JP6954068B2 - Communication terminals, communication systems, transmission methods, and programs - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to communication terminals, communication systems, transmission methods, and programs.

In recent years, various cloud services have been provided by using communication between bases via a communication network such as the Internet. Video conferencing services out of the cloud service, due to the expansion of communication of demand between languages, have been diverted to the video interpretation services. According to the video interpreting service, by connecting the communication terminal of the user who wants to interpret and the communication terminal of the interpreter waiting at the call center, the user can provide the interpreting service while looking at the face in real time even in a remote place. It can be used. In such applications, a request for a call with attributes such as a translator who can translate English is required. In addition, communication protocols such as SIMPLE (Session initiation protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions) are provided with a presence notification function in order to confirm whether the other party is present when a call is requested.

Patent Document 1 discloses that a communication terminal displays an icon that reflects the state of a meeting for each meeting.

On the communication terminal, for example, by displaying the presence that integrates the states of the participants for each conference or the presence that integrates the states of the translators for each language, the user communicates whether or not the other party can make a call. You can check before making a call on the terminal. However, even if the presence is online, the actual state may differ from the presence, such as not being able to respond when the user is away from the communication terminal. Therefore, even if an attribute is specified on the communication terminal to make a call, there arises a problem that the call cannot be answered depending on the state of the called party.

The invention according to claim 1 includes a receiving means for receiving a designation of attribute, a receiving means for receiving attribute information of a plurality of destination candidates, and the presence information of the plurality of destination candidates, received by said receiving means Based on the attribute information and the presence information, the first transmission of the attribute received by the reception means among the plurality of destination candidates and in a state in which communication with the communication terminal can be started. A calling means for transmitting a call start request to the destination candidate, a management means for managing the identification information of the first destination candidate to which the call start request is transmitted by the calling means, and management by the management means. The second destination, which has a deletion means for deleting the identification information of the first destination candidate, which is different from the first destination candidate of the identification information managed by the management means. The attribute information of the candidate of the second destination and the presence information of the candidate of the second destination are received by the receiving means, and the attribute information of the candidate of the second destination indicates the attribute received by the receiving means, and the first When the presence information of the candidate of the second destination indicates a state in which communication with the communication terminal can be started , the transmission means transmits a request to start the call to the candidate of the second destination, and the transmission is made. After the call start request is transmitted by the means, the attribute information of the first destination candidate and the presence information of the first destination candidate are received by the receiving means, and the attribute information receives the received attribute. When the presence information indicates a state in which communication with the communication terminal cannot be started, the deletion means deletes the identification information of the first destination candidate managed by the management means. It is a feature .

According to the present invention, when making a transmission by designating an attribute in a communication terminal, it is possible to increase the responsiveness to the transmission.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an external view of the terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a software configuration diagram of the terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a terminal and a management system that form a part of the communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of each table managed by the terminal or the management system. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process in which the terminal logs in to the management system. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the reception screen. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for transmitting presence information. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of processing for managing the presence of each attribute. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for starting communication. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a list of attributes. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process of updating the destination of a call start request. FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for establishing communication between terminals. FIG. 16 is a display example of a message.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<< Overall configuration of communication system 1 >>
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 manages a plurality of communication terminals 10a, 10b, 10c in which a video conference terminal is an example, a plurality of communication terminals 70x, 70y in which a smartphone is an example, and each communication terminal. It is constructed by a communication management system 50 and a relay device 30. Hereinafter, the "communication terminal" is referred to as a "terminal", and the "communication management system" is referred to as a "management system".

FIG. 1 shows three terminals 10a, 10b, 10c, and two terminals 70x, 70y, but the number is not limited to this. Further, any terminal among the plurality of terminals 70x and 70y is referred to as "terminal 70", and any terminal among the plurality of terminals 10a, 10b and 10c is referred to as "terminal 10". The terminals 10 and 70 may be a general-purpose computer having a communication function, an electronic whiteboard, a car navigation terminal, an electronic signage (digital signage), or the like.

