JP4964832B2 - Terminal, method, program and storage medium for supporting communication - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a terminal, a method, a program, and a storage medium for supporting communication between a plurality of users scattered in a remote place, for example.

  When communicating such as a meeting between multiple users scattered in remote locations, the organizer user communicates the start of communication to the other users who are participants by telephone, or uses facsimile or e-mail It is common to contact them. However, in the contact method using the telephone, since the participant user has to interrupt the work and respond to the telephone, the response operation is very troublesome. Moreover, since it is difficult to use the broadcast when there are a plurality of participant users, the burden on the organizer user also increases. On the other hand, according to the contact method using facsimile or e-mail, the participant user only has to confirm the received message when the work is finished, and the organizer user contacts multiple participant users by broadcast. The burden can be reduced. However, since the participant does not always confirm the received sentence immediately, the real-time property is lost.

  Therefore, information such as whether or not the user is present is acquired by a data input / output device possessed by each user, and the acquired information is transferred via the communication server, so that the situation in which the other user is placed can be determined in real time. A communication system has been proposed so that people can learn. According to such a system, it is possible to realize the presence and connection of the other users between users (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-234590 A

  However, the previously proposed system transfers information between the user's data input / output devices via a communication server, so that the system configuration becomes large and when communication of the start of communication is to be made. There was a problem that the procedure was complicated and lacked practicality.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the purpose of the present invention is to provide communication in real time without forcing the burden of operations and procedures to the user. The object is to provide a terminal, a method, a program, and a storage medium for supporting the terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention provides a first button group for designating a person to be a communication partner, a second button group for designating a communication place, and the first button group. The first display element group provided in association with the button group, the second display element group provided in association with the second button group, and another terminal via a wireless network A communication support terminal comprising a wireless interface for transmitting / receiving information, a control unit connected to the first and second button groups, the first and second display element groups, and the wireless interface,
When the first button group is operated, the control unit generates a communication request including identification information of a person who operates the button and identification information of a person corresponding to the operated button. , Means for transmitting to the other terminal from the wireless interface, identification information of the person who operated the button when the second button group is operated, and identification information of the place corresponding to the operated button Means for generating a communication request including: and transmitting to the other terminal from the wireless interface; and when the communication request transmitted from the other terminal is received by the wireless interface, the received communication request The identification information of the person or place is extracted from the display element corresponding to the extracted identification information. Select from 1 and the second display element group is obtained so as to comprise means for emitting driven.

  Therefore, when the user operates the first button for designating the person to be the communication partner or the second button for designating the communication location on the terminal that is the communication request source, the user operates the button at this time. A communication request including the identification information of the requesting user and the identification information corresponding to the operated button is wirelessly transmitted to the terminal that is the communication request destination. On the other hand, when the request destination terminal receives the communication request transmitted from the request source terminal, the identification information of the person or the place is extracted from the communication request at this time, and corresponds to the extracted identification information. The display element is driven to emit light.

  For this reason, the requested user does not need a troublesome operation such as a telephone response operation, and the work is not forced to be interrupted. Further, since a communication request is broadcasted to a plurality of requested users by simply pressing a button corresponding to the requested person, the operation burden on the requesting user is greatly reduced. In addition, there is an advantage that the requesting user can notify the requesting user of necessary and sufficient information such as the person of the communication partner and the communication location only by performing a simple operation of pressing a button.

  Further, when the button is operated at the requesting terminal, a communication request is transmitted to the requesting terminal at that time, and when the requesting terminal receives the communication request, the display element is driven to emit light at that time. That is, the button operation at the request source terminal is notified to the request destination terminal in real time, and further notified in real time. For this reason, the real-time property is not lost as in the case of using a facsimile or electronic mail.

