NZ612651B2 - Transmission management apparatus, program, transmission management system, and transmission management method - Google Patents
Transmission management apparatus, program, transmission management system, and transmission management method Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- NZ612651B2 NZ612651B2 NZ612651A NZ61265112A NZ612651B2 NZ 612651 B2 NZ612651 B2 NZ 612651B2 NZ 612651 A NZ612651 A NZ 612651A NZ 61265112 A NZ61265112 A NZ 61265112A NZ 612651 B2 NZ612651 B2 NZ 612651B2
- Authority
- NZ
- New Zealand
- Prior art keywords
- relay device
- transmission
- terminal
- identification information
- data
- Prior art date
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F21/00—Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
- G06F21/60—Protecting data
- G06F21/62—Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
-
- H04L29/06421—
-
- H04L29/06517—
-
- H04L29/06523—
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L63/00—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security
- H04L63/04—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
- H04L63/0428—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L63/00—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security
- H04L63/08—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for authentication of entities
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L63/00—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security
- H04L63/20—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for managing network security; network security policies in general
- H04L63/205—Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for managing network security; network security policies in general involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved
-
- H04L67/28—
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N7/00—Television systems
- H04N7/14—Systems for two-way working
- H04N7/15—Conference systems
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N7/00—Television systems
- H04N7/14—Systems for two-way working
- H04N7/15—Conference systems
- H04N7/152—Multipoint control units therefor
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N7/00—Television systems
- H04N7/14—Systems for two-way working
- H04N7/15—Conference systems
- H04N7/155—Conference systems involving storage of or access to video conference sessions
Abstract
Disclosed is a transmission management apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives a communication request for a communication with a second transmission terminal (10) from a first transmission terminal (10). The apparatus includes a fists storage unit stores therein terminal identification information for identifying the transmission terminals (10) and relay device identification information for identifying a relay device (30) that relays data to be transmitted and received by the first transmission terminal (10). The apparatus has a relay device selecting unit selects the relay device (30) associated with the terminal identification information of the first transmission terminal (10) in the first storage unit. The apparatus also includes a second storage unit stores therein the relay device identification information and encryption necessity information in an associated manner. An encryption necessity determining unit is included to determine whether encryption is needed based on the encryption necessity information associated with the relay device (30) selected by the relay device selecting unit in the second storage unit. formation for identifying the transmission terminals (10) and relay device identification information for identifying a relay device (30) that relays data to be transmitted and received by the first transmission terminal (10). The apparatus has a relay device selecting unit selects the relay device (30) associated with the terminal identification information of the first transmission terminal (10) in the first storage unit. The apparatus also includes a second storage unit stores therein the relay device identification information and encryption necessity information in an associated manner. An encryption necessity determining unit is included to determine whether encryption is needed based on the encryption necessity information associated with the relay device (30) selected by the relay device selecting unit in the second storage unit.
Description
DESCRIPTION
TRANSMISSION MENT APPARATUS, PROGRAM, TRANSMISSION
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, AND TRANSMISSION MANAGEMENT METHOD
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present ion relates to a transmission
management apparatus, a program, a transmission management
system, and a transmission management method.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, as an example of a transmission system
that enables transmission and reception of contents data
between a plurality of transmission terminals via a relay
device, there is a known teleconference system for
conducting a teleconferenCe via a communication network,
such as the Internet.
In the teleconference system, when the contents data,
such as video or audio, is transmitted and received, the
contents data is encrypted to ensure the security of the
contents data. As a method for ting the contents
data, for example, secure real—time transport protocol
(SRTP) (RFC 3711) or the like is known.
As the method for encrypting the contents data, for
example, Japanese Translation of PCT ational
application ation No. 2010—531562 ses a
technology, in which a packet to be encrypted is selected
from a plurality of packets of digital video contents
according to a selection criterion and the ed packet'
is encrypted in Order to form selectively—encrypted l
video contents.
However, encryption and decryption processes in the
ission system greatly consume hardware resources of
the transmission system. This reduces the real time
performance in a communication of the contents data and
causes video loss or audio jumping.
The present invention has been made in view of the
above, and an object thereof is to provide a ission
management apparatus, a program, a transmission management
system, and a transmission management method capable of
realizing high-quality data transmission while ensuring the
ty of data transmitted and received by a transmission
It is also an object of the invention to at least
provide the public with a useful choice.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
ing to an aspect of the invention, there is
provided a ission ment apparatus including: a
receiving unit that receives, from a first transmission
terminal being one of transmission terminals connected to a
k, a communication t for a communication with a
second transmission terminal among the transmission
terminals, terminal identification information for
identifying the first transmission terminal, and terminal
identification for identifying the second transmission
terminal; a first e unit that stores therein terminal
identification information for identifying the transmission
terminals and relay device identification information for
identifying a relay device in an associated manner, the
relay device being connected to the network and configured
to relay data transmitted and received by the first
transmission terminal; a relay device selecting unit that
selects a relay device associated with the terminal
identification information of the first transmission
terminal in the first storage unit; a second storage unit
that stores therein the relay device identification
information in association with encryption necessity
information indicating whether it is necessary to encrypt
data to be transmitted and received by the relay device
identified by the relay device identification information;
an encryption ity determining unit that determines
r encryption is needed based on the encryption
necessity information, which is obtained based on the relay
device identification information of the relay device
selected by the relay device ing unit; and a
transmitting unit that transmits a determination result
obtained by the encryption necessity determining unit to
the first transmission terminal and the second transmission
terminal.
ing to another aspect of the invention, there is
provided a computer m product sing a nontransitory
computer-readable medium containing a computer
program executed on a computer connected to a first
transmission terminal and a second ission terminal
via a network among a plurality of transmission terminals
connected to the network, the computer including; a first
storage unit that stores therein al fication
information for identifying the transmission terminals and
relay device identification information for identifying a
relay device, the relay device being connected to the
network and configured to relay data transmitted and
ed by the first transmission terminal, in an
associated manner, and a second e unit that stores
therein the relay device identification information in
association with encryption necessity information
indicating whether it is necessary to encrypt data to be
transmitted and received by the relay device identified by
the relay device identification information, the program
causing the computer to execute the steps of: receiving,
from the first transmission terminal, a communication
request for a ication with the second transmission
terminal, terminal identification information for
identifying the first ission terminal, and terminal
identification information for identifying the second
transmission terminal; ing a relay device associated
with the terminal identification information of the first
transmission terminal in the first e unit;
determining whether encryption is needed based on the
encryption necessity information, which is obtained based
on the relay device identification information of the relay
device selected at the selecting step; and transmitting a
ination result obtained at the determining step to
the first transmission terminal and the second transmission
terminal.
