JPH1051581A - Cooperative work aid system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simulate an actual conference with good operability by closely interlocking a common use white board equipment with a common use material display device. SOLUTION: The cooperative work aid system is composed of a plurality of terminal equipments, interconnected by a network 20 where each is composed of a commonly used white board equipment 31 provided with a means providing the same image among a plurality of terminal equipments and a commonly used material display device 32 provided with a means displaying an image of a paper material used in common among a plurality of the terminal equipments. In this case, image data exchange means 8, 9 are provided to the commonly used white board equipment 31, commonly used material display device 32 to exchange image data on the screen between the commonly used white board equipment 31 and the common use material display device 32 and image data used by the commonly used white board equipment 31 and image data used for the commonly used material display device 32 are not independently received, by exchanging directly the image data between the commonly used white board equipment 31 and the commonly used material display device 32.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a collaborative work support system for a plurality of people to perform a collaborative work using a plurality of computers connected to a network, and more particularly, to a cooperative work support system including a shared whiteboard device and a shared material display device. This is suitable for use in a desktop conference system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a cooperative work support system using a plurality of computers, various devices have been developed using an actual meeting as a metaphor. For example, a TV telephone device that simulates a meeting between participants in an actual conference, a shared whiteboard device that simulates a discussion on a whiteboard, and the like have been developed. Under such circumstances, the present applicant has already applied for a patent for a shared material display device for simulating the distribution and reference of meeting materials.

[0003]

Some whiteboards used in actual conferences, not TV conferences, can print out the contents on the board. The screen printed out becomes a material that can be freely referred to immediately by each person at hand. In some cases, you may want to present your notes on a whiteboard and discuss them at a meeting.

However, in order to simulate such a situation by the conventional technique, the image data used in the shared whiteboard device and the image data used in the shared material display device have to be fetched independently of each other. . For example, if you want to present your memo written on the display screen of the shared document display device to other conference participants later, you need to newly import such memo data into the shared whiteboard device. won. As described above, conventionally, poor operability when performing cooperative work such as a TV conference has been a problem.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cooperative work support system in which a shared whiteboard device and a shared material display device are closely linked to each other so that an actual meeting or the like can be simulated with good operability.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided a cooperative work support system comprising: a shared whiteboard device provided with a means for making the same screen image among a plurality of terminals; A collaborative work support system comprising: a shared document display device provided with a display unit; and a shared whiteboard device and a shared document provided in the plurality of terminals. Screen data exchange means for exchanging image data on the screen with the display device is provided.

Another feature of the present invention is that it has means for taking in a material shared by a plurality of terminals on a screen, means for drawing on the screen, and means for displaying images of the material and the drawing. A shared whiteboard device provided with means for making the screen image the same among the plurality of terminals, a means for managing a shared material consisting of a plurality of pages, a means for selecting a material for each page independently of other terminals, Means for displaying an image of the selected page, and a shared document display device having means for drawing on the displayed page, in a cooperative work support system provided for each of a plurality of terminals connected to a network. A screen data exchange unit for exchanging image data on a screen between the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device provided in the plurality of terminals, and It includes both the Itobodo device and the shared document display device.

Another feature of the present invention is that the screen data exchange means writes the image data into a buffer area on a memory that can be commonly accessed by the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device. Data writing means, and data reading means for reading image data from the buffer area on the memory, wherein the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device alternately write and read image data to and from the memory. It is characterized in that it is performed.

Another feature of the present invention is that the writing of image data to the buffer area on the memory and the reading of image data from the buffer area are
The communication is automatically performed by communication between the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device.

Another feature of the present invention is that the screen data exchange means includes means for transferring image data to a file, and the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device are capable of transferring image data to a file. And reading of image data from a file are performed alternately.

Another feature of the present invention is that writing of image data to the file and reading of image data from the file are performed by communication between the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device. The feature is that it is performed automatically.

Another feature of the present invention resides in that an image passed from the shared whiteboard device to the shared material display device by the screen data exchange means has a range designated on the screen of the shared whiteboard device. It is characterized by being determined by performing.

Another feature of the present invention is that the display means of the shared whiteboard device includes a material layer for displaying the material and a plurality of draw layers for displaying an image drawn by each terminal. An image passed from the shared whiteboard device to the shared document display device by the screen data exchanging device is provided by the selecting device, wherein the selecting device selects an arbitrary layer from the plurality of layers. It is characterized in that the image is a superimposed image of an arbitrary selected layer.

