Multi-point video conference system

[Detailed Description of the Invention]

[0001]

[Industrial Application]

The present invention relates to the multi-point video conference system which always enables a participant's grasp of the participating situation to a teleconference.

[0002]

[Description of the Prior Art]

Conventionally, there were some which are shown, for example in JP,61-225957,A or JP,2-142238,A as a system with this kind of device. Drawing 1 is a figure showing the composition of the conventional multi-point video conference system. As for 1~3, in Drawing 1, exchange network and 5~13 are TV conference terminals a TV conference controller and 4.

[0003]

Drawing 2 is a functional block diagram of the TV conference controller by the conventional teleconference participant search method. In Drawing 2, the circuit interface part in which 15 manages exchange network 4 and an interface, the CPU section to which 16 performs Call management, various event managements, memory rewriting, etc., and 18 are memory parts which memorize the member table etc. which comprise a name (number), a meeting participating situation, etc. of a meeting participating schedule terminal.

[0004]

Drawing 3 is a functional block diagram of the video conference terminal by the conventional teleconference participant search method. In Drawing 3, the circuit interface part in which 19 manages an interface with exchange network 4, the CPU section to which 20 performs Call management, memory rewriting, etc., and 22 are memory parts which memorize a meeting participating member table etc.

[0005]

Next, operation of TV conference controller 1~3 by a conventional example is explained based on the flow chart shown in Drawing 7. Now, let TV conference terminal 5 be a meeting holding person, and let TV conference terminal 6~13 be a meeting participant (a TV conference terminal is only hereafter called a terminal). Suppose that TV conference controller 1 has a meeting holding demand with terminal 5~9 from meeting holding person 5 at Step 70. After calling meeting participating terminal 6~9 at Step 71, TV conference controller 1 starts a meeting at Step 72, and if holding of a meeting is possible, it will notify the participating situation to each participating terminal while it writes the participating situation of the terminal which had the demand from meeting holding person 5 in the member table of a memory.

[0006]

TV conference controller 1 after becoming under meeting holding at Step 73, If it judges whether there is any a meeting participating member's inquiry from a participating terminal at Step 74 and there is no inquiry, it will progress to Step 76, and if there is a meeting participating member's inquiry, with reference to a member table, a meeting participating situation will be notified to the terminal which asked the meeting participating member at Step 75.

[0007]

TV conference controller 1 judges whether the event which gives change to a meeting participating situation, such as intervention, on the way at Step 76 in the middle of leaving occurred. If there is no event, it will progress to Step 78, and if there is an event, according to the event which occurred at Step 77, it will rewrite on the newest meeting participating situation table.

[0008]

It investigates whether it is the end of a meeting at Step 78, if it is the end of a meeting, after notifying that to a participating terminal at Step 79, a circuit is cut, and an applicable meeting is ended. If it is not the end of a meeting at Step 78, it will return to Step 74.

[0009]

[Problem(s) to be Solved by the Invention]

In order that the conventional multi-point video conference system may operate with the above procedures, Even when the event which gives change to a meeting participating situation, such as intervention, on the way in the middle of leaving occurred in the meeting at which he is present, if the meeting participant did not ask a meeting participating situation from a terminal to TV conference controller 1, he was not able to know a meeting participating situation. Therefore, there was a problem that each meeting participant always could not grasp the participating situation of an applicable meeting.

[0010]

When it is made in order that the present invention may solve the above problems, and the various events accompanied by the change in a meeting participant occur during meeting holding, It aims at providing the multi-point video conference system which makes it possible to display the meeting participating situation in the time on a video conference terminal even if there is no a meeting participant's demand.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problem]

In a multi-point video conference system in which a multi-point video conference system concerning the present invention has one or more sets of two or more sets of video conference terminals, and TV conference controllers, A means to create and memorize a meeting participating member table to the above-mentioned TV conference controller at the time of a meeting start, A means which rewrites a meeting participating member table according to a participating situation of a meeting of changing with the events when various events accompanied by a change in the number of participating terminals of a meeting occur during a means to notify the table to all the meeting participating terminals, and holding of a meeting, While having a means to notify the contents of the event to all the meeting participating terminals whenever the event occurs, A means to memorize a meeting participating member table notified to the above-mentioned video conference terminal from a TV conference controller at the time of a meeting start, and to display on a meeting participant, It has a means which the contents of the various events notified from a TV conference controller are displayed on a meeting participant, and rewrites a meeting participating member table according to the contents of a notice, and a means to display the meeting participating member table on a meeting participant.

[0012]

[Function]

In the present invention, a TV conference controller creates a meeting participating member table at the time of a meeting participant call, When a participating terminal participates in a meeting, it notifies to a meeting participating situation at each terminal, and displays on a meeting participant, When the various events accompanied by the change in a meeting participant occur, the member table is rewritten, and the contents (a certain terminals are intervention/leaving on the way to a meeting) of the event are notified to each participating terminal, and the terminal unit side rewrites a member table according to the contents of the event notified, and displays it on a meeting participant.

[0013]

[Example]

Hereinafter, one example of the present invention is described about a figure. In this example, it has the same composition as the lineblock diagram of the video conference terminal shown in the lineblock diagram and Drawing 3 of a TV conference controller showing in the system configuration figure and Drawing 2 of the multi-point video conference system shown in Drawing 1 as usual.

[0014]

And a means to create and memorize a meeting participating member table as a function of above-mentioned TV conference controller 1 at the time of a meeting start, The means which rewrites a meeting participating member table according to the participating situation of a meeting of changing with the events when the various events accompanied by the change in the number of participating terminals of a meeting occur during a means to notify the table to all the meeting participating terminals, and holding of a meeting, It has a means to notify the contents of the event to all the meeting participating terminals whenever the event occurs.

[0015]

A means to memorize the meeting participating member table notified from TV conference controller 1 at the time of a meeting start as a function of the above-mentioned video conference terminal 5, and to display on a meeting participant, It has a means which the contents of the various events notified from TV conference controller 1 are displayed on a meeting participant, and rewrites a meeting participating member table according to the contents of a notice, and a means to display the meeting participating member table on a meeting participant.

[0016]

Next, operation of the above-mentioned example is explained based on the example of renewal of a member table shown in the flow chart shown in Drawing 4, and Drawing 5. Let terminal 5 be a meeting holding person, and let terminal 6~13 be a meeting participant. Suppose that TV conference controller 1 had whether it was a meeting holding demand with terminal 6~9 from meeting holding person 5 at Step 40. If Tv meeting control device 1 can be held [ of a meeting ], it will create the meeting participating member table by video conference terminal 5~9 at Step 41, and will call video conference terminal 5~9 at Step 42.

[0017]

If there is a meeting start demand from call terminal 5, a meeting will be held while notifying a member table to the video conference terminal which wrote the attendance-and-absence situation of each video conference terminal in the member table at Step 43, and has participated at Step 44. It writes in for making a note of the member table in which each teleconference participating terminal unit was notified at Step 45, and displays on a meeting participant.

[0018]

It is investigated whether the event to which TV conference controller 1 affects a meeting participating situation, such as intervention, on the way at Step 46 in the middle of leaving occurred. the case where generating of the event was supervised as it was and an event occurs when there is no event -- it is -- according to a situation, a member table is rewritten at Step 47, and an event (for example, terminal 7 -- on the way -- leaving) is notified to all the participating terminals at Step 48. A video conference terminal rewrites a member table based on the event notified at Step 49, and it displays a new member table on a meeting participant (refer to Drawing 5).

[0019]

If it investigates whether a TV conference controller has the terminal which newly participated in the meeting, and there is nothing and it is [ progress and ] in Step 46 at Step 50, a member table will be notified to the terminal which newly participated at Step 51. The teleconference participating terminal unit which newly participated at Step 52 writes the notified member table in a memory, displays it on a meeting participant, and progresses to Step 46. As mentioned above, an event is managed till the end of a meeting.

[0020]

It is although the above-mentioned example showed the case where the whole member table was always displayed to a meeting participant, Usually, also when an event occurs, and displaying the situation to a meeting participant (the example of a display to each participating terminal monitor when terminal 7 leaves on the way is shown in Drawing 6), and there is a demand from a meeting participant and it displays a meeting participating member table, it thinks. Even if it is such a case, the effect of the present invention does not change.

[0021]

[Effect of the Invention]

As mentioned above, according to the present invention, since it constituted so that a meeting participant could always grasp other members' participating situation even if it was a case where there was no demand during meeting holding about a multi-point video conference system, it is effective in the convenience of video conference equipment improving for a device user.

[Brief Description of the Drawings]

[Drawing 1]

It is a lineblock diagram of the video conference system in which one example by the present invention is shown.

[Drawing 2]

It is a functional block diagram of the TV conference controller in which one example by the present invention is shown.

[Drawing 3]

It is a functional block diagram of the video conference terminal in which one example by the present invention is shown.

[Drawing 4]

It is a flow chart which shows operation of one example by the present invention.

[Drawing 5]

It is an explanatory view showing the situation of the renewal of a member table of one example by the present invention.

[Drawing 6]

It is an explanatory view showing the situation of a display of the event to the monitor of the TV conference terminal by one example of the present invention.

[Drawing 7]

It is a flow chart which shows operation of a conventional example.

[Description of Notations]

1~3 TV conference controller 4 Exchange Network 5~13 TV conference terminal 15 Circuit Interface Part 16 CPU Section 18 Memory Part 19 Circuit Interface Part 20 CPU Section 22 Memory Part