Another aspect of the present invention is characterized by further including the following various components.
The first characteristic component is provided in association with a third button group for selectively specifying the priority of the communication request from a plurality of priority levels, and the third button group. A third display element group; and a notification unit that generates at least one of sound and vibration. When the third button group is operated on the control unit, the button is operated. A communication request including identification information of the person who has performed and identification information of a priority level corresponding to the operated button and transmitted from the wireless interface to another terminal, and transmitted from the other terminal When the received communication request is received by the wireless interface, the priority level identification information is extracted from the received communication request, and this extraction is performed. Information indicating a correspondence relationship between the display element corresponding to the identification information selected from the third display element group and driving to emit light, the plurality of priority levels, and the plurality of notification operation modes by the notification unit; A notification operation mode corresponding to the priority level is read from the memory based on the memory to be stored and the priority level identification information extracted from the received communication request, and the notification operation mode is read according to the read notification operation mode. A notification control means for driving the notification unit is further provided.

  Therefore, when the requesting user designates the priority level by the third button group, the designated priority level is immediately notified to the requesting user by the light emission of the display element, and the designated priority is designated. The notification operation is performed by the notification unit in the notification operation mode corresponding to the level. For this reason, it is possible to notify the request destination user of attribute information such as the importance and urgency of the communication request based on the priority level, and drive the notification unit in a different notification operation mode according to the priority level. Thus, it becomes possible to make the requesting user recognize the importance or urgency of the communication request more accurately.

The second characteristic component is a communication request including identification information of a person or place within a predetermined time from the time when a communication request including identification information of a priority level is received in the notification control means of the control unit. Is received, the notification unit is driven in accordance with the read notification operation mode.
In this way, it is possible to limit the priority designation period, and it is possible to prevent the communication request designating the priority from being erroneously or frequently transmitted.

The third characteristic component further includes a voice interface for recording and reproducing and outputting a voice message, and when the voice message is recorded and input to the control unit by the voice interface after the communication request is transmitted. And means for transmitting the voice message from the wireless interface toward the terminal that has transmitted the communication request, and when the voice message transmitted from another terminal is received by the wireless interface. And a means for reproducing and outputting the voice message by the voice interface.
In this way, the requesting user can send an arbitrary voice message along with the communication request to the requesting user, thereby notifying the requesting user of supplementary information regarding the start of communication. It becomes.

  That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, a terminal, a method, a program, and a program for supporting communication, which can notify a request related to communication in real time without imposing a burden on an operation and a procedure to a user, and The storage medium can be provided.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a view showing the appearance of a communication support terminal according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the communication support terminal TM, a priority button group 173 is arranged at the center of the operation surface of the elliptical case 10, and a person button group 171 and a place button group 172 are arranged around the priority button group 173, respectively. A buzzer 20, a vibration motor 22, a microphone 24, and a speaker 25 are built in the upper part of 10.

  The person button group 171 includes a plurality of buttons (for example, five in the figure) to which a plurality of different persons who are communication partners are assigned. The location button group 172 includes a plurality of buttons (for example, five in the figure) to which a plurality of different locations assumed as communication locations are assigned. The priority button 173 includes a plurality of buttons (for example, three in the figure) to which a plurality of different priority levels are assigned. Each button constituting the person button group 171, the place button group 172, and the priority button 173 is configured by a push button switch, and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) is provided on the key top of each push button switch. Is provided. A plurality of LEDs provided in each button of the person button group 171 constitute a person LED group 181. A plurality of LEDs provided in each button of the place button group 172 constitute a place LED group 182. A plurality of LEDs provided in each button of the priority button 173 constitute a priority LED group 183.

The communication support terminal TM is configured and operated by hardware and software, and is configured as follows. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration.
That is, the communication support terminal TM includes a central control unit (CPU) 11. A program memory 13, a data memory 14, and a wireless communication interface (wireless communication I / F) 15 are connected to the CPU 11 via the bus 12, and a button group 17, an LED group 18, and a buzzer sound generating circuit 19 are connected. The vibration generating circuit 21 and the voice input / output interface (voice input / output I / F) 23 are connected to each other.

  Among these, the button group 17 includes the person button group 171, the place button group 172, and the priority button 173 described above. The LED group 18 includes the person LED group 181, the place LED group 182, and the priority LED group 183 described above. The button group 17 includes other function buttons such as a power button and a sound recording / playback button.