According to another feature of the present invention, the display means of the shared whiteboard device includes a material layer for displaying the material and a plurality of draw layers for displaying an image drawn by each terminal. The display means of the shared material display device comprises two layers, a material layer for displaying the shared material and a draw layer for displaying a drawn image, and an arbitrary layer among the plurality of layers. The image exchanged between the shared whiteboard device and the shared document display device by the screen data exchange device is a superimposed image of an arbitrary layer selected by the selection device. It is characterized by:

Since the present invention comprises the above technical means, according to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the shared whiteboard device and the shared document display device operating on a plurality of terminals connected to the network are provided. Thus, the image data on the screen can be exchanged with good operability, and the image data used in the shared whiteboard device and the image data used in the shared material display device do not need to be independently acquired.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, an image is fetched into the shared material display device in such a manner that an arbitrary portion on the screen of the shared whiteboard device is cut out, and the image is referred to as the shared material. Will be able to do it.

Further, according to the inventions of claims 8 and 9, only the image of the layer selected in advance is exchanged between the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device, so that the image is drawn on the captured image. This makes it easier to see which of the participants in the meeting drew the draw.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a desktop conference system which is an embodiment of the present invention and is a typical example of a cooperative work support system.
As shown in FIG. 1, the desktop conference system according to the present embodiment includes a shared whiteboard device 31 and a shared document display device 32.

The shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 always exist in the terminals constituting the desktop conference system one by one, and a plurality of the terminals exist on the network 20. Each of the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 performs data transmission / reception specific to each device via the network 20 between corresponding devices of each terminal. The shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 are configured as follows.

First, the shared whiteboard device 31 is provided with a material storage means 6 for storing conference materials in the form of image data.
Input means 1 for performing user input such as drawing for discussion between conference participants, draw control means 3 for displaying the drawing made using the input means 1 on the display means 2, display of meeting materials and drawing A display unit 2 for performing display, a display control unit 4 for controlling the display, a screen storage unit 7 for storing meeting materials and image data of drawings displayed on the display unit 2, and a network 20 Communication means 5 for transmitting and receiving image data to and from another shared whiteboard device (not shown), and screen data exchange for exchanging image data stored in the screen storage unit 7 with the shared material display device 32 It comprises means 8.

Here, the display control means 4 analyzes a command input from the input means 1 or a command received from another terminal via the communication means 5, and according to the analysis result, the internal whiteboard device 31 A predetermined control command is issued to each means. That is, the material storage means 6 is instructed to store the image data in the screen storage unit 7, and the drawing data sent from the draw control means 3 is passed to the screen storage unit 7 and stored, and at the same time, the display means 2 To display images.

Further, a cooperative operation is performed by transmitting a series of these actions as commands to another shared whiteboard device (not shown) via the communication means 5. In this case, the display means 2 has a plurality of hierarchies, and the drawing is written in a different hierarchy for each conference participant. The display control means 4 has a list of each conference participant and is associated with the plurality of layers.

Next, the shared material display device 32 includes a material storage means 10 for storing meeting materials in the form of image data, a material list displaying means 12 for displaying a plurality of meeting materials as icons on a screen, and a display of the icons. Material selecting means 13 for selecting an arbitrary one from among them, material displaying means 19 for displaying a meeting material corresponding to the selected icon on the screen, and a draw for displaying the drawing as a memo together with the material displaying means 19 Control means 16, input means 18 for performing user input such as drawing, a material storage unit 11 for storing the meeting material and image data of drawing, and control for displaying the meeting material and drawing on material display means 19 Control means 17 for performing image data communication means 15 for transmitting and receiving image data to and from another shared material display device (not shown) via the network 20; Screen data exchange means 9 for the stored image data mutually exchanged and shared whiteboard apparatus 31 to 11, and an information management control unit 14 for controlling the entire apparatus.

The information management control means 14 includes the input means 1
In accordance with a user input using, the image data of the meeting material is read from the material storage means and stored in the material storage unit, and the drawing input by the input means is stored in the material storage unit. At the same time, the image data of a plurality of meeting materials (for example, managed for each page) stored in the material storage means 10 is displayed on the material list display means 12 in the form of icons.

Thereafter, upon receiving an input to an arbitrary icon by the material selection means 13, the image data of the conference material selected by the input is transferred to the display control means 17, and a display instruction to the material display means 19 is issued. . Then, the change of the internal state of the shared material display device 32 is transmitted to another shared material display device (not shown) via the network 20.

In this embodiment, the format of the image data and the network protocol are not limited at all, and a known drawing method may be used. Also, a protocol of communication data for cooperative operation in the shared whiteboard device and a protocol of data to be communicated between the shared material display devices are well-known, and thus description thereof is omitted here.

FIGS. 2 to 6 show examples of realizing the cooperative work support system having the functional configuration shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, each device of the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 is realized as a process operated by a program input to a computer such as a computer.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of a workstation used in the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, 22 is a RAM, 23 is an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard, 24 is a network I / F, 25 is a disk device, and 26 is a display device for outputting a screen, and these are connected by an internal bus 28. , CPU 21.

