JP7456162B2 - Programs, communication methods, communication terminals and communication systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a program, a communication method, a communication terminal, and a communication system.

Traditionally, companies, educational institutions, government agencies, etc. input audio signals into microphones to transmit audio signals to other communication terminals, and also transmit audio signals and camera images received from the other communication terminals. Video conferencing systems that play back on speakers and displays are in use. A "webinar", which is a seminar held on a video conference system, is generally recognized, and it is expected that panel discussions, which are one of the genres of seminars, will also be held as a webinar on a video conference system. In a panel discussion, participants listen to a panel of experts (presenters) discuss a specific theme, following the progress of a moderator. When implementing a panel discussion using a video conference system, images of panelists and a moderator (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a speaker) are output on a conference screen. It is assumed that the audio is output from the communication terminal and viewed by the audience. That is, in a webinar such as a panel discussion, roles of participants (in the above example, moderator, presenter, and audience) are assigned.

As such a conference system, a technology has been disclosed in which participants are displayed as lines or appropriate icons on a display to identify participants on a social networking service (for example, Patent Document 1).

During a panel discussion, which is a type of webinar, there may be cases where you would like to have audience members other than the speakers, such as the moderator and presenter, participate in the discussion. However, in conventional video conferencing systems, there is a problem in that it is not possible to have speakers participate in the discussion during a webinar such as a panel discussion.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and provides a program, a communication method, a communication terminal, and a communication system that allow participants who do not have the right to speak to speak when a video conference is being held. The purpose is to

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, the present invention provides a computer, which is a communication terminal, capable of making video conference calls by transmitting and receiving audio and video with other communication terminals via a network. a first request unit that transmits a request to change the role of a participant to a management system that controls the video conference during the video conference; and a first role that is the role of the participant in the video conference; a first receiving unit that receives a second role, which is a role that can be changed first, from the management system; and a display that causes a display device to display a change screen that displays the second role in correspondence with the first role. a control unit; a first execution unit that transmits to the management system a request to execute a change in the role of the participant from the first role to the second role selected by the input unit on the change screen; a second request unit that transmits a participant role assignment request to the management system before the video conference starts; The display control section causes the display device to display an assignment screen that selectably displays roles in association with the identification information. This program further functions as a second execution unit that displays and sends an execution request to the management system to assign the role selected by the input unit as the role of the participant on the assignment screen.

According to the present invention, when a video conference is being held, a participant who does not have the right to speak can be allowed to speak.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the communication terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the smartphone according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the management system and program providing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of the communication terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a user management table. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal management table. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a group management table. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a session management table. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a role management table. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role assignment management table. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a participant management table. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role relationship management table. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role change destination management table. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating sessions established for transmitting and receiving content data and various management information in the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role pre-assignment processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a role assignment screen. FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a preparation stage process including an authentication process for the communication terminal according to the embodiment to start a call. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a destination list screen. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of conference start/participation processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a start request dialog box. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a moderator conference screen. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a conference screen for listeners. FIG. 25 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role change request processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a role change screen. FIG. 27 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role change execution processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating the screen operation when a request to change the role is received. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of a moderator conference screen to which a new speaker video has been added. FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role return processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 31 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role addition/editing processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role addition screen. FIG. 33 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a role relationship change process in the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of the role relationship editing screen. FIG. 35 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role change destination change processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role change destination editing screen. FIG. 37 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration when using the web application of the communication terminal according to the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a program, a communication method, a communication terminal, and a communication system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Further, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and the constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are within the so-called equivalent range. is included. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations of constituent elements can be made without departing from the gist of the following embodiments.

Furthermore, computer software refers to programs related to computer operations and other information used for processing by a computer that is equivalent to a program (hereinafter, computer software will be referred to as software). Application software is a general term for software used to perform specific tasks among software categories. On the other hand, an operating system (OS) is software that controls a computer and allows application software and the like to use computer resources. The operating system performs basic management and control of a computer, such as controlling input/output, managing hardware such as memory and hard disks, and managing processes. Application software operates using functions provided by the operating system. A program is a set of instructions to a computer that are combined to produce a single result. Also, what is said to be similar to a program refers to something that cannot be called a program because it is not a direct command to a computer, but has properties similar to a program in that it specifies computer processing. For example, a data structure (a logical structure of data expressed by mutual relationships between data elements) corresponds to a program.

(Overall configuration of communication system)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment. The overall configuration of a communication system 1 according to this embodiment will be outlined with reference to FIG. 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 includes a plurality of communication terminals 10aa, 10ab, 10ba, 10bb, 10ca, 10cb, 10da, 10db, 10ea, 10eb, and displays 120aa, 120bb, 120ca, 120db for each communication terminal. , a management system 50 , and a program providing system 90 , and are constructed so as to be able to communicate with each other via the communication network 2 .

In addition, although communication terminals 10aa, 10ab, 10ba, 10bb, 10ca, 10cb, 10da, 10db, 10ea, and 10eb are shown in FIG. 1, when any communication terminal among these is shown or collectively referred to, it is simply It will be referred to as "communication terminal 10." Further, the plurality of communication terminals 10 included in the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the number of communication terminals 10 may be different.

Further, in FIG. 1, displays 120aa, 120bb, 120ca, and 120db are shown, but when any display among these is shown or collectively referred to, it is simply referred to as "display 120." Further, the plurality of displays 120 included in the communication system 1 shown in FIG.

Further, the communication terminal 10 may be any of a dedicated device connected to a display (the above-mentioned display 120), a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. In FIG. 1, communication terminals 10aa, 10bb, 10ca, and 10db are shown as dedicated devices, communication terminals 10ab, 10ba, 10cb, and 10da are shown as notebook PCs, and communication terminals 10ea and 10eb are shown as smartphones.

The communication terminal 10 is a terminal (an example of a computer) that transmits and receives various information to and from other devices. The communication terminal 10 establishes a session with another communication terminal 10, and performs a telephone call by transmitting and receiving content data including audio data and image data (video data) in the established session. Thereby, in the communication system 1, a video conference between the plurality of communication terminals 10 is realized. Note that a video conference may be simply referred to as a "conference." In addition, in this embodiment, a panel discussion will be particularly described as an example of a webinar as a video conference realized by the communication system 1.

The management system 50 is a computer that centrally manages the communication terminals 10. The management system 50 establishes a session between the communication terminals 10 to realize and control a video conference using a telephone call or the like between the communication terminals 10 . When the management system 50 receives a session start request from a predetermined communication terminal 10, the management system 50 establishes a session between the communication terminal 10 that sent the start request (start request terminal) and the destination terminal, and starts a video conference. let Therefore, the management system 50 relays content data between the plurality of communication terminals 10 using the established session. Although the management system 50 establishes sessions between the plurality of communication terminals 10, the relay of content data may actually be performed by another relay device. In this embodiment, in order to simplify the explanation, it will be assumed that the management system 50 establishes a session and relays content data.

The program providing system 90 includes an auxiliary storage device (HDD (Hard Disk Drive), etc.) that stores terminal programs for realizing various functions or means in the communication terminal 10, and provides terminal programs to the communication terminal 10. This is a computer that provides programs (such as communication application A to be described later). The program providing system 90 also stores programs in the auxiliary storage device for making the management system 50 etc. implement various functions or means, and can send the corresponding programs to the management system 50 etc. Although the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes the program providing system 90, it is not limited to the program providing system 90.

As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 2 is constructed to include, for example, LANs (Local Area Networks) 2a to 2d, private lines 2ab and 2cd, base stations 2e and 2f, and the Internet 2i. Note that the communication network 2 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 1, and may include other network devices, and may have locations where wireless communication is performed in addition to wired communication. .

LANs 2a to 2d and dedicated lines 2ab, 2cd each include routers 70a to 70d, 70ab, and 70cd. Routers 70a to 70d, 70ab, and 70cd are network devices that select the optimal route for communication data. Note that when referring to any one of routers 70a to 70d, 70ab, and 70cd or when referring to all of them collectively, they will simply be referred to as "router 70."

The communication terminals 10 (10aa, 10ab, . . . ) and the router 70a are communicably connected via the LAN 2a. Furthermore, the communication terminals 10 (10ba, 10bb, . . . ) and the router 70b are communicably connected via the LAN 2b. Further, the LAN 2a, the LAN 2b, and the router 70ab are communicably connected by a dedicated line 2ab, and are constructed within the area A.

On the other hand, the communication terminals 10 (10ca, 10cb, . . . ) and the router 70c are communicably connected via the LAN 2c. Further, the communication terminals 10 (10da, 10db, . . . ) and the router 70d are communicably connected via the LAN 2d. Further, LAN2c, LAN2d, and router 70cd are communicably connected by dedicated line 2cd, and are constructed within area B.

The base stations 2e and 2f transmit and receive wireless signals to and from the communication terminal 10 (for example, the communication terminals 10ea and 10eb as smartphones shown in FIG. 1), and mediate data communication between the communication terminal 10 and the Internet 2i. It is a wireless station that

The networks in region A and region B are communicably connected via the Internet 2i by routers 70ab and 70cd, respectively.

The management system 50 and the program providing system 90 are communicatively connected to each communication terminal 10 via the Internet 2i. The management system 50 and the program providing system 90 may be installed in region A or region B, or may be installed in a region other than these.

In addition, in FIG. 1, four sets of numbers shown near each communication terminal 10, management system 50, each router 70, and program providing system 90 are simplified representations of IP (Internet Protocol) addresses in general IPv4. It is shown in For example, it is assumed that the IP address of the communication terminal 10aa is "1.2.1.3". Note that IPv6 may be used instead of IPv4, but to simplify the explanation, IPv4 will be used in the explanation.

Note that the configuration of the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and is not limited to this configuration. That is, the number of each device and system shown in FIG. 1 is not limited to the number shown in FIG. In addition, although FIG. 1 shows the network configuration of two regions, regions A and B, the network may be within the same region, or it may be a configuration in which three or more regions are connected by a network. Good too.

(Hardware configuration of communication terminal)
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the communication terminal according to the embodiment. The details of the hardware configuration of the communication terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the communication terminal 10 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, and an auxiliary storage device 105. It includes a media drive 107 and an input device 108 (an example of an input section).

CPU 101 is an arithmetic device that controls the overall operation of communication terminal 10 . The ROM 102 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs for the communication terminal 10 (such as communication application A to be described later). The RAM 103 is a volatile storage device used as a work area for the CPU 101.

The auxiliary storage device 105 is a nonvolatile storage device such as an HDD or an SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various data such as image data, audio data, and video data. Note that the program for the communication terminal 10 described above (such as communication application A to be described later) may be stored in the auxiliary storage device 105, loaded into the RAM 103, and executed by the CPU 101.

The media drive 107 is a device that controls reading and writing of data to and from the medium 106, such as a flash memory, under the control of the CPU 101. Media 106 is a storage device that is detachable from communication terminal 10 . Note that the medium 106 is not limited to a flash memory as long as it is a nonvolatile memory that reads and writes data under the control of the CPU 101, and may also be an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like.

The input device 108 is a device realized by at least one of a device for inputting various information such as a mouse or a keyboard, or an operation button such as a power button.

The communication terminal 10 further includes a network I/F 111, an image sensor I/F 113, an audio input/output I/F 116, a display I/F 119, a camera 112, a microphone 114, and a speaker 115. ing.

The network I/F 111 is an interface for communicating data using the communication network 2. The network I/F 111 is, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card) that is compliant with TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)/IP (Internet Protocol).

The image sensor I/F 113 is an interface for transmitting image data to and from the camera 112 that images a subject and obtains image data under the control of the CPU 101. The camera 112 is an imaging device that includes a lens and a solid-state imaging device that converts light into electric charge to digitize an image (video) of a subject. The camera 112 is connected to the image sensor I/F 113 by a cable 112c. As the solid-state image sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or the like is used.

The audio input/output I/F 116 is an interface that processes input/output of audio signals (audio data) between the microphone 114 that inputs audio and the speaker 115 that outputs audio under the control of the CPU 101. Microphone 114 and speaker 115 are connected to audio input/output I/F 116 by cable 114c and cable 115c, respectively.

Display I/F 119 is an interface for transmitting image data to display 120 (an example of a display device) under the control of CPU 101. The display 120 is a display device configured with a liquid crystal, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence), or the like that displays an image of a subject, operation icons, and the like. Display 120 is connected to display I/F 119 by cable 120c. The cable 120c may be a cable for analog RGB (VGA) signals, or may be a cable for component video, such as HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or DVI (Digital Video Interactive) signal. It may be a cable for

The above-mentioned CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, auxiliary storage device 105, media drive 107, input device 108, network I/F 111, image sensor I/F 113, audio input/output I/F 116, and display I/F 119 are an address bus and a data bus. are communicably connected to each other by a bus line 110 such as.