  The wireless communication I / F 15 includes an antenna 16 and transmits / receives a wireless signal to / from other communication terminals via a wireless communication network under the control of the CPU 11. As the wireless communication network, for example, a wireless network adopting a low power wireless data communication standard such as ZigBee is used.

  A buzzer 20 is connected to the buzzer sound generation circuit 19. The buzzer sound generation circuit 19 generates a buzzer sound (sound) from the buzzer under the control of the CPU 11. The magnitude of the buzzer sound is controlled in two steps according to instructions from the CPU 11. A vibration motor 22 is connected to the vibration generation circuit 21. The vibration generating circuit 21 drives the vibration motor 22 to generate vibration under the control of the CPU 11.

  A microphone 24 and a speaker 25 are connected to the voice input / output I / F 23. Under the control of the CPU 11, the voice input / output I / F 23 outputs and stores the user's transmission voice data detected by the microphone 24 to the data memory 14 and stores the received voice message read from the data memory 14. Loudspeaking is output from the speaker 25.

  The program memory 13 stores a communication start request transmission control program 131, a request notification control program 132, and a voice message transmission / reception control program 133 as application programs for realizing the control function according to the present invention.

  When the person button group 171, the place button group 172, or the priority button group 173 is pressed, the communication start request transmission control program 131 identifies the person, the place, or the priority level identification information corresponding to the pressed button. And a communication start request command including the identification information (user ID) of the user who is the owner of the terminal. Then, the CPU 11 is caused to execute control for transmitting the generated communication start request command from the wireless communication I / F 15 to each user terminal constituting the same community. Data representing the correspondence between the button and the identification information necessary for generating the communication start request command is stored in advance in, for example, a control data area in the program memory.

The request notification control program 132 causes the CPU 11 to execute the following processing.
(1) When a communication start request command transmitted from another terminal is received by the wireless communication I / F 15, the identification information of the person, place or priority level and the source terminal Each user ID is extracted. Then, the identification information of the extracted person, place or priority level and the LED corresponding to the user ID of the transmission source terminal are selected from the person LED group 181, the place LED group 182, and the priority LED group 183. To emit light. Note that the data representing the correspondence between the identification information necessary for selecting the LED and the LED is stored in advance in a control data area in the program memory.

  (2) A communication start request command including person or place identification information is received within a preset time (for example, 30 seconds) from the time when the communication start request command including the priority level identification information is received. In this case, the notification operation mode corresponding to the priority level is read from the control data area in the program memory 13. And the process which drives the buzzer sound generation circuit 19 and the vibration generation circuit 21 as a notification unit according to this read-out notification operation mode, and generates a buzzer sound and a vibration. FIG. 3 shows an example of the correspondence between the priority level and the notification operation mode.

The voice message transmission / reception control program 133 causes the CPU 11 to execute the following processing.
(1) Within a preset time limit (for example, 1 minute) from when the person button group 171, the place button group 172, or the priority button group 173 for transmitting the communication start request command is pressed. When a voice message recording / playback operation is performed, the voice data output from the voice input / output I / F 23 is temporarily stored in the data memory 14. Then, the stored voice data is read from the data memory 14 in real time and transmitted from the wireless communication I / F 15 to the destination terminal of the communication start request command.
(2) When voice message data is received by the wireless communication I / F 15 after receiving the communication start request command, the received voice message data is transferred to the voice input / output I / F 23 and sent from the speaker 25. A process to make loud output.

Next, the operation of the communication support terminal TM configured as described above and a communication support method realized by this operation will be described.
Here, for example, a case where a user who is a conference organizer intends to notify a plurality of users who are conference participants that a conference whose degree of importance is “medium” will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the operation sequence, showing a communication start request accompanied by a priority level designation and its notification operation.

(1) Operation according to person button operation and its end operation
The user who is the meeting organizer who is the request source first presses the person buttons corresponding to a plurality of users who are meeting participants, as shown in the step “1” in FIG. If it does so, CPU11 of the communication assistance terminal TM will start the communication start request | requirement transmission control program 131, if the said button operation is detected by step S41 as shown in FIG. In step S42, the operated button is identified, and a communication start request command is generated in step S43 based on the identification result.