Here, the data storage means 6 and 10 in FIG. The input units 1 and 18 and the material selection unit 13 are realized by the input device 23. The screen storage unit 7 and the material storage unit 11 are realized by the RAM 22. The communication means 5 and 15 are realized by the network I / F 24. The other components in FIG.
This is realized by a program stored above and controlled by the CPU 21. In particular, display means 2, material display means 19,
The material list display means 12 is realized by a GUI displayed on the display device 26 by the above-described program.

FIG. 3 is a process configuration diagram in the present embodiment. The shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 operate on one workstation 33 as separate processes. By connecting a plurality of workstations having the same process configuration on the network 20, a cooperative work support system is configured.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the present embodiment. 4A, the shared whiteboard screen 41 includes a draw control panel 42, a whiteboard area 43, and a material exchange control panel 49.

The whiteboard area 43 realizes the display means 2 shown in FIG. The whiteboard area 43 is composed of many layers as shown in FIG. 5, and a material image read from the material storage means 6 is displayed on the lowermost material layer 56. Draw images drawn by the respective meeting participants are displayed on the draw layers 53, 54, 55,...

In the example of FIG. 5, there are three conference participants, the first draw layer 53 has a first conference participant, the second layer 54 has a second conference participant, Each conference participant draws on a separate layer, such as a third conference participant on the third draw layer 55. At this time, drawing is performed by switching the mode by the draw control panel 42 and using the input unit 1 such as a mouse or a keyboard. The contents of the plurality of layers 53 to 56 are displayed in a superimposed manner.

The copy of the material exchange control panel 49
When the button is clicked, the shared whiteboard device 31
Writes an image displayed in the whiteboard area 43 (an image stored in the screen storage unit 7) in a buffer area described later in a predetermined format. In this buffer area, both the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 can perform writing / reading. In addition, past of the material exchange control panel 49
When the e button is clicked, the image data in the buffer area is read and displayed in the whiteboard area 43.

On the other hand, in FIG. 4B, the shared material display screen 44 includes a draw control panel 45, a material display area 46, a material exchange control panel 47, and a material list display area 48.

The material display area 46 implements the material display means 19 shown in FIG. This material display area 46
Consists of two layers as shown in FIG.
The material image read from the material storage means 10 is displayed on the lower material layer 52, and the upper draw layer 5 is displayed on the lower material layer 52.
1 displays a draw image drawn by a conference participant. At this time, the drawing of the draw is performed on the draw control panel 45.
The mode is switched by using the input means 18 such as a mouse or a keyboard. As in the whiteboard area 43 described above, the contents of these two layers 51 and 52 are displayed in a superimposed manner.

In the material list display area 48, a plurality of image data read from the material storage means 10 are displayed as material list icons, and the selection of the icon by the input means 18 such as a mouse or a keyboard is accepted. The image of the selected icon is enlarged and displayed in the material display area 46.

The material exchange control panel 47, like the material exchange control panel 49 on the shared whiteboard screen 41,
When the copy button is clicked, the image displayed in the material display area 46 (the image stored in the material storage unit 11) is written into a buffer area described later, and when the take button is clicked, image data is read from the buffer area. Do. The image read by clicking the take button is displayed as a material icon in the material list display area 48.

Hereinafter, the method of image exchange will be described in detail. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an implementation example for performing image exchange, that is, an implementation form of the screen data exchange means 8 and 9 in the present embodiment. 6, the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared document display device 32 have a copy buffer 61 on the RAM 22 that can be accessed in common.

In the present embodiment, the start address of the copy buffer 61 is determined in advance, and it is assumed that both the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 know the address. And
Image data is exchanged by alternately writing / reading image data to / from the copy buffer 61 between the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32.

FIG. 7 is an example of a flowchart in which only the operations related to the image data exchange between the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 in the present embodiment are extracted and represented.

First, the operation of the shared whiteboard device 31 will be described. In the event loop S701 of FIG. 7A, the shared whiteboard device 31 waits for a user input by the input unit 1 or a command input from another shared whiteboard device (not shown).

When the process of the event loop S701 is exited by pressing the copy button by the input means 1 such as a mouse (S702), the image data displayed in the whiteboard area 43 is superimposed on each of the layers 53 to 56. A copy buffer 61 indicated by a predetermined start address in a predetermined format to be an image.
(S703), and returns to the event loop S701.

On the other hand, in the event loop S701,
If the paste button is pressed by the input unit 1 such as a mouse (S704), the copy buffer 61
, Image data is read out in a predetermined format and stored in the screen storage unit 7, and an image frame 82 is displayed on the whiteboard area 43 as shown in FIG. 8 (S70).
5). At this point, the read image has not been pasted into the whiteboard area 43 yet, and the apparatus enters a mouse input wait state for determining the reference point 81 (S706).