Note that the hardware configuration of the communication terminal 10 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and may include components other than those shown in FIG. 2. Further, at least one of the camera 112, the microphone 114, and the speaker 115 may be used as an external device separate from the communication terminal 10.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the smartphone according to the embodiment. The details of the hardware configuration of the communication terminal 10 as a smartphone will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3, the communication terminal 10 as a smartphone according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, an EEPROM 304, a media I/F 307, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving section 308. We are prepared.

The CPU 301 is a calculation device that controls the operation of the communication terminal 10 as a whole. The ROM 302 is a nonvolatile storage device that stores programs for the communication terminal 10 (such as communication application A to be described later) and programs used to drive the CPU 301 such as IPL (Initial Program Loader). RAM 303 is a volatile storage device used as a work area for CPU 301. The EEPROM 304 is a nonvolatile storage device that reads or writes various data such as smartphone programs under the control of the CPU 301.

The media I/F 307 is an interface that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to the media 306 such as a flash memory. The GPS receiving unit 308 is a circuit that receives GPS signals from GPS satellites.

Further, the communication terminal 10 further includes a long distance communication circuit 311, an antenna 311a, a CMOS 312, an image sensor I/F 313, a microphone 314, a speaker 315, a sound input/output I/F 316, and a display 317 (display (an example of a device) and a touch panel 318 (an example of an input unit).

The long-distance communication circuit 311 is a circuit that wirelessly communicates with other devices via an antenna 311a. The CMOS 312 is a type of built-in imaging means that images a subject and obtains image data under the control of the CPU 301. Note that instead of a CMOS sensor, an imaging means such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) sensor may be used. The image sensor I/F 313 is an interface that controls driving of the CMOS 312.

Microphone 314 is a built-in circuit that converts sound into electrical signals. The speaker 315 is a built-in circuit that converts electrical signals into physical vibrations to produce sounds such as music and voice. The sound input/output I/F 316 is an interface that processes input/output of sound signals between the microphone 314 and the speaker 315 under the control of the CPU 301 .

The display 317 is a display device such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL display that displays an image of a subject, various icons, and the like. The touch panel 318 is an input device that allows the user to operate the communication terminal 10 by pressing the display 317.

The communication terminal 10 also includes a bus line 310. The bus line 310 is an address bus, a data bus, etc. for electrically connecting each component such as the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3.

Note that the hardware configuration of the communication terminal 10 shown in FIG. 3 is an example, and may include components other than those shown in FIG. 3.

(Hardware configuration of management system, etc.)
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the management system and program providing system according to the embodiment. The details of the hardware configuration of the management system 50 and the program providing system 90 will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

First, the hardware configuration of the management system 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the management system 50 includes a CPU 201, a ROM 202, a RAM 203, an auxiliary storage device 205, a media drive 207, a display 208, a network I/F 209, a keyboard 211, a mouse 212, A DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) drive 214 is provided.

The CPU 201 is a calculation device that controls the operation of the management system 50 as a whole. The ROM 202 is a nonvolatile storage device that stores programs for the management system 50. The RAM 203 is a volatile storage device used as a work area for the CPU 201.

The auxiliary storage device 205 stores user management DB 5001, terminal management DB 5002, group management DB 5003, session management DB 5004, role management DB 5005, role assignment management DB 5006, participant management DB 5007, role relationship management DB 5008, role change destination management DB 5009, etc., which will be described later. It is a storage device such as an HDD or SSD that stores various data. The media drive 207 is a device that controls reading and writing of data to and from the recording medium 206 such as a flash memory under the control of the CPU 201 .

The display 208 is a display device configured with a liquid crystal, an organic EL, or the like that displays various information such as a cursor, menu, window, characters, or images. The network I/F 209 is an interface for communicating data using the communication network 2. The network I/F 209 is, for example, a TCP/IP compliant NIC.

The keyboard 211 is an input device for selecting letters, numbers, and various instructions, and for moving the cursor, etc. The mouse 212 is an input device for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting the processing target, and for moving the cursor, etc.

The DVD drive 214 is a device that controls reading and writing of data to and from a DVD 213 such as a DVD-ROM or a DVD-R (DVD Recordable), which is an example of a removable storage medium. In addition, as another example of the above-mentioned removable recording medium, it may be configured to be recorded and provided on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable) or a Blu-ray disc.

The above-mentioned CPU 201, ROM 202, RAM 203, auxiliary storage device 205, media drive 207, display 208, network I/F 209, keyboard 211, mouse 212, and DVD drive 214 can communicate with each other via bus lines 210 such as an address bus and a data bus. It is connected to the.

Note that the hardware configuration of the management system 50 shown in FIG. 4 is an example. Therefore, it is not necessary to include all the components shown in FIG. 4, or other components may be included.

Further, the program for the management system 50 described above may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the DVD 213 and distributed as a file in an installable format or an executable format. .

Furthermore, since the program providing system 90 has the same hardware configuration as the above-described management system 50, the description thereof will be omitted. However, a program for the program providing system 90 is recorded in the ROM 202. In this case as well, the program for the program providing system 90 may be a file in an installable or executable format and may be distributed by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or DVD 213. good.

(Software configuration of communication terminal)
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration of the communication terminal according to the embodiment. The details of the software configuration of the communication terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

A communication application A is installed on the communication terminal 10 as a client application. Here, the application software will be described as being referred to as an "app." As shown in FIG. 5, an OS (Operating System) 1020 and a communication application A operate on a work area 1010 of the RAM 103 (or RAM 303) of the communication terminal 10.

The OS 1020 is basic software that provides basic functions and manages the entire communication terminal 10. The communication application A is an application that operates under the control of the OS 1020 and is used to communicate (call) with other communication terminals 10 .

Note that examples of the communication protocol of the communication application A include SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), H.323, IRC (Internet Relay Chat), Jingle, and the like.

(Configuration of functional blocks of communication system)
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional block configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. The configuration of functional blocks of the communication system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

<Configuration of functional blocks of communication terminal>
As shown in FIG. 6, the communication terminal 10 includes a communication section 11 (first receiving section, second receiving section, receiving section), an operation input receiving section 12 (input section), an imaging section 13, and a display control section. 14, a voice input section 15, a voice output section 16, a storage/readout section 17, a storage section 18, an authentication request section 19, and a role assignment control section 20 (second request section, second execution section). , role change control section 21 (first request section, first execution section, request section, execution section), role addition control section 22 (third request section), and role relationship change control section 23 (fourth request section). and a role change destination change control unit 24 (fifth request unit).

The communication unit 11 is a functional unit that transmits and receives various data to and from other communication terminals 10 or each system via the communication network 2. The communication unit 11 is realized by execution of a communication application A, which is software, by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3), and by the network I/F 111 (or the long distance communication circuit 311 shown in FIG. 3).

Before the communication terminal 10 establishes a session with another communication terminal 10 and starts a video conference by phone call, the communication unit 11 starts receiving from the management system 50 each state information indicating the state of each communication terminal 10 as a candidate destination terminal. Here, the candidate destination terminal is another communication terminal 10 that is a destination candidate used by a user (participant) who is a partner with whom the communication terminal 10 will hold a video conference, that is, a partner of the video conference who can be specified as a partner of the session. In other words, the communication terminal 10 cannot establish a session and cannot hold a video conference with a communication terminal used by a user who is not previously set as a user (participant) participating in the video conference. Note that users (participants) participating in the same video conference are managed in a group management table shown in FIG. 9, which will be described later.

In addition, status information indicates the status of each communication terminal 10, including the operating status of each communication terminal 10 (online or offline status), and when online, whether it is on a call or on standby. The detailed status (hereinafter referred to as communication status) is shown. In addition, the status information includes not only the operating status and communication status of each communication terminal 10, but also information such as whether the cable is disconnected from the communication terminal 10, whether audio can be output but not images, or whether audio is set not to be output. Although it may indicate various states such as MUTE, in the following, a case in which the operating state and communication state are particularly indicated will be described as an example.

When the communication terminal 10 operates as a start request terminal, the communication unit 11 transmits a conference start request to the management system 50. Here, the conference start request is information requesting the start of a session used for a video conference. In addition, the communication unit 11 transmits to the management system 50, together with the conference start request, the user ID of the participant using (logging in to) the start request terminal that is the sender of the conference start request, and the user ID of the participant using the destination terminal. The user ID (an example of identification information) is information that uniquely identifies a user, and may be freely set by the user or may be an email address used by the user.

The operation input receiving unit 12 is a functional unit that receives various inputs from the user. The operation input receiving unit 12 is realized by the input device 108 shown in FIG. 2 (or the touch panel 318 shown in FIG. 3).

For example, when the user turns on the power button serving as the operation input receiving unit 12, the power of the communication terminal 10 is turned on. Further, when the user turns off the power from the on state, the communication unit 11 transmits status information to the management system 50 to the effect that the power of the communication terminal 10 is turned off, and then is completely turned off. This allows the management system 50 to understand that the power of the communication terminal 10 has changed from being powered on to being powered off.

The image capturing unit 13 is a functional unit that captures an image of a subject and obtains image data obtained by capturing the image. The imaging unit 13 executes the communication application A by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3), and by the camera 112 and the imaging device I/F 113 (or the CMOS 312 and the imaging device I/F 313 shown in FIG. 3). Realized.

The display control unit 14 is a functional unit that controls the display of image data and the like on the display 120 (or the display 317 shown in FIG. 3). The display control unit 14 is realized by execution of the communication application A by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3).

For example, before the communication terminal 10 serving as a video conference start requesting terminal starts a video conference call with the communication terminal 10 serving as a desired destination, the display control unit 14 displays information about the destination terminal received by the communication unit 11. A destination list including the candidate name of each destination terminal, the user ID of the participant using the destination terminal, etc. is displayed on the display 120, reflecting the status information of the candidates.

The audio input unit 15 is a functional unit that inputs an audio signal after the participant's (speaker's) audio is converted into an audio signal by the microphone 114 (or the microphone 314 shown in FIG. 3). The audio input unit 15 is realized by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3) executing the communication application A, and the audio input/output I/F 116 (or the sound input/output I/F 316 shown in FIG. 3). .

The audio output unit 16 is a functional unit that outputs an audio signal to the speaker 115 (or the speaker 315 shown in FIG. 3) and causes the speaker 115 (speaker 315) to output audio. The audio output unit 16 is realized by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3) executing the communication application A, and the audio input/output I/F 116 (or the sound input/output I/F 316 shown in FIG. 3). .

The storage/readout unit 17 is a functional unit that stores various data in the storage unit 18 and performs a process of reading out various data stored in the storage unit 18. For example, content data received when making a call to a destination terminal is overwritten and stored in the storage unit 18 each time the content data is received. Among these, an image is displayed on the display 120 (display 317) using the image data before being overwritten, and sound is output from the speaker 115 (speaker 315) using the audio data before being overwritten. The storage/reading unit 17 is realized by execution of the communication application A by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3). The storage unit 18 is realized by at least one of the RAM 103 and the auxiliary storage device 105 shown in FIG. 2 (or the RAM 303 and EEPROM 304 shown in FIG. 3).

The authentication request unit 19 causes the communication unit 11 to log in to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 when the communication terminal 10 is powered on or when the operation input reception unit 12 accepts an authentication request operation. This is a functional unit that transmits authentication request information indicating that authentication of the communication terminal 10 is requested, and the current IP address of the communication terminal 10. The authentication request unit 19 is realized by execution of the communication application A by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3).

The role assignment control unit 20 is a functional unit that controls role pre-assignment processing in which roles of participants in a panel discussion, which is a video conference, are assigned in advance. The role assignment control unit 20 is realized by execution of the communication application A by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3).

The role change control unit 21 is a functional unit that controls role change request processing and role change execution processing, which are processes for changing the roles of participants in a panel discussion, which is a video conference, during the meeting. The role change control unit 21 is realized by execution of the communication application A by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3).

The role addition control unit 22 is a functional unit that controls the role addition/editing process that adds and edits new roles as roles assigned to participants in a panel discussion, which is a video conference. The role addition control unit 22 is realized by the execution of communication application A by CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3).

The role relationship change control unit 23 is a functional unit that controls the role relationship change process, which is a process for changing the roles that participants of each role can change to regarding the roles assigned to participants in a panel discussion, which is a video conference. The role relationship change control unit 23 is realized by the execution of the communication application A by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3).

The role change destination change control unit 24 is a functional unit that controls role change destination change processing, which is a process of changing which role each role can change to, regarding the roles assigned to participants in a panel discussion that is a video conference. It is. The role change destination change control unit 24 is realized by execution of the communication application A by the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 (or the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 3).