  For example, if the pressed button is a person button as described above, the identification information of the person button is read from the control data in the program memory 13, and the read identification information of the person button and the button operation are read out. The communication start request command includes a user ID of the conference organizer who performed and a flag (in this case, a flag indicating pressing) indicating whether the type of button operation is pressed (on) or released (off). Insert or append to Then, the generated communication start request command is transmitted from the wireless communication I / F 15 to the communication support terminal TM of each user belonging to the same community group in step S44. The destination communication support terminal TM is specified by using a group ID as a destination address. When a plurality of person buttons are pressed at the same time, the communication start request command is generated and transmitted for each pressed button.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the CPU 11 of the destination communication support terminal TM receives a communication start request command addressed to the group to which the terminal belongs to in step S51, and receives the request by the wireless communication I / F 15. The notification control program 132 is activated. In step S52, the content of the received communication start request command is analyzed to recognize the pressed button from the identification information included in the command, and whether the type of button operation is pressed (ON). It is determined in step S53 whether it is released (off).

  As a result of this determination, if the type of button operation is pressed (ON), the process proceeds to step S54 and the notification process is executed as follows. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing contents. That is, the CPU 11 determines whether the identification information inserted into the command in steps S61, S63, and S65 is identification information indicating a priority level, identification information indicating a person, or identification information indicating a place, respectively. Determine. If it is determined that the identification information indicates a person, the corresponding person LED is turned on in step S64. Thus, the user on the conference side can know the arrival of the communication start request addressed to him / her.

  In this state, it is assumed that, in the requesting communication support terminal TM, the meeting organizer user releases (turns off) the pressed state of the previously pressed person button as shown in the step “2” in FIG. Then, after the CPU 11 of the support terminal determines the button operation in step S42, the identification information of the person button, the user ID of the meeting organizer who performed the button operation, and the type of button operation are determined in step S43. A command including a flag indicating release (off) is generated. Then, the generated command is transmitted from the wireless communication I / F 15 to the communication support terminal TM of each user belonging to the same community group in step S44.

  On the other hand, the CPU 11 of each requested communication support terminal TM receives the command in step S51, and moves to step S56 from step S53 if the command indicates release of the button press. If a buzzer sound and vibration are occurring at this time, the operation is stopped, and then the process proceeds to steps S57 and S58 to perform dimming control of the LED being driven to emit light. In this dimming control, when the LED being driven is a person LED or a place LED, for example, the light emission drive circuit is controlled so that the LED is gradually turned off over 10 seconds. In this case, for example, the light emission drive circuit is controlled so as to turn off more slowly over 30 seconds. The dimming time is set by a timer. Note that the turn-off time for each dimming process is not limited to 10 seconds and 30 seconds, and may be set to any value.

(2) Operation according to the priority button operation and its end operation
Next, it is assumed that the requesting meeting organizer user presses the priority button for designating the priority “2” as shown in the step “3” in FIG. Then, similarly to the case where the person button is pressed, the CPU 11 of the communication support terminal TM follows the communication start request transmission control program 131 and identifies the priority level “2” and the conference organizer who performed the button operation. A communication start request command including a user ID and a flag indicating that the type of button operation is pressed (ON) is generated in step S43, and the generated communication start request command is transmitted to the same community in step S44. Transmission is performed from the wireless communication I / F 15 toward the communication support terminal TM of each user belonging to the group.

  On the other hand, when receiving the communication start request command by the wireless communication I / F 15, the CPU 11 of the destination communication support terminal TM receives the command according to the request notification control program 132 as in the case of pressing the person button. Analyzing the contents of If the type of button operation is pressed (ON) and the identification information indicates a priority level, the corresponding priority LED is turned on in step S62. Thereby, the conference participant user can confirm the priority level of the communication start request received earlier.

