JPH0721352A - Decentralized authoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the decentralized authoring system which is distributed between clients connected by a network and prepares a document. CONSTITUTION:At the time of preparing a multi-media document by a certain client, editing and working of a necessary multi-media base material are requested to other client. Each client who receives the request executes editing and working of the base material in accordance with an instruction, and stores it in a storage device for a server. The client being the editing/working origin monitors periodically whether or not the edited/worked base material is stored in the server storage device 101, and when it is detected that the base material is stored, the multi-media document is completed by utilizing the base material. In such a way, the time per one person spent for preparing the document can be shortened, and the work efficiency can be improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a client / server system in which a server equipped with a storage device for accumulating information and a plurality of clients are connected by a communication line. The present invention relates to a client / server system which creates a multimedia document including the document.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In creating office documents, such as creating materials for public relations in business, in order to increase the appeal to the other party (reader of the document), not only characters but also moving images, still images, animations, computer Graphics (CG) and the like have come to be used. When creating a multimedia document including multimedia materials such as moving images, still images, animations, and CGs, the multimedia materials are created / edited. When performing authoring, software such as an authoring tool or hypermedia tool corresponding to each medium or a terminal peripheral device such as a scanner is used. For example, in the case of a moving image, the material is taken in from a camera, a video, a laser disk, etc., and is processed / edited using an authoring tool to create a moving image material. In addition, from the terminal to LAN (Local Area Network)
If the database can be accessed via (ork) or the like, the multimedia material of the database is diverted, and the multimedia material is processed / edited in the terminal to create a multimedia document. Conventionally, the creator of a multimedia document has the above-mentioned method even if the terminal is not connected to the network, that is, in a stand-alone environment or in a client-server system environment in which multiple terminals are connected to the network. As described above, the multimedia material is created / edited by utilizing the authoring tool and the peripheral devices, and the multimedia document including the multimedia material is created. The above-mentioned conventional authoring is described in, for example, a special issue “Searching for the Ultimate of Multimedia” published in the July 1991 issue of ASCII ASCII Super ASCII.

[0003]

As described above, with regard to conventional authoring, when creating a multimedia document in both stand-alone and network environments, the document creator alone has to perform the process from material creation / editing to document creation. There is. Therefore, it is necessary for the document creator's terminal to have an authoring tool for each media and a hypermedia tool. That is, in order to create a multimedia document, it is necessary to provide an authoring tool or the like for each unit, such as a department unit or a group unit, so that there is a problem that the cost becomes high as a whole. Alternatively, if the document creator has other terminals that are provided with an authoring tool that is not included in the terminal used by the document creator, the document creator may use the authoring tool However, since it is necessary to move to a terminal that can use the authoring tool desired by oneself and perform the work, there is a problem that the efficiency of multimedia document creation is low.

An object of the present invention is to edit a media for each media when creating a multimedia document including multimedia materials in a client / server system in which a plurality of clients are connected to a server via a network. -Providing a distributed authoring system that enhances the efficiency of multimedia document creation by distributing documents among clients that have authoring tools that can be processed.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In a client / server system in which a plurality of clients are connected to a server via a network, a multimedia document including multimedia materials such as moving images, still images, animations and computer graphics is created. In order to solve the above problem, each client is provided with the following means.

(1) Notification means for requesting another client to edit / process the multimedia material.

(2) The client who receives the request for editing / processing the multimedia material completes the editing / processing of the multimedia material, or temporarily saves the result of editing / processing the multimedia material. Means for periodically monitoring at the client requesting editing / processing of the multimedia material, and detecting completion of the editing / processing or temporary storage of the result of the editing / processing.

(3) Means for displaying the fact on the display of the client of the request source when the completion of the editing / processing or the temporary storage of the result of the editing / processing is detected.

[0009]

[Operation] In a client / server system in which a plurality of clients and servers are connected by a communication line such as Ethernet, a multimedia document including multimedia materials such as moving images, still images, animations and computer graphics is created. At this time, the client, who is the source of the document, uses the mail etc. to the client equipped with the authoring tool that can edit and process the multimedia material according to the type of the multimedia material that composes the document. Notify requests for material editing and processing (including detailed instructions).

