impossible information from the management system 50. The display control unit 16 of the terminal 10aa displays the transmission confirmation information or the transmission impossible information on the display 120aa, and accepts confirmation from the user (step S45). Hereinafter, the description will be continued with respect to a case where a selection to start communication is received from the user.

  When the confirmation of the start of communication is accepted, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10aa includes the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal 10aa and the terminal ID “01db” of the destination terminal 10db, and starts communication. The response information indicating that the confirmation is received is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S46). When the selection to start communication based on the common reservation is accepted, the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits the response information including the reservation ID received in step S44.

  The transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the response information and receives a selection result indicating that communication is started. Subsequently, the state management unit 53 of the management system 50 records in the terminal management table (see FIG. 9) the terminal ID (“01aa”, “01db”) of the terminal (10aa, 10db) included in the confirmation information. The field portion of the operating state is changed to “in meeting” (step S47).

  Subsequently, the session management unit 57 performs management based on the start of the content data session sed by adding the terminal ID of the terminal (10aa, 10db) that starts communication to the session management table (see FIG. 10) ( Step S48). This process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the session management process.

  First, the session management unit 57 determines whether or not a reservation ID identical to the reservation ID included in the response information is recorded in the session management table (see FIG. 10) (step S48-1). In this embodiment, when the reservation information is not included in the response information, it is determined that the same reservation ID is not recorded. If it is determined that the same reservation ID does not exist (step S48-1, No), the communication based on the reservation is started using the new content data session sed. To generate a session ID (step S48-2). Subsequently, the relay device selection unit 56 selects the relay device 30 for relaying content data transmitted / received between the terminals (10aa, 10db) in the new content data session sed (step S48-3). . In this case, the relay device selection unit 56 arbitrarily selects one relay device ID from the relay device IDs managed by the relay device management table (see FIG. 7).

  Furthermore, the session management unit 57 uses the session ID generated in step S48-2, the reservation ID included in the response information, the relay device ID selected in step S48-3, and the terminal ID of the terminals (10aa, 10db). “10aa, 10db” is stored in association with the session management table (see FIG. 10) (step S48-4).

  If it is determined that there is the same reservation ID (step S48-1, Yes), in the session management table (see FIG. 10), the field portion of the terminal ID of the record in which the reservation ID included in the response information is recorded In addition, the terminal IDs ("01aa", "01db") of the terminals (10aa, 10db) are added and recorded (step S48-5). Further, the session management unit 57 searches the session management table using the reservation ID included in the response information as a search key, and searches for the corresponding session ID and relay device ID (step S48-6).

  Returning to FIG. 14, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the relay device connection information used to connect to the relay device 30 selected in step S48-3 or searched in step S48-6. 10aa, 10db) (steps S49-1, S49-2). The relay device connection information includes the IP address read from the relay device management table (see FIG. 7), authentication information, port number, etc., and is generated in step S48-2 or retrieved in step S48-6. Included session ID is included. As a result, the terminals (10aa, 10db) can connect to the relay device 30 using the received relay device connection information and transmit content data to the relay device 30.

  Further, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits the relay start request information indicating that the start of relay is requested to the relay device 30 selected in step S48-3 or searched in step S48-6. (Step S50). This relay start request information includes the IP address of the terminal (10aa, 10db) and the session ID generated in step S48-2 or searched in step S48-6. The storage / reading processing unit 39 of the relay device 30 stores the received session ID and the IP address of the terminal (10aa, 10db) in the storage unit 3000. The relay unit 32 relays the content data transmitted from the terminal 10aa to the terminal 10db via the transmission / reception unit 31 based on the IP address stored in the storage unit 3000, and the content data transmitted from the terminal 10db to the terminal Relay to 10aa. As a result, a content data session sed for communicating content data is established between the terminals (10aa, 10db).

  Next, a process in which the terminal 10db ends the communication by the content data session sed after the content data session sed is established with the terminals (10aa, 10ab, 10db) will be described using FIG. FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing for terminating communication. FIG. 23 illustrates a process in which various types of management information are transmitted and received through the management information session sei.