Note that at least one of the display control section 14, the authentication request section 19, the role assignment control section 20, the role change control section 21, the role addition control section 22, the role relationship change control section 23, and the role change destination change control section 24 , an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

Moreover, each functional unit of the communication terminal 10 shown in FIG. 6 shows the function conceptually, and is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a plurality of functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the communication terminal 10 shown in FIG. 6 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional unit of the communication terminal 10 shown in FIG. 6 may be divided into a plurality of functions and configured as a plurality of functional units.

<Configuration of functional blocks of management system>
As shown in FIG. 6, the management system 50 includes a communication section 51, an authentication section 52, a state management section 53, an extraction section 54, a state acquisition section 55, a session control section 56, and a storage/reading section 57. , a storage unit 58, a role allocation unit 59, a role change unit 60 (response unit), a participation processing unit 61, a role addition unit 62, a role relationship change unit 63, a role change destination change unit 64, has. The storage unit 58 is realized by the auxiliary storage device 205 shown in FIG. 4, and as shown in FIG. It stores an allocation management DB 5006, a participant management DB 5007, a role relationship management DB 5008, and a role change destination management DB 5009. Each table managed in each DB stored in the storage unit 58 will be described below.

<<User management table>>
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a user management table.

The storage unit 58 stores a user management DB 5001 including a user management table shown in FIG. The user management table is a table that manages a user ID that identifies a user (participant) using the communication terminal 10 that performs login authentication by associating a display name (name) and a password. The display name (name) is a name displayed in the video conference to identify the user. A password is information used for login authentication.

For example, the user management table shown in FIG. 7 shows that the display name associated with the user ID "A_10aa" is "Komai" and the password is "aaaa".

Note that the user ID is identification information such as letters, symbols, numbers, or various marks used to uniquely identify the user who uses the communication terminal 10. For example, the user ID is identification information such as an e-mail address used by the user. It's okay.

<<Terminal management table>>
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a terminal management table.

The storage unit 58 stores a terminal management DB 5002 including a terminal management table shown in FIG. The terminal management table includes, for each terminal ID of each communication terminal 10, the terminal name, the user ID of the user who logged in to each communication terminal 10, the operating status of each communication terminal 10, the communication status with other communication terminals 10, and each This is a table that manages IP addresses of communication terminals 10 in association with each other. The terminal ID is information for identifying the communication terminal 10, and may be stored in the communication terminal 10 in advance or may be determined by being input directly into the communication terminal 10 by the user.

Here, the operating state includes online, which is a state in which the power is on and communication is possible or in progress, and offline, which is a state in which communication is not possible, such as when the power is not on. In addition, the communication state includes, for example, "Calling", "Ringing", "Accepted", "Busy", and "None". "Calling" indicates a state in which another communication terminal 10 is being called, that is, a conference start request for establishing a session used for a video conference has been sent to the other communication terminal 10 and a response is being waited for. "Ringing" indicates a state in which another communication terminal 10 is being called, that is, a conference start request has been received from the other communication terminal 10 and a response to the received conference start request has not been completed. "Accepted" indicates a state in which a permission response has been completed to the conference start request from the other communication terminal 10, but the establishment of the session has not been completed. Alternatively, "Accepted" indicates a state in which the terminal has received an approval response to a conference start request sent by the terminal itself, but the session has not yet been established. "Busy" indicates a state in which a session with another communication terminal 10 has been established, and a call is being made by communication of content data in a video conference. "None" indicates a state in which the terminal is not communicating with another communication terminal 10 and is on standby.

For example, in the example of the terminal management table shown in FIG. 8, the communication terminal 10ad with the terminal ID "10ad" has the terminal name "AD terminal", the user ID of the logged-in user is "C_10ad", and is in the operating state. is "online", "Busy" indicates that a call is being made in a video conference, and the IP address is "1.2.1.6".

<<Group management table>>
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a group management table.

The storage unit 58 stores a group management DB 5003 including a group management table shown in FIG. The group management table classifies users who participate in each video conference registered in advance in the management system 50 into groups, and manages the user IDs of the users (participants) included in the groups. That is, in the group management table, a group ID for identifying a group and a user ID of a user included in the group are managed in association with each other.

For example, in the group management table shown in FIG. 9, the group whose group ID is "G002" is shown to include user IDs of "B_10ac," "J_10ca," and "G_10cb."

<<Session Management Table>>
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a session management table.

The storage unit 58 stores a session management DB 5004 including a session management table shown in FIG. The session management table includes, for each session ID for identifying a session in which content data is communicated between communication terminals 10, the terminal ID of a session start requesting terminal, and the other party in a conference start request for establishing a session. This is a table that manages the terminal IDs of specified destination terminals in association with each other.

For example, in the session management table shown in FIG. 10, the session identified by the session ID "se1" indicates that the session has been established between a start request terminal (communication terminal 10aa) with a terminal ID of "10aa" and a destination terminal (communication terminal 10db) with a terminal ID of "10db".

<<Role management table>>
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a role management table.

The storage unit 58 stores a role management DB 5005 including a role management table shown in FIG. The role management table is a table that manages privileges granted for each role. As shown in FIG. 11, the authority granted includes the ability to transmit the voice of the participant with the relevant role to other communication terminals 10, the ability to transmit the video of the participant to other communication terminals 10, and the ability to chat. The user has authority to send and receive files, to record video of the video conference, to obtain participant information, and to leave the video conference. Note that the authority granted to a role is not limited to the authority shown in FIG. 11, but includes, for example, the ability to obtain information regarding a participant's SNS (Social Networking Service), or the ability to make a specific participant leave the room. There may also be rights such as the ability to do things or other powers.

Here, a role is a role or position assigned in a panel discussion as a video conference. Roles include, for example, a ``presenter'' who actually conducts the discussion in a panel discussion, a ``moderator'' who is in charge of moderating the panel discussion, an ``audience'' who listens to the discussion by the speakers in the panel discussion, and a ``listener'' who listens to the discussions by the speakers in the panel discussion. There are "persons who can present" who participate in the discussion as an audience member, and who may take the stage and participate in the discussion if requested by a presenter, etc.

For example, in the role management table shown in FIG. 11, if the role is "moderator", the authority includes the ability to transmit the participant's own audio, the ability to transmit the participant's own video, These privileges include being able to send and receive chats, send and receive files, record video from video conferences, obtain participant information, and not be able to leave the video conference.

<<Role assignment management table>>
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role assignment management table.

The storage unit 58 stores a role assignment management DB 5006 including a role assignment management table shown in FIG. The role assignment management table is a table that manages roles assigned in advance to participants in a panel discussion that is a video conference. Specifically, the role assignment management table is a table that manages roles that are assigned in advance to participants in a panel discussion that is a video conference. are managed.

For example, the role assignment management table shown in FIG. 12 indicates that the role of "presenter" has been assigned to a participant with the user ID "C_10ad."

<<Participant management table>>
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a participant management table.

The storage unit 58 stores a participant management DB 5007 including a participant management table shown in FIG. The participant management table is a table that manages participants who are actually participating in a panel discussion that is a video conference and the roles of those participants. , the assigned role, and the temporary change destination, which is the role changed during the meeting, are managed in association with each other.

For example, in the participant management table shown in FIG. 13, a participant with user ID "F_10bb" and role "can present" is registered as a participant participating in the conference, and since the role changed to the temporary change destination is registered, it indicates that the role remains "can present."

<<Role relationship management table>>
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a role relationship management table.

The storage unit 58 stores a role relationship management DB 5008 including a role relationship management table shown in FIG. The role relationship management table is a table that manages which roles can be changed by participants of each role.

For example, the role relationship management table shown in FIG. 14 shows that the roles of "moderator" and "presenter" can change the role of "person who can present."

<<Role change destination management table>>
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role change destination management table.

The role change destination management table is a table that manages which role each role can be changed to.

For example, the role change destination management table shown in FIG. 15 shows that the role of "person who can present" can be changed to the role of "presenter." That is, from the contents of the role relationship management table shown in FIG. 14 and the role change destination management table shown in FIG. It is understood that the role of a participant can be changed to "presenter".

Although the information managed in each table shown in FIGS. 7 to 15 is in a table format, the information is not limited to this, and any information other than a table format may be used as long as the managed information can be associated. (for example, a file in CSV (Comma-Separated Values) format).

Returning to FIG. 6, the description of the functional blocks of the management system 50 will be returned.

The communication unit 51 is a functional unit that transmits and receives various data to and from the communication terminal 10 or each system via the communication network 2. The communication unit 51 is realized by the execution of a program by the CPU 201 and the network I/F 209 shown in FIG.

The authentication unit 52 is a functional unit that searches the user management table (see FIG. 7) in the storage unit 58 using the user ID and password included in the authentication request information received via the communication unit 51 as a search key. . Then, the authentication unit 52 performs user authentication by determining whether the same user ID and password are managed in the user management table from the search results. The authentication unit 52 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The status management unit 53 is a functional unit that manages the operating status and communication status of the terminal management table shown in FIG. In order to manage the operating state of the communication terminal 10 that has requested login authentication, the state management unit 53 stores the terminal ID of this communication terminal 10 and the user of the participant who is logged in to the communication terminal 10 in the terminal management table. The ID, the operating state of the communication terminal 10, and the IP address of the communication terminal 10 are stored and managed in association with each other.

When the communication terminal 10 changes from the off state to the on state by operation of the input device 108 by the user of the communication terminal 10, the state management unit 53 updates the terminal management table based on the information sent from the communication terminal 10 to turn on the power. Update the operating state from offline to online. In addition, when the communication terminal 10 changes from the on state to the off state by operation of the input device 108 by the user of the communication terminal 10, the state management unit 53 manages the terminal based on information sent from the communication terminal 10 indicating that the power is to be turned off. Update the operational status of a table from online to offline.

The state management unit 53 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The extraction unit 54 searches the group management table shown in FIG. 9 using the user ID of the participant who is logged in to the target terminal to be processed, such as the communication terminal 10 that has requested login authentication, as a search key, and searches the group management table shown in FIG. This is a functional unit that extracts the user ID of a participant who uses a destination terminal candidate (communication terminal 10 for calling in the same conference) with which a call can be made, that is, a session can be established. The extraction unit 54 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The status acquisition unit 55 is a functional unit that searches the terminal management table shown in FIG. 8 using the user ID as a search key, and reads out the operating status and communication status of the communication terminal 10 being used for each user ID. Thereby, the status acquisition unit 55 can acquire the operating status and communication status of the destination terminal candidate that can communicate with the communication terminal 10 that has made the login authentication request. The status acquisition unit 55 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The session control unit 56 is a functional unit that stores and manages the generated session ID, the terminal ID of the start requesting terminal, and the terminal ID of the destination terminal in association with each other in the session management table shown in FIG. Session control unit 56 performs control for establishing a session between communication terminals 10. The session control unit 56 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The storage/readout unit 57 is a functional unit that stores information in various tables in the storage unit 58 and performs a process of reading out information from the various tables stored in the storage unit 58. The storage/reading unit 57 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The role assignment unit 59 is a functional unit that registers the role of the participant assigned by the communication terminal 10 serving as the host terminal in the role management table (see FIG. 11). Note that the host terminal is not limited to being implemented by a specific communication terminal 10, and may be implemented by an information processing device that is not intended for participation in a conference. The role assignment unit 59 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The role change unit 60 is a functional unit that changes the role of a participant participating in a conference based on a command from a participant's communication terminal 10 that can change the role of the participant. The role change unit 60 is realized by the execution of a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 4.

The participation processing unit 61 is a functional unit that, when receiving a request to participate in a conference, specifies the role of a participant related to the request and registers it in the participant management table shown in FIG. Then, the participation processing unit 61 specifies the authority corresponding to the role of the participant and transmits information on the authority to the communication terminal 10 of the participant. The participation processing unit 61 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The role adding unit 62 is a functional unit that writes the roles and authorities added or edited in the communication terminal 10 to the role management table shown in FIG. 11 regarding roles assigned to participants in a panel discussion that is a video conference. The role adding unit 62 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The role relationship change unit 63 changes which roles can be changed by the participants in each role among the roles assigned to the participants in the panel discussion, which is a video conference, based on the content edited by the communication terminal 10, which is the host terminal. It is a functional part. The role relationship changing unit 63 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

The role change destination changing unit 64 is a functional unit that changes the roles assigned to participants in a panel discussion, which is a video conference, to which role each role can be changed, based on the content edited by the communication terminal 10, which is a host terminal. It is. The role change destination changing unit 64 is realized by executing a program by the CPU 201 shown in FIG.