According to still another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a transmission system
including: a ity of transmission terminals that
transmit data via a network; and a transmission management
apparatus that is connected to the transmission terminals
via the network and that manages data transmission between
the transmission terminals, wherein the transmission
terminals include a transmitting unit that transmits a
communication request for a communication with other
transmission terminals connected to the network, the
transmission management apparatus includes; a receiving
unit that receives, from a first ission terminal
among the transmission als, a communication request
for a communication with a second transmission terminal
among the transmission terminals, terminal identification
information for fying the first ission terminal,
and terminal identification information for identifying the
second transmission terminal; a first storage unit that
stores therein terminal identification information for
identifying the transmission terminals and relay device
identification information for identifying a relay device
in an associated manner, the relay device being connected
to the network and configured to relay data to be
transmitted and received by the first transmission
terminal; a relay device selecting unit that selects relay
device identification information ated with the
al fication information of the first
transmission terminal in the first storage unit; a second
storage unit that stores therein the relay device
identification information in association with encryption
ity information indicating whether it is necessary to
encrypt data to be transmitted and received by the relay
device identified by the relay device identification
information; an encryption necessity determining unit that
determines whether encryption is needed based on the
encryption necessity information, which is obtained based
on the relay device fication information of the relay
device identification information selected by the relay
device ing unit; and a transmitting unit that
transmits a determination result obtained by the encryption
necessity determining unit and the relay device
identification information selected by the relay device
ing unit to the first transmission terminal and the
second transmission terminal, and the transmission
terminals further include: a receiving unit that receives
the ination result and the relay device
identification information from the transmission management
apparatus; and a cryptography processing unit that encrypts
data when the ination result obtained by the
receiving unit of the transmission terminal indicates that
encryption is , wherein the transmitting unit of the
transmission terminal transmits encrypted data to the relay
device identified by the relay device identification
information received by the receiving unit.
According to still another aspect of the present
invention, there is provided a data transmission method
implemented by a transmission system, the transmission
system including a plurality of transmission terminals that
transmits data via a network; and a transmission ment
apparatus that is connected to the network and that manages
data transmission between the transmission terminals,
wherein the transmission management apparatus includes: a
first storage unit that stores therein terminal
identification information for identifying the transmission
terminals and relay device identification information for
identifying a relay device in an associated manner, the
relay device being connected to the network and configured
to relay data transmitted and ed by the first
transmission terminal; and a second storage unit that
stores therein the relay device identification ation
and encryption necessity information indicating whether it
is necessary to encrypt data to be transmitted and received
by the relay device fied by the relay device
identification information, the data transmission method
including: a first transmitting step of itting, by
the transmission terminal, a communication t for a
ication with the other transmission terminals
connected to the network; a first receiving step of
receiving, by the ission management apparatus from a
first transmission terminal among the transmission
terminals, a communication request for a communication with
a second ission terminal among the transmission
terminals, terminal fication information for
identifying the first transmission terminal, and terminal
identification information for identifying the second
transmission terminal; a relay device selecting step of
selecting, by the transmission management apparatus, relay
device identification information associated with the
terminal identification information of the first
transmission terminal in the first storage unit; an
encryption necessity determining step of determining, by
the transmission management apparatus, whether encryption
is needed based on the encryption necessity ation,
which is obtained based on the relay device identification
information of the relay device identification information
selected at the relay device selecting step; a second
transmitting step of transmitting, from the transmission
management apparatus to the first transmission terminal and
the second transmission al, a determination result
ed at the encryption necessity determining step and
the relay device identification information ed at the
relay device selecting step; a second receiving step of
receiving, by the transmission terminal from the
transmission management tus, the determination result
and the relay device fication information; a
cryptography processing step of encrypting data by the
transmission terminal when the ination result
received at the second receiving step indicates that
encryption is needed; and a third transmitting step of
transmitting encrypted data from the transmission terminal
to the relay device identified by the relay device
identification information ed at the second receiving
unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 a schematic diagram of a teleconference ;
Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining a session between a
[followed by page 7a]
t source terminal and a destination terminal;
Fig. 3 is a block diagram of functional configurations
of a transmission terminal, a transmission management
system, and a relay device;
Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of
an authentication DB;
[followed by page 8]
Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a
destination terminal DB;
Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a
relay device DB;
Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of
the relay device DB according to a modification;
Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of
an encryption necessity DB;
Fig. 9 is a diagram rating a communication
sequence in the teleconference system;
Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a ed s performed
by the transmission management system in a relay device
selection process;
Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a data transmission process
performed by the transmission terminal in a teleconference;
Fig. 12 is a flowchart of a data reception process
performed by the transmission terminal in the
teleconference;
Fig. 13 is a flowchart of a data transmission-
reception process performed by the relay device in the
teleconference;
Fig. 14 is a flowchart of a data transmissionreception
s performed by the relay device in the
teleconference;
Fig. 15 is an external view of the transmission
terminal;
Fig. 16 is a hardware configuration diagram of the
transmission terminal; and
Fig. 17 is a re configuration diagram of the
transmission ment system.
BEST MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise,
hout the description and the claims, the words
[followed by page 8a]
“comprise”, “comprising”, and the like are to be construed
in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or
exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of
"including, but not limited to".
Exemplary embodiments of a transmission ment
[followed by page 9]
WO 69461
apparatus, a program, a ission ment system, and
a transmission management method will be ned in
detail below with reference to the accompanying gs.
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a teleconference
system 1 as a transmission ment system. _The
teleconference system 1 includes a plurality of
transmission terminals 10a to 10n, a plurality of relay
devices 30a to 30f, a transmission management system 50 as
a transmission management apparatus, and a plurality of
routers 70a to 70h.
after, an arbitrary transmission terminal among
the transmission terminals 10a to 10n is simply described
as "the transmission terminal 10", an arbitrary relay
device among the relay devices 30a to 30f is simply
described as "the relay device 30", and an arbitrary router
among the routers 70a to 70h is simply described as "the
router 70".
Each of the transmission terminals 10, each of the
relay devices 30, the transmission management system 50,
and each of the routers 70 are connected to one another via
a communication network 20.
As illustrated in Fig. 1, in the teleconference system
1 according to the embodiment, the transmission terminals
10a to 10g, the relay s 30a to 30c, and the routers
70a to 70d are installed in a region A.
The transmission terminals 10a to 10c, the relay
device 30a, and the router 70a are communicably connected
to one another via a LAN 21. The transmission terminals
10d to 10f, the relay device 30b, and the router 70b are
' communicably
connected to one another via a LAN 22. The
LAN 21 and the LAN 22 are communicably connected to each
other via a leased line 23 including the router 70c. The
leased line 23 is also connected to the Internet 27 in'
WO 69461
addition to the LANs 21 and 22.. The transmission al
10g and the relay device 30c are directly connected to the
Internet 27 via the router 70d without via a leased line.
Meanwhile, the transmission terminals 10h to 10n, the
relay devices 30d to 30f, and the routers 70e to 70g are
installed in a region B. The transmission terminals 10h to
10j, the relay device 30d, and the router 70e are
communicably connected to one another via a LAN 24. The
transmission terminals 10k to 10m, the relay device 30e,
and the router 70f are communicably connected to one
another Via a LAN 25. The LAN 24 and the LAN 25 are
icably connected to each other Via a leased line 26
including the router 70g. The leased line 26 is also
connected to the Internet 27 in addition to the LANs 24 and
25. The transmission terminal 10n and the relay device 30f
are directly connected to the Internet 27 via the router
70h t via a leased line.
For example, the region A is Japan, the LAN 21 is
installed in an office in Tokyo, and the LAN 22 is
installed in an office in Osaka. Furthermore, the region B
is the United States of America, the LAN 24 is installed in
an office in New York, and the LAN 25 is installed in an
office in Washington D.C. All of the terminals and devices
in the region A and the region B are communicably connected
to one another via the routers 70c, 70d, 70g, and 70h and
the Internet 27.
The LANs 21, 22, 24, and 25 are internal networks,
such as local networks, to which only local and d
terminals and devices are connectable. The Internet 27 is
an external network to which an unspecified number of
terminals and devices are connectable. ically, the
teleconference system 1 includes terminals and devices,
such as the transmission terminals 10a to 10c, the relay
device 30a, and the router 70a, connected to the internal
network, and includes terminals and devices, such as the
transmission terminal 10g, the relay device 30c, and the
router 70d, connected to the external network. _Therefore,
in the telecOnference system 1, data is itted and
received between the transmission terminals 10 via only the
internal network, via only the external network, or via
both of the internal network and the external network.