  First, when the user of the terminal 10db presses the operation button 108, a request to end communication is accepted (step S61). Subsequently, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10db transmits termination request information including the terminal ID “01db” of the terminal 10db to the management system 50 (step S62).

  Upon receiving this end request information, the state management unit 53 of the management system 50 changes the field portion of the operation state of the record including the terminal ID “01db” from “in meeting” in the terminal management table (see FIG. 9). “Online” is changed (step S63).

  Next, the session management unit 57 deletes the terminal ID “01db” of the terminal 10db from the field portion of the terminal ID in the session management table (see FIG. 10) (step S64). When all the terminal IDs are deleted from the terminal ID field portion of the session management table in the process of step S64, the session management unit 57 sets the reservation ID in the record including the terminal ID “01db”. Search for. Further, the storage / reading processing unit 59 deletes the record including the reservation ID in the reservation management table (see FIG. 11) (step S65). Thereby, the information based on the reservation corresponding to the terminated communication can be deleted from the reservation management table.

  Subsequently, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits termination information including the IP address of the terminal 10db and the session ID to the relay device 30 (step S66). The storage / reading processing unit 39 of the relay device 30 deletes the IP address of the terminal 10db associated with the received session ID and stored in the storage unit 3000. Thus, the relay unit 32 relays the content data transmitted from the terminal 10db to the terminals (10aa, 10ab) and the terminal 10db of the content data transmitted from the terminals (10aa, 10ab) via the transmission / reception unit 31. The relay to is stopped (step S67). As a result, the terminal 10db ends the communication with the terminals (10aa, 10ab) by the content data session sed.

<< Main effects of embodiment >>
As described above, in the present embodiment, the creation unit 63 sends a call according to the state of the reservation meeting regarding the requesting terminal 10 and the destination terminal 10 and the state of the communication session that realizes the reservation meeting. Confirmation information (see FIGS. 16 to 20) or transmission impossible information (see FIG. 21) is created. Then, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the transmission confirmation information or the transmission impossible information to the requesting terminal 10. Thereby, the terminal 10 reserved in advance can be flexibly used by the user according to the communication status of the terminal 10 at the time of requesting the start of communication.

  In other words, the user of the communication requesting terminal 10 uses the transmission confirmation information (see FIGS. 16 to 20) or the transmission impossible information (see FIG. 21) to determine the reservation status of the requesting and destination terminals 10 and the transmission The communication status of the destination terminal 10 at the time of the request can be grasped, and the terminal 10 can be used according to the situation without being bound by the reservation.

  For example, if the reserved conference ends earlier than the scheduled end date and time, a new conference (ad hoc conference) can be started without making a new reservation. At this time, the management system 50 can manage the communication (session) by distinguishing whether the reservation meeting is restarted or a new meeting.

<< Supplement of Embodiment >>
In the embodiment described above, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits the transmission confirmation information or the transmission disabled information to the requesting terminal 10aa. However, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 may transmit the above message to the destination terminal 10db.

  In the above embodiment, the terminal ID for identifying the terminal 10 can be replaced with a user ID for identifying the user of the terminal 10. In this case, the management system 50 accepts a login request based on the user ID instead of the terminal ID (step S22), and manages the user ID instead of the terminal ID in the subsequent processing. Thereby, when the terminal 10 is used by a plurality of users or when the user uses a plurality of terminals 10, the transmission management system 50 can perform control based on the reservation for each user. .

  In the above-described embodiment, the terminal 10 that requests the reservation may be different from the terminal 10 that executes the communication based on the reservation.

  The management system 50 and the program providing system 90 in each of the above embodiments may be constructed by a single computer, or may be constructed by a plurality of computers arbitrarily assigned by dividing each unit (function or means). May be. In addition, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a single computer, the program transmitted by the program providing system 90 may be transmitted by dividing it into a plurality of modules. It may be transmitted. Further, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a plurality of computers, a plurality of modules may be divided and transmitted from each computer.

  The terminal program, the relay device program, and the transmission management program according to the above embodiment, the recording medium storing the program, the HD 204 storing the program, and the program providing system 90 including the HD 204, Is also used as a program product provided to users of the terminal program, the relay device program, and the transmission management program domestically or abroad.