When each client receives a request for editing / processing of the multimedia material from the client of the document creation source, the editing / processing of the multimedia material is performed by utilizing a corresponding authoring tool or a peripheral device such as a scanner. I do. Then, the client requested to edit / process the multimedia material edited / processed in the server when the editing / processing of the corresponding multimedia material is completed or when the editing / processing is temporarily saved. The file is stored in a predetermined area in the storage device with a designated file name.

The document creation source client periodically monitors whether or not the file name designated for each multimedia material is newly stored or updated in a predetermined area in the storage device of the server. Check if the multimedia material requested by the client is complete. Then, when the client of the document creation source detects that the requested multimedia material is newly stored or updated in a predetermined area in the storage device of the server, the editing / processing of the corresponding multimedia material is completed. / Display update message on the display.

The client that is the source of the document completes the multimedia document by using each multimedia material stored in the storage device of the server.

As described above, when a multimedia document including multimedia material is created, it is distributed among the clients capable of editing and processing the corresponding multimedia material at the request of the client who created the multimedia document. Then, the required multimedia material is edited and processed, and the client, who has requested the document creation, can use the multimedia material to efficiently complete the multimedia document.

[0014]

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

FIG. 1 shows an outline of the structure of a client / server system and distributed authoring according to an embodiment of the present invention. The client / server system includes a server 100 and a plurality of clients 105, 106, 10
.., and each client 105, 106, 107, ... Is connected to the server 100 via a communication line 104. Also, the server 100
Is connected to a storage device 101 for a server, and the storage device 101 is an email from each client 105, 106, 107, ... Or an animation material 102 or a moving image material edited / processed by each client 105, 106, 107 ,. It stores multimedia materials such as 103. Each client 105,106,107,
Some of them include an authoring tool for editing and processing multimedia materials such as moving images, still images, animations and computer graphics (CG).

In the client / server system, when a multimedia document including multimedia materials such as animation material 102 and moving image material 103 is created, the client 1105, which is the creator of the multimedia document, is The client 2106 having an authoring tool for editing / processing and the client 3107 having an authoring tool for editing / processing animation material are requested to edit / process respectively. The client 1105, which is the source of the multimedia document, periodically monitors the storage of each multimedia material edited and processed by the client 2106 and the client 3107 in the server storage device 101. When the client 1105 detects that the client 2106 or the client 3107 stores each multimedia material in the server storage device 101,
A multimedia document is completed using the multimedia material.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of software for checking the storage status of the multimedia material in the storage device 101 for the server.

The client 105, which is the request source for editing / processing the multimedia material, periodically checks the storage status of each multimedia material in the storage device 101 for the server by the multimedia material editing / processing check AP200.

The multimedia material editing / processing check AP 200 is provided in each client and comprises the following components.

The moving image material editing / processing check processing 201
When requesting the editing / modification of video material to another client, periodically monitor whether the client to whom the editing / modification is requested newly stores or updates the video material 205 in a predetermined area of the storage device 101 for the server. And detect the situation.
When it is detected that the moving image material 205 is newly stored or updated, the fact is displayed on the display of the request source client 105 and the user is notified.

[0021] Still image material editing / processing check processing 202
Asks another client to edit or process the still image material whether the client who requested the editing or processing newly stores or updates the still image material 206 in a predetermined area of the storage device 101 for the server. Periodically monitor to detect situations. Then, when it is detected that the still image material 206 is newly stored or updated, the fact is displayed on the display of the request source client 105 to notify the user.

In the animation material editing / processing check processing 203, when an animation material editing / processing is requested from another client, the editing / processing request destination client stores the animation material 207 in a predetermined area of the server storage device 101. The situation is detected by periodically monitoring whether or not new storage or update is performed. Then, when it is detected that the animation material 207 is newly stored or updated, the fact is displayed on the display of the request-source client 105 to notify the user.

The CG material editing / processing check processing 204 is
When another client is requested to edit / process the CG material, it periodically monitors whether the client to whom the editing / processing request has newly stored or updated the CG material 208 in a predetermined area of the storage device 101 for the server. And detect the situation.
When it is detected that the CG material 208 is newly stored or updated, the fact is displayed on the display of the request source client 105 and the user is notified.