Examples of the data transmitted and ed between the
transmission terminals 10 include image data, such as
moving image data and still image data, and voice data.
In Fig. 1, an IP address is shown near each of the
ission terminals 10, each of the relay s 30,
the ission management system 50, and each of the
routers 70. For example, the IP address of the
transmission terminal 10a is "1.2.1.3". In the embodiment,
the IP address in IPv4 is used. Alternatively, it may be
possible to use IPv6 or fully qualified domain name (FQDN).
Each of the transmission als 10 may be used to
make a call n a plurality of offices or between
different rooms in the same office as well as to make a
call in the same room, between indoor and outdoor locations,
or in an outdoor location. When each of the transmission
terminals 10 is used in an outdoor location, a wireless
communication using a mobile phone communication k or
the like may be performed.
In the teleconference system 1 according to the
embodiment, the communication network 20 is formed of the
LANs 21 and 22, the leased line 23, the LANs 24 and 25, the
leased line 26, and the Internet 27. However, the
communication network 20 may include a wireless
communication using wireless fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth
(registered trademark), or the like in addition to a wired
2012/077527
communication;
The number of the transmissidn terminals 10, the relay
devices 30, and the routers 70 included in the
teleconference system 1, and connection forms of the
terminals or the like are not limited by the ment.
,In the above configuration, the transmission terminal
transmits and receives image data and voice data as
examples of contents data, that is, performs data
transmission. The image data may be one or both of a still
image and a moving image. The relay device 30 relays the
ts data transmitted and received between a plurality
of the transmission terminals 10 that conduct a
teleconference. Specifically, the relay device 30 edits
the contents data received from the transmission terminal
10 and generates teleconference data to be transmitted to
each of the transmission terminals 10. The nference.
data includes image data and voice data to be displayed or
output as voice during the teleconference by each of the
ission terminals 10 conducting the teleconference.
The relay device 30 also transmits the generated
teleconference data to the transmission terminals 10 that
conduct the teleconference.
The ission management system 50 manages data
transmission related to the teleconference between the
transmission terminals 10. Specifically, when ing,
from a predetermined transmission terminal 10, a start
request to start a teleconference with other transmission
terminal 10, the transmission management system 50 selects
the relay device 30 to be used for the teleconference
designated by the start instruction from among the relay
devices 30a to 30f included in the nference system 1.
Hereinafter, the transmission terminal 10 serving as a
request source that issues a request to start a
teleconference is bed as a request source terminal,
and the transmission terminal 10 serving as a destination
'to which the start request is issued is bed as a
destination terminal. The transmission management system
50 also ms login authentication from the transmission
al 10 or manages the’conversation status of the
transmission al 10 for example. The transmission
management system 50 also manages destination terminals
with which each of the transmission terminals lO‘can
perform a teleconference or collectively manages the
communication es of the relay s 30 for example.
Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining a session between
the request source terminal and the destination al.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, in the nference system 1, a
management information session sei for transmitting and
receiving various types of management information is
established between the request source terminal and the
destination terminal via the transmission management system
50. By using the management information session sei,
connection control (call control) between the transmission
terminals 10 is performed. In the call control, as a
communication protocol for a communication between the
transmission al 10 and the transmission management
system 50, extensible messaging and presence protocol
(XMPP), session initiation protocol (SIP), IP multimedia
subsystem (IMS), ctionalestreams over synchronous
HTTP (BOSH), or the like may be used.
Furthermore, a session (image—voice data session sed)
for transmitting and receiving image data and voice data is
established between the request source terminal and the
destination terminal via the relay device 30. In the
image-voice data session sed, as a delivery protocol for
the image data and the voice data, real—time transport
2012/077527
protocol (RTP), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), or the
like may be used.
The RTP may be used in conjunction with RTP control
protocol (RTCP) as a protocol for controlling transmission
and reception and for exchanging information between a
ission side and a reception side.
Each of the transmisSion terminals 10 and the relay
devices 30 can compress the image data and the voice data.
As for the image data, a compression method, such as H.264
or H.323, may be used. As for the voiCe data, a
compression method, such as G.711 or 6.722, may be used.
However, the communication protocols and the data
compression methods described above are not limited by the
embodiment.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram of functional configurations
of the transmission terminal 10, the transmission
management system 50, and the relay device 30. The
transmission terminal 10 es a transmitting—receiving
unit 11, an operation input receiving unit 12, an image
vauiring unit 13, a voice acquiring unit 14, a e
unit 15, a voice output unit 16, a display control unit 17,
a cryptography processing unit 18.
The transmitting—receiving unit 11 its and
receives various types of information to and from other
s or the like included in the teleconference system 1
via the communication network 20. The transmitting—
receiving unit 11 transmits, for example, a teleconference
start request to the transmission management system 50.
The operation input receiving unit 12 is realized by
operation buttons and a power switch to be described later,
and receives an input of s types of information from
a user. For e, when the user turns on the power
switch, the operation input receiving unit 12 receives
information on p0wer—on.
The image acquiring unit 13 acquires, from an external
apparatus, image data of an image or the like captured by a
camera to be described later. The voice acquiring unit 14
acquires voiCe data from a microphone or the like to be
described later. The storage unit 15 stores therein
information itted and ed in a teleconference,
such as data received by the transmitting—receiving unit 11,
image data acquired by the image acquiring unit 13, voice
data ed by the voice acquiring unit 14, and data
transmitted and received in the teleconference. The
storage unit 15 also stores therein information, such as a
‘terminal ID for fying the transmission terminal 10
and a password used for authenticating a user of the
ission terminal 10.
The voice output unit 16 outputs the voice data to a
speaker or the like to be described later. The display
control unit 17 outputs the image data to a display to be
described later. The voice output unit 16 and the display
control unit 17 output data stored in the storage unit 15.
The cryptography processing unit 18 appropriately
encrypts the contents data to be transmitted to an external
apparatus via the transmitting—receiving unit 11. The
cryptography processing unit 18 also appropriately decrypts
data received via the transmitting—receiving unit 11. The
encrypted data is also stored in the storage unit 15.
The relay device 30 includes a transmitting—receiving
unit 31, a storage unit 32, a contents data editing unit 33,
and a graphy processing unit 34. The transmitting—
receiving unit 31 transmits and receives s types of
information to and from other devices or the like included
in the teleconference system 1 via the communication
network 20. The transmitting—receiving unit 31 receives,
2012/077527
for example, the contents data from the ission
terminal 10.
The storage unit 32 stores n various types of
information, such as the ts data received by the
transmitting—receiving unit 31. The contents data editing
unit 33 edits the contents data received by the
transmitting—receiving unit 31 to thereby obtain
teleconference data to be transmitted to the transmission
terminal 10 conducting a teleconference. Specifically, the
contents data editing unit 33 changes a frame rate of the
image data or converts resolution for example. The
cryptography processing unit 34 appropriately ts the.
data ed by the transmitting—receiving unit 31. The
cryptography processing unit 34 appropriately encrypts data
to be transmitted via the transmitting—receiving unit 31.
Of the relay devices 30 included in the teleconference
system 1 according to the embodiment, the relay devices
such as the relay devices 30c and 30f that are connected to
the external network such as the Internet 27, in which a
fraudulent access by a third party is likely to occur, and
that possibly transmit and receive data via the external
network are provided with the cryptography processing unit
34 illustrated in Fig. 3, and the cryptography processing
unit 34 encrypts the contents data to be transmitted and
received by the relay devices.