  In this state, in the requesting communication support terminal TM, as shown in the step “4” in FIG. 7, the conference organizer user releases (turns off) the pressed state of the priority button that was previously pressed. In the same manner as the person button pressing release operation described above, in steps S41 to S44, the priority button pressing state is canceled (off) from the request source communication support terminal TM to each destination support terminal. ) Is transmitted. On the other hand, when each support terminal at the transmission destination receives a command for notifying that the button has been pressed (OFF), the light emission control of the LED being driven for light emission is performed in steps S57 and S58. However, in this case, since the LED being driven for light emission is a priority LED, the light emission driving circuit is controlled so that it is slowly turned off over 30 seconds longer than the case of the person LED described above. Therefore, the requested user can view the specified priority level more reliably without missing the specified priority level.

(3) Operation according to the location button operation and its end operation
Subsequently, it is assumed that the meeting organizer user as the request source presses the place button indicating the meeting place as shown in the step “5” in FIG. Then, the CPU 11 of the communication support terminal TM follows the communication start request transmission control program 131 in accordance with the communication start request transmission control program 131, as in the case of pressing the person button described above, and the user of the meeting organizer who performed the button operation. A communication start request command including an ID and a flag indicating that the type of button operation is pressed (ON) is generated in step S43, and the generated communication start request command is assigned to the same community group in step S44. It is made to transmit from radio | wireless communication I / F15 toward the communication assistance terminal TM of each user who belongs.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 11 of the communication support terminal TM of the transmission destination receives the communication start request command by the wireless communication I / F 15, the request notification control program 132 is the same as the case of pressing the person button described above. According to the above, analyze the contents of the above command. If the type of button operation is pressed (ON) and the identification information indicates a location, the corresponding location LED is turned on in step S66.

  At the same time, the CPU 11 of the destination communication support terminal TM determines whether or not the command for designating the location has been received within 30 seconds from the reception timing of the command for designating the priority level received in advance. Judge with. If the result of this determination is that it has been received within 30 seconds, the CPU 11 determines in step S68 the notification operation mode corresponding to the priority level based on the previously received priority level identification information in the program memory. 13 is read from the control data. Then, according to the read notification operation mode, the buzzer sound generation circuit 19 and the vibration generation circuit 21 as the notification unit are driven to generate a buzzer sound from the buzzer 20 and to vibrate the vibration motor 22.

  For example, if the priority level “2” is currently designated, the vibration motor 22 operates as shown in FIG. 3, and a buzzer sound of “small” volume is generated. When the priority level “3” is designated, as shown in FIG. 3, the vibration motor 22 operates and a buzzer sound of “large” volume is generated. For this reason, each requested user can surely recognize the communication start request by the vibration and buzzer sound even if the support terminal is accommodated in a pocket or the like, and the importance of the communication depends on the volume level. Or it becomes possible to recognize the urgency.

  Finally, in the requesting communication support terminal TM, as shown in the step “6” of FIG. 7, the conference organizer user releases (turns off) the pressed state of the place button that was previously pressed. As in the case of the pressing release operation of the person button and priority button, the location button pressing state is released (off) from the requesting communication support terminal TM to each destination support terminal through steps S41 to S44. ) Is transmitted.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 11 of each destination support terminal receives a command for notifying the release of the button (off), first, in step S56, the generation of the vibration and buzzer sound is immediately stopped. Then, in steps S57 and S58, control is performed so that the place LED during light emission driving is gradually turned off over 10 seconds.

(4) Voice message recording and playback operations
Recording of a voice message within a preset time limit (for example, 1 minute) from the time when the last button operation for transmitting the communication start request, that is, the place button is pressed, at the requesting communication support terminal TM.・ Assume that a playback operation has been performed. Then, the CPU 11 of the support terminal detects the operation in step S45 and activates the voice message transmission / reception control program 133. Then, the time limit is checked in step S46, and if it is within the time limit, the recording / playback process is started in step S47.

  That is, the analog voice message input from the microphone 24 is converted into digital voice data by the voice input / output I / F 23, and this digital voice data is temporarily stored in the data memory 14. Then, the stored digital audio data is read from the data memory 14 and encoded, and then transmitted from the wireless communication I / F 15 to the destination terminal of the communication start request. The voice message data recording / playback process ends when an end operation is detected in step S48 or when the time limit (one minute) elapses.