  Moreover, you may implement | achieve a part or all of the functional block of the terminal 10, the relay apparatus 30, or the management system 50 of the said embodiment with hardware (circuit etc.).

Further, in the above embodiment, the IP address of the relay device is managed in FIG. 7 and the IP address of the terminal in FIG. 9, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the relay device 30 is specified on the communication network 2. Each FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) may be managed as long as it is terminal identification information for identifying the terminal 10 on the communication network 2. In this case, an IP address corresponding to the FQDN is acquired by a known DNS (Domain Name System) server. In addition to “relay device specifying information for specifying the relay device 30 in the communication network 2”, “relay device connection destination information indicating a connection destination to the relay device 30 on the communication network 2” or “communication It may be expressed as “relay device destination information indicating a destination to the relay device 30 on the network 2”. Similarly, not only “terminal specifying information for specifying the terminal 10 in the communication network 2” but also “terminal connection destination information indicating a connection destination to the terminal 10 on the communication network 2” or “on the communication network 2 It may be expressed as “terminal destination information indicating a destination to the terminal 10”.

  In the present embodiment, “video conference” is used as a term that can be replaced with “video conference”.

  In the above embodiment, a video conference system has been described as an example of the transmission system 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a telephone system such as an IP (Internet Protocol) telephone or an Internet telephone. . Further, the transmission system 1 may be a car navigation system. In this case, for example, one of the terminals 10 corresponds to a car navigation device mounted on a car, and the other of the terminals 10 is mounted on a management terminal or management server of a management center that manages car navigation, or another car. This corresponds to a car navigation device. Further, the transmission system 1 may be an audio conference system or a PC (Personal Computer) screen sharing system.

The transmission system 1 may be a mobile phone communication system. In this case, for example, the terminal corresponds to a mobile phone as shown in FIG. FIG. 24 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a terminal according to another embodiment. That is, a terminal 310 as a mobile phone includes a mobile phone main body 310-1, a menu screen display button 310-2 provided on the main body 310-1, a display unit 310-3 provided on the main body 310-1, and a main body. The microphone 310-4 provided in the lower part of 310-1 and the speaker 310-5 provided in the main body 310-1 are provided.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where a video conference is performed by the transmission system 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a general conversation such as a meeting, a family or a friend, or information in one direction is performed. It may be used for presentation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transmission system 10 Transmission terminal 11 Transmission / reception part 12 Operation input reception part 13 Login request part 14 Imaging part 15a Audio | voice input part 15b Audio | voice output part 16 Display control part 19 Memory | storage / reading process part 30 Relay apparatus 31 Transmission / reception part 32 Relay part 39 Memory | storage Read processing unit 50 Transmission management system 51 Transmission / reception unit 52 Terminal authentication unit 53 Status management unit 56 Relay device selection unit 57 Session management unit 61 Search unit 62 Reservation determination unit 63 Creation unit 70 Router 90 Program providing system 100 Maintenance system 120 Display 1000 Storage unit 3000 Storage unit 5000 Storage unit 5001 Relay device management DB
5002 Terminal authentication management DB
5003 Terminal management DB
5005 Session management DB
5009 Reservation management DB

Japanese Patent No. 3634285 JP 2011-199845 A

Claims (10)