By contrast, of the relay devices 30 included in the
teleconference system 1, the relay devices such as the
relay devices 30a, 30b, 30d, and 30e that are connected to
the internal network, in which accessible terminals or the
like are limited and a lent access by a third party
is less likely to occur, and that possibly transmit and
receive data without via the external k have less
need to encrypt the contents data to be transmitted and
received as bed above. Therefore, these relay
devices do not e the cryptography sing unit 34
illustrated in Fig. 3.
'Alternatively, the cryptography processing unit 34 may
be provided in the relay devices connected to the internal
network. In this case, an administrator or the like sets
in advance whether to perform cryptography processing on
each of the relay devices 30 depending on the destination.
connected to each of the relay devices 30.
The transmission management system 50 includes a
transmitting—receiving unit 51, a storage unit 52, an
tication unit 53, a destination terminal managing
unit 54, a relay device selecting unit 55, and an‘
encryption necessity determining unit 56. The
transmitting—receiving unit 51 transmits and receives
various types of information to and from other s or
the like included in the teleconference system 1 via the
communication network 20. The transmitting—receiving unit
51 transmits, for example, a nference start request
from the ission terminal 10.
The storage unit 52 stores therein an authentication
DB 521, a destination terminal DB 522, a relay device DB
523, and an encryption necessity DB 524. The
authentication DB 521 stores therein data for
authenticating a user of each of the transmission terminals
. The destination terminal DB 522 stores therein data
for determining the transmission terminals 10 (the
destination terminals) to which each of the transmission
terminals 10 can transmit data for a teleconference or the
like. The relay device DB 523 stores therein data for
determining the relay s 30 that are available to each
of the transmission terminals 10 for conducting a
teleconference. The encryption necessity DB 524 stores
therein data for determining whether it is necessary to
encrypt data to be transmitted and ed in a
teleconference performed Via each of the relay s 30.
Fig. 4 is a diagram rating a data structure of
the authentication DB 521. The authentication DB 521
stores therein a terminal ID and a password in an
associated manner. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data
structure of the destination terminal DB 522. The
destination terminal DB 522 stores therein a request source
terminal ID and a destination terminal ID in an associated
manner. The request source terminal ID and the destination
terminal ID are terminal IDs of the transmission terminals
In the destination terminal DB 522, the destination
terminals associated with the request source terminal ID
are terminal IDs of the transmission terminals 10 to which
the request source terminal can transmit data. The
destination terminals to which each of the request source
als can transmit data are determined in advance, and
the predetermined destination terminal IDs are stored in
the destination terminal DB 522 in association with the
request source al ID.
The destination als_to which each of the request
source terminals can transmit data may be changeable. For
example, it may be possible to add or delete a destination
terminal ID that is stored in the destination terminal DB
522 in association with each of the request source terminal
IDs, in accordance with a request from any of the
transmission als 10.
Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data ure of
the relay device DB 523. The relay device DB 523 stores
therein the terminal ID, a relay device ID, and a priority
in an ated manner. The relay device ID is
information for identifying the relay device 30. Each of
the terminal IDs is associated with the relay device IDs of
the relay devices 30 that are available to the transmission
terminal 10 identified by the terminal ID. The priority is
the order of priority of the relay devices 30 to be used by
the associated ission terminal 10 in a teleconference.
The higher the priority of the relay devices 30, the higher
the priority of the relay devices 30 to be uSed in the
teleconference. The priority is a value set in advance by
.10 an administrator. For example, it may be possible to set a
higher priority on the relay devices 30 connected to the
al network, such as an in—house LAN, in which
accessible devices are limited, and set a lower priority on
the relay devices 30 ted to the external network,
such as the Internet 27, in which an unspecified number of
devices are accessible.
Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of a
relay device DB 525 according to a modification. In the
relay device DB 523 illustrated in Fig. 6, one column for
storing one relay device ID is provided for one terminal ID.
By contrast, in the relay device DB 525 according to the
modification, a plurality of columns for storing a
plurality of relay device IDs are provided for one terminal
When there are a plurality of the relay devices 30
available to one ission terminal 10, in the relay
device DB 523 illustrated in Fig. 6, the same terminal IDs
are stored in a plurality of rows and a ity of relay
device IDs are stored in ation with the same terminal
IDs. By contrast, in the relay device DB 525 according to
the modification illustrated in Fig. 7, when there are a
plurality of the relay s 30 available to one
transmission terminal 10, a plurality of relay device IDs
are stored in a plurality of columns in the same row of one
terminal ID.
It is possible to specify the relay device IDs
associated with the terminal ID by referring to either
relay device DB. However, for example, when the number of
relay device IDs stored in the relay device DB is large,
the relay device IDs can be searched for at a faster speed
by using the relay device DB 523 illustrated in Fig. 6
ed with using the relay device DB 525 illustrated in
Fig. 7. Therefore, in this case, it is preferable to use
the relay device DB 523. Alternatively, when the number of
the relay device IDs stored in the relay device DB is small,
the relay device IDs can be searched for at a faster speed
by using the relay device DB 525 rated in Fig. 7
compared with using the relay device DB 523 illustrated in
Fig. 6. ore, in this case, it is preferable to use
the relay device DB 525.
Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of
the tion necessity DB 524. The encryption necessity
DB 524 illustrated in Fig. 8 stores therein the relay
device ID and an encryption flag in an associated manner.
The encryption flag is information indicating whether it is
necessary to encrypt data to be d by the relay device
identified by the relay device ID. In the embodiment,
"TRUE" indicates that the encryption is needed and "FALSE"
indicates that the encryption is not needed.
In the encryption necessity DB 524, the encryption
flag indicating that the encryption is needed is associated
with the relay device ID of the relay device 30 that
possibly relays (transmits and receives) data via the
al network, such as the relay device 30 ly
connected to the external network. In the encryption
necessity DB 524, the encryption flag indicating that the
encryption is not needed is associated with the relay
device ID of the relay device 30 that pOssibly relays data
via only the internal network t via the al
network, such as the relay device 30 connected to the
internal network.
Even when the relay device 30 is connected to the
internal network, if the relay device 30 possibly relays
data Via the external network, the relay device may be
ated with the encryption flag indicating that the
encryption is needed. The relay device ID and the
necessity of the encryption stored_in the encryption
necessity DB 524 are set in advance by an administrator or
the like. The administrator or the like can appropriately
add, change, or delete data stored in the encryption
necessity DB 524 when, for example, the configuration of
the communication network 20 is changed.
It is sufficient that the terminal ID and the relay
device ID according to the embodiment are information, such
as a language, a letter, a symbol, or various signs, used
for uniquely identifying the ission terminal 10 and
the relay device 30. Alternatively, the terminal ID and
the relay device ID may be identification information
formed of.a combination of at least two of the language,
the letter, the symbol, and the various marks. In the
embodiment, the IP address of the relay device 30 is used
as the relay device ID.
ing back to Fig. 3, when the transmitting—
receiving unit 51 receives a login request from the
transmission al 10, the authentication unit 53
searches through the authentication DB 521 by using a
terminal ID and a password ned in the login request
as a search key, and confirms whether a combination of the
terminal ID and the password contained in the login request
is stored in the authentication DB 521 in an associated
manner. Specifically, when the terminal ID and the
password ned in the login request are stored in the
authentication DB 521, the authentication unit 53
determines that the authentication has succeeded, and when
the al ID and the password are not stored, determines
that the authentication has failed.
The destination terminal ng unit 54 es
through the destination terminal DB 522 by using the
terminal ID of the request source terminal as a search key,
and specifies the transmission terminal 10 to which the
request source terminal can transmit data, that is,
specifies the destination terminal. The destination
terminal managing unit 54 also specifies the transmission
terminal 10 with which a ermined transmission
terminal 10 conducts a teleconference in response to a
nference start request received from the transmission
al 10.
The relay device selecting unit 55 searches through
the relay device DB 523 by using the terminal ID of the
t source terminal of a teleconference as a search key,
and selects the relay device 30 to be uSed for ting
the teleconference with the destination terminal specified
by the destination terminal managing unit 54.
The encryption necessity determining unit 56
determines whether it is necessary to encrypt data to be
transmitted and received in the teleconference by referring
'to the encryption ity DB 524. Specifically, the
encryption necessity determining unit 56 searches through
the encryption necessity DB 524 by using the relay device
ID of the relay device 30 selected by the relay device
selecting unit 55 as a search key, and specifies the
necessity of the encryption associated with the relay
device ID.
Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a communication
sequence in the teleconference system 1. In the
communication sequence in Fig. 9, a process is illustrated
in which an arbitrary transmission terminal 10 serving as
the request source terminal starts a conference session for
conducting a teleconference with the arbitrary transmission
terminal 10 serving as the destination terminal. In the
communication ce rated in Fig. 9, various types
of management information are transmitted and received by
the management ation session sei explained above with
reference to Fig. 2.
When a user of the transmission terminal 10 turns on
the power-switch (to be described later) of the
‘transmission al 10, the ion input receiving
unit 12 rated in Fig. 3 receives the power—on and
turns on the power (Step 8100). Here, a case is explained
that the transmission terminal 10 operates as the request
source terminal. Subsequently, the transmitting—receiving
unit 11 of the request source terminal automatically
transmits the login request and the IP address of the
request source terminal to the transmission management
system 50 upon reception of the power—on (Step 8101). The
login request contains the terminal ID of the request
source terminal and a password input by a user via the
request source terminal. The terminal ID and the IP
address of the request source terminal are stored in the
storage unit 15. In this way, the request source terminal
also transmits the IP address of the request source
terminal to the transmission ment system 50.
Therefore, the ission management system 50 can
ize the IP address of the request source terminal.
uently, the authentication unit 53 of the
transmission management system 50 searches through the
authentication DB 521 by using the terminal ID and the
password contained in the login t received via the
transmitting—receiving unit 51 as a search key, and
performs authentication of the request.source terminal
based on whether the same terminal ID and password are
stored in the authentication DB 521 (Step 8102).
Then, the itting—receiving unit 51 of the
transmission management system 50 transmits an
authentication result ed by the authentication unit
53 to the request source terminal serving as a transmission.
source of the login request (Step 3103). Hereinafter, a
process will be explained in which the authentication unit
53 determines that the request source terminal has valid
authorization for use.
The destination terminal managing unit 54 of the
ission management system 50 searches through the
destination terminal DB 522 by using the terminal ID of the
request source terminal as a search key, and reads out the
terminal IDs of the candidate destination terminals that
can conduct a teleconference with the request source
terminal to thereby specify the destination terminals (Step
8104). The transmitting—receiving unit 51 transmits the
terminal IDs of the destination terminals specified by the
destination terminal managing unit 54 to the request source
terminal (Step 8105).
In the request source terminal, when the transmitting—
receiving unit 11 receives the terminal IDs of the
destination als, the y control unit 17 of the
t source terminal displays a list of the destination
terminals based on the destination terminal IDs (Step 8106).
Therefore, the user of the request source terminal can
check the destination terminals that can conduct the
nference. The operation input receiving unit 12
es a selection of a desired destination terminal from
the user (Step 3107).
Subsequently, the transmitting—receiving unit 11 of
the t source terminal transmits a teleconference
start request to the transmission management system 50
(Step 8108). The start request contains the al ID of
the request source terminal and the terminal ID of the
destination terminal selected at Step 8107.
IO In the transmission management system 50, when the
itting—receiving unit 51 receives the start request,
the relay device selecting unit 55 selects the relay device
to be used for the teleconference ated by the
start request by referring to the relay device DB 523 (Step
8110).
Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a detailed process performed
by the transmission management system 50 in the relay
device selection process (Step $110). In the transmission
management system 50, when the transmitting—receiving unit
51 receives the start t from the request source
terminal, the relay device selecting unit 55 searches
through the relay device DB 523 by using the terminal ID of
the request source terminal contained in the start request
as a search key, and extracts the relay device IDs and the
priorities associated with the terminal ID of the request
source terminal (Step $111). The relay device selecting
unit 55 also es through the relay device DB 523 by
using the terminal ID of the destination terminal contained
in the start request as a search key, and extracts the
relay device IDs and the priorities associated with the
terminal ID of the destination terminal (Step 8112).
Subsequently, the relay device selecting unit 55
compares the relay device IDs that are extracted based on
the request source terminal at Step 8111 with the relay
device IDs that are extracted based on the destination
terminal at Step 8112 (Step 8113). When there is an
cal relay device ID between the relay device IDs
based on the request source terminal and the relay device
IDs based on the destination al as a result of the
comparison (YES at Step 8114), the relay device selecting
unit 55 selects the identical relay device 30 (Step 8115).
At Step 8115, when there are a ity of the
identical relay devices 30 as a result of the comparison,
the relay device 30 corresponding to a higher priority of
the relay device ID associated with the terminal ID of the
request source al is selected.
Furthermore, in the comparison process at Step 8113,
the relay device selecting unit 55 compares the relay
device IDs based on the request sOurce terminal in order
starting from the relay device ID associated with the
highest priority, with the relay device IDs based on the
.destination al. The relay device IDs based on the
‘ destination terminal are also compared in order starting
from the relay device ID associated with the highest
priority. If the relay device IDs coincide with each other,
the comparison process is terminated. Therefore, it is
possible to omit an unnecessary comparison process.
Meanwhile, at Step 8114, when there is no identical
relay device 30 (NO at Step 8114), the transmitting—
receiving unit 51 its an error to the request source
terminal (Step 8116). Thus, the transmission management
system 50 completes the relay device selection process
(Step 8110).
Referring back to Fig. 9, after the relay device
selection process (Step 8110), the tion necessity
determining unit 56 of the transmission management system
50 determines whether data to be transmitted and received
between a plurality of the transmission terminals 10 that
conducts the teleconference needs to be encrypted in the
nference (Step 8120). Specifically, the encryption
necessity determining unit 56 searches through the
encryption necessity DB 524 by using the relay device ID
selected at Step 8110 as a search key, and specifies the
encryption flag associated with the relay device ID. The
encryption necessity determining unit 56 determines that
the encryption is not needed when the encryption flag of
"FALSE" is specified, and determines that the encryption is
needed when the encryption flag of "TRUE" is specified.
Subsequently,.the transmitting-receiving unit 51 of
the transmission management system 50 transmits a
nference start t to the transmission terminal
serving as the destination terminal (Step 8121). The
start t transmitted to the destination al
contains the IP address of the relay device 30 selected in
the relay device selection process (Step 8110) and contains
the encryption flag specified in the encryption necessity
determination process (Step 8120). Therefore, the
ation terminal can recognize the relay device 30 to
be used in the teleconference, in addition to the
teleconference start request. Furthermore, the destination
terminal can recognize whether it is necessary to encrypt
ation transmitted in the teleconference.