The flow of multimedia document creation by the distributed authoring system according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen when the contents of the request are confirmed at each of the clients that have received the request from the client who creates the multimedia document including the animation and the moving image.

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a screen for confirming the contents of the request for editing / processing the moving image material in the client which has received the request for editing / processing the moving image material.

A client that creates a multimedia document including animation and a moving image can use a mail or the like to edit the moving image material to a client equipped with an authoring tool for editing and processing the moving image material. Make a request.

Upon receipt of the request for editing / modifying the moving image material, the client confirms the requested content by the dialog box 301 on the display 300 and obtains more detailed information. Then, the moving image material is edited / processed by the authoring tool for editing / processing the moving image material and stored in the designated storage location.

FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a screen for confirming the contents of the request for editing / processing the animation material in the client which has received the request for editing / processing the animation material.

A client that creates a multimedia document including animation and a moving image uses an email or the like to edit and process the animation material to the client equipped with an authoring tool for editing and processing the animation material. Make a request.

The client who receives the request for editing / processing the animation material displays the requested content on the display 30.
2 Confirm with dialog box 303 above to get more detailed information. Then, the animation material is edited and processed by the authoring tool for editing and processing the animation material and stored in the designated storage location.

As described above, the client for creating the multimedia document including the animation and the moving image uses the mail or the like to edit / edit the material in the client equipped with the authoring tool for editing / editing each material.
Each client who requests the processing, receives the request, edits and processes the material according to the instruction, and stores the material in the designated storage location.

FIG. 4 shows a screen situation in a client which creates a multimedia document including animation and a moving image, from requesting material editing / processing to another client until completion of the multimedia document. It is a figure.

In FIG. 4A, in a client that creates a multimedia document containing animation and moving images, after requesting material editing / processing to another client, while creating a multimedia document, the other Shows the screen when the client is waiting for the material to be edited and processed.

In the material editing / processing request source client, after requesting material editing / processing to another client,
In the multimedia document 401, the video material insertion planned area 402 for inserting the video material and the animation material insertion planned area 403 for inserting the animation material are secured, or the text is edited to make the document. Produce 401. While the multimedia document 401 is being created, the video material editing / processing check process 201 of the multimedia material editing / processing check AP200 periodically checks the video material in the server storage device 101. Then, the completion / update of the moving image material is monitored, the moving image material editing / processing check screen 404 is displayed on the display 400, the current state is displayed by the dialog box 405, and the completion of the moving image material is waited. Similarly for animation materials, the above-mentioned multimedia material editing / processing check AP20
The animation material editing / processing check processing 203 of 0 periodically checks the animation material in the storage device 101 for the server to monitor the completion / update of the animation material, and the animation material editing / processing check screen is displayed on the display 400. 406 is displayed, the current state is displayed in the dialog box 407, and the completion of the animation material is waited for.

FIG. 4B shows a screen when the material editing / processing request source client detects completion / update of each material requested to be edited / processed by another client. is there.

In each editing / processing request client,
When the editing / processing of the moving image material or animation material is completed and each material is stored in a predetermined area in the storage device 101 for the server, the multimedia editing / processing Completion of the video material or animation material by the video material editing / processing check processing 201 or the animation material editing / processing check processing 203 of the processing check AP200
Detect updates. Then, in the moving image material editing / processing check screen 404 and the animation material editing / processing check screen 406, dialog boxes 408 and 409 are respectively displayed to notify the user of the completion / update of the moving image material / animation material.

FIG. 4 (c) shows a screen when the client of the material editing / processing request source confirms the performance of the moving image material and animation material stored in the server storage device 101. Is.

In the material editing / processing request source client, the moving image material editing / processing check screen 201, the animation material editing / processing check screen 404, the animation material editing / processing check screen 404, the animation material editing / processing check screen By responding to the dialog boxes 408 and 409 displayed in 406, the edited / processed video material is edited / edited in the video material edit / process check screen 404. The quality of each material is confirmed on the processing check screen 406. At this time, if the performance of the material is different from the desired one, the material editing / processing request source client requests the client to edit / process the material again by e-mail or the like, and the state shown in FIG. To proceed with.