Note that the authentication section 52, state management section 53, extraction section 54, state acquisition section 55, session control section 56, role assignment section 59, role change section 60, participation processing section 61, role addition section 62, role relationship change section 63 At least one of the role change destination changing unit 64 and the role change destination changing unit 64 may be realized by a hardware circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

Furthermore, the functions of each functional unit of the management system 50 shown in FIG. 6 are conceptually shown, and the structure is not limited to this. For example, a plurality of functional units illustrated as independent functional units in the management system 50 shown in FIG. 6 may be configured as one functional unit. On the other hand, the function of one functional section of the management system 50 shown in FIG. 6 may be divided into a plurality of parts and configured as a plurality of functional parts.

(Status of sending and receiving content data and various management information)
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating sessions established for transmitting and receiving content data and various management information in the communication system according to the embodiment. A session established for transmitting and receiving content data and various management information in the communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 16.

In the example shown in FIG. 16, in the communication system 1, a management information session sei is established for transmitting and receiving various types of management information between the start request terminal, destination terminal A, and destination terminal B via the management system 50. Indicates an established condition. In this case, a content data session sed for transmitting and receiving image data and audio data is further established between the start request terminal, destination terminal A, and destination terminal B via the management system 50. That is, the content data session sed is a session that is directly used in the video conference. Note that this session concept is just an example; for example, an image data session may be divided by resolution.

(Role pre-assignment process)
FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role pre-assignment processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a role assignment screen. Role pre-assignment processing in the communication system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18.

<Step S11>
First, the user of the communication terminal 10, which is the host terminal, performs an operation via the input device 108 (or the touch panel 318) to display a role assignment screen 1400, which will be described later, on the display 120 (or the display 317).

<Step S12>
Then, the role assignment control unit 20 of the communication terminal 10 sends a preliminary role assignment request (assignment request) including the group ID of the group to which the role is to be assigned (assumed to be “G001” here) to the communication unit. 11 to the management system 50. That is, the role assignment control unit 20 transmits a pre-role assignment request to the management system 50 before the start of the video conference to request that roles be assigned to participants prior to the video conference. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the advance role assignment request. Note that the target group ID may be one that can be specified when displaying the role assignment screen 1400 in step S11.

<Step S13>
The role assignment unit 59 of the management system 50 reads out all roles defined in the role management table (see FIG. 11) via the storage/readout unit 57 in accordance with the advance role assignment request received by the communication unit 51. The roles read by the role assignment unit 59 are roles that can be assigned to participants in the video conference.

<Step S14>
Next, the role assignment unit 59 initializes the contents of the role assignment management table (see FIG. 12) of the role assignment management DB 5006 via the storage and reading unit 57 .

<Step S15>
Then, the role allocating unit 59 refers to the group management table (see FIG. 9) via the storage/reading unit 57, and associates the group ID “G001” included in the advance role allocation request received by the communication unit 51 with the group ID “G001”. Read all user IDs.

<Step S16>
The role assignment unit 59 transmits all the roles that can be assigned to the participants read in step S13 and the user ID read out in step S15 to the communication terminal 10 via the communication unit 51. Then, the communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10 receives all the roles and user IDs.

<Step S17>
Then, the display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10 uses the role and user ID received by the communication unit 11 to create a role assignment screen 1400 (an example of an assignment screen) as shown in FIG. or display it on the display 317).

A role assignment screen 1400 shown in FIG. 18 is a screen for making advance assignment settings for the roles of participants in a panel discussion that is a video conference. As shown in FIG. 18, the role assignment screen 1400 includes role selection sections 1400-1a to 1400-1g, a confirm button 1400-2, and a role list display area 1400-3.

The role selection units 1400-1a to 1400-1g select users whose user IDs are “A_10aa,” “B_10ac,” “C_10ad,” “D_10ae,” “E_10ba,” and “F_10bb,” as well as “Other,” which indicates other participants. This is a combo box for assigning roles corresponding to each of ``. Here, the user IDs "A_10aa", "B_10ac", "C_10ad", "D_10ae", "E_10ba", and "F_10bb" are the user IDs received in step S16. When one of the combo boxes is pressed, the display control unit 14 displays selectable roles (the roles received in step S16) in a pull-down menu. Note that "Others" indicates, for example, that a panel discussion held in a group identified by a group ID allows participation of users other than the participants identified by the group ID in the group management table (see Figure 9). It may be displayed if the In that case, in the group management table, a flag that allows other participants may be associated with each group ID together with a user ID, or an ID that identifies other users (for example, a guest It is sufficient if the user ID (such as an ID indicating the user ID) can be included in the user ID field.

The confirm button 1400-2 is a button for confirming the role of each participant set in the role selection units 1400-1a to 1400-1g by the user (eg, administrator) of the host terminal.

The role list display area 1400-3 is an area that displays a list of roles that can be assigned to participants. Specifically, the role list display area 1400-3 displays the list of roles received in step S16.

That is, the role assignment screen 1400 functions as a screen that selectably displays roles in association with each user ID.

<Steps S18, S19>
Then, when the user of the communication terminal 10 sets a role for each user ID on the role assignment screen 1400 and presses the confirm button 1400-2, the role assignment control unit 20 of the communication terminal 10 sets the role for each user ID and Role assignment information including the assigned role is transmitted to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11. The role assignment information has a function as an execution request for assigning the selected (set) role to the corresponding user ID. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the role assignment information.

<Step S20>
The role assignment unit 59 of the management system 50 registers the role for each user ID included in the role assignment information received by the communication unit 51 in the role assignment management table (see FIG. 12). The role assignment management table shown in FIG. 12 is for user IDs "A_10aa", "B_10ac", "C_10ad", "D_10ae", "E_10ba" and "F_10bb", and "Others" indicating other participants. , respectively, indicate a state where "MC", "MC", "presenter", "presenter", "presenter", "person who can present", and "audience" are assigned.

Through the operations in steps S11 to S20 described above, a role pre-assignment process is executed in which the roles of participants in the panel discussion are assigned in advance.

(Transmission and reception processing of each management information in the preparation stage before the communication terminal starts a call)
FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a preparation stage process including an authentication process for the communication terminal according to the embodiment to start a call. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a destination list screen. With reference to FIGS. 19 and 20, the transmission and reception process of each piece of information in the preparation stage before the communication terminal 10aa starts a call will be described. Note that FIG. 19 shows a process in which various types of management information are transmitted and received by the management information session sei. Further, it is assumed that the conference group that includes the communication terminal 10aa, which is the start requesting terminal, is registered in advance in the group management table, using the group ID as a key, along with the user IDs of users who have the right to participate in the conference.

<Step S21>
First, when a user of the communication terminal 10aa presses the power button, which is the input device 108 shown in FIG. 2 (or the touch panel 318 shown in FIG. 3), the operation input reception unit 12 of the communication terminal 10aa receives the power-on command and turns on the power of the communication terminal 10aa.

<Step S22>
Then, the authentication request unit 19 of the communication terminal 10aa sends authentication request information indicating a login authentication request and the communication terminal 10aa to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11, triggered by the power-on of the communication terminal 10aa described above. Send IP address. This authentication request information includes the terminal ID "10aa" for identifying the communication terminal 10aa, which is the own terminal as the start request terminal, the user ID "A_10aa" of the user logging into the communication terminal 10aa, and the password. It is. The terminal ID, user ID, and password are data read from the storage section 18 by the storage/readout section 17 of the communication terminal 10aa and sent to the communication section 11. Further, when authentication request information is transmitted from the communication terminal 10aa to the management system 50, the management system 50, which is the receiving side, can grasp the IP address of the communication terminal 10aa, which is the sending side. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the authentication request information.

<Step S23>
Next, the authentication unit 52 of the management system 50 searches the user management table (see FIG. 7) using the user ID and password included in the authentication request information received via the communication unit 51 as a search key, and User authentication is performed by determining whether the same user ID and password are managed in the management table.

<Step S24-1>
If the authentication unit 52 determines that the request is for login authentication from the communication terminal 10aa used by a user with legitimate usage authority, the state management unit 53 of the management system 50 updates the terminal management table (FIG. ), the user ID and the IP address of the communication terminal 10aa are stored in association with each record indicated by the terminal ID and terminal name of the communication terminal 10aa. As a result, the terminal ID "10aa" of the communication terminal 10aa is managed in association with the user ID "A_10aa" and the IP address "1.2.1.3" in the terminal management table. Hereinafter, the user (participant) with user ID "A_10aa" may be referred to as "user A_10aa" or "participant A_10aa."

<Step S24-2>
Subsequently, the state management unit 53 sets the operating state "online" and the communication state "None" of the communication terminal 10aa, and adds the operating state to the record indicated by the terminal ID and terminal name of the communication terminal 10aa in the terminal management table. and the communication status are stored in association with each other. As a result, the terminal ID "10aa" of the communication terminal 10aa is managed in association with the operating state "online" and the communication state "None" in the terminal management table.

<Step S25>
The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits authentication result information indicating the authentication result obtained by the authentication unit 52 to the start requesting terminal (communication terminal) that has transmitted the authentication request information via the communication network 2. 10aa). Then, the communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10aa receives the authentication request information. In the present embodiment, the following description will be continued assuming that the user who uses the communication terminal 10aa is authenticated by the authentication unit 52 as having legitimate usage authority.

<Step S26>
When the communication terminal 10aa receives authentication result information indicating that the user is authenticated as having legitimate usage authority, the communication unit 11 requests the management system 50 via the communication network 2 for a destination list. Send destination list request information indicating that The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the destination list request information.

<Step S27>
Next, the extraction unit 54 of the management system 50 searches the group management table (see FIG. 9 ) using the user ID “A_10aa” of the user who uses the start request terminal (communication terminal 10aa) as a search key, and extracts the user IDs of users who can make calls with user A_10aa, i.e., users who belong to the same group as user A_10aa. The extraction unit 54 also searches the terminal management table using the extracted user ID as a search key, and extracts the terminal ID and terminal name corresponding to this user ID, i.e., the terminal ID and terminal name of the candidate destination terminal.

<Step S28>
Next, the communication unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits destination list information including the user IDs, terminal IDs, and terminal names of the destination terminal candidates extracted by the extraction unit 54 to the start request terminal (communication terminal 10aa).

<Step S29>
As a result, in the start requesting terminal (communication terminal 10aa), the communication section 11 receives the destination list information, and the storage/reading section 17 stores the destination list information in the storage section 18.

In this manner, in this embodiment, the management system 50 centrally manages the destination list information of all communication terminals 10, instead of managing destination list information at each communication terminal 10. As a result, even if a new communication terminal 10 is included in the communication system 1 or a communication terminal 10 already included in the communication system 1 is excluded, each communication The effort of changing destination list information on the terminal 10 side can be saved.

<Step S30>
Further, the status acquisition unit 55 of the management system 50 searches the terminal management table using the terminal ID of the destination terminal candidate extracted by the extraction unit 54 as a search key. Then, the status acquisition unit 55 acquires the operating status and communication status of each destination terminal candidate by reading out the corresponding operating status and communication status for each terminal ID of the destination terminal candidate.

<Step S31>
Next, the communication unit 51 transmits the terminal ID, which is the search key used in step S30, the user ID of the corresponding destination terminal candidate, and the operation state and communication state (state information) to the communication terminal 10aa, which is the start request terminal. Then, the communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10aa receives each combination of the terminal ID, user ID, and state information. Note that when the operation state is "offline," the state information does not include the communication state.

<Step S32>
Next, the storage/reading unit 17 of the start request terminal (communication terminal 10aa) sequentially stores the terminal ID, user ID, operating state, and communication state received by the communication unit 11 in the storage unit 18. Therefore, by receiving the terminal state information (operating state and communication state) of the destination terminal candidate, the start requesting terminal (communication terminal 10aa) determines the current operating state and communication state of the destination terminal candidate with which the call can be made. can be obtained respectively.

<Step S33>
Next, the display control unit 14 of the start requesting terminal (communication terminal 10aa) determines the operating status of the destination terminal candidate based on the destination list information stored in the storage unit 18 and the status information of the destination terminal candidate. Create a destination list that reflects the communication status. Then, the display control unit 14 displays the destination list on the display 120 (or display 317) of the communication terminal 10aa at a predetermined timing. An example of the displayed destination list (destination list screen 1100) is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 20, the destination list screen 1100 includes a destination terminal candidate user ID 1100-1, a destination terminal candidate terminal ID 1100-2, a terminal name 1100-3, and an icon 1100 that reflects status information. -4a to 1100-4c. The icons include an offline icon 1100-4a that indicates that a call cannot be made offline, a callable icon 1100-4b that indicates that a call is available online, and a busy icon 1100-4c that indicates that a call is in progress online. There is. In the example of the destination list screen 1100 shown in FIG. 20, the user IDs of the users using the communication terminal 10 are "J_10ab", "B_10ac", "I_10db", and "C_10ad".