The position of the reference point 81 can be set at an arbitrary position in the whiteboard area 43 by moving the mouse. When the mouse button is clicked in the loop waiting for mouse input (S707), the position of the reference point 81 is determined (S708). Then, the copy buffer 6
1 is displayed in the image frame 82 on the whiteboard area 43 (S709), and the event loop S
Return to 701.

Next, the operation of the shared material display device 32 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7B, the shared document display device 32
However, in the event loop S711, the input unit 18
, And status information transmitted from another shared material display device (not shown).

When the process of the event loop S711 is exited by pressing the copy button by the input means 18 such as a mouse (S712), the image data displayed in the material display area 46 at that time is deleted from the layers 51 and 52. The image is copied to the copy buffer 61 indicated by a predetermined start address in a predetermined format to be a superimposed image (S713), and the event loop S7
Return to 11.

On the other hand, in the event loop S711,
When the take button is pressed by the input means 18 such as a mouse (S714), the copy buffer 61
Is read in a predetermined format from
15) Then, it is stored in the material storage unit 11, and the read image data is displayed as an icon in the material list display area 48 (S716). Thereafter, the process returns to the event loop S711.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, for example, the copy is performed on the shared whiteboard screen 41.
By clicking the button and then clicking the take button on the shared document display screen 44,
The result of the discussion by the meeting participants on the whiteboard area 43 can be easily taken in as the material of the shared material display device 32.

Further, a copy button is clicked on the shared material display screen 44, and thereafter, the shared whiteboard screen 4 is clicked.
By performing the operation of clicking the paste button in 1, it is possible to easily present, to the shared whiteboard device 31, the material that has been written down on the shared material display device 32 in advance.

[Second Embodiment] In the second embodiment, the image data is taken in from the shared whiteboard device 31 to the shared material display device 32 in the first embodiment described above, and This is an example in which the presentation of image data to the shared whiteboard device 31 is performed only by operating the shared material display device 32.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of each process in this embodiment. In FIG. 9, the shared whiteboard device 31, the shared material display device 32, and the copy buffer 91
6 is the same as the configuration of FIG. 6 in the first embodiment, except that inter-process communication is performed between the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32.

In this case, the information management control means 14 in the shared material display device 32 transfers the control to the screen data exchange means 9 in response to a user input from the input means 18. The screen data exchange means 9 having received the control command sends a message to the effect that the screen data is exchanged with the shared whiteboard device 31 to the screen data exchange means 8 in the shared whiteboard device 31.
And performs control for exchanging screen data with the shared whiteboard device 31.

The display control means 4 in the shared whiteboard device 31 transfers control to the screen data exchange means 8 according to the command received from the shared material display device 32 by the screen data exchange means 8. The screen data exchange means 8 having received the instruction performs control for transferring screen data to and from the screen data exchange means 9 in the shared material display device 32.

The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment except for a part of the display screen. An example of this display screen will be described later.

FIG. 10 shows that the shared document display device 32 switches the shared whiteboard device 31 to perform the inter-process communication.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a format of a message transmitted to the server. 10A, a command 101 is a command for instructing the shared whiteboard device 31 to write image data to the copy buffer 61 and read image data from the copy buffer 61. Also,
The buffer address 102 is a field for storing the start address of the copy buffer 61.

There are several methods for realizing inter-process communication. For example, UDP (User Da
There is a method of communicating using a socket as an information medium and a method of communicating using a file as an information medium using a (tagram Protocol) protocol. Here, as long as information as shown in FIG. .

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen in the present embodiment. In FIG. 11, the difference from the screen example in the first embodiment shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, the material exchange control panel 49 is eliminated on the shared whiteboard screen 41, and the material exchange control panel 111 on the shared material display screen 44 is replaced with the copy button of FIG. 4 as shown in FIG. Is provided with a give button.

That is, in this embodiment, gi of the material exchange control panel 111 on the shared material display screen 44 is used.
Image data is exchanged between the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared document display device 32 only by clicking the "ve" button and the "take" button.

Using the input means 18 such as a mouse,
When the e button is clicked, the image data displayed in the material display area 46 is stored in the screen storage unit 7 and simultaneously displayed in the whiteboard area 43. When the take button is clicked, the image data in the whiteboard area 43 is displayed. Is newly stored in the material storage unit 11 and is displayed as an icon in the material list display area 48 at the same time, so that the icon can be selected.

Hereinafter, an image exchange method according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flowchart of the shared document display device 32 and the shared whiteboard device 31 when the screen data of the shared document display device 32 is taken into the whiteboard area 43 of the shared whiteboard device 31.