FIG. 4 (d) shows a screen when the multimedia document using the moving image material and the animation material stored in the server storage device 101 is completed in the material editing / processing request source client. It is shown.

In the material editing / processing request source client, if there is no problem in the performance of the material requested to be edited / processed by another client, the completed moving image material in the moving image material filling planned area 402 of the multimedia document 401. In addition, the completed animation material is incorporated into the animation material filling planned area 403. And
Complete a multimedia document containing animations and videos.

As described above, the client that creates the multimedia document checks the performance of the material at the client who requests the editing / processing of each material,
The document can be completed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a multimedia document including multimedia materials is created, each client is provided with an authoring tool capable of editing and processing each material. Since the contents of editing and processing are instructed in text, there are few mistakes in notification. In addition, for materials that you have requested to edit or process, a check screen is displayed in a different area from the multimedia documents and the current status is displayed in a dialog box.
It is easy to check the edited and processed material and grasp the situation.

[0044]

According to the present invention, when a multimedia document including multimedia materials such as moving images, still images, animations, computer graphics, etc. is created, the editing / processing of each medium can be performed. Documents are distributed among clients that have authoring tools that can be created, so there is no need to have an authoring tool that edits and processes all materials in one place, and sharing resources will result in lower costs. You can Further, since a plurality of human resources are distributed to create a document, the time spent per person for creating a document can be shortened and the work efficiency can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a client / server system and distributed authoring according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of software for checking a storage state of multimedia materials in a storage device for a server.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen when confirming the request content in each client that receives a request from a client who creates a multimedia document.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen state in a client that creates a multimedia document, from when another client is requested to edit and process a material to when the multimedia document is completed.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... Server, 101 ... Storage device, 102 ... Animation material, 103 ... Movie material, 104 ... Communication line, 1
05 ... Client 1, 106 ... E-mail arrival acceptance detection
Playback activation means, 107 ... Email playback means, 200 ... Multimedia material editing / processing check AP, 201 ... Video material editing / processing check processing, 202 ... Still image material editing / processing check processing, 203 ... Animation material editing / processing check Processing, 204 ... CG (computer graphic) material editing / processing check processing, 205 ... Video material, 206 ... Still image material, 207 ... Animation material, 208 ... CG (computer graphic) material, 300 ... Video material editing / processing Client screen in charge, 301 ... Animation material editing / processing client screen, 400 ... Client screen in request, 401
... Multimedia document, 402 ... Schedule for inserting video material, 403 ... Schedule for inserting animation material, 404 ... Video material editing / processing check screen, 40
6 ... Animation material editing / processing check screen.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Hiroyuki Sakai, Inventor Hiroyuki Sakai, 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Ltd. Microelectronics Device Development Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Yuji Kimura 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa House number Hitachi, Ltd. Microelectronics equipment development laboratory (72) Inventor Takehiro Yamada 292 Yoshida-cho, Totsuka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Household corporation Hitachi Ltd. Microelectronics equipment development laboratory (72) Inventor Tomohisa Kobinoyama Totsuka, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture 292 Yoshida-cho, Ward Stock Company Hitachi, Ltd. Microelectronics Device Development Laboratory

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A client-server system in which a plurality of terminals (clients) are connected by a communication line to a server equipped with a storage device for storing information transferred from the clients , Multimedia including multimedia materials such as still images, animations, computer graphics, etc.
When creating a document, the client sends a notification means for requesting another client to edit / modify the multimedia material, and the client that receives the request to edit / modify the multimedia material A means for monitoring the completion of editing / processing of the material, or the temporary storage of the edited / processed result of the multimedia material, at the client requesting the editing / processing of the multimedia material; At the client who receives the request for editing / processing the material, the editing / processing of the multimedia material is completed, or the result of the editing / processing of the multimedia material is temporarily saved. When it is detected by the client requesting processing,
A distributed authoring system, wherein each client is provided with means for displaying a notification to that effect on the display of the requesting client.