When the operation status of the destination terminal candidate is "online" and the communication status is "None", the display control unit 14 assigns the call available icon 1100-4b to the destination terminal candidate. When the operation status of the destination terminal candidate is "online" and the communication status is other than "None", the display control unit 14 assigns the call in progress icon 1100-4c to the destination terminal candidate. When the operation status of the destination terminal candidate is "offline", the display control unit 14 assigns the offline icon 1100-4a to the destination terminal candidate.

Note that in other communication terminals 10, when the user turns on the power button, which is the input device 108 shown in FIG. , processing similar to the processing in steps S22 to S33 described above is performed.

(Meeting start/participation processing)
FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of conference start/participation processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a start request dialog box. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a moderator conference screen. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating an example of an audience conference screen. The conference start/participation process in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 21 to 24.

In FIG. 21, an example will be described in which the communication terminal 10aa, whose user has been authenticated by the authentication process shown in FIG. 19, transmits a conference start request as a host terminal. Based on the status information of the destination terminal candidates received in step S31 of FIG. 19, the communication terminal 10aa selects communication terminals whose operating status is "online" and whose communication status is "none" among the destination terminal candidates. A call can be made with at least one communication terminal 10 among the 10 communication terminals. In the following, a case will be described in which the communication terminal 10ad as a destination terminal receives a conference start request transmitted by the communication terminal 10aa as a host terminal. It is also assumed that participant A_10aa of communication terminal 10aa is assigned the role of "moderator" in the panel discussion, and participant C_10ad of communication terminal 10ad is assigned the role of "presenter." It is assumed that the destination list screen 1100 (see, for example, FIG. 20) is displayed on the display 120 (or display 317) of the communication terminal 10ad before the process shown in FIG. 21 is started. The participant at the start requesting terminal can then select a desired call partner (participant at the destination terminal) from the destination list.

<Step S41>
First, on the destination list screen 1100, the participant at the communication terminal 10aa selects and operates the destination terminal (communication terminal 10ad) that is the destination for requesting the start of the conference via the input device 108 (or touch panel 318). Perform the operation to start. Note that the participant may perform an operation to start the conference by selecting all the communication terminals 10 displayed on the destination list screen 1100 as destination terminals that are requested to start the conference. .

<Step S42>
When an operation is performed on the host terminal (communication terminal 10aa) to request the start of a conference, the communication unit 11 of the start request terminal sends a conference start request indicating a request to start the conference, as well as the user IDs of the participants of the communication terminal 10aa. “A_10aa”, the user ID of the participant at the destination terminal “C_10ad”, and the IP address of the host terminal are transmitted to the management system 50. As a result, when the communication unit 51 receives the conference start request, the management system 50 knows the IP address "1.2.1.3" of the start request terminal that is the sender.

<Step S43>
Then, the status management unit 53 of the management system 50 changes the communication status field portion of the record in the terminal management table (see FIG. 8) that includes the user ID "A_10aa" of the participant of the host terminal and the user ID "C_10ad" of the participant of the destination terminal that were received together with the conference start request. Specifically, the status management unit 53 changes the communication status of the record in the terminal management table that includes the user ID "A_10aa" to "Calling." Similarly, the status management unit 53 changes the communication status of the record in the terminal management table that includes the user ID "C_10ad" to "Ringing."

<Step S44>
Then, the session control unit 56 of the management system 50 generates a session ID for identifying a session (content data session sed) for performing communication with the destination terminal requested by the host terminal, and Register in the session management table (see FIG. 10).

<Step S45>
Subsequently, the session control unit 56 enters the terminal ID of the host terminal (start requesting terminal) in the host terminal terminal ID and destination terminal terminal ID fields of the record that includes the generated session ID in the session management table. "10aa" and the terminal ID "10ad" of the destination terminal are stored and managed.

<Step S46>
Next, the communication unit 51 transmits the session ID generated by the session control unit 56 to the host terminal (communication terminal 10aa). The communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10aa then receives the session ID.

<Step S47>
Further, the communication unit 51 transmits the conference start request as well as the user ID "A_10aa" of the host terminal participant, the session ID, and the IP address of the management system 50 to the communication terminal 10ad, which is the destination terminal. As a result, the destination terminal receives the conference start request and also learns the IP address "1.1.1.2" of the management system 50.

<Step S48>
When the communication unit 11 of the destination terminal receives the conference start request, the display control unit 14 of the destination terminal displays a start request dialog on the display 120 (or display 317) indicating that the conference start request has been received as shown in FIG. Display box 1200-1. A start request dialog box 1200-1 shown in FIG. 22 indicates that a conference start request has been received, and whether or not to start communication with the host terminal (establish a session) and permit participation in the conference. This is a user interface for operating the . The user can confirm that the conference start request has been received by viewing the start request dialog box 1200-1. The start request dialog box 1200-1 has a "Yes" button 1200-2 for allowing participation in the conference, and a "No" button 1200-3 for selecting not to allow participation in the conference. include.

<Step S49>
When the "Yes" button 1200-2 is pressed by operating the input device 108 (or touch panel 318) of the destination terminal, the operation input reception unit 12 of the destination terminal initiates communication with the host terminal (establishes a session). ) to participate in the meeting.

<Step S50>
Next, the communication unit 11 of the destination terminal sends the user ID "C_10ad" of the participant of the destination terminal, the user ID "A_10aa" of the participant of the host terminal, and the session ID along with the start response indicating participation in the conference. It is sent to the management system 50.

<Step S51>
When the communication unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the start response, the state management unit 53 stores the user ID “A_10aa” of the participant of the host terminal received along with the start response and the destination terminal in the terminal management table (see FIG. 8). The field portion of the communication status of the record including the user ID "C_10ad" of each participant is changed. Specifically, the state management unit 53 changes the communication state of the record including the user ID "A_10aa" in the terminal management table to "Accepted". Similarly, the state management unit 53 changes the communication state of the record including the user ID "C_10ad" in the terminal management table to "Accepted".

<Step S52>
Next, the communication unit 51 transmits the start response as well as the user ID "C_10ad" of the participant of the destination terminal and the session ID to the host terminal.

<Steps S53, S54>
Upon receiving this start response, the host terminal establishes a session by transmitting the session ID to the management system 50 using the communication unit 11. On the other hand, the destination terminal establishes a session by transmitting the session ID to the management system 50 using the communication unit 11.

<Step S55>
Then, the participation processing unit 61 of the management system 50 refers to the role assignment management table (see FIG. 12) and determines the role ( Here, we obtain and confirm the "presenter").

<Step S56>
The participation processing unit 61 associates the user ID "C_10ad" of the user of the communication terminal 10ad, which is the destination terminal, with the acquired role "presenter" and registers them in the participant management table (see FIG. 13). In this way, by registering the user ID and role in association with each other in the participant management table, the user is managed as a user who actually participated in the conference.

<Step S57>
Further, the participation processing unit 61 refers to the role management table (see FIG. 11) and reads information on the authority corresponding to the role of the user C_10ad who participated in the conference. That is, the participation processing unit 61 refers to the role management table and reads information on the authority corresponding to the "presenter" role of the user C_10ad. Specifically, the authority corresponding to the "presenter" is to be able to send the user's own voice to other communication terminals 10, to be able to send the user's own video to other communication terminals 10, to be able to send and receive chats, and to be able to send and receive files. These privileges include being able to send and receive messages, not being able to record videos of the video conference, being able to obtain participant information, and not being able to leave the video conference.

<Step S58>
Then, the participation processing unit 61 transmits role authority information including the role of the user C_10ad who participated in the conference and the authority information read in step S57 to the communication terminal 10ad via the communication unit 51. The communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10ad then receives the role authority information.

<Step S59>
The display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10ad creates a conference screen according to the role "presenter" using the role authority information received by the communication unit 11, and displays the conference screen on the display 120 (or the display 317). Here, the conference screen is a screen used by the participants during the conference, and is a screen that has necessary functions according to the role of the participant.

For example, as an example of a conference screen according to the role, FIG. 23 shows a moderator conference screen 1300S that is a conference screen for a "moderator." As shown in FIG. 23, the moderator conference screen 1300S includes a speaker video 1300S-1, a self-video 1300S-2, a video changeover switch 1300S-11, an audio changeover switch 1300S-12, and a file sharing button 1300S-. 13, a recording button 1300S-14, and a participant list button 1300S-15.

The speaker video 1300S-1 is a display area that displays images of speakers other than the speaker who are discussing in the panel discussion. In the example of the moderator conference screen 1300S shown in FIG. 23, videos of participants A_10aa, B_10ac, D_10ae, and E_10ba are displayed as speaker videos 1300S-1. The speaker video 1300S-1 actually displays the speaker's video based on the transmitted and received video data in steps S60 to S63, which will be described later.

Self-image 1300S-2 is a display area for an image of the user assigned as a speaker (host). In the example of the moderator conference screen 1300S shown in FIG. 23, an image of the self whose role is assigned to moderator (in FIG. 23, participant C_10ad is assumed to be the moderator) is displayed as self-image 1300S-2. .

The video changeover switch 1300S-11 is a switch that switches whether or not the user's own video is sent to other communication terminals 10. The video changeover switch 1300S-11 is displayed when the role authority information described above includes authority to send the user's own video to other communication terminals 10.

The audio changeover switch 1300S-12 is a switch for switching whether or not to transmit one's own audio to another communication terminal 10. The audio changeover switch 1300S-12 is displayed when the role authority information described above includes the authority to transmit the user's own voice to another communication terminal 10.

The file sharing button 1300S-13 is a button for selecting a file to be shared in the ongoing panel discussion. For example, the file selected by pressing the file sharing button 1300S-13 may be displayed on the moderator conference screen 1300S. The file sharing button 1300S-13 is displayed when the role authority information described above includes the authority to send and receive files.

The record button 1300S-14 is a button for recording the moderator's conference screen 1300S as video during the panel discussion. The record button 1300S-14 is displayed when the role authority information described above includes the authority to record the video of the video conference.

The participant list button 1300S-15 displays a screen for changing the roles of participants participating in the panel discussion (for example, a role change screen 1500 shown in FIG. 26, which will be described later), and acquires role information of the participants. This button is used to display the current role of each participant. The participant list button 1300S-15 is displayed when the role authority information described above includes the authority to acquire participant information.

Note that the moderator conference screen 1300S shown in FIG. 23 is the conference screen of a participant whose role is "moderator." However, since the role of participant C_10ad in FIG. 21 described above is "presenter," as shown in the role management table in FIG. 11, the "presenter" does not have the authority to record the video of the video conference, as compared to the authority of the "moderator." Therefore, the conference screen displayed on the communication terminal 10ad is the moderator conference screen 1300S in FIG. 23, with the record button 1300S-14 hidden.

Further, as an example of a conference screen according to the role, FIG. 24 shows an audience conference screen 1300A that is a conference screen for "audience". As shown in FIG. 24, the audience conference screen 1300A includes a speaker video 1300A-1, a shared file list button 1300A-13, and an exit button 1300A-16. The audience meeting screen 1300A is a screen for audience members who only listen to the panel discussion without participating in the discussion, so their own video 1300S-2, which corresponds to the self-image 1300S-2 of the moderator conference screen 1300S shown in FIG. It does not have an area for displaying images.

The speaker video 1300A-1 is a display area for images of speakers (moderators and presenters) who discuss in a panel discussion. In the example of the audience conference screen 1300A shown in FIG. 24, videos of participants A_10aa, B_10ac, C_10ad, D_10ae, and E_10ba are displayed as speaker videos 1300A-1. The speaker video 1300A-1 actually displays the speaker's video based on the transmitted and received video data in steps S60 to S63, which will be described later.

The shared file list button 1300A-13 is a screen for displaying a list of files shared by speakers in an ongoing panel discussion. The shared file list button 1300A-13 is displayed when the role authority information described above includes the authority to only receive files.

The exit button 1300A-16 is a button for exiting the panel discussion being attended. The exit button 1300A-16 is displayed when the role authority information described above includes the authority to leave the video conference.

<Steps S60 to S63>
When a session is established between the start request terminal and the destination terminal in steps S53 and S54, video data and audio data are exchanged between each other via the management system 50, and the entire group including the host terminal and each destination terminal Video conferencing becomes possible. However, among the participants participating in a panel discussion that is a video conference, the communication terminal 10 used by the participant whose role is assigned to the audience does not directly participate in the discussion at the meeting, so the participant The user's video data and audio data are not transmitted to other communication terminals 10. That is, only the video data and audio data of participants whose roles are assigned to speakers (presenters and moderators) will be shared throughout the video conference.