Reservation management information including a scheduled holding time indicating a time from a scheduled start date and time to a scheduled end date and time, terminal identification information of a terminal participating in the conference, and a conference status indicating not held, being held, or ended is stored. A storage unit;
A receiving unit that receives start request information including terminal identification information of a communication request source terminal and terminal identification information of a communication destination terminal from the communication request source terminal;
The start request information is received from the reservation management information specified based on the received terminal identification information of the request source terminal and the reservation management information specified based on the received terminal identification information of the destination terminal In accordance with the reservation management information including the date and time in the scheduled meeting time, a creation unit for creating transmission confirmation information for confirming transmission or transmission impossible information for confirming that transmission cannot be performed,
A transmission unit that transmits the transmission confirmation information or the transmission disabled information to the request source terminal ;
The creating unit
If there is reservation management information of the conference that includes the terminal identification information of the request source terminal and the terminal identification information of the destination terminal and the conference state is ended, the ended conference is restarted or newly A transmission management system that creates outgoing call confirmation information that confirms whether to start a meeting . The creating unit
Of the reservation management information of the request source terminal and the reservation management information of the destination terminal, the date and time when the start request information is received is from the first threshold time before the scheduled start date and time of the conference. The transmission management system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission confirmation information or the transmission impossible information is created further according to the reservation management information that is a date and time up to a scheduled date and time. The creating unit
Whether or not to start a reserved conference if there is reservation management information for the conference that includes the terminal identification information of the request source terminal and the terminal identification information of the destination terminal and the conference state is not held The transmission management system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein transmission confirmation information for confirming whether or not is created. The creating unit
If there is reservation management information for the conference that includes the terminal identification information of the request source terminal and the terminal identification information of the destination terminal, and the conference state is being held, whether to rejoin the reserved conference The transmission management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein transmission confirmation information for confirming whether or not is created. The creating unit
Terminal identification information of the request source terminal, or include terminal identification information of the destination terminal, and, when the conference status has reservation management information of the conference is not the end, according to claim 1 to 4 to create the outgoing Call Information The transmission management system according to any one of the above. The creating unit
If there is reservation management information of the conference that includes the terminal identification information of the request source terminal or the terminal identification information of the destination terminal and the conference state is ended, confirm whether or not to start a new conference The transmission management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the transmission confirmation information is created. The storage unit
Further storing session management information for managing a communication state used for the conference;
The creating unit
Among the conferences of the reservation management information that includes the terminal identification information of the request source terminal or the terminal identification information of the destination terminal, and the conference state is ended, from the session management information, When the second threshold time has passed since the date and time of the last ended meeting, the call confirmation information for confirming whether or not to start a new meeting is created, and the last ended meeting The transmission management system according to claim 6 , wherein when the second threshold time has not elapsed since the date and time, the transmission disabled information is created. The reservation management information of the request source terminal is searched using the terminal identification information of the request source terminal as a search key, and the reservation management information of the destination terminal is searched using the terminal identification information of the destination terminal as a search key The transmission management system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , further comprising a search unit. The transmission management system reserves including the scheduled time indicating the time from the scheduled start date to the scheduled end date of the conference, the terminal identification information of the terminals participating in the conference, and the conference status indicating that the conference has not been held, is being held, or is ended. A step of referring to management information;
The transmission management system receiving start request information including terminal identification information of a communication request source terminal and terminal identification information of a communication destination terminal from the communication request source terminal;
The start of the reservation management information specified based on the received terminal identification information of the request source terminal and the reservation management information specified based on the received terminal identification information of the destination terminal A step of creating outgoing call confirmation information for confirming outgoing calls or outgoing call impossible information for confirming that outgoing calls cannot be made according to the reservation management information including the date and time when request information is received in the scheduled time of the meeting. When,
A transmission management system including transmitting the transmission confirmation information or the transmission impossible information to the request source terminal ;
The creating step includes
If there is reservation management information of the conference that includes the terminal identification information of the request source terminal and the terminal identification information of the destination terminal and the conference state is ended, the ended conference is restarted or newly A transmission management method for creating transmission confirmation information for confirming whether to start a conference . Reservation management information including a scheduled holding time indicating a time from a scheduled start date and time to a scheduled end date and time, terminal identification information of a terminal participating in the conference, and a conference status indicating not held, being held, or ended is stored. A transmission management system including a storage unit,
A receiving unit that receives start request information including terminal identification information of a communication request source terminal and terminal identification information of a communication destination terminal from the communication request source terminal;
The start request information is received from the reservation management information specified based on the received terminal identification information of the request source terminal and the reservation management information specified based on the received terminal identification information of the destination terminal In accordance with the reservation management information including the date and time in the scheduled meeting time, a creation unit for creating transmission confirmation information for confirming transmission or transmission impossible information for confirming that transmission cannot be performed,
Function as a transmission unit that transmits the transmission confirmation information or the transmission impossible information to the request source terminal ;
The creating unit
If there is reservation management information of the conference that includes the terminal identification information of the request source terminal and the terminal identification information of the destination terminal and the conference state is ended, the ended conference is restarted or newly A program that creates outgoing call confirmation information that confirms whether to start a meeting .

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