In FIG. 12, on the shared material display device 32 side, when the “give” button on the material exchange control panel 111 is clicked with the mouse during the processing of the event loop S1201, the event loop S120 is performed.
1, the area of the copy buffer 61 is changed to the RAM 22
(S1203).

Next, the material image currently being displayed in the material display area 46 and the draw image are superimposed and stored in a predetermined format in the secured buffer area (S).
1204). Thereafter, a message as shown in FIG. 10B is transmitted to the shared whiteboard device 31, and a request is made to the shared whiteboard device 31 to read image data from the copy buffer 61 (S1205). After that, the process returns to the event loop S1201. Note that FIG.
The address value of Oxeffedb8 shown in (b) is
This is just a numerical example.

On the other hand, when the shared whiteboard apparatus 31 receives a message as shown in FIG. 10B during the processing of the event loop 1211 (S1212), the shared whiteboard apparatus 31 exits the event loop S1211. Then, after analyzing the received message, the head address is changed to “Oxeffff”.
From the buffer area indicated by edb8 ", image data is read in a predetermined image format and stored in the screen storage unit 7 (S1213), and the read image is displayed on the whiteboard area 43 (S1214). After the area is released (S1215), the process returns to the event loop S1211.

FIG. 13 shows the shared document display device 32 and the shared whiteboard device 3 when image data is taken in from the shared whiteboard device 31 to the shared document display device 32.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flowchart of FIG.

In FIG. 13, when the take button is clicked during the processing of the event loop S1301 (S1302), the shared whiteboard device 31 writes image data through the event loop S1301. (S1303). Here, the shared whiteboard device 3
It is assumed that the size of one whiteboard area 43 is known.

After securing the buffer area in this way, a message as shown in FIG. 10C is transmitted to the shared whiteboard
Is requested to write image data to the copy buffer 61 (S1304). Then, the process enters a message waiting loop until the shared whiteboard device 31 transmits a message indicating that the writing of the image data has been completed (S1305).

On the shared whiteboard device 31 side,
When the shared material display device 32 receives the message shown in FIG. 10C transmitted in step S1304 (S13).
12), exit the event loop S1311. And
The images displayed on the material layer 56 and the draw layers 53 to 55 are superimposed on the whiteboard area 43, and written in a copy buffer area having a start address indicated by "Oxeffedb8" in a predetermined image format (S1313).

When the writing of the image data to the copy buffer 61 is completed, a message indicating the completion of the writing is transmitted to the shared material display device 32 (S1314). In this case, the format of the message is as shown in FIG. 10D, and for example, integer value data indicating the end may be transmitted. After transmitting the write end message, the process returns to the event loop S1311.

The shared material display device 32 is provided in FIG.
When a write end message as shown in (d) is received (S1306), the process exits the message waiting loop S1305 and proceeds to the next process. That is, image data is read out from the secured copy buffer 61 in a predetermined format (S1307), stored in the material storage unit 11, and displayed as an icon in the material list display area 48 (S1308). Thereafter, the buffer area is released (S1309), and the process returns to the event loop S1301.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 3 are operated only by the operation on the shared material display device 32.
2 can automatically exchange image data through the copy buffer 61. In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to add a process of specifying a position when pasting an image to the shared whiteboard device 31.

[Third Embodiment] In the third embodiment, the copy buffer 61 of the second embodiment is
This is an example in which it is secured not on the above but on the disk device 25.

FIG. 14 shows a process configuration diagram in this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 14, a file 141 is secured on the disk device 25 and is used as a buffer when exchanging image data. In this case, the format of the message transmitted from the shared document display device 32 to the shared whiteboard device 31 is as shown in FIG. The command 151 in FIG. 15 is the same as the command 101 in FIG. 10A, but the file name 152 in FIG. 15 is replaced with the buffer address 102 in FIG.

The other configuration may be the same as that of the second embodiment. In the operation flowcharts shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the process of securing the buffer area by the shared document display device 32 may be replaced with the process of dropping image data into a file 141 with a predetermined file name.

In the above embodiment, the case where image data is exchanged between the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 operating in the same terminal has been described. By using the file 141 as a copy buffer as described above, the image data is exchanged with the shared whiteboard device 31 and the shared material display device 32 operating on another terminal on the network 20. You can also.

FIGS. 20 and 21 show an example of an operation flowchart when the image data is exchanged between different terminals. Here, the shared material display device 3 is connected between the shared material display device 32 operating on the first terminal and the shared whiteboard device 31 operating on the second terminal.
It is assumed that the image data is exchanged by the user input in Step 2.

First, in FIG. 20, when the give button is pressed on the shared material display device 32 side of the first terminal (S2102), the process exits the event loop S2101 and the image data displayed in the material display area 46 is saved in the file 141. (S2103). After that, the file is transferred to the second terminal (S2104). Here, the ftp command in the UNIX system is used, but another file transfer method may be used.