Through the conference start/participation process shown in steps S41 to S63 above, each participant can display a conference screen corresponding to each role, that is, a conference screen equipped with functions realized based on the authority granted to each role. can be displayed on the communication terminal 10 of the user.

(Role change request processing)
FIG. 25 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role change request processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a role change screen. With reference to FIGS. 25 and 26, role change request processing for requesting a change in the role of a participant during a panel discussion in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that the role of participant A_10aa, who is a user of communication terminal 10aa participating in the panel discussion, is "moderator," and the role of participant F_10bb, who is a user of communication terminal 10bb, is "person who can present." shall be taken as a thing.

<Step S71>
In a panel discussion, it is conceivable that there may be cases where it is desired to have audience members other than speakers, such as the moderator and presenter, suddenly participate in the discussion during the panel discussion. In FIG. 25, it is assumed that participant A_10aa, whose role is "moderator", wants participant F_10bb, whose role is "presenter", to take the stage as a presenter. In this case, participant A_10aa presses the participant list button 1300S-15 on the moderator conference screen 1300S shown in FIG. 23 via the input device 108 (or touch panel 318).

<Step S72>
When participant A_10aa presses the participant list button 1300S-15, the role change control unit 21 of the communication terminal 10aa manages a role change start command requesting the start of role change via the communication unit 11. Send to system 50. Then, the communication unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the role change start command. Note that the role change start command corresponds to a "change request" in the present invention. A "change request" is a command requesting to change the role of a participant in a conference.

<Step S73>
When the role change unit 60 of the management system 50 receives a role change start command from the communication unit 51, it refers to the participant management table (see FIG. 13) and reads out the user IDs and roles (current roles) of all participants currently participating in the panel discussion. As shown in the participant management table in FIG. 13, the user IDs of the participants currently participating in the panel discussion are "A_10aa", "B_10ac", "C_10ad", "D_10ae", "E_10ba", "F_10bb" and "G_10cb", and the corresponding roles are "moderator", "moderator", "presenter", "presenter", "presenter", "potential presenter" and "audience", respectively.

<Step S74>
Further, the role changing unit 60 reads out all roles defined in the role management table (see FIG. 11).

<Step S75>
Further, the role changing unit 60 refers to the role relationship management table (see FIG. 14) and reads role relationship information indicating which role a participant in each role can change.

<Step S76>
Further, the role change unit 60 refers to the role change destination management table (see FIG. 15) and reads role change destination information indicating which role each role can be changed to.

<Step S77>
Then, the role change unit 60 creates a role change screen for causing the communication terminal 10aa, which is the transmission source of the role change start command, to create a role change screen 1500 shown in FIG. 26 for changing the role of the participant. The instruction, the read participant's user ID, role (current role) (first role), role related information, and role change destination information (including the second role) are sent to the communication terminal 10aa via the communication unit 51. Send to. Then, the communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10aa receives the role change screen creation command, the participant's user ID, role (current role), role related information, and role change destination information.

<Step S78>
In accordance with the role change screen creation command received by the communication unit 11, the display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10aa displays a diagram based on the participant's user ID, role (current role), role relationship information, and role change destination information. A role change screen 1500 as shown in 26(a) is created and displayed on the display 120 (or display 317). Note that the role change screen 1500 is an example of the "change screen" of the present invention. The "change screen" is a screen for changing the roles of participants participating in the conference.

A role change screen 1500 shown in FIG. 26(a) is a screen for changing the role of a participant participating in a panel discussion. As shown in FIG. 26(a), the role change screen 1500 includes role display areas 1500-1a to 1500-1e, a changeable role display area 1500-2, an other participant display area 1500-3, and a confirmation button. 1500-4, and a return button 1500-5.

The display control unit 14 checks whether each of the received roles can be changed based on the role relationship information. For example, the display control unit 14 confirms that participants with the roles of "moderator" and "presenter" can change the role of "person who can present", as shown in the role relationship management table shown in FIG. . Further, the display control unit 14 confirms which role (second role) each role (first role) can be changed to based on the role change destination information. That is, the display control unit 14 confirms the changeable role for each role. For example, the display control unit 14 confirms that the role of "person who can present" can be changed to the role of "presenter", as shown in the role change destination management table shown in FIG. 15.

Based on the results of the confirmation process described above, the display control unit 14 displays the current status of each participant whose user IDs are “B_10ac,” “C_10ad,” “D_10ae,” and “E_10ba,” as shown in FIG. 26(a). The role display units 1500-1a to 1500-1d display that the roles of ``moderator,'' ``presenter,'' ``presenter,'' and ``presenter.'' At this time, since the role of participant A_10aa is "moderator," it is not possible to change the roles of "moderator" and "presenter" to other roles from the role relationship information. ~1500-1d only displays the role of the user with the corresponding user ID.

Furthermore, since it can be confirmed that the role of participant A_10aa is "moderator" and that the role of "person who can present" can be changed to another role from the role related information, the display control unit 14 As shown in 26(a), the role "person who can present" corresponding to the user ID "F_10bb" is displayed on the changeable role display section 1500-2. The changeable role display section 1500-2 has a change destination role display button 1500-2a for changing the role from the displayed "presenter". Here, from the role change destination information, the role "person who can present" can be changed to "presenter", so the display control unit 14 presses the change destination role display button 1500 as shown in FIG. 26(b). In the change destination role pulldown 1500-2b that is displayed when -2a is pressed, "Presenter" is displayed so that it can be selected. That is, the display control unit 14 causes the role change screen 1500 to display the changeable role "presenter" in association with the role "person who can present".

In addition, the display control unit 14 controls the user IDs "G_10cb" corresponding to user IDs other than "A_10aa", "B_10ac", "C_10ad", "D_10ae", "E_10ba", and "F_10bb" to be displayed by other participants. It is displayed on the display section 1500-3. The other participants display section 1500-3 has an other participants display button 1500-3a for displaying a list of other user IDs on a pull-down menu.

The display control unit 14 also causes the role display unit 1500-1e to display that the role of the participant with the other user ID (for example, "G_10cb") is "listener," as shown in FIG. 26(a). At this time, the role of participant A_10aa is "moderator," and therefore the role relationship information does not allow the role of "listener" to be changed to another role, so the role display unit 1500-1e simply displays the role of the user corresponding to the other user ID, "listener."

The confirm button 1500-4 is a button for confirming the role changed in the changeable role display section 1500-2 for the participant F_10bb by the participant of the communication terminal 10aa whose role is "moderator."

The return button 1500-5 is a button for returning the role to its original role when the role is changed on the role change screen 1500. The operation when the return button 1500-5 is pressed will be described later with reference to FIG.

Through the operations in steps S71 to S78 described above, a role change request process is executed to request a change in the role of a participant during a panel discussion.

(Role change execution process)
FIG. 27 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role change execution processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 28 is a diagram illustrating the screen operation when a request to change the role is received. FIG. 29 is a diagram illustrating an example of a moderator conference screen to which a new speaker video has been added. With reference to FIGS. 27 to 29, a role change execution process for changing the role of a participant during a panel discussion in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Note that the role of participant A_10aa, who is a user of communication terminal 10aa participating in the panel discussion, is "moderator," and the role of participant F_10bb, who is a user of communication terminal 10bb, is "person who can present." shall be taken as a thing.

<Step S91>
On the role change screen 1500 shown in FIG. 26 described above, participant A_10aa sets and confirms the role to be changed for the participating participant's role via the input device 108 (or touch panel 318). Press button 1500-4. Specifically, participant A_10aa makes a setting to change the role of participant F_10bb from "person who can present" to "presenter" on role change screen 1500, and presses the confirm button 1500-4.

<Step S92>
Then, the role change control unit 21 of the communication terminal 10aa sends a role change execution command requesting execution of the role change, the user ID of the participant whose role is to be changed (here, "F_10bb"), and the role to which the role is to be changed. (here, “presenter”) is transmitted to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11. Then, the communication unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the role change execution command, the user ID, and the role to be changed. Note that the role change execution command is an example of the "execution request" of the present invention. The "execution request" is a command requesting to change the role of a participant.

<Step S93>
The role change unit 60 of the management system 50 refers to the role management table (see FIG. 11) in accordance with the role change execution command, and changes the role corresponding to the role to be changed (here, “presenter”) received by the communication unit 51. Read information about permissions to

<Step S94>
Then, the role change unit 60 transmits role authority information including the read-out role to be changed to and information on the corresponding authority to the communication terminal 10bb via the communication unit 51. The transmission of this role authority information serves as a notification from the management system 50 that a role change execution command to the role to be changed to has been received. Then, the communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10bb receives the role authority information.

<Step S95>
When the role authority information is received by the communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10bb, the display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10bb displays a role change confirmation dialog box as shown in FIG. 28(a) on the display 120 (or display 317). 1600 (an example of a confirmation screen) is displayed. A role change confirmation dialog box 1600 shown in FIG. 28(a) is a dialog box that notifies that a role change request has been received. Details of the authority to be granted (here, the ability to send the participant's own audio to other communication terminals 10, the ability to send the participant's video to other communication terminals 10, and the ability to send and receive files (file sharing)) Display. By viewing the role change confirmation dialog box 1600, the participant (participant F_10bb here) can confirm that he/she has been requested to participate in the discussion by a specific speaker of the panel discussion in which he/she is participating, and further, You can also check the details of the privileges granted to you if you participate. The role change confirmation dialog box 1600 has an approval button 1600-1 for approving the role change and a cancel button 1600-2 for rejecting the role change. That is, the role change confirmation dialog box 1600 functions as a screen (dialog box) for confirming whether or not to approve the change to the role to be changed.

<Steps S96, S97>
When the approval button 1600-1 is pressed by operating the input device 108 (or touch panel 318) of the communication terminal 10bb, the role change control unit 21 of the communication terminal 10bb sends an approval response indicating that the role change is approved. , is transmitted to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the approval response.

<Step S98>
When the communication unit 51 receives the approval response, the role change unit 60 of the management system 50 changes the user ID (here, “F_10bb”) of the participant whose role is to be changed in the participant management table (see FIG. 13). The role to be changed (here, "presenter") is registered in the corresponding temporary change destination. As a result, the role of participant F_10bb is treated as changed from "person who can present" to "presenter."

<Step S99>
Then, the role change unit 60 transmits a conference screen change command to the communication terminal 10bb via the communication unit 51, requesting a change to a conference screen corresponding to the role to be changed (here, "presenter"). .

<Step S100>
When the communication unit 11 receives the conference screen change command, the display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10bb changes the role to be changed (here, “presenter”) included in the role authority information received in step S94. The conference screen is changed to a corresponding conference screen and displayed on the display 120 (or display 317). Specifically, the display control unit 14 changes the conference screen corresponding to the role "presenter" to be changed to the presenter conference screen 1300Sa shown in FIG. ).

As shown in FIG. 28(b), the presenter conference screen 1300Sa includes a speaker video 1300S-1, a self-video 1300S-2, a video changeover switch 1300S-11, an audio changeover switch 1300S-12, and a file. It includes a share button 1300S-13 and a participant list button 1300S-15. Since the role "presenter" does not have the authority to record video of a video conference compared to the role "moderator," the presenter conference screen 1300Sa shown in FIG. Compared to the conference screen for moderator 1300S shown in FIG. 23, the configuration does not include the conference screen for moderator 1300S-4.

Furthermore, since the role of participant F_10bb has become "presenter," communication terminal 10bb can transmit participant F_10bb's audio and video to other communication terminals 10. In this case, the moderator conference screen 1300S displayed on the display 120 (or display 317) of the communication terminal 10aa displays an image of participant F_10bb, who is a new speaker (presenter), as shown in FIG. An additional speaker video 1300S-3 will be added.

As a result, participant F_10bb, whose original role was "Presenter" and was unable to send his/her own audio and video, will now have the role of "Presenter" and the conference screen will be changed. Ru. Since participant F_10bb is now able to transmit his/her own audio and video to other communication terminals 10, participant F_10bb can participate in the panel discussion as a speaker.

(Role return processing)
FIG. 30 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role return processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. With reference to FIG. 30, a role return process will be described in which the role of a participant whose role was changed during a panel discussion is returned in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment. It is assumed that the role of participant A_10aa, who is a user of communication terminal 10aa and participating in the panel discussion, is "moderator." Further, it is assumed that the original role of participant F_10bb, who is the user of communication terminal 10bb, is "person who can present" and his current role is "presenter."