The management system 50 is a computer having a server function. The terminals 10 and 70 are computers having a corresponding client function. The terminals 10, 70, the relay device 30, and the management system 50 can communicate with each other by a communication network 2 such as the Internet, a mobile phone network, a LAN (Local Area Network), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), or Bluetooth (registered trademark). .. The communication network 2 also includes a base station 2a at the end of the mobile phone network. Although FIG. 1 shows one base station 2a, the number is not limited to this.

The relay device 30 relays content data such as sound data, video (image) data, and text data between the terminals 10 and 70.

The terminal 10 is arranged at the call center as an example of the base, and the terminal 70 is arranged at the front of the hotel as an example of the base. The management system 50, the relay device 30, and the terminals 10 and 70 may be arranged in the same country or region, or may be arranged in different countries or regions. The user of the terminal 10 is, for example, an operator, and the user of the terminal 70 is, for example, a customer.

<< Hardware configuration of the embodiment >>
Next, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is an external view of the terminal 10 according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal 10 includes a housing 1100, an arm 1200, and a camera housing 1300. Of these, the front side wall surface 1110 of the housing 1100 is provided with an intake surface formed by a plurality of intake holes, and the rear side wall surface 1120 of the housing 1100 is provided with an exhaust surface having a plurality of exhaust holes. 1121 is provided. As a result, by driving the cooling fan built in the housing 1100, the outside air behind the terminal 10 can be taken in through the intake surface and exhausted to the rear of the terminal 10 through the exhaust surface 1121. Since the sound collecting hole 1131 is formed in the right side wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100, the built-in microphone 114 described later can collect sounds such as voice, noise, and noise.

An operation panel 1150 is formed on the right side wall surface 1130 side of the housing 1100. The operation panel 1150 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons (108a to 108e) described later, a power switch 109 described later, and an alarm lamp 119 described later, and outputs sound from the built-in speaker 115 described later. A sound output surface 1151 formed by a plurality of sound output holes for passing through is formed. Further, on the left side wall surface 1140 side of the housing 1100, an accommodating portion 1160 is formed as a recess for accommodating the arm 1200 and the camera housing 1300. The right side wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100 is provided with a plurality of connection ports (1132a to 1132c) for electrically connecting a cable to the external device connection I / F 118 described later. On the other hand, the left wall surface 1140 of the housing 1100 is provided with a connection port for electrically connecting the cable 120c for the display 120 to the external device connection I / F 118 described later.

In the following, "operation button 108" is used to indicate an arbitrary operation button among the operation buttons (108a to 108e), and "operation button 108" is used to indicate an arbitrary connection port among the connection ports (1132a to 1132c). This will be described with reference to the connection port 1132.

Next, the arm 1200 is attached to the housing 1100 via the torque hinge 1210, and the arm 1200 can rotate in the vertical direction within a range of a tilt angle θ1 of 135 degrees with respect to the housing 1100. There is. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the tilt angle θ1 is 90 degrees. The camera housing 1300 is provided with a built-in camera 112, which will be described later, and can image users, documents, rooms, and the like. Further, a torque hinge 1310 is formed in the camera housing 1300. The camera housing 1300 is attached to the arm 1200 via a torque hinge 1310. The camera housing 1300 with respect to the arm 1200 in the vertical and horizontal directions within a pan angle θ2 of ± 180 degrees and a tilt angle θ3 of ± 45 degrees with the state shown in FIG. 2 as 0 degrees. It is rotatable.

The external view of FIG. 2 is only an example, and the present embodiment is not limited to this external view. Since the terminal 70, the relay device 30, and the management system 50 have the same appearance as that of a general smartphone or server computer, the description of the appearance will be omitted.

FIG. 3A is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal 10 according to the embodiment. The terminal 10 is used as a work area of the CPU 101 (Central Processing Unit), a ROM 102 (Read Only Memory) that stores programs used for driving the CPU 101 such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader), and the CPU 101 that control the operation of the entire terminal 10. RAM 103 (Random Access Memory), a flash memory 104 that stores various data such as a program for the terminal 10, image data, and sound data, and controls reading or writing of various data to the flash memory 104 according to the control of the CPU 101. When selecting the destination of SSD105 (Solid State Drive), media I / F107 (Interface) that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to recording media 106 such as flash memory or IC card (Integrated Circuit Card), and terminal 10. It is provided with an operation button 108 operated by the above, a power switch 109 for switching the power ON / OFF of the terminal 10, and a network I / F 111 for data transmission using the communication network 2.