Finally, the message having the format shown in FIG. 15 is transmitted to the shared whiteboard device 31 in the second terminal.
To send an instruction to read image data (S21).
05). Here, the file name field 152 in FIG.
Stores the file name used at the time of transmitting the ftp command, and the message communication uses TCP / IP (Trans
This is performed using a protocol that can specify the address and process of the communication partner, such as mission control protocol / Internet Protocol).

The shared whiteboard device side 31 in the second terminal receives the message transmitted in step S2105 (S2112) and sets an event loop S2111.
At the same time as reading out the corresponding image data from the file 141 according to the file name stored in the message and storing it in the screen storage 7 (S211).
3) The image is drawn in the whiteboard area 43 (S2114). Thereafter, the process returns to the event loop S2111.

In FIG. 21, when the take button is pressed on the shared material display device 32 side of the first terminal (S2202), the process exits the event loop S2201 and a message requesting writing of image data is sent to the second terminal. This is sent to the shared whiteboard device 31 (S2203).
At this time, the file name of the first terminal is stored in the message, and then the second terminal performs file transfer with this file name. Then, the process waits for a message (S2204).

The shared whiteboard device 31 of the second terminal
Upon receiving the message transmitted in step S2203 (S2212), the event loop S22
Exit 11 Then, the image data is temporarily stored in the file 14.
1 (S2213), and transfers the image data to the first terminal with the designated file name (S221).
4), transmitting an end message to the first terminal (S22)
15) Return to event loop S2211.

In the shared material display device 32 of the first terminal,
Upon receiving the end message (S2205), image data is read from the file 141 (S2206).
This is stored in the material storage unit 11 and displayed as an icon in the material list display area 48 (S2207).
The process returns to the event loop S2201.

In the third embodiment described above, the RAM 2
2 is effective when the memory is insufficient and the copy buffer 61 cannot be newly secured on the memory. In addition, since image data can be exchanged with another terminal, when two systems of desktop conferences are held and the terminal itself participates in the two systems, data is exchanged between the two conferences. Can be a window for you.

[Fourth Embodiment] In the fourth embodiment, in addition to the above-described second or third embodiment,
From the shared whiteboard device 31 to the shared document display device 32
This is an example in which a range is specified on the shared whiteboard device 31 when image data is taken into the device.

The difference between the fourth embodiment and the second embodiment or the third embodiment is that the shared whiteboard device 31
The two points are that a process of designating a range is added to the operation flow of FIG. 2 and a process of cutting out an image from the image currently displayed in the whiteboard area 43 according to a designated range is added.

FIG. 17 shows an example of an operation flowchart in this embodiment. First, in FIG.
In the shared document display device 32, the event loop S1801
When the "take" button on the material exchange control panel 111 is clicked on with the mouse during the processing (S1802), the process exits from the event loop S1801 and causes the shared whiteboard device 31 to copy image data in the designated range. A buffer area is secured (S1804).
Regarding the size of the area to be secured, if the size of the whiteboard area 43 is large, image data can be stored no matter what size range is specified by the shared whiteboard apparatus 31.

After securing the buffer area in this way, the shared whiteboard device 31
A message as shown in (c) is transmitted to request writing of image data to the copy buffer 61 (S180).
5). Then, the process enters a message waiting loop until the shared whiteboard device 31 transmits a message indicating that the writing of the image data has been completed (S1806).

In the shared whiteboard device 31, when the shared document display device 32 receives the message transmitted in step S1805 (S1812), the event loop S1 is executed.
Then, the process goes through the step 811 to specify a range on the whiteboard area 43 (S1803).

The designated range 16 specified in the range designation process
3 is the first coordinate information (x1, x2) 161 shown in FIG.
And the second coordinate information (x2, y2) 162 as a diagonal point. There are other ways to specify the range, but if you can specify which range to cut,
The method does not matter.

In the process of specifying the range, first, FIG.
In step S1816, the process enters a loop waiting for a click of a mouse button. When this loop is exited by pressing the mouse button (S1817), the first coordinate value is determined (S1818), and a loop for waiting for button release is entered (S1819). Then, the designated range is expanded by a drag operation, and then the mouse button is released (S18).
20), get out of the loop waiting for button release, and
Are determined (S1821), and the process returns to the step S1813 in FIG.

In step S1813, the image in the range specified in the process of FIG.
Perform the process of cutting from above. After that, the images displayed on the material layer 56 and the draw layers 53 to 55 are overlapped in the range cut out from the whiteboard area 43, and the start address is set to “Oxeffedb”.
The data is written in the copy buffer area indicated by 8 "in a predetermined image format (S1814). Copy buffer 61
When the writing of image data to the
By transmitting a write end message as shown in (d) (S
1815), returning to the event loop S1811.