<Step S111>
Participant A_10aa presses the return button 1500-5 via the input device 108 (or touch panel 318) on the role change screen 1500 shown in FIG. 26 described above.

<Step S112>
Then, the role change control unit 21 of the communication terminal 10aa transmits a role return execution command to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11, requesting that the changed role be returned to the original role. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the role return execution command.

<Step S113>
The role change unit 60 of the management system 50 refers to the participant management table (see FIG. 13) in accordance with the role return execution command received by the communication unit 51, and changes the user ID of the record in which the role is registered to the temporary change destination. and the role (i.e. the original role). Here, the role change unit 60 reads the user ID "F_10aa" and the role (original role) "person who can present" of the record corresponding to the participant F_10aa whose "presenter" is registered as the temporary change destination.

<Step S114>
The role changing unit 60 refers to the role management table (see FIG. 11) and reads out the authority information corresponding to the role read out in step S113 (original role). Here, the role changing unit 60 reads information on the authority corresponding to the role "person who can present."

<Step S115>
Furthermore, the role changing unit 60 deletes the temporary change destination of the read role record in the participant management table. Here, the role changing unit 60 deletes the temporary change destination "presenter" from the record of the read role "person who can present" (the record of participant F_10aa).

<Step S116>
Then, the role changing unit 60 transfers the role authority information (original role authority information) including the role read from the participant management table (original role) and the authority information read from the role management table to the communication unit 51. is transmitted to communication terminal 10bb via. The communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10bb then receives the original role authority information.

<Step S117>
The display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10bb changes the conference screen to a conference screen corresponding to the role (original role) included in the original role authority information received by the communication unit 11, and displays it on the display 120 (or display 317). let Here, the display control unit 14 changes the conference screen to a conference screen corresponding to the original role of participant F_10bb, "person who can present," and causes the display 120 (or display 317) to display the conference screen. Specifically, since the role "person who can present" does not have the authority to leave the video conference compared to the role "audience", the display control unit 14 controls the role of the audience member shown in FIG. The conference screen 1300A for users is changed to a conference screen for those who can present without including the exit button 1300A-16.

In this way, by retaining the original role (here "person who can present") in the participant management table (Figure 13), for example, participant A_10aa (moderator) who performed the role change operation can There is no need to remember the original role of participant F_10bb, and the role can be restored to its original role simply by pressing the restore button 1500-5 on the role change screen 1500. In addition, for example, after temporarily giving the right to speak by changing the role of a participant from "person who can present" to "presenter," the necessary remarks are made and the participant is prevented from participating in the discussion. When it is no longer needed, it is possible to return to the original role with a simple operation as described above, thereby improving the convenience of video conferencing.

Note that when the roles of multiple participants have been changed on the role change screen 1500, pressing the return button 1500-5 may restore the roles of all the participants whose roles have been changed. Alternatively, only selected participants may be allowed to restore their roles.

(Role addition/editing process)
FIG. 31 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role addition/editing processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role addition screen. A role addition/editing process for adding a new role or editing role authority in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 31 and 32.

<Step S131>
First, the user of communication terminal 10, which is a host terminal, performs an operation to display role addition screen 1700, which will be described later, on display 120 (or display 317) via input device 108 (or touch panel 318).

<Step S132>
Then, the role addition control unit 22 of the communication terminal 10 transmits a role addition command to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11 to instruct role addition/editing. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the role addition command.

<Step S133>
In accordance with the role addition command received by the communication unit 51, the role addition unit 62 of the management system 50 adds information on all roles and authorities specified in the role management table (see FIG. 11) via the storage/readout unit 57. Read out.

<Step S134>
Then, the role adding unit 62 transmits role authority information including the role read from the role management table and authority information to the communication terminal 10 via the communication unit 51. The communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10 then receives the role authority information.

<Step S135>
The display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10 uses the role and authority information included in the role authority information received by the communication unit 11 to create a role addition screen 1700 shown in FIG. ).

A role addition screen 1700 shown in FIG. 32 is a screen for adding and editing new roles that can be assigned to participants in a panel discussion that is a video conference. As shown in FIG. 32, the role addition screen 1700 includes a role authority display area 1700-1, a new role addition area 1700-2, an add role button 1700-3, a confirm button 1700-4, and a role delete button 1700. -5.

The role authority display area 1700-1 is an area that displays the contents of roles and authorities that have already been set. Note that although FIG. 32 shows whether or not to grant seven privileges to each role, it is not limited to this, and it is also shown whether to grant at least one privilege or not. Alternatively, it is acceptable as long as it allows editing settings.

New role addition area 1700-2 is an area for newly setting the contents of roles and authorities, and is displayed by pressing the role addition button 1700-3. A new role name can be entered in the "New role name" column of the new role addition area 1700-2. In addition, a selection pull-down 1700-2a is arranged in each authority column of the new role addition area 1700-2, and when pressed, the content of the authority can be selected from the pull-down options displayed. can.

The confirm button 1700-4 is a button for confirming and registering the role name and authority details set in the new role addition area 1700-2.

The role deletion button 1700-5 is a button for deleting the contents of roles and authorities that have already been set. For example, a role that has already been set can be selected in the role authority display area 1700-1, and if the role deletion button 1700-5 is pressed while the role is selected, the corresponding role can be selected from the role management table (see FIG. 11). The created role and its privilege contents are deleted.

That is, the role addition screen 1700 functions as a screen that allows input of a new role to be added and selection input of whether to grant one or more authorities corresponding to the role.

In addition, in the role authority display area 1700-1, the contents of the roles and authorities that have already been set are displayed in a pull-down format such as the selection pull-down 1700-2a, and the contents of the already set authorities can be edited. It may be possible to do so.

<Steps S136, S137>
Then, the user of the communication terminal 10 performs at least one of adding a new role and authority contents on the role addition screen 1700, or editing the authority contents of an already set role, and presses the confirm button 1700-4. Press . Then, the role addition control unit 22 of the communication terminal 10 transmits role authority information including the added or edited role and the content of the authority to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11. . The role authority information also functions as a registration request for a new role and the details of the authority to be granted to the role. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the role authority information.

<Step S138>
If the role authority information received by the communication unit 51 includes the newly added role and authority, the role adding unit 62 of the management system 50 adds the role and authority to the role management table (see FIG. 11). Register the contents. Further, when the role authority information includes the contents of the authority of the edited role, the role adding unit 62 updates the contents of the authority of the role in the role management table (see FIG. 11).

The above steps S131 to S138 execute the role addition/editing process to add a new role or edit the role authority. In this way, it is possible to add a new role or edit the role authority, so it is possible to set various roles and authorities, and to realize a role configuration that meets the needs required for the panel discussion.

(Role relationship change processing)
FIG. 33 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role relationship change processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a role relationship editing screen. With reference to FIGS. 33 and 34, role relationship change processing for changing (editing) which role can be changed by a participant in each role in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

<Step S151>
First, the user of communication terminal 10, which is a host terminal, performs an operation to display role relationship editing screen 1800, which will be described later, on display 120 (or display 317) via input device 108 (or touch panel 318).

<Step S152>
Then, the role relationship change control unit 23 of the communication terminal 10 sends a role relationship editing command to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11 to change (edit) which roles can be changed by participants in each role. Send. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the role relationship editing command.

<Step S153>
The role relationship changing unit 63 of the management system 50 changes the participation of each role defined in the role relationship management table (see FIG. 14) via the storage/reading unit 57 in accordance with the role relationship editing command received by the communication unit 51. Read role-related information about which roles the person can change.

<Step S154>
Then, the role relationship changing section 63 transmits the role relationship information read out from the role relationship management table to the communication terminal 10 via the communication section 51. Then, the communication section 11 of the communication terminal 10 receives the role relationship information.

<Step S155>
The display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10 uses the role relationship information received by the communication unit 11 to create a role relationship editing screen 1800 (an example of a first editing screen) shown in FIG. 317).

The role relationship editing screen 1800 shown in FIG. 34 is a screen for changing (editing) role relationship information that indicates which roles participants of each role can change. Specifically, the role relationship editing screen 1800 is a screen that selectively displays which roles participants of each role can change. As shown in FIG. 34, the role relationship editing screen 1800 includes a role relationship display area 1800-1 and a confirm button 1800-2.

The role relationship display area 1800-1 is an area that displays role relationship information indicating which role a participant in each role can change. A selection pull-down 1800-1a is arranged in each column of the role relationship display area 1800-1, and by pressing the button, you can select "○" that allows changes or "x" that does not allow changes from the pull-down options that are displayed. can do.

The confirm button 1800-2 is a button for confirming and registering the contents of the role relationship information edited in the role relationship display area 1800-1.

Note that in the example of the role relationship editing screen 1800 shown in FIG. 34, participants in each role cannot change (edit) the same role; however, the present invention is not limited to this, and participants in each role cannot change (edit) the same role. It may also be possible to change. For example, a participant whose role is "presenter" may be able to change the role of "presenter" (including himself).

<Steps S156 and S157>
Then, when the user of the communication terminal 10 edits the role relationship information on the role relationship editing screen 1800 and presses the confirm button 1800-2, the role relationship change control unit 23 of the communication terminal 10 transmits the edited role relationship information to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11. The edited role relationship information also functions as a registration request for details regarding which roles the participants of each role can change to. Then, the communication unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the edited role relationship information.

<Step S158>
The role relationship changing section 63 of the management system 50 writes (updates) the edited role relationship information received by the communication section 51 in the role relationship management table (see FIG. 14).

The above steps S151 to S158 execute a role relationship change process that changes (edits) which roles participants of each role can change. In this way, it is possible to edit which roles participants of each role can change, so that roles that have the right to change roles can be appropriately set, and it is possible to prevent situations such as unintended role changes occurring during a panel discussion.

(Role change destination change process)
FIG. 35 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of role change destination change processing of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 36 is a diagram illustrating an example of a role change destination editing screen. With reference to FIGS. 35 and 36, a role change destination changing process for changing (editing) which role each role can be changed to in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

<Step S171>
First, the user of the communication terminal 10, which is a host terminal, performs an operation to display a role change destination editing screen 1900, which will be described later, on the display 120 (or display 317) via the input device 108 (or touch panel 318). .

<Step S172>
Then, the role change destination change control unit 24 of the communication terminal 10 sends a role change destination editing command to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11 to change (edit) which role each role can be changed to. do. Then, the communication unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the role change destination editing command.

<Step S173>
In accordance with the role change destination editing command received by the communication section 51, the role change destination changing section 64 of the management system 50 changes each role specified in the role change destination management table (see FIG. 15) via the storage/reading section 57. Reads role change destination information regarding which role a role can be changed to.

<Step S174>
Then, the role change destination changing unit 64 transmits the role change destination information read from the role change destination management table to the communication terminal 10 via the communication unit 51. The communication unit 11 of the communication terminal 10 then receives the role change destination information.

<Step S175>
The display control unit 14 of the communication terminal 10 uses the role change destination information received by the communication unit 11 to create a role change destination editing screen 1900 (an example of a second editing screen) shown in FIG. or display it on the display 317).

A role change destination editing screen 1900 shown in FIG. 36 is a screen for changing (editing) role change destination information indicating to which role each role can be changed. Specifically, the role change destination editing screen 1900 is a screen that selectably displays to which role each role can be changed. As shown in FIG. 36, the role change destination editing screen 1900 includes a role change destination display area 1900-1 and a confirm button 1900-2.

The role change destination display area 1900-1 is an area that displays role change destination information indicating which role each role can be changed to. A selection pull-down 1900-1a is arranged in each column of the role change destination display area 1900-1, and when you press the button, you can select "○" that allows change or "x" that cannot change from the pull-down options that are displayed. You can choose.

The confirm button 1900-2 is a button for confirming and registering the contents of the role change destination information edited in the role change destination display area 1900-1.

<Steps S176, S177>
Then, when the user of the communication terminal 10 edits the role change destination information on the role change destination editing screen 1900 and presses the confirm button 1900-2, the role change destination change control unit 24 of the communication terminal 10 edits the role change destination information on the role change destination editing screen 1900. The change destination information is transmitted to the management system 50 via the communication unit 11. The edited role change destination information also functions as a registration request for contents regarding which role each role can be changed to. The communication unit 51 of the management system 50 then receives the edited role change destination information.

<Step S178>
The role change destination changing unit 64 of the management system 50 writes (updates) the edited role change destination information received by the communication unit 51 into the role change destination management table (see FIG. 15).

Through the operations in steps S171 to S178 described above, a role change destination changing process is executed to change (edit) which role each role can be changed to. Since it is possible to edit which role each role can be changed to in this way, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a situation such as an unintended role change occurring in a panel discussion.