Further, the terminal 10 has a built-in camera 112 that captures a subject and obtains image data under the control of the CPU 101, an image pickup element I / F 113 that controls the drive of the camera 112, a built-in microphone 114 that inputs sound, and sound. The image data is transferred to the external display 120 according to the control of the sound input / output I / F 116 and the CPU 101 that process the input / output of the sound signal between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 according to the control of the built-in speaker 115 and the CPU 101. The display I / F 117 to be transmitted, the external device connection I / F 118 for connecting various external devices, the alarm lamp 119 notifying the abnormality of various functions of the terminal 10, and each of the above components are shown in FIG. It is provided with a bus line 110 such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting to.

The display 120 is a display unit that displays an image or the like of a subject. Examples of the display 120 include a liquid crystal display and organic EL (Organic Electroluminescence). Further, the display 120 is connected to the display I / F 117 by the cable 120c. The cable 120c may be a cable for analog RGB (VGA) signals, a cable for component video, HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), or DVI (Digital Video). It may be a cable for an Interactive) signal.

The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state image sensor that converts light into electric charges to digitize an image (video) of the subject. As the solid-state image sensor, CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or CCD (Charge Coupled Device) Etc. are used.

External devices such as an external camera, an external microphone, and an external speaker are electrically connected to the external device connection I / F 118 by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like inserted into the connection port 1132 of the housing 1100. Can be connected to. When an external camera is connected, the external camera is driven according to the control of the CPU 101. Similarly, when an external microphone is connected or an external speaker is connected, the external microphone or the external speaker is driven according to the control of the CPU 101.

The recording medium 106 is detachable from the terminal 10. Further, as long as it is a non-volatile memory that reads or writes data under the control of the CPU 101, not only the flash memory 104 but also an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like may be used.

FIG. 3B is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal 70. As shown in FIG. 3B, the terminal 70 includes a CPU 701 that controls the operation of the entire terminal 70, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 702 that stores a program, and a RAM 703 that is used as a work area of the CPU 701. Control of EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 704 that reads or writes data according to the control of CPU 701, media I / F 707 that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to recording media 706 such as flash memory, and CPU 701. A CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor 712 that captures an image of a subject and obtains image data according to the above is provided.

The EEPROM 704 stores an operating system (OS) executed by the CPU 701, other programs, and various data. Further, the CMOS sensor 712 is a charge-coupled device that converts light into electric charges and digitizes the image of the subject. If the subject can be imaged, the CMOS sensor can be replaced with a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor.

Further, the terminal 70 uses a microphone 714 that converts sound into a sound signal, a speaker 715 that converts sound signal into sound, an antenna 711a, and the antenna 711a to communicate with the nearest base station 2a by a wireless communication signal. It is mounted on the communication unit 711, a display 720 such as a liquid crystal or organic EL that displays an image of a subject and various icons, and the display 720, and is composed of a pressure-sensitive or electrostatic panel, and is touched by a finger or a touch pen. It includes a touch panel 721 that detects a touch position on the display 720, and a bus line 710 such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting each of the above parts.

FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management system 50 according to the embodiment. The management system 50 includes a CPU 201 that controls the operation of the entire management system 50, a ROM 202 that stores programs used to drive the CPU 201 such as an IPL, a RAM 203 that is used as a work area of the CPU 201, and various programs for the management system 50. Media I that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to recording media 206 such as HDD 205 (Hard Disk Drive) and flash memory that controls reading or writing of various data to HD204 according to the control of HD204 and CPU201 that store data. / F207, display 208 that displays various information such as cursors, menus, windows, characters, or images, network I / F209 for data communication using communication network 2, input of characters, numerical values, various instructions, etc. Keyboard 211 with multiple keys for, mouse 212 for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting processing targets, moving the cursor, etc., CD-ROM 213 (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) as an example of a removable recording medium ), A CD-ROM drive 214 that controