WO2022091298A1 - Online conference assistance device, online conference assistance program, and online conference assistance system - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an online conference assistance device for enabling the sharing and switching of information materials to be smoothly carried out at online conferences. [Solution] The online conference assistance device has an acceptance unit and an output unit. The acceptance unit accepts a request for sharing a screen for sharing from each user terminal. When a sharing request is accepted, the output unit transmits a sharing request notification and causes it to be outputted to other user terminals and transmits a screen for sharing that corresponds to the sharing request notification to the other user terminals. The acceptance unit accepts, from a user terminal, an indication relating to a screen layout for conferences that includes the screen for sharing and other screens for communication. The output unit determines a screen layout for online conferences in accordance with the indication and transmits a preliminarily laid-out screen for online conferences to the user terminal in accordance with the determined layout.

Description

Online conferencing support equipment, online conferencing support programs, and online conferencing support systems

The present invention relates to an online conference support device, an online conference support program, and an online conference support system.

In recent years, with the development of information processing technology, online conference technology that holds virtual conferences using multiple terminals connected via a network has been attracting attention.

In order to effectively hold an online conference, the conventional online conference system is equipped with various tools such as a function to send and receive text messages in addition to a function to send and receive video and audio of each participant. In recent years, a screen sharing function or the like that allows another participant to view a material created by one participant or a screen viewed by one participant is often used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-117997

However, in a conventional online conference system such as the above patent document, the number of screens that can be shared among participants is generally limited to one. For this reason, each participant performs complicated work such as canceling the current screen sharing setting and sharing setting of another screen only for switching the material to be shared, or in order to perform the work among the participants. It is necessary to communicate such as requesting cancellation of the current screen sharing setting and confirmation of whether another screen can be shared. In this case, the labor of each participant is wasted just by switching the materials to be shared on the screen. As a result, even if an online meeting is held, participants are distracted by the screen sharing work of the materials and cannot concentrate on the contents of the meeting or materials, and the contents of the meeting while browsing the shared materials. There is a problem that it is not possible to record and organize the information and connect it to meaningful output.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an online conference support device, an online conference support program, and an online conference support system for smoothly sharing and switching materials in an online conference. The purpose is to provide.

The above purpose is achieved by the following means.

The online conference support device has a reception unit and an output unit. The reception unit can receive a plurality of sharing requests for the sharing screen from each user terminal. When the reception unit receives a sharing request from the first user terminal, the output unit transmits a sharing request notification to a second user terminal other than the first user terminal and outputs the sharing request. Send a sharing screen that corresponds to the notification. In addition, the reception unit can receive instructions regarding the layout of the online conference screen including the sharing screen and other communication screens from the user terminal, and the output unit is online according to the instructions received by the reception unit. The layout of the conference screen is determined, and the layout of the online conference screen is sent to the user terminal according to the determined layout.

The online conference support program is for making the information processing device function as the above-mentioned online conference support device.

The online conference support system has the above-mentioned online conference support device and a plurality of user terminals.

According to the online conference support device of the present invention, a plurality of sharing requests for sharing screens can be received from each user terminal, and when a sharing request is received from the first user terminal, a first user terminal other than the first user terminal can be received. A sharing request notification is transmitted and output to the user terminal of 2, and a sharing screen corresponding to the sharing request notification is transmitted. The online conference support device can receive instructions from the user terminal regarding the layout of the online conference screen including the sharing screen and other communication screens, and according to these instructions, the layout of the online conference screen is determined. Send the layout of the online conference screen to the user terminal according to the determined layout. This makes it possible to smoothly share and switch materials in an online conference.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the online conference support system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the user terminal shown in FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the support device shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for an online conference displayed in the user terminal shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows another example of the screen for an online conference shown in FIG. 6 is a sequence chart showing a procedure of processing executed in the online conference support system shown in FIG. 1. 6 is a sequence chart showing an example of a procedure executed following the process shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for an online conference which is displayed before accepting a screen sharing operation in the user terminal shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for an online conference which is displayed at the time of accepting the selection operation of the screen to share a screen in the user terminal shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for an online meeting which is displayed when the sharing request notification is received in the user terminal shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for an online meeting which is displayed when the sharing request notification is selected in the user terminal shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for an online conference which has been laid out and is displayed in the user terminal shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the other example of the screen for an online meeting which is displayed when the sharing request notification is received in a user terminal. It is a sequence chart which shows the procedure of processing of attention request executed in the online conference support system which concerns on modification 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for an online conference which is displayed when the attention request to another user is received in the user terminal shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for an online conference which is displayed when the attention request notification is received in the user terminal shown in FIG. 1.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[Embodiment]
<Configuration of online conference support system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an online conference support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the online conference support system includes a plurality of user terminals ( user terminals 100a, 100b, 100c, ..., 100x, hereinafter referred to as "user terminal 100" when they are not distinguished from each other) and a support device. It has 200, and each configuration is configured to be able to communicate with each other through a network.

The user terminal 100 is an information terminal such as a notebook PC, a desktop PC, a smartphone, or a tablet PC used by each user.

The support device 200 is a server provided by a business operator (hereinafter referred to as "service provider") that manages and operates an online conference support system and services. The support device 200 constitutes an online conference support device.

Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in detail.

<User terminal 100>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a user terminal.

As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 120, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 130, a storage 140, a communication interface 150, an operation unit 160, and a display unit. Has 170. Each configuration is communicably connected to each other via bus 180.

The CPU 110 controls each of the above configurations and performs various arithmetic processes according to the programs recorded in the ROM 120 and the storage 140.

ROM 120 stores various programs and various data.

The RAM 130 temporarily stores programs and data as a work area.

The storage 140 stores various programs including an operating system and various data.

The communication interface 150 is an interface for communicating with an external device such as a support device 200, and is used by, for example, standards such as 3G, 4G, and 5G for mobile phone communication, and standards such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Be done.

The operation unit 160 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is used to perform various inputs.

The display unit 170 is, for example, a liquid crystal display and displays various information. The display unit 170 may function as an operation unit 160 by being configured by a touch panel type display.

<Support device 200>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the support device.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support device 200 includes a CPU 210, a ROM 220, a RAM 230, a storage 240, a communication interface 250, an operation unit 260, and a display unit 270. Each configuration is communicably connected to each other via bus 280. The configurations of the CPU 210, ROM 220, RAM 230, storage 240, communication interface 250, operation unit 260, and display unit 270 include the CPU 110, ROM 120, RAM 130, storage 140, communication interface 150, operation unit 160, and operation unit 160 of the user terminal 100. Since it has the same function as the display unit 170, a duplicate description will be omitted.

The CPU 210 functions as a reception unit and an output unit. The reception unit can receive a sharing request for the sharing screen from each of the user terminals 100. In the present embodiment, this reception unit can receive a plurality of sharing requests. Details will be described later, but this enables the output unit to send a plurality of sharing request notifications to each user terminal 100 and display them, so that materials can be smoothly shared and switched in an online conference.

Further, the reception unit can receive instructions regarding the layout of the online conference screen including the sharing screen and other communication screens from each of the user terminals 100. The communication screen is, for example, a chat screen, a memo screen, a schedule screen, a whiteboard screen, a file management screen, and the like.

On the chat screen, for example, messages sent from each user terminal 100 are displayed in chronological order. On the memo screen, for example, a memo generated or edited by each user terminal 100 is displayed. On the schedule screen, a schedule generated or edited by each user terminal 100 is displayed. The whiteboard screen displays, for example, at least one of the characters and graphics generated or edited by each user terminal 100. On the file management screen, for example, a file saved or edited and shared by each user terminal 100 is displayed. Each of the above communication screens may be provided for each preset group or theme of users, and may be viewed and edited at any time by users participating in the group or theme. Further, each of the above communication screens may be provided for each user and may be shared with other users as needed. In the conventional online conference system, chats and memos exchanged between users during an online conference using video / audio calls and screen sharing disappear at the end of the online conference. There was a problem that the online conference system was not equipped with functions such as chat and memo, and it was not possible to efficiently record the results of the online conference and utilize it for future actions. According to the online conference support system of the present embodiment, the communication screen as described above is provided as the online conference screen, and the contents of the online conference can be freely laid out and displayed according to the user's instruction. It can be recorded efficiently and used effectively.

When the reception unit receives an instruction regarding the layout of the online conference screen, this instruction is transmitted to, for example, the output unit. The output unit determines the layout of the online conference screen according to this instruction, and transmits the layout of the online conference screen to each of the user terminals 100 according to the determined layout. As a result, the user of the user terminal 100 can participate in the online conference while displaying the sharing screen and the other communication screen at the same time, for example, and the efficiency of the online conference can be improved.

4 and 5 show an example of a layouted online conference screen displayed on the user terminal 100. The laid-out online conference screen transmitted from the output unit of the support device 200 (CPU 210) to the user terminal 100 is displayed on the display unit 170 of the user terminal 100, for example.

The laid-out online conference screens shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 include a sharing screen and a chat screen. In the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a sharing screen is displayed on the left side of the screen, and a chat screen is displayed on the right side of the screen. The laid-out online conference screen may or may not have a menu bar (FIG. 4). In the example shown in FIG. 4, the menu bar is displayed on the left side of the sharing screen.

On the user terminal 100, for example, a plurality of buttons for the user to lay out such an online conference screen are displayed. When the user selects this button, an instruction regarding the layout of the online conference screen is transmitted from the user terminal 100 to the support device 200 (reception unit). Upon receiving the instruction, the support device 200 creates or changes the layout of the online conference screen to be displayed on the user terminal 100, and transmits information for displaying the laid out online conference screen to the user terminal 100. The user terminal 100 displays a laid-out online conference screen based on the information transmitted from the support device 200. In the examples shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, buttons for "chat", "memo", "whiteboard", "file", and "live video" are displayed in this order from the left at the top of the screen. For example, "Chat" is a chat screen, "Memo" is a memo screen, "Whiteboard" is a whiteboard screen, "File" is a file management screen, and "Live video" is a sharing screen. be. This button may be displayed only by an icon (FIG. 4), or may be displayed by an icon and characters (FIG. 5).

On the sharing screen, the sharing screen corresponding to the sharing request notification selected by each of the user terminals 100 is displayed. In the user terminal 100 in which a plurality of shared request notifications are selected, for example, a plurality of sharing screens corresponding to the selected plurality of shared request notifications are displayed in a list (FIGS. 4 and 5). The sizes of the plurality of shared screens may be different (FIGS. 4 and 5) and may be the same (not shown). One sharing screen may be displayed on the user terminal 100 in which a plurality of sharing request notifications are selected, and at this time, the user may switch the one sharing screen displayed on the user terminal 100. ..

Note that each configuration of the online conference support system may include components other than the above components, or may not include a part of the above components.

<Overview of processing in the online conference support system>
6 and 7 are sequence charts showing the procedure of processing executed in the online conference support system. 8 to 12 are diagrams showing an example of an online conference screen displayed on the user terminal 100. The processes shown in the sequence charts of FIGS. 6 and 7 are stored as programs in the storage of each configuration, and are executed by the CPU of each configuration controlling each unit.

First, the user terminal 100a receives a sharing instruction on the sharing screen (step S101). For example, the sharing instruction on the sharing screen is accepted as follows. For example, before accepting the sharing instruction of the sharing screen, the online conference screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on the user terminal 100a. When the user of the user terminal 100a selects the "share screen" button displayed at the top of the online conference screen, the online conference screen as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. After that, the user of the user terminal 100a selects the target portion of the sharing instruction on the online conference screen, and the user terminal 100a receives the sharing instruction of the sharing screen. The user terminal 100a may accept sharing instructions such as a chat screen, a memo screen, a schedule screen, a whiteboard screen, and a file management screen.

Next, the user terminal 100a transmits a sharing request (hereinafter referred to as a sharing request a) to the support device 200 according to the received sharing instruction (step S102).

Next, the support device 200 receives the sharing request a transmitted from the user terminal 100a (step S103), and generates the sharing request notification a (step S104).

Next, the support device 200 transmits the generated sharing request notification a to the user terminals 100 ( user terminals 100b, 100c) other than the user terminal 100a (step S105).

Next, the user terminals 100b and 100c each output the sharing request notification a received from the support device 200 (step S106). For example, the user terminals 100b and 100c output the sharing request notification a by displaying a mark indicating the sharing request notification a on a part of the online conference screen. FIG. 10 shows an example of an online conference screen on which the sharing request notification a is output. In the user terminal 100 (for example, the user terminal 100b or the user terminal 100c), the sharing request notification a is output by displaying a circular mark at the upper part of the screen. This mark may be displayed in a highly visible color such as red, or may be displayed in another color. Further, this mark may have another shape, or may be a combination of characters and figures. The user terminals 100b and 100c may output the sharing request notification a by displaying characters and images on a part of the online conference screen. For example, the user terminals 100b and 100c display the image of the sender of the sharing request a, that is, the user name of the user terminal 100a, the icon of the user associated with the user, and the like, thereby displaying the sharing request notification a. May be output.

Alternatively, the user terminals 100b and 100c may output the sharing request notification a by displaying the sharing screen corresponding to the sharing request notification a on a part of the online conference screen.

For example, the user terminal 100b outputs the sharing request notification a received from the support device 200, and then receives the sharing instruction of the sharing screen by the user's operation (step S107). As described in the sharing request a, the user terminal 100b transmits a sharing request (hereinafter referred to as a sharing request b) to the support device 200 according to the sharing instruction (step S108). The support device 200 receives the sharing request b (step S109), generates the sharing request notification b (step S110), and transmits the sharing request notification b to the user terminals 100 ( user terminals 100a, 100c) other than the user terminal 100b. (Step S111). After that, the user terminals 100a and 100c each output the sharing request notification b received from the support device 200 (step S112).

For example, the user terminal 100c outputs the sharing request notification b received from the support device 200, and then receives the sharing instruction of the sharing screen by the user's operation (step S113). As described in the sharing request a, the user terminal 100c transmits a sharing request (hereinafter referred to as a sharing request c) to the support device 200 according to the sharing instruction (step S114). The support device 200 receives the sharing request c (step S115), generates the sharing request notification c (step S116), and transmits the sharing request notification c to the user terminals 100 ( user terminals 100a, 100b) other than the user terminal 100c. (Step S117). After that, the user terminals 100a and 100b each output the sharing request notification c received from the support device 200 (step S118).

As described above, in the online conference support system, the support device 200 receives a plurality of sharing requests (sharing request a, sharing request b, and sharing request c), and a plurality of sharing request notifications (sharing request notification a, sharing request notification b, and sharing request c). The sharing request notification c) can be transmitted to the user terminal 100. At this time, the support device 200 transmits the sharing request notification so that the user terminal 100 can specify that there are a plurality of shared request notifications to be output. For example, the support device 200 transmits the sharing request notification so that the user terminal 100 displays a plurality of sharing screens corresponding to the plurality of sharing request notifications. Specifically, the support device 200 displays a circular mark on the upper part of the online conference screen of the user terminal 100 (see FIG. 10), and then the user of the user terminal 100 selects this mark on the user terminal. A sharing request notification is transmitted so that a plurality of sharing screens are displayed in 100.

FIG. 6 shows an example in which the support device 200 receives the share request a, the share request b, and the share request c in order, and transmits the share request notification a, the share request notification b, and the share request notification c in order. Not limited. The support device 200 receives the sharing request a, the sharing request b, and the sharing request c at any timing and in any order, and transmits the sharing request notification a, the sharing request notification b, and the sharing request notification c according to the received timing. You may. For example, the support device 200 may collectively accept the sharing request a, the sharing request b, and the sharing request c, and collectively transmit the sharing request notification a, the sharing request notification b, and the sharing request notification c.

Next, using the sequence chart shown in FIG. 7, an example of the processing executed after the sharing request notification b and the sharing request notification c are output in the user terminal 100a will be described.

For example, first, the user terminal 100a accepts selection of a part or all of a plurality of shared request notifications (shared request notification b and shared request notification c) (step S119). For example, when the user of the user terminal 100a selects the "live video" button (see FIGS. 10 and 11) displayed at the upper part of the online conference screen of the user terminal 100a, the sharing request notification is sent to the user terminal 100a. Be selected. For example, the user terminal 100a accepts the selection of the sharing request notification b and the sharing request notification c. The user terminal 100a may accept the selection of either the sharing request notification b or the sharing request notification c.

Next, the user terminal 100a requests the support device 200 for a sharing screen corresponding to the selected sharing request notification (sharing request notification b and sharing request notification c) (step S120).

Next, the support device 200 receives the request from the user terminal 100a and generates a sharing screen corresponding to the sharing request notification b and the sharing request notification c (step S121).

Next, the support device 200 transmits the generated sharing screen to the user terminal 100a (step S122).

Next, the user terminal 100a outputs the sharing screen received from the support device 200 (step S123). For example, the user terminal 100a displays a sharing screen corresponding to each of the sharing request notification b and the sharing request notification c, that is, the sharing screen of the user terminal 100b and the sharing screen of the user terminal 100c as the online conference screen. By doing so, the screen for sharing is output.

FIG. 11 shows an example of an online conference screen including a sharing screen displayed on the user terminal 100a. In this way, in the user terminal 100a, for example, the sharing screen of the user terminal 100b and the sharing screen of the user terminal 100c are displayed side by side. For example, in the user terminal 100a, the size of the sharing screen of the user terminal 100b and the size of the sharing screen of the user terminal 100c are displayed differently. For example, the user terminal 100a can accept a selection of a larger shared screen. In the user terminal 100a, the size of the sharing screen of the user terminal 100b may be displayed so as to be the same as the size of the sharing screen of the user terminal 100c.

For example, the user terminal 100a accepts switching of the sharing screen displayed on the user terminal 100a, and even if the sharing screen of the user terminal 100b and the sharing screen of the user terminal 100c are switched and displayed one by one. good.

In the user terminal 100, when a plurality of sharing request notifications are output, the mark or the like may not be displayed on the online conference screen. Further, in the user terminal 100, no operation by the user may be required when a plurality of sharing screens are displayed. For example, the user terminal 100 may output a plurality of sharing request notifications by displaying a plurality of sharing screens corresponding to the plurality of sharing request notifications.

After outputting the sharing screen received from the support device 200, the user terminal 100a receives, for example, an instruction to change the layout of the online conference screen (hereinafter referred to as a layout change instruction) (step S124). For example, the user of the user terminal 100a performs an operation of moving one of the buttons (see FIGS. 10 and 11) displayed at the upper part of the online conference screen of the user terminal 100a to a predetermined display area. The layout change instruction is received at the terminal 100a. For example, the user of the user terminal 100a performs an operation of moving the "chat" button to the right side of the screen (for example, a drag-and-drop operation), whereby the layout change instruction is received on the user terminal 100a.

Next, the user terminal 100a transmits the received layout change instruction to the support device 200 (step S125).

Next, the support device 200 receives the layout change instruction transmitted from the user terminal 100a, and then determines the layout of the online conference screen according to the layout change instruction (step S126).

Next, the support device 200 generates a layouted online conference screen according to the determined layout of the online conference screen (step S127).

Next, the support device 200 transmits the generated layoutd online conference screen to the user terminal 100a (step S128).

Next, the user terminal 100a outputs the laid-out online conference screen received from the support device 200 (step S129). The user terminal 100a outputs, for example, by displaying a layouted online conference screen.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a layouted online conference screen displayed on the user terminal 100a. For example, in this online conference screen, a sharing screen is displayed on the left side of the screen, and a chat screen is displayed on the right side of the screen. For example, after the user of the user terminal 100a selects the "live video" button (see FIG. 11), the user performs an operation of moving the "chat" button to the right side of the screen to "live" on the left side of the screen for online conference. A sharing screen corresponding to the "Video" button and a chat screen corresponding to the "Chat" button can be displayed on the right side of the screen. As described above, in the layout of the online conference screen, a plurality of screens corresponding to the plurality of buttons may be divided and displayed.

As described above, according to the online conference support system according to the present embodiment, a plurality of sharing requests for the sharing screen are received from each user terminal 100. For example, the support device 200 can receive a sharing request from each of the user terminals 100a, 100b, and 100c. When a sharing request is received from the user terminal 100a, the sharing request notification is transmitted and output to the user terminals 100b and 100c other than the user terminal 100a, and the sharing request notification is selected in the user terminals 100b and 100c. The sharing screen corresponding to the sharing request notification, that is, the sharing screen of the user terminal 100a is transmitted to the user terminals 100b and 100c for output. Similarly, when the sharing request is received from the user terminal 100b, the sharing screen of the user terminal 100b is transmitted to the user terminals 100a and 100c for output, and when the sharing request is received from the user terminal 100c, the user. The sharing screen of the terminal 100c is transmitted to the user terminals 100a and 100b for output. In this way, when the support device 200 receives a plurality of sharing requests for the sharing screen from each user terminal 100, the sharing screen of the plurality of user terminals 100 is output to each user terminal 100 as an online conference screen. To. Therefore, each participant of the online conference does not need to perform complicated work such as canceling the current screen sharing setting and setting another screen sharing. In addition, communication between participants for performing such work becomes unnecessary. Therefore, in the online conference support system according to the present embodiment, it is possible to smoothly share and switch materials in the online conference.

Further, the online conference system can receive instructions regarding the layout of the online conference screen including the shared screen and other communication screens from each user terminal 100. The support device 200 determines the layout of the online conference screen according to this instruction, and transmits the layout of the online conference screen to each user terminal 100 according to the determined layout. As a result, the user of each user terminal 100 can arrange the layout of the online conference screen so that he / she can easily see it. As a result, for example, each user can easily talk and communicate with other users on the communication screen while browsing the material displayed on the sharing screen. Furthermore, the content of the conversation can be recorded like minutes, and the recorded content can be shared among the participants to confirm the agreement of recognition.

Many conventional online conferencing systems focus on video calls and voice calls between multiple users, and some have screen sharing and chat functions, but they can smoothly switch between multiple sharing screens. , It is not considered that the sharing screen and the chat screen can be freely laid out and easily browsed. For this reason, in an online conference conducted using a conventional online conference system, a sense of fulfillment can be obtained by having a conversation via video or audio and performing work for switching materials to be shared, but in the end. In many cases, it is not remembered or recorded what was said and what was decided, and the problem of low productivity of meetings has become apparent. Also, for example, in order to hold an online meeting while checking the meeting agenda, it is necessary to start and display another application for text editing, which efficiently facilitates facilitation for smooth online meetings. There is also the problem that it is difficult to do. According to the online conference support system according to the present embodiment, materials can be shared and switched smoothly in an online conference, and the layout of the online conference screen including the sharing screen and other communication screens can be freely arranged. Can be decided. Therefore, the above-mentioned problems in the conventional online conferencing system can be solved, and the efficiency of the online conferencing can be remarkably improved.

Further, in the online conference support system, when a plurality of sharing requests are received and a plurality of sharing request notifications are transmitted to the user terminal 100, the sharing request notifications are displayed side by side on the user terminal 100. May be output. As a result, the user of each user terminal 100 can easily identify the source of each sharing request while recognizing that the sharing request is made from the plurality of user terminals 100.

Further, in the online conference support system, when a plurality of sharing request notifications displayed side by side on the user terminal 100 are selected, a plurality of corresponding sharing screens are displayed side by side or switched. A plurality of sharing screens may be transmitted to the user terminal 100. As a result, participants in the online conference can share and switch materials with a simpler operation.

Further, in the online conference support system, each screen included in the online conference screen, that is, the online conference screen laid out on the user terminal 100 so that the sharing screen and the communication screen are displayed in a list on the user terminal 100. To send. There may be a plurality of sharing screens and communication screens. As a result, the user of each user terminal 100 can participate in the online conference while checking each screen displayed in a list at once, so that the efficiency of the online conference can be improved.

Further, the online conference support system provides a chat screen as a communication screen, which displays messages sent from each user terminal 100 in chronological order. As a result, for example, the user of each user terminal 100 can perform real-time communication between the users while browsing the material displayed on the sharing screen.

Further, the online conference support system provides a memo screen for displaying a memo generated or edited by each user terminal 100 as a communication screen. As a result, the user of the user terminal 100 can, for example, create minutes, a ToDo list, etc. in real time during an online conference and share them among participants as needed, which makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the online conference. Can be further improved.

Further, the online conference support system provides a schedule screen for displaying a schedule generated or edited by each user terminal 100 as a communication screen. As a result, the user of the user terminal 100 can easily check various schedules during the online conference, and immediately record and share the schedules of tasks and events determined in the online conference. Therefore, it is possible to reliably, easily, and efficiently manage the user's schedule.

Further, the online conference support system provides a whiteboard screen for displaying at least one of characters and figures generated or edited by each user terminal 100 as a communication screen. As a result, the users of each user terminal 100 can freely exchange their ideas via the whiteboard screen.

Further, the online conference support system provides a file management screen for displaying a file saved or edited and shared by each user terminal 100 as a communication screen. This facilitates the management of shared files in online meetings and makes it possible to improve the efficiency of online meetings.

Further, the online conference support system displays a button for displaying each screen included in the online conference screen on the user terminal 100 in order to receive an instruction regarding the layout of the online conference screen. For example, when the user terminal 100 receives an operation to move this button to a predetermined display area, the online conference support system causes the display area to display a screen corresponding to the button. For example, when a plurality of operations for moving a button to a display area are received in the user terminal 100, the online conference support system divides and displays a plurality of screens corresponding to the plurality of buttons in the display area. As a result, the user of each user terminal 100 can freely lay out each screen of the online conference screen with a simple operation.

[Modification 1]
In the online conference support system described in the above embodiment, the sharing request notification transmitted from the support device 200 may be output in another mode on the user terminal 100.

For example, the support device 200 may send a sharing request notification so that the number of sharing request notifications to be output by the user terminal 100 is specified. For example, the support device 200 transmits a sharing request notification so that the number of sharing request notifications output by the user terminal 100 is displayed.

FIG. 13 shows an example of an online conference screen of the user terminal 100 to which a plurality of sharing request notifications are output. In the user terminal 100, a plurality of shared request notifications are output by displaying the number of received shared request notifications, that is, "+3" together with a circular mark at the upper part of the screen.

The support device 200 may output a sharing request notification in the user terminal 100 so that the user terminal 100 that is the source of the sharing request is specified. For example, the user terminal 100 may output a sharing request notification by displaying the user names and icons of the user terminals 100 of the transmission sources of the plurality of sharing requests side by side.

[Modification 2]
The online conference support system described in the above embodiment may have a function related to a request for attention. The attention request feature is used, for example, when an online conference participant wants to draw the attention of other participants to part or all of his or her online conference screen.

In the online conference support system according to the second modification, the support device 200 (for example, the CPU 210) can receive the attention request from the user terminal 100. The attention request is to request other users to pay attention to a specific screen among the online conference screens of the user terminal 100. When the support device 200 receives the attention request, the support device 200 transmits and displays a attention request notification to the effect that the attention is requested to a specific screen to the user terminal 100 used by another user. When the attention request notification is selected in the user terminal 100 used by another user, the support device 200 is laid out online so that a specific screen corresponding to the attention request notification is displayed in the user terminal 100. The conference screen is transmitted to the user terminal 100. Hereinafter, the process executed by the online conference support system will be described with respect to this attention request.

FIG. 14 is a sequence chart showing a procedure for processing attention requests executed in the online conference support system. 15 and 16 are diagrams showing an example of an online conference screen displayed on the user terminal 100. The process shown in the sequence chart of FIG. 14 is stored as a program in the storage of each configuration, and is executed by the CPU of each configuration controlling each part.

First, the user terminal 100b receives an attention instruction on a specific screen of the online conference screens (step S201). For example, the online conference screen shown in FIG. 15 is displayed on the user terminal 100b, and the user of the user terminal 100b selects the "collect" button displayed at the top of the online conference screen. , The user terminal 100b receives the attention instruction of the specific screen.

Next, the user terminal 100b transmits a attention request (hereinafter referred to as attention request b) to the support device 200 according to the received attention instruction (step S202).

Next, the support device 200 receives the attention request b transmitted from the user terminal 100b (step S203) and generates the attention request notification b (step S204).

Next, the support device 200 transmits the generated attention request notification b to the user terminals 100 ( user terminals 100a, 100c) other than the user terminal 100b (step S205).

Next, the user terminals 100a and 100c each output the attention request notification b received from the support device 200 (step S206). For example, the user terminals 100b and 100c output the attention request notification b by displaying a mark on a part of the online conference screen. FIG. 16 shows an example of an online conference screen on which the attention request notification b is output. In the user terminal 100 (for example, the user terminal 100a or the user terminal 100c), the attention request notification b is output by displaying the figure representing the index finger and the user name of the user terminal 100b at the lower part of the screen. The figure representing the index finger may be displayed in a highly visible color such as red, or may be displayed in another color. Further, this figure may have another shape. The user terminals 100a and 100c may output the attention request notification b by displaying one of a graphic or a character on a part of the online conference screen.

After each of the user terminals 100a and 100c outputs the attention request notification b, for example, the sharing request notification b is selected in the user terminal 100a (step S207). For example, when the user of the user terminal 100a selects a mark (see FIG. 16) displayed at the bottom of the online conference screen in the user terminal 100a, the attention request notification b is selected in the user terminal 100a.

Next, the user terminal 100a requests the support device 200 for a specific screen corresponding to the selected attention request notification b (step S208).

Next, the support device 200 receives the request from the user terminal 100a and generates a specific screen corresponding to the attention request notification b (step S209).

Next, the support device 200 transmits the generated specific screen to the user terminal 100a (step S210).

Next, the user terminal 100a outputs a specific screen received from the support device 200 (step S211). For example, the user terminal 100a outputs a specific screen as an online conference screen by displaying a specific screen corresponding to the sharing request notification b, that is, a specific screen of the user terminal 100b.

As described above, in the online conference support system according to the modification 2, the attention request of the specific screen may be received from each user terminal 100, and this attention request notification may be output to the other user terminal 100. As a result, the user terminal 100 can attract other users to pay attention to the specific screen, and can further improve the efficiency for online conferencing.

Further, in this online conference system, when the attention request notification is selected on the other user terminal 100, the specific screen corresponding to the attention request notification is displayed on the user terminal 100. As a result, other users can easily see the specific screen.

[Modification 3]
The online conference support system described in the above embodiment may have a presence function. The presence function is used, for example, when a user of the user terminal 100 wants to check the status of another user terminal 100.

In the online conference support system according to the third modification, the support device 200 (for example, the CPU 210) can acquire display information indicating the display contents on the display unit of the user terminal 100 from the user terminal 100. For example, the support device 200 acquires the display information of the user terminal 100a. The support device 200 transmits the acquired display information to a user terminal 100 (for example, the user terminal 100b) different from the user terminal 100a, and outputs the information as display contents on the display unit of the user terminal 100a. For example, the support device 200 can cause the user terminal 100b to output the display contents on the display unit of the user terminal 100a in almost real time. The support device 200 may acquire display information from each of the plurality of user terminals 100. Further, the support device 200 may transmit the acquired display information to a plurality of user terminals 100.

As described above, in the online conference support system according to the second modification, for example, display information indicating the display contents in the display unit of the user terminal 100a is acquired from the user terminal 100a, and the acquired display information is transferred to the user terminal 100b. It is transmitted and output as the display content on the display unit of the user terminal 100a. As a result, the user of the user terminal 100a can easily confirm the display content of the user terminal 100b. Therefore, the user of the user terminal 100a can easily confirm the state of the user terminal 100b and, by extension, the state of the user of the user terminal 100b.

The online conference support system according to the modification 3 may have a presence function in addition to the function related to the attention request described in the modification 1.

[Modification 4]
The online conference support system described in the above embodiment may have a voice chat function or a voice message function. These functions are used, for example, for communication via voice between users of the user terminal 100.

In the online conference support system according to the fourth modification, the support device 200 (for example, the CPU 210) can receive voice information corresponding to the voice acquired by the user terminal 100. For example, when the user of the user terminal 100 selects the "voice chat" button (see FIG. 8) displayed at the upper part of the online conference screen, the user terminal 100 acquires the voice collected by the microphone. The voice acquired by the user terminal 100 is, for example, the voice of a user who uses the user terminal 100. For example, the support device 200 receives voice information from the user terminal 100a.

The support device 200 transmits the received voice information to the user terminal 100 (for example, the user terminal 100b) different from the user terminal 100a, and outputs the received voice information as the voice acquired by the user terminal 100a. The support device 200 may output the voice of the user of the user terminal 100a to the user terminal 100b in almost real time (voice chat function), or the user of the user terminal 100b outputs the voice of the user of the user terminal 100a. You may select the output timing (voice message function). The support device 200 may acquire voice information from each of the plurality of user terminals 100, or may transmit the acquired voice information to the plurality of user terminals 100.

As described above, in the online conference support system according to the modification 4, for example, the voice information corresponding to the voice acquired by the user terminal 100a is acquired from the user terminal 100a, and the acquired voice information is transmitted to the user terminal 100b. Then, it is output as the voice acquired by the user terminal 100a. As a result, the user of the user terminal 100b can hear the voice acquired by the user terminal 100a. Similarly, the user of the user terminal 100a can hear the voice acquired by the user terminal 100b. Therefore, it is possible to communicate via voice between the users of each of the user terminals 100, and for example, it is possible to communicate more face-to-face between the participants of the online conference.

The online conference support system according to the modified example 4 may have a presence function together with one or both of the function related to the attention request described in the modified example 2 and the voice function described in the modified example 3.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

For example, the user terminal 100 and the support device 200 may each be configured by a plurality of devices, or may be configured by a single device.

Further, the functions of each configuration may be realized by other configurations. For example, a part of each function of the support device 200 may be realized by a PC or may be realized by another server. Alternatively, a part of each function of the support device 200 may be realized by the user terminal 100 or the like.

Further, the processing unit of the sequence chart in the above-described embodiment and modification is divided according to the main processing content in order to facilitate understanding of each processing. The invention of the present application is not limited by the method of classifying the processing steps. Each process can be further divided into more process steps. Also, one processing step may perform more processing.

The means and methods for performing various processes in the system according to the above-described embodiment can be realized by either a dedicated hardware circuit or a programmed computer. The program may be provided, for example, by a computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk and a CD-ROM, or may be provided online via a network such as the Internet. In this case, the program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium is usually transferred to and stored in a storage unit such as a hard disk. Further, the above program may be provided as a single application software, or may be incorporated into the software of the device as a function of the system.

100 (100a, 100b, 100c ... 100x) user terminal,
110 CPU,
120 ROM,
130 RAM,
140 storage,
150 communication interface,
160 operation unit,
170 Display,
180 bus,
200 support device,
210 CPU,
220 ROM,
230 RAM,
240 storage,
250 communication interface,
260 operation unit,
270 display section,
280 bus.

Claims (20)

1. A reception unit that can accept multiple sharing requests for sharing screens from each user terminal,
   When the reception unit receives the sharing request from the first user terminal, the sharing request notification is transmitted and output to a second user terminal other than the first user terminal, and the sharing request notification is also received. Has an output unit that transmits the sharing screen corresponding to
   The reception unit can receive instructions regarding the layout of the online conference screen including the sharing screen and other communication screens from the user terminal.
   The output unit determines the layout of the online conference screen according to the instruction received by the reception unit, and transmits the layout of the online conference screen to the user terminal according to the determined layout online. Conference support device.
2. When a plurality of the shared requests are received by the receiving unit and a plurality of the shared request notifications are transmitted to the user terminal, the output unit is specified to output a plurality of the shared request notifications. The online conference support device according to claim 1, wherein the sharing request notification is transmitted.
3. When a plurality of the sharing requests are received by the receiving unit and a plurality of the sharing request notifications are transmitted to the user terminal, the output unit has a plurality of the sharing corresponding to the plurality of sharing request notifications on the user terminal. The online conference support device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sharing request notification is transmitted so that a screen is displayed.
4. When a plurality of the sharing requests are received by the receiving unit and a plurality of the sharing request notifications are transmitted to the user terminal, the output unit displays the shared request notifications side by side on the user terminal. The online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sharing request notification is transmitted to the user.
5. The online conference according to claim 4, wherein the output unit transmits a plurality of the shared screens to the user terminal so that a plurality of corresponding shared screens are arranged side by side or switched to be displayed. Support device.
6. The output unit is one of claims 1 to 5 for transmitting a layouted online conference screen to the user terminal so that each screen included in the online conference screen is displayed in a list on the user terminal. The online conference support device described.
7. The reception unit can further receive an attention request from the user terminal, which requests other users to pay attention to a specific screen among the online conference screens.
   When the attention request is received by the reception unit, the output unit transmits and displays a attention request notification to the effect that the attention is requested to the specific screen to the user terminal used by the other user. The online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
8. The output unit displays the online conference screen laid out so that the corresponding specific screen is displayed on the user terminal when the attention request notification displayed on the user terminal is selected. The online conference support device according to claim 7, which is transmitted to a user terminal.
9. The online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the output unit provides a chat screen for displaying messages transmitted from each user terminal in chronological order as the communication screen.
10. The online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the output unit provides a memo screen for displaying a memo generated or edited by each user terminal as the communication screen.
11. The online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the output unit provides a schedule screen for displaying a schedule generated or edited by each user terminal as the communication screen.
12. The online conference according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the output unit provides a whiteboard screen for displaying at least one of characters and figures generated or edited by each user terminal as the communication screen. Support device.
13. The online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the output unit provides a file management screen for displaying a file saved or edited and shared by each user terminal as the communication screen.
14. Any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the reception unit displays a button for displaying each screen included in the online conference screen on the user terminal in order to receive an instruction regarding the layout of the online conference screen. Online conference support device described in Crab.
15. The online conference support device according to claim 14, wherein the output unit displays a screen corresponding to the button in the display area when an operation of moving the button to a predetermined display area is received in the user terminal. ..
16. The online conference support device according to claim 15, wherein the output unit can divide the display area and display a plurality of the screens corresponding to the plurality of buttons on the user terminal.
17. The reception unit acquires display information indicating the display content on the display unit of the first user terminal from the first user terminal.
    The output unit transmits the display information acquired in the reception unit to a second user terminal different from the first user terminal, and outputs the display content as the display content in the display unit of the first user terminal. The online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.
18. The reception unit can receive voice information corresponding to the voice of the first user who uses the first user terminal from the first user terminal.
    Claims 1 to 17 that the output unit transmits the voice information received by the reception unit to a second user terminal different from the first user terminal and outputs the voice information by the first user. The online conference support device described in any one of the above.
19. An online conference support program for making the information processing device function as the online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.
20. The online conference support device according to any one of claims 1 to 18.
    With multiple user terminals
    Online conference support system.

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