As described above, in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment, a video conference is held based on preset participant roles, and during the video conference, a participant with a predetermined role has the right to speak. It is possible to change the role of a participant who does not have the right to speak (for example, ``person who can present'') to a role that has the right to speak (for example, ``presenter''). As a result, when a video conference is being held, a participant who does not have the right to speak can be suddenly made to speak.

Furthermore, in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment, when the role of a participant is changed during a video conference, the original role is retained in the participant management table, and the role change operation is performed. Participants (for example, moderators, etc.) whose role has been changed do not need to remember the original role of the participant whose role has been changed, and can change their role by simply pressing the back button 1500-5 on the role change screen 1500. can be restored. Also, for example, after temporarily giving the right to speak by changing the role of a participant from "person who can present" to "presenter," the necessary remarks are made and the participant's participation in the discussion is prevented. When it is no longer needed, it is possible to return to the original role with a simple operation as described above, thereby improving the convenience of video conferencing.

Furthermore, in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to add a new role or edit the authority of a role. This makes it possible to set various roles and authorities, and realize a role configuration that meets the needs of panel discussions.

Furthermore, in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to edit which role a participant in each role can change. With this, it is possible to appropriately set roles that have the right to change roles, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of situations such as unintentional role changes occurring during panel discussions.

Furthermore, in the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to edit which role each role can be changed to. This makes it possible to prevent situations such as an unintended role change occurring during a panel discussion.

(Another form of software configuration of communication terminal)
FIG. 37 is a diagram illustrating an example of the software configuration when using the web application of the communication terminal according to the embodiment. Another form of the software configuration of the communication terminal 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 37.

Although the above-described FIG. 5 describes the operation of the communication application A executed by the communication terminal 10, similar processing can also be realized by a Web application. A Web application operates by a program based on, for example, JavaScript (registered trademark) that runs on a browser, and a program on the Web server side, and is used by a user on the browser. That is, as shown in FIG. 37, the communication terminal 10 downloads a program WA (HTML (HyperText Markup Language) + JavaScript + CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), etc.) from the management system 50 and executes it on the browser 1040. The browser 1040 operates under the control of the OS 1020.

The communication terminal 10 can utilize the services provided by the management system 50 by exchanging data with the management system 50 using a protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) or HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). In such a usage pattern, there is no need to download the communication application A to the communication terminal 10 in advance.

Note that each function of the embodiments described above can be realized by one or more processing circuits. Here, the term "processing circuit" refers to a processor that is programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, an ASIC designed to execute each of the functions described above, and a DSP (Digital Signal It includes devices such as a processor), an FPGA, a SoC (System on a Chip), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and a conventional circuit module.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when at least one of the functional units of the communication terminal 10 and the management system 50 is realized by executing a program, the program is provided by being incorporated in a ROM or the like in advance. Furthermore, the programs executed by the communication terminal 10 and the management system 50 according to the above-described embodiments can be stored as files in an installable or executable format on a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or a flexible disk (FD). , a CD-R (Compact Disk-Recordable), a DVD, or an SD card. Further, the program executed by the communication terminal 10 and the management system 50 according to the above-described embodiment is stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet, and is provided by being downloaded via the network. Good too. Furthermore, the programs executed by the communication terminal 10 and the management system 50 according to the above-described embodiments may be configured to be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, the programs executed by the communication terminal 10 and the management system 50 according to the above-described embodiment have a module configuration including at least one of the above-mentioned functional units, and the actual hardware includes the CPU described above. By reading a program from the storage device and executing it, each of the above-mentioned functional units is loaded onto the main storage device and generated.

1 Communication system 2 Communication network 2a to 2d LAN
2ab, 2cd Leased line 2e, 2f Base station 2i Internet 10, 10aa, 10ab, 10ad, 10ba, 10bb, 10ca, 10cb, 10da, 10db, 10ea, 10eb Communication terminal 11 Communication section 12 Operation input reception section 13 Imaging section 14 Display Control unit 15 Audio input unit 16 Audio output unit 17 Storage/reading unit 18 Storage unit 19 Authentication request unit 20 Role assignment control unit 21 Role change control unit 22 Role addition control unit 23 Role relationship change control unit 24 Role change destination change control unit 50 Management System 51 Communication Unit 52 Authentication Unit 53 State Management Unit 54 Extraction Unit 55 Status Acquisition Unit 56 Session Control Unit 57 Storage/Reading Unit 58 Storage Unit 59 Role Assignment Unit 60 Role Change Unit 61 Participation Processing Unit 62 Role Addition Unit 63 Role Relationship change unit 64 Role change destination change unit 70, 70a to 70d, 70ab, 70cd Router 90 Program provision system 101 CPU
102 ROM
103 RAM
105 Auxiliary storage device 106 Media 107 Media drive 108 Input device 110 Bus line 111 Network I/F
112 Camera 112c Cable 113 Image sensor I/F
114 Microphone 114c cable 115 Speaker 115c cable 116 Audio input/output I/F
119 Display I/F
120, 120aa, 120bb, 120ca, 120db Display 120c Cable 201 CPU
202 ROM
203 RAM
205 Auxiliary storage device 206 Recording media 207 Media drive 208 Display 209 Network I/F
210 Bus line 211 Keyboard 212 Mouse 213 DVD
214 DVD drive 301 CPU
302 ROM
303 RAM
304 EEPROM
306 Media 307 Media I/F
308 GPS receiving section 310 Bus line 311 Long distance communication circuit 311a Antenna 312 CMOS
313 Image sensor I/F
314 Microphone 315 Speaker 316 Sound input/output I/F
317 Display 318 Touch panel 1010 Work area 1020 OS
1040 Browser 1100 Destination list screen 1100-1 User ID display area 1100-2 Terminal ID display area 1100-3 Terminal name display area 1100-4a Offline icon 1100-4b Call ready icon 1100-4c Calling icon 1200-1 Start request dialog Box 1200-2 "Yes" button 1200-3 "No" button 1300A Conference screen for audience 1300A-1 Speaker video 1300A-13 Shared file list button 1300A-16 Exit button 1300S Conference screen for moderator 1300Sa Conference screen for presenter 1300S-1 Speaker video 1300S-2 Own video 1300S-3 Additional speaker video 1300S-11 Video changeover switch 1300S-12 Audio changeover switch 1300S-13 File sharing button 1300S-14 Record button 1300S-15 Participant list button 1400 Role Assignment screen 1400-1a to 1400-1g Role selection section 1400-2 Confirm button 1400-3 Role list display area 1500 Role change screen 1500-1a to 1500-1e Role display section 1500-2 Changeable role display section 1500-2a Change Previous role display button 1500-2b Change destination role pulldown 1500-3 Other participants display area 1500-3a Other participants display button 1500-4 Confirm button 1500-5 Back button 1600 Role change confirmation dialog box 1600-1 Approve button 1600- 2 Cancel button 1700 Role addition screen 1700-1 Role authority display area 1700-2 New role addition area 1700-2a Selection pull-down 1700-3 Add role button 1700-4 Confirm button 1700-5 Delete role button 1800 Edit role relationship screen 1800- 1 Role relationship display area 1800-1a Selection pull-down 1800-2 Confirm button 1900 Role change destination edit screen 1900-1 Role change destination display area 1900-1a Selection pull-down 1900-2 Confirm button 5001 User management DB
5002 Terminal management DB
5003 Group management DB
5004 Session management DB
5005 Role management DB
5006 Role assignment management DB
5007 Participant management DB
5008 Role relationship management DB
5009 Role change destination management DB
A Communication app WA program

Special table 2017-515173 publication

Claims (9)

A computer is a communication terminal that can make video conference calls by transmitting and receiving audio and video with other communication terminals via a network.
a first request unit that transmits a request to change the role of a participant to a management system that controls the video conference while the video conference is being held;
a first receiving unit that receives from the management system a first role that is a role of a participant in the video conference and a second role that is a changeable role;
a display control unit that causes a display device to display a change screen that displays the second role in correspondence with the first role;
a first execution unit that transmits, to the management system, an execution request for changing the role of the participant from the first role to the second role selected by the input unit on the change screen;
a second request unit that transmits a participant role assignment request to the management system before the start of the video conference;
a second receiving unit that receives, from the management system, identification information of the participant in the video conference and information on all roles that can be assigned to the participant;
and make it work ,
The display control unit causes the display device to display an assignment screen that selectably displays roles in association with the identification information,
The program further functions as a second execution unit that transmits to the management system an execution request for assigning the role selected by the input unit as the role of the participant on the assignment screen. The display control unit may cause the display device to display a conference screen corresponding to the second role when the role of the participant is changed to the second role by the management system in response to the execution request. The program described in 1. When the display control unit is notified from the management system that a request to execute a change to the second role selected by another communication terminal has been received, the display control unit determines whether to approve the change to the second role or not. 3. The program according to claim 1 or 2, which causes the display device to display a confirmation screen for confirming whether the information is correct or not. The display control unit causes the display device to display a role addition screen that allows input of a newly added role and selection input of whether to grant one or more authorities corresponding to the role;
In the role addition screen, the third request unit is configured to further function as a third request unit that sends a registration request for a new role input through the input unit and details of the authority to be granted to the role to the management system. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The display control unit causes the display device to display a first editing screen that allows participants in each role to select which role they can change;
a fourth request unit that transmits to the management system a request for registering content regarding which role a participant in each role can change, which is input via the input unit on the first editing screen; The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4 for functioning. The display control unit causes the display device to display a second editing screen that selectably displays which role each role can be changed to,
In order to further function as a fifth request unit that transmits to the management system a registration request for contents regarding which role each role can be changed to, which is input via the input unit on the second editing screen. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . A communication method for a communication terminal capable of making a call by video conference with another communication terminal by transmitting and receiving audio and video via a network,
a first requesting step of transmitting a request to change the role of a participant to a management system controlling the video conference during the video conference;
a first receiving step of receiving from the management system a first role that is a role of a participant in the video conference and a second role that is a changeable role;
a display control step of causing a display device to display a change screen that displays the second role in correspondence with the first role;
a first execution step of transmitting to the management system, on the change screen, an execution request for changing the role of the participant from the first role to the second role selected by the input unit;
a second requesting step of sending a participant role assignment request to the management system before the start of the video conference;
a second receiving step of receiving identification information of a participant in the video conference and information on all roles that can be assigned to the participant from the management system;
has
The display control step causes the display device to display an assignment screen that selectably displays roles in association with the identification information;
The communication method further comprises a second execution step of transmitting to the management system an execution request for assigning the role selected by the input unit as the role of the participant on the assignment screen . A communication terminal capable of making a video conference call by transmitting and receiving audio and video to and from another communication terminal via a network,
a first requesting unit that transmits a request to change the role of a participant to a management system that controls the video conference while the video conference is being held;
a first receiving unit that receives from the management system a first role that is a role of a participant in the video conference and a second role that is a changeable role;
a display control unit that causes a display device to display a change screen that displays the second role in correspondence with the first role;
a first execution unit that transmits, to the management system, an execution request for changing the role of the participant from the first role to the second role selected by the input unit on the change screen;
a second request unit that transmits a participant role assignment request to the management system before the start of the video conference;
a second receiving unit that receives, from the management system, identification information of the participant in the video conference and information on all roles that can be assigned to the participant;
Equipped with
The display control unit causes the display device to display an assignment screen that selectably displays roles in association with the identification information,
A communication terminal further comprising: a second execution unit that transmits, to the management system, an execution request for assigning the role selected by the input unit as the role of the participant on the assignment screen . A communication system comprising: a communication terminal capable of making a videoconference call by transmitting and receiving audio and video via a network to another communication terminal; and a management system that controls the videoconference.
The communication terminal is
a first request unit that transmits a request to change the role of a participant to a management system that controls the video conference while the video conference is being held;
a first receiving unit that receives from the management system a first role that is a role of a participant in the video conference and a second role that is a changeable role;
a display control unit that causes a display device to display a change screen that displays the second role in correspondence with the first role;
a first execution unit that transmits, to the management system, an execution request for changing the role of the participant from the first role to the second role selected by the input unit on the change screen;
a second request unit that transmits a participant role assignment request to the management system before the start of the video conference;
a second receiving unit that receives, from the management system, identification information of the participant in the video conference and information on all roles that can be assigned to the participant;
Equipped with
The display control unit causes the display device to display an assignment screen that selectably displays roles in association with the identification information,
further comprising a second execution unit that transmits an execution request to the management system to assign the role selected by the input unit as the role of the participant on the assignment screen;
The management system includes:
a response unit that transmits the first role and the second role to the communication terminal in response to the change request;
a changing unit that changes the role of the participant from the first role to the second role selected by the input unit in response to the execution request;
communication system with.

Images