In the destination terminal, when the tranSmitting—
receiving unit 11 receives the start request from the‘
transmission management system 50, the display control unit
17 of the ation al displays a teleconference
request screen on a display (Step S122). The
nference request screen contains information
indicating that the teleconference start request is
received. A user of the destination terminal can recognize
that the start request is received by viewing the
teleconference request screen.
uently, when the deStination terminal receives
an input about whether to permit or deny the start of the
teleconference from the user via the operation input'
receiving unit 12 (Step 8123), the transmitting—receiving
unit 11 transmits a start response, which indicates whether
to permit or deny the start of the teleconference and which
is input by the user, to the transmission management system
50, (Step 8124). When the user has input permission for
the start of the teleconference, the start response
contains ation indicating the permission for the
start. On the other hand, when the user has input denial
of the start of the nference, the start response
contains information indicating the denial of the start.
after, a case is explained that, at Step 8124,
the destination terminal transmits the start response
indicating permission for the start to the transmission
management system 50. In the transmission management
system 50, when receiving the start response from the
transmission terminal 10 serving as the destination
terminal, the transmitting—receiving unit 51 transmits the
start response to the request source terminal (Step 8125).
The start response transmitted to the request source
al contains information indicating permission for the
start, the IP address of the relay device 30 selected in
the relay device selection s (Step 5110), and the
tion flag specified in the encryption necessity
3O determination process (Step 8120).
After the above processes are completed, a
nference session starts (Step $126), and the
nference is started between the request source
terminal and the destination terminal. In the
teleconference, data transmission between the request
source terminal and the destination terminal is performed
via the relay device 30 selected in the relay device
selection (Step 8110).
At Step 8124, when the destination terminal transmits
the start response indicating denial of the start to the
transmission ment system 50, the transmission
management system 50 transmits the start response
indicating denial of the start to the request source
terminal 10, and the process ends.
Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a data transmission s
performed by the transmission terminal 10 in the
teleconference. When the encryption flag contained in the
start request ed by the destination terminal at Step
8121 in Fig. 9 and the encryption flag contained in the
start response received by the request source terminal at
Step 5125 are "TRUE" (YES at Step S200), the cryptography
processing unit 18 ts the contents data to be_
transmitted (Step 8201); The transmitting—receiving unit
11 transmits the encrypted contents data, that is, the
encrypted data, to the relay device 30 (Step 8202).
At Step 8200, when the encryption flag contained in
the start response is "FALSE" (NO at Step $200), the
cryptography processing unit 18 does not perform an
tion s, and the transmitting—receiving unit 11
transmits the contents data to the relay device 30 (Step
8203). Thus, the transmission terminal 10 completes the
data transmission s.
Fig. 12 is a art of a data reception process
performed by the transmission terminal 10 in the
teleconference. When the encryption flag contained in the
start request received by the destination terminal at Step
8121 in Fig. 9 and the encryption flag contained in the
start response received by the t source terminal at
Step 8125 are "TRUE" (YES at Step 8210), the transmitting—
receiving unit 11 receives the encrypted teleconference
data, that is, the encrypted data, from the relay device 30.
ore, the cryptography processing unit 18 decrypts the
encrypted data to obtain the teleconference data (Step
8211).
Subsequently, the voice output unit 16 and the display
control unit 17 output the voice data and the image data,
respectively, as the teleconference data (Step 8212). At
Step 8210, when the encryption flag contained in the start
response is "FALSE" (NO at Step 8210), the cryptography}
processing unit 18 does not perform a decryption process,
and the process goes to Step 8212. Thus, the transmission
terminal 10 completes the data ion process.
Fig. 13 and Fig._14 are flowcharts of data
transmission—reception processes performed by the relay
device 30 in the teleconference. Fig. 13 illustrates a
process performed by the relay device 30 that encrypts
transmission—reception data. Fig. 14 rates a process
performed by the relay device 30 that does not t
transmission—reception data. When the relay device 30 that
encrypts the transmission—reception data is selected in the
relay device selection process (Step 8110) illustrated in
Fig. 9, the selected relay device 30 that performs
encryption transmits and receives data in the
teleconference, and, when the relay device 30 that does not?
encrypt the transmission—reception data is selected in the
relay device selection s (Step 8110), the selected
relay device 30 that does not perform tion transmits
and receives data in the teleconferenCe.
In the data transmission—reception process performed
by the relay device 30 that performs encryption illustrated
in Fig. 13, when the transmitting—receiving unit 31
es encrypted data from the transmission terminal 10
(Step S300), the cryptography processing unit 34 decrypts
the received encrypted data to obtain the contents data
(Step S301). At Step S300 and Step S301, encrypted data is
received from each of the ission terminals 10, and
the pieces of the encrypted data are decrypted to obtain a
plurality of pieces of the contents data.
Subsequently, the contents data g unit 33 edits
the plurality of pieces of the contents data obtained at
Step S301, thereby obtaining the teleconference data (Step
8302). Then, the cryptography processing unit 34 encrypts
the teleconference data, thereby obtaining encrypted data
(Step S303). Subsequently, the transmitting—receiving unit
31 its the encrypted data to the transmission
terminal 10 (Step S304). Thus, the data transmission?
reception process performed by the relay device 30 that
performs tion is completed.
In the data transmission process performed by the
relay device 30 that does not perform encryption
illustrated in Fig. 14, the transmitting—receiving unit 31
es the contents data from a plurality of the
transmission terminals 10 (Step S310). Subsequently, the
contents data g unit 33 edits the contents data,
thereby obtaining the teleconference data (Step 8311).
Then, the transmitting—receiving unit 31 transmits the
teleconference data to the transmission terminal 10 (Step
S312). Thus, the data transmission—reception process
performed by the relay device 30 that does not perform
tion is completed.
The data transmission process explained above with
reference to Fig. 13 and Fig. 14 includes the process for
editing the contents data to generate the teleconference
data (Step S302 and Step S311). However, this process may
be omitted appropriately. ically, the relay device
may transmit the contents data without editing the
contents data. The relay device 30 may dynamically
determine whether to edit the contents data depending on,
for example, the status of network bandwidth or the like.
As described above, in the teleconference system 1
ing to the embodiment, the necessity to encrypt data
to be transmitted is set in e in the relay device DB
523 in association with the relay device 30 that relays the
data transmitted and received between the transmission
terminals 10. ITherefore, the transmission terminal 10 and
the relay device 30 can automatically omit encryption of
data to be transmitted via a transmission path including
only the al network without the external network, and
can automatically encrypt only data to be transmitted via a
transmission path including the external k.
Therefore, it becomes possible to eliminate an
unnecessary encryption s, ng to reduce the
consumption of hardware resources or the like due to the
encryption process. As a result, it becomes possible to
prevent reduction in the data transmission quality, such as
a ication delay of the contents data, video loss, or
audio g, due to processing loads. Therefore, the
teleconference system 1 can perform high—quality data
transmission.
Fig. 15 is an external view of the transmission
terminal 10. The transmission terminal 10 includes a
housing 100, an arm 110, and a camera housing 120. An
ion panel 102 is formed on a right—side wall 101 of
the housing 100. The operation panel 102 includes a
plurality of operation buttons 103a to 103e as an operation
2012/077527
input unit, a power switch 104, an alarm lamp 105, a sound
output surface 106 for outputting voice from a built—in
speaker, and the like.
A housing portion 108 as a concave portion for housing
the arm 110 and the camera housing 120 is formed on a left—
side wall 107 of the housing 100. A display 150 is
connected to the housing 100 of the transmission terminal
via a cable.