Upon receiving the write end message (S1807), the shared material display device 32 exits the message waiting loop S1806, reads out image data from the secured copy buffer 61 in a predetermined format (S1808), and sends it to the material. At the same time as being stored in the storage unit 11, it is displayed as an icon in the material list display area 48 (S1809). Thereafter, the buffer area is released (S1).
810), returning to the event loop S1801.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, by specifying only a specific range on the whiteboard area 43 of the shared whiteboard device 31, only the target information is displayed on the shared document. It can be taken into the device 32.

[Fifth Embodiment] In the fifth embodiment, in addition to the above-described second embodiment, when image data is taken in from the shared whiteboard device 31 to the shared document display device 32, a whiteboard area is used. This is an example of implementing a method of selecting some of a plurality of draw layers constituting the 43 and passing only the image of the selected draw layer to the shared material display device 32.

The difference between the fifth embodiment and the second embodiment is that, in the fifth embodiment, a GUI display process for selecting a conference participant as shown in FIG. Is added.

The shared whiteboard GUI shown in FIG.
Are pop-up displayed on the shared whiteboard screen 41, and 191 is a conference participant list. On the conference participant list 191, the names of the terminals on which the shared whiteboard device 31 is operating are displayed as a list, and an arbitrary terminal name can be selected from the list by user input using the input device 23 such as a mouse. When selected, the selected terminal name is selected (inverted display state) 192.
Becomes Note that the number of selected terminals may be one or more.

When the selection execution button 193 is pressed in a state where an arbitrary terminal is selected in this way, the image of the draw layer corresponding to the selected terminal is superimposed and taken into the shared material display device 32 as image data. It is.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flowchart of each process in this embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an operation flow in the second embodiment.
Only the operation different from the case 3 will be described.

In FIG. 19A, the shared document display device 32 transmits a message for capturing image data to the shared whiteboard device 31 in step S2004. When the shared whiteboard device 31 receives the message (S2012), the event loop S2011
And enters the layer selection process (S2013).

Upon entering the layer selection processing, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 18, the shared whiteboard device 31 first displays the conference participant list 191 shown in FIG. 18 as a pop-up (S2020) and waits for mouse input (S202).
1). Although the input means 1 is a mouse here, other means such as a keyboard may be used. The input waiting loop is exited by pressing the terminal name area in FIG. 18 in step S2022 or pressing the selection execution button 193 in step S2026.

Here, when the terminal name is pressed (S2
022) Then, it is checked whether or not the pressed terminal name is already selected (S2023). If it is not in the selected state, it is set to the selected state (S2024). If it is already in the selected state, it returns to the non-selected state (S2025), and returns to the loop S2021 waiting for mouse input.

On the other hand, when the selection execution button 193 is pressed in the state of the mouse input waiting loop S2021, (S
2026), the terminal names selected in the processing of steps S2022 to S2025 are stored, and the conference participant list 191 is stored.
Pop down to complete the layer selection process.

After the above-described layer selection processing is performed, the image on the whiteboard area 43 is replaced with an overlay image of a draw layer selected from a plurality of draw layers and a material layer as described above. Is written in the copy buffer 61 in a predetermined format (S
2014), a write end message is transmitted to the shared document display device 32 (S2015), and an event loop S20
Return to 11.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment,
By selecting an arbitrary draw layer, it becomes possible to know who the draw written on the whiteboard area 43 belongs to, so that it is possible to easily know a difference in opinion of each conference participant. . In the present embodiment,
It is also possible to add the example of the image capture range specification described in the fourth embodiment.

[0105]

As described above, according to the present invention, a screen data exchange means for exchanging image data on a screen between a shared whiteboard device and a shared material display device provided in a plurality of terminals is provided. Since it is provided, the image data on the screen can be exchanged with good operability between the shared whiteboard device and the shared document display device, and a whiteboard that is normally performed in a desktop conference using a computer such as a computer. Can easily be referred to as minutes or meeting materials.
In addition, it becomes easy to paste conference materials with personal notes into a whiteboard, and to conduct collaborative discussions among conference participants based on the paste.

According to another feature of the present invention, an image determined by specifying a range on the screen of the shared whiteboard device is transferred from the shared whiteboard device to the shared document display device. Images can be imported to the shared document display device in such a way that any part of the screen of the shared whiteboard device is cut out, and can be referenced as shared material, allowing only the desired information to be shared It will be able to be imported as data.