  On the other hand, the CPU 11 of the destination communication support terminal determines whether or not a voice message has been received in step S55 after the notification processing in step S54 described above. When voice message data is received by the wireless communication I / F 15, the voice message transmission / reception control program 133 is activated in step S 59, and the received voice message data is supplied to the voice input / output I / F 23 and supplied to the speaker 25. To make loud output.

  As described above, in the first embodiment, the communication support terminal TM is provided with the person button group 171, the place button group 172, and the priority button group 173, and the person LED is associated with these button groups 171 to 173. A group 181, a location LED group 182, and a priority LED group 183 are provided. When the person button group 171, the place button group 172, or the priority button group 173 is pressed, according to the communication start request transmission control program 131, the person, place, or priority level corresponding to the pressed button is displayed. A communication start request command including such identification information is generated and transmitted to each support terminal constituting the same community. On the other hand, when the communication start request command is received, the identification information is extracted from the received communication start request command according to the request notification control program 132 at that time, and the corresponding LED is set as the person LED group 181 and the location LED. The group 182 and the priority LED group 183 are selected and driven to emit light.

  Therefore, the user who requests the communication does not need a troublesome operation such as a telephone response operation, and the work is not interrupted. Further, since a communication request is broadcasted to a plurality of requested users by simply pressing a button corresponding to the requested person, the operation burden on the requesting user is greatly reduced. In addition, there is an advantage that the requesting user can notify the requesting user of necessary and sufficient information such as the person of the communication partner and the communication location only by performing a simple operation of pressing a button. Further, the button operation at the request source terminal is notified to the request destination terminal in real time, and further notified in real time. For this reason, the real-time property is not lost as in the case of using a facsimile or electronic mail.

  In addition, when the requesting user presses a button for specifying the priority level, the specified priority level is immediately notified to the requesting user by light emission of the LED at the requesting terminal, and the specified A buzzer sound and vibration are generated in the notification operation mode corresponding to the priority level. For this reason, it becomes possible to notify the requesting user of the importance or urgency of the communication request by the priority level, and a buzzer sound and vibration are generated in different notification operation modes depending on the priority level. This makes it possible for the requesting user to more accurately recognize the importance or urgency of the communication start request.

  Furthermore, in accordance with the voice message transmission / reception control program 133, recording / playback of voice messages within a preset time limit (for example, one minute) from the time when the person, place or priority level button was last pressed. When an operation is performed, the input voice message data is temporarily stored in the data memory 14 and then transmitted from the wireless communication I / F 15 to the request destination terminal. The request destination terminal receives the voice message data. The loudspeaker 25 outputs the sound. Therefore, the requesting user can send an arbitrary voice message together with the communication request to the requesting user, thereby notifying the requesting user of supplementary information related to the start of communication.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the case where the communication start request command is directly transmitted from the request source communication support terminal to the request destination communication terminal via the wireless communication network has been described as an example.
However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a communication start request command wirelessly transmitted from the requesting communication support terminal TMa is relayed by the communication support terminal TMc existing in a range communicable with the terminal TMa. Then, it may be transferred to other communication support terminals TMd and TMf existing outside the communication range of the requesting terminal TMa. This can be realized by providing each communication support terminal with a relay transfer function of a communication start request command.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, by providing the communication support terminal TMe with a serial interface, the communication start request command transmitted from the requesting communication support terminal TMa is received by the wireless communication I / F 15, and then the serial interface To the relay device RP1. Then, the data is transferred from the relay device RP1 to a relay device RP2 on another floor or building via a wired network NW1 such as a LAN (Local Area Network), and from the relay device RP2 to the communication support terminal TMh via a serial interface. You may comprise so that it may transfer.

  In this way, by providing the communication support terminals TMa to TMh with the relay transfer function and the serial interface, a communication start request command can be sent to a large number of communication support terminals existing beyond the wireless communication range of each communication support terminal. Broadcast transmission in real time becomes possible.