The arm 110 is attached to the housing 100 via a
torque hinge 111 such that the arm 110 can rotate in the
al direction within a tilt angle 81 of 135° with
t to the housing 100. Fig. 15 illustrates a state in
which the tilt angle 91 is 90°.
A built—in camera to be described later is installed
in the camera housing 120, and the camera can capture an
image of a user, a document, a room, or the like. A torque
hinge 121 is formed on the camera housing 120. The camera
housing 120 is attached to the arm 110 via the torque hinge
121. The camera housing 120 is structured such that the
torque hinge 121 can rotate in the vertical and horizontal
directions within a pan angle 02 of i180° on the assumption
that the pan angle is 0° in the state illustrated in Fig.
, and within a tilt angle 03 of i45° with respect to the
arm 110.
Fig. 16 is a hardware configuration diagram of the
ission terminal 10. As illustrated in Fig. 16, the
transmission terminal 10 according to the ment
includes a central processing unit (CPU) 131 for
controlling the whole operation of the transmission
terminal 10; a read only memory (ROM) 132 for storing a
m, such as an initial program loader (IPL), used for
driving the CPU 131; a random access memory (RAM) 133 used
as a working area of the CPU 131; a flash memory 134 for
g various types of data, such as a transmission
terminal program, image data, or voice data; a solid state
drive (SSD) 135 for controlling read and write of various
types of data from and to the flash memory 134 under the
control of the CPU 131; a media drive 137 for controlling
read and write (storage) of data from and to a recording
medium 136, such as a flash memory; an operation button 138
to be operated for selecting a destination from the
transmission terminal 10 or the like; a power switch 139
for switching on or off the power to the transmission
terminal 10; and a k interface (I/F) 141 for
'transmitting data by using the ication network 20.
The transmission terminal 10 also includes a built—in
camera 142 that captures an image of a subject and obtains
image data of the image under the control of the CPU 131;
an imaging element I/F 143 for controlling operations of
the camera 142; a built—in microphone 144 for inputting
voice; a built-in speaker for outputting voice; a voice
input—output I/F 146 for performing an input—output s
on a voice signal n the microphone 144 and a speaker
145 under the control of the CPU 131; a display I/F 147 for
transmitting image data to the external y 150 under
othe control of the CPU 131; an external—device connection
I/F 148 for connecting various external devices; and a bus
line 140, such as an s bus or a data bus, for
electrically connecting the above components as illustrated
in Fig. 16.
The display 150 is a display unit made with liquid
crystal or organic electroluminescent (EL) for displaying
an image of a subject, an ion icon, or the like. The
display 150 is connected to the display I/F 147 via a cable
160. The cable 160 may be a cable for an analog RGB (VGA)
'signal, may be a cable for component video, or may be a
cable for high—definition multimedia interface (HDMI)
signal or a digital video interactive (DVI) .
The camera 142 includes a lens and a solid—state
imaging device that converts light to electrical charges in
order to erize an image (video) of a subject. A
complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or a charge
coupled device (CCD) may be used as the solid—state imaging
To the external—device connecting I/F-l48, an external
device, such as an external camera, an external microphone,
or an external speaker, is table via a sal
Serial bus (USB) cable or the like. When the external
camera is ted, the external camera is activated in
priority to the built—in camera 142 under the control of
the CPU 131. Similarly, when the external microphone or
the external speaker is connected, the external microphone
or the external speaker is activated in priority to the
built—in microphone 144 or the built—in-speaker 145 under
the control of the CPU 131.
The medium 136 is detachably attached to the
transmission terminal 10. Any atile memory that can
read and write data under the control of the CPU 131 may be
used instead of the flash memory 134. For example, an
electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM) may be
used.
The terminal program may be distributed by being
recorded in a computer—readable recording medium, such as
the medium 136, in a computer—installable or a computer—
executable file format. The terminal program may be stored
in the ROM 132 instead of the flash memory 134.
Fig. 17 is a re configuration diagram of the
ission management system 50. The transmission
management system 50 includes a CPU 201 for controlling the
whole operation of the transmission management system 50; a
ROM 202 for g a program, such as an IPL, used for
driving the CPU 201; a RAM 203 used as a working area of
the CPU 201; an HD 204 for storing various types of data,
such as a transmission management program; a hard disk
drive (HDD) 205 for controlling read and write of various
types of data from and to the HD 204 under the control of
the CPU 201; a media drive 207 for controlling read and
write (storage) of data from and to a recording medium 206,
such as a flash memory; a display 208 for displaying
various types of information, such as a cursor, a menu, a
window, a character, or an image; a network I/F 209 for
transmitting data by using the ication network 20; a
keyboard 211 including a plurality of keys for inputting a
character, a numeral, or various instructions; a mouse 212
used for selecting or executing various instructions,
ing a sing , or moving a cursor; a CD—ROM
drive 214 for controlling read and write of various types
of data from and to a compact disc read only memory (CD—
ROM) 213 that is an example of a removable recording
medium; and a bus line 210, such as an s bus or a
data bus, for electrically connecting the above components
as illustrated in Fig. 17.
The transmission management program may be buted
by being recorded in a computer—readable recording medium,
such as the medium 206 or the CD—ROM 213, in a computer—
installable or a computer—executable file format. The
transmission management program may be stored in the ROM
202 d of the HD 204.
The relay device 30 has the same hardware
configuration as that of the transmission management system
50; therefore, the explanation thereof is omitted. However,
2012/077527
the HD 204 stores therein a relay device program for
controlling the relay device 30. Even in this case, the
relay device program may be buted by being recorded
in a computer—readable recording medium, such as the
recording medium 206 or the CD—ROM 213, in a computer—
installable or a computer—executable file format. The
relay device program may be recorded in the ROM 202 d
of the HD 204.
As another example of the removable recording medium,
a computer—readable recording medium such as a compact disc
recordable (CD—R), a digital ile disk (DVD), or a
blue—ray disc may be used to record and distribute the
programs.
In the embodiment, the teleconference system has been
explained as a transmission . Alternatively, the
transmission system may be a data distribution system in
which contents data is transmitted unidirectionally from
one transmission al to the other transmission
terminal via the transmission management , or may be
a communication system in which a plurality of transmission
terminals bidirectionally communicate information or
feelings via the transmission management system.
The communication system is a system for communicating
information or feelings between a plurality of
. communication terminals (corresponding to "the transmission
terminals") via a communication ment system
(corresponding to "the transmission management system").
Examples of the communication system include a
teleconference system and a videophone system.
Furthermore, the transmission system may be a
'communication system for mobile phones. In this case, for
example, the ission terminal 10 corresponds to a
mobile phone.
In the ment, a case has been explained that a
teleconference is performed by the transmission system.
However, the present invention is not limited by the
embodiment. The transmission system may be used for a
meeting, for a general conversation between families or
friends, or for one-way presentation of information.
Although the invention has been described with t
to ic embodiments for a complete and clear disclosure,
the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to
be construed as embodying all catiOns and alternative
constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art that
fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.
Claims (13)
1. A transmission management apparatus comprising: a receiving unit that receives, from a first transmission al being one of transmission terminals 5 connected to a network, a communication request for a ication with a second transmission terminal among the transmission terminals, terminal identification information for identifying the first transmission terminal, and terminal identification for identifying the second 10 transmission terminal; a first storage unit that stores therein terminal identification ation for identifying the transmission als and relay device identification ation for identifying a relay device in an associated manner, the 15 relay device being connected to the network and configured to relay data transmitted and received by the first transmission terminal; a relay device selecting unit that selects a relay device associated with the terminal identification 20 information of the first transmission terminal in the first storage unit; a second storage unit that stores therein the relay device identification information in association with encryption necessity information indicating whether it is 25 necessary to encrypt data to be transmitted and received by the relay device identified by the relay device identification information; an encryption necessity determining unit that determines whether encryption is needed based on the 30 encryption necessity information, which is ed based on the relay device identification information of the relay device selected by the relay device selecting unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits a determination result obtained by the encryption ity determining unit to the first transmission terminal and the second transmission terminal.