Further, according to another feature of the present invention,
The shared whiteboard device further comprises a selection unit for selecting an arbitrary layer from among a plurality of layers constituting the display unit, and displays an image of an overlay of any layer selected by the selection unit on the shared whiteboard device from the shared whiteboard device. Since it is transferred to the display device, only the image of the layer selected in advance can be imported from the shared whiteboard device to the shared document display device, and the draw drawn in the imported image participates in multiple conferences It is possible to make it easy to see who among the people has drawn.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing elemental features of a cooperative work support system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an implementation example of the cooperative work support system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state where a plurality of cooperative work support systems of the present invention are connected on a network.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen according to the first embodiment.

5 is a diagram showing the structure of the display means and the material display means shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a process configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a manner in which an image position is specified on a whiteboard area.

FIG. 9 is a process configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a format and a specific example of a communication message used in the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen according to the second to fifth embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device when an image is pasted from the shared material display device to the shared whiteboard device in the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device when capturing an image from the shared whiteboard device to the shared material display device in the second embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a process configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a format of a communication message used in the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an image capture range is specified on a shared whiteboard.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of a system according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a conference participant list used in the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example of a system according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example when exchanging image data between different terminals.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an operation example when exchanging image data between different terminals.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 18 input means 2 display means 3, 16 draw control means 4, 17 display control means 5, 15 communication means 6, 10 data storage means 7 screen storage unit 8, 9 screen data exchange means 11 data storage unit 12 data list display Means 13 Material selection means 14 Information management control means 19 Material display means 20 Network 21 CPU 22 RAM 23 Input device 24 Network I / F 25 Disk device 26 Display device 31 Shared whiteboard device 32 Shared material display device 33 Workstation 41 Shared white Board screen 42, 45 Draw control panel 43 Whiteboard screen 44 Shared document display screen 46 Document display area 47, 49 Document exchange control panel 48 Document list display area 61, 91 Copy buffer 141 File 191 Conference participants Door

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A shared whiteboard device having means for making a screen image the same among a plurality of terminals, and a shared material display device having means for displaying an image of a material shared among a plurality of terminals, A collaborative work support system provided for each of a plurality of terminals connected to a network, wherein exchange of image data on a screen is performed between a shared whiteboard device and a shared document display device provided for the plurality of terminals. A collaborative work support system comprising a screen data exchange means for performing And means for capturing a material shared by a plurality of terminals on a screen, means for drawing on the screen, and means for displaying an image of the material and the drawing, wherein a screen image is displayed between the plurality of terminals. A shared whiteboard device provided with a means for making the same, a means for managing a shared material comprising a plurality of pages, a means for selecting a material for each page independently of other terminals, and a means for displaying an image of the selected page And a shared document display device having means for drawing on a displayed page, and a collaborative work support system provided for each of a plurality of terminals connected to a network, Screen data exchange means for exchanging image data on the screen between the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device provided by the shared whiteboard device and the shared material. Collaboration support system characterized by comprising in both the shown device. 3. The screen data exchange unit includes: a data writing unit that writes image data into a buffer area on a memory that can be commonly accessed by the shared whiteboard device and the shared document display device; Data reading means for reading image data from the buffer area, wherein the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device alternately write and read image data to and from the memory. Claim 1
Or the cooperative work support system according to 2. 4. The writing of image data to the buffer area on the memory and the reading of image data from the buffer area are automatically performed by communication between the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device. The cooperative work support system according to claim 3, wherein: 5. The screen data exchange means includes means for transferring image data to a file, wherein the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device write image data to a file and transfer image data from the file. 3. The cooperative work support system according to claim 1, wherein reading is performed alternately. 6. The method according to claim 6, wherein the writing of the image data to the file and the reading of the image data from the file are automatically performed by communication between the shared whiteboard device and the shared material display device. The cooperative work support system according to claim 5, characterized in that: 7. An image transferred from the shared whiteboard device to the shared document display device by the screen data exchange means is determined by specifying a range on a screen of the shared whiteboard device. The cooperative work support system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. 8. The display means of the shared whiteboard device comprises: a material layer for displaying the material; and a plurality of draw layers for displaying an image drawn by each terminal. An image that is provided from the shared whiteboard device to the shared document display device by the screen data exchange device is provided with a selection unit that selects an arbitrary layer from among the images,
The cooperative work support system according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the image is a superimposed image of an arbitrary layer selected by the selection unit. 9. The display device of the shared whiteboard device comprises: a material layer for displaying the material; and a plurality of draw layers for displaying an image drawn by each terminal. The display means comprises two layers, a material layer for displaying the shared material and a draw layer for displaying a drawn image, and comprises a selection means for selecting an arbitrary layer from the plurality of layers, The image exchanged between the shared whiteboard device and the shared document display device by screen data exchange means is an image of a superposition of an arbitrary layer selected by the selection means. The cooperative work support system according to any one of claims 7 to 13.