(Other embodiments)
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, when the location button is pressed within 30 seconds after the priority button is pressed, the LED is turned on and the buzzer sound / Notification was made using the occurrence of vibration. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and even when the person button is pressed within 30 seconds after the priority button is pressed, the pressing of the person button is notified using the lighting of the LED and the generation of a buzzer sound / vibration. You may do it.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, it is not essential to press the priority button, and a plurality of person buttons and place buttons are operated continuously or simultaneously, and then the pressed state of these buttons is sequentially released. Also good. In this case, in the communication support terminal on the receiving side, the corresponding LEDs are sequentially turned on in response to pressing of the plurality of person buttons and the place button, and then the corresponding LEDs are sequentially dimmed in response to release of the pressing of each button. Turns off.

  Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the case where the voice recording / playback button is provided and the recording / playback processing is executed according to the operation of this button has been described as an example. However, without providing a voice recording / playback button, the voice recording / playback time is set to a preset time limit (1 minute) from the time when the person, place, priority button was last pressed. The voice recording / playback function may be operated to perform voice message recording / transmission operations. It should be noted that other operation means such as a slide switch can be used instead of the voice recording / playback button.

  In addition, the shape and configuration of the communication support terminal, the number of buttons of the person button group 171, the place button group 172, the priority button group 173, the communication start request transmission control program 131, the request notification control program 132, and the voice message transmission / reception control program 133 The control procedure and control contents according to the above, the type of wireless communication interface, the number of priority level stages, the type of notification operation mode corresponding to the number, etc. can be variously modified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the communication assistance terminal concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware and software structure of the communication assistance terminal concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a priority level and alerting | reporting operation mode. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of the communication request transmission by the communication assistance terminal shown in FIG. 2, and a processing content. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence at the time of the communication request reception by the communication assistance terminal shown in FIG. 2, and a processing content. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the alerting | reporting process operation | movement in the communication request reception procedure shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the operation | movement sequence by the communication terminal shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the operation | movement sequence by the communication terminal shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the communication assistance system using the communication assistance terminal concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Case, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... Bus, 13 ... Program memory, 131 ... Communication start request transmission control program, 132 ... Request notification control program, 133 ... Voice message transmission / reception control program, 14 ... Data memory, 15 ... Wireless communication Interface (wireless communication I / F), 17 ... button group, 171 ... person button group, 172 ... place button group, 173 ... priority button group, 18 ... LED group, 181 ... person LED group, 182 ... place LED group, 183 ... Priority LED group, 19 ... Buzzer sound generation circuit, 20 ... Buzzer, 21 ... Vibration generation circuit, 22 ... Vibration motor, 23 ... Audio input / output interface (audio input / output I / F), 24 ... Microphone, 25 ... Speaker, TMa to TMh: Communication terminal, RP1, RP2 ... Relay device, NW1 Communication network.

Claims (10)