2. The transmission management apparatus according to 5 claim 1, wherein the data transmitted and received by the first transmission terminal contains at least one of image data and voice data.
3. The transmission management tus according to 10 claim 1, wherein the relay device selecting unit selects a relay device that is associated with the terminal identification information of the first transmission terminal and the terminal identification ation of the second transmission terminal in the first storage unit.
4. The transmission ment tus according to claim 1, wherein the first storage unit stores therein a ty of the relay device in association with the relay device 20 identification information, and the relay device selecting unit selects a relay device with higher ty from among the relay devices associated with the first transmission terminal in the first storage unit.
5. The transmission management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network includes an internal network connectable to local and predetermined apparatuses and an external 30 network connectable to an unspecified number of apparatuses, the second storage unit stores therein the encryption necessity information indicating that encryption is needed, in ation with the relay device identification information of the relay device that is directly connected to the external network.
6. A computer program product comprising a ansitory 5 computer-readable medium containing a computer program executed on a computer ted to a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal via a network among a plurality of transmission als connected to the k, 10 the computer including; a first storage unit that stores therein terminal identification information for identifying the transmission terminals and relay device identification information for identifying a relay device, the relay device being 15 connected to the network and configured to relay data transmitted and received by the first transmission terminal, in an associated manner, and a second storage unit that stores therein the relay device identification information in association with 20 encryption necessity information indicating whether it is ary to encrypt data to be transmitted and received by the relay device identified by the relay device identification information, the program causing the computer to execute the steps 25 of: receiving, from the first ission terminal, a communication request for a communication with the second transmission terminal, terminal identification information for identifying the first ission terminal, and 30 terminal identification information for identifying the second transmission terminal; selecting a relay device associated with the terminal fication information of the first transmission terminal in the first storage unit; determining whether encryption is needed based on the encryption necessity information, which is obtained based on the relay device identification information of the relay device selected at the selecting step; and 5 itting a determination result obtained at the determining step to the first ission terminal and the second transmission terminal.
7. A transmission system comprising: 10 a plurality of ission terminals that transmit data via a network; and a transmission management apparatus that is connected to the transmission terminals via the network and that manages data transmission between the transmission 15 terminals, wherein the transmission terminals include a transmitting unit that transmits a communication request for a communication with other transmission als connected to the k, the transmission management apparatus includes; 20 a receiving unit that receives, from a first ission terminal among the transmission terminals, a communication request for a communication with a second transmission terminal among the transmission terminals, terminal identification information for identifying the 25 first transmission terminal, and terminal identification information for fying the second transmission terminal; a first storage unit that stores therein terminal identification information for identifying the transmission 30 terminals and relay device identification ation for identifying a relay device in an associated manner, the relay device being connected to the k and configured to relay data to be transmitted and received by the first transmission terminal; a relay device selecting unit that selects relay device identification information associated with the terminal identification information of the first transmission terminal in the first storage unit; 5 a second storage unit that stores therein the relay device identification information in association with encryption necessity information indicating whether it is necessary to encrypt data to be transmitted and received by the relay device identified by the relay device 10 identification ation; an encryption necessity determining unit that ines whether encryption is needed based on the encryption necessity ation, which is ed based on the relay device identification information of the relay 15 device identification information selected by the relay device selecting unit; and a transmitting unit that transmits a determination result obtained by the tion necessity determining unit and the relay device identification 20 information selected by the relay device selecting unit to the first transmission terminal and the second transmission al, and the transmission terminals further include: a receiving unit that receives the determination 25 result and the relay device identification information from the transmission management apparatus; and a cryptography processing unit that encrypts data when the determination result obtained by the ing unit of the transmission terminal indicates that encryption 30 is needed, wherein the transmitting unit of the transmission terminal transmits encrypted data to the relay device identified by the relay device identification information received by the receiving unit.
8. A data transmission method ented by a transmission system, the transmission system including a plurality of transmission terminals that transmits data via a k, and a ission management apparatus that is 5 connected to the network and that manages data transmission between the transmission als, wherein the transmission management apparatus includes a first storage unit that stores therein terminal identification information for identifying the transmission terminals and 10 relay device identification information for identifying a relay device in an associated manner, the relay device being connected to the k and configured to relay data transmitted and received by the first transmission terminal, and a second storage unit that stores therein the relay 15 device identification information in association with tion necessity information indicating r it is necessary to encrypt data to be transmitted and received by the relay device identified by the relay device identification information, the data transmission method 20 comprising: a first transmitting step of transmitting, by the transmission terminal, a communication request for a communication with the other transmission terminals connected to the network; 25 a first receiving step of receiving, by the transmission management apparatus from a first transmission terminal among the transmission als, a communication request for a communication with a second transmission terminal among the transmission terminals, terminal 30 identification information for identifying the first transmission al, and terminal identification information for identifying the second transmission a relay device selecting step of selecting, by the transmission management apparatus, relay device identification information associated with the terminal identification ation of the first transmission terminal in the first storage unit; 5 an encryption necessity determining step of ining, by the transmission management apparatus, whether encryption is needed based on the encryption ity information, which is obtained based on the relay device identification information of the relay device 10 identification information selected at the relay device selecting step; a second transmitting step of transmitting, from the transmission management apparatus to the first transmission terminal and the second ission terminal, a 15 determination result obtained at the encryption necessity determining step and the relay device identification information selected at the relay device selecting step; a second receiving step of receiving, by the transmission terminal from the ission management 20 apparatus, the ination result and the relay device identification information; a cryptography sing step of encrypting data by the transmission terminal when the determination result received at the second receiving step indicates that 25 encryption is needed; and a third transmitting step of transmitting encrypted data from the transmission terminal to the relay device identified by the relay device identification information ed at the second receiving unit.
9. The transmission management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tion necessity determining unit is further configured to determine whether the encryption is needed based on the encryption necessity information, which is obtained based only on the relay device identification information of the selected relay .
10. The computer program t of claim 6, wherein the 5 determining step comprises determining whether encryption is needed based on the encytion ity information, which is obtained based only on the relay device fication information of the selected relay device. 10
11. The transmission system of claim 7, wherein the tion necessity determining unit is ured to determine whether the encryption is needed based on the encryption necessity information, which is obtained based only on the relay device identification information of the 15 selected relay device.
12. The data transmission method of claim 8, wherein the encryption necessity determining step comprises determining, by the transmission management apparatus, whether 20 encryption is needed based on the encryption necessity ation, which is obtained based only on the the relay device identification information of the selected relay device. 25
13. The transmission management apparatus of claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2011-246514 | 2011-11-10 | ||
JP2011246514A JP5310824B2 (en) | 2011-11-10 | 2011-11-10 | Transmission management apparatus, program, transmission management system, and transmission management method |
PCT/JP2012/077527 WO2013069461A1 (en) | 2011-11-10 | 2012-10-18 | Transmission management apparatus, program, transmission management system, and transmission management method |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
NZ612651A NZ612651A (en) | 2015-05-29 |
NZ612651B2 true NZ612651B2 (en) | 2015-09-01 |
Family
ID=
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