A first button group for designating a person to communicate with,
A second group of buttons for specifying the location of communication;
A first display element group provided in association with the first button group;
A second display element group provided in association with the second button group;
A wireless interface that transmits and receives information to and from other terminals via a wireless network;
A control unit connected to the first and second button groups, the first and second display element groups, and a wireless interface;
The control unit is
When the first button group is operated, a communication request including identification information of a person who operates the button and identification information of a person corresponding to the operated button is generated and transmitted to another terminal. Means for transmitting from the wireless interface;
When the second button group is operated, a communication request including identification information of a person who operates the button and identification information of a place corresponding to the operated button is generated and transmitted to another terminal. Means for transmitting from the wireless interface;
When a communication request transmitted from another terminal is received by the wireless interface, person or place identification information is extracted from the received communication request, and a display element corresponding to the extracted identification information is added to the display element. A communication support terminal comprising: means for selecting and driving the light emission from the first and second display element groups. A third button group for selectively specifying the priority of the communication request from a plurality of priority levels;
A third display element group provided in association with the third button group;
A notification unit that generates at least one of sound and vibration;
The control unit is
When the third button group is operated, a communication request including identification information of a person who operates the button and identification information of a priority level corresponding to the operated button is generated, Means for transmitting to the terminal from the wireless interface;
When a communication request transmitted from another terminal is received by the wireless interface, priority level identification information is extracted from the received communication request, and a display element corresponding to the extracted identification information is added to the first display element. Means for selecting and driving light emission from the three display element groups;
A memory for storing information representing a correspondence relationship between the plurality of priority levels and a plurality of notification operation modes using the notification unit;
Based on the identification information of the priority level extracted from the received communication request, the notification operation mode corresponding to the priority level is read from the memory, and the notification unit is read according to the read notification operation mode. The communication support terminal according to claim 1, further comprising notification control means for driving.   The notification control means of the control unit reads the reading when the communication request including the identification information of the person or the place is received within a predetermined time from the time when the communication request including the identification information of the priority level is received. The communication support terminal according to claim 2, wherein the notification unit is driven according to the issued notification operation mode. A voice interface for recording and reproducing and outputting voice messages;
The control unit is
Means for causing the voice interface to transmit the voice message from the wireless interface to a destination terminal that has transmitted the communication request when a voice message is recorded and input by the voice interface after the communication request is transmitted;
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for reproducing and outputting the received voice message by the voice interface when a voice message transmitted from another terminal is received by the wireless interface. The communication support terminal according to any one of the above. A first button group for designating a person to be a communication partner, a second button group for designating a place of communication, and a first display element provided in association with the first button group A group, a second display element group provided in association with the second button group, a wireless interface for transmitting and receiving information to and from other terminals via a wireless network, and the first and second A communication support method using first and second terminals, each comprising a button group, a control unit connected to the first and second display element groups and a wireless interface,
When the first terminal serving as the communication request source operates the first button group, the identification information of the person corresponding to the operated button and the identification information of the person serving as the request source Generating a communication request including, and transmitting from the wireless interface to a second terminal that is a communication request destination;
When the second button group is operated, the first terminal generates a communication request including identification information of a location corresponding to the operated button and identification information of the person who is the request source. A process of transmitting from the wireless interface toward the second terminal;
When the communication request transmitted from the first terminal is received by the wireless interface, the second terminal extracts person or place identification information from the received communication request, and the extracted Selecting a display element corresponding to the identification information from the first and second display element groups and driving to emit light. The first and second terminals are provided in association with a third button group for selectively specifying a communication request priority from a plurality of priority levels, and the third button group. Information indicating a correspondence relationship between the third display element group, a notification unit that generates at least one of sound and vibration, a plurality of priority levels, and a plurality of notification operation modes using the notification unit. And a memory for storing
When the first terminal operates the third button group, the communication request includes identification information of a priority level corresponding to the operated button and identification information of the person who is the request source. And transmitting from the radio interface toward the second terminal;
When the communication request transmitted from the first terminal is received by the wireless interface, the second terminal extracts identification information of a priority level from the received communication request, and the extracted identification Selecting a display element corresponding to information from the third display element group and driving to emit light;
Based on the priority level identification information extracted from the received communication request, the second terminal reads the notification operation mode corresponding to the priority level from the memory, and the read notification The communication support method according to claim 5, further comprising a step of driving the notification unit according to an operation mode.   The process of driving the notification unit is performed when the communication request including the identification information of the person or the place is received within a predetermined time from the reception of the communication request including the identification information of the priority level. The communication support method according to claim 6, wherein the notification unit is driven in accordance with the issued notification operation mode. When the first and second terminals further include a voice interface for recording and reproducing and outputting a voice message,
A step of transmitting the voice message from the wireless interface to the second terminal when the voice message is recorded and input by the voice interface after the transmission of the communication request;
The second terminal further includes a step of reproducing and outputting the received voice message by the voice interface when the voice message transmitted from the first terminal is received by the wireless interface. The communication support method according to claim 5, wherein:   The program which makes the said control unit perform the communication assistance method in any one of the said Claims 5 thru | or 7.   A storage medium for storing a program that causes the control unit to execute the communication support method according to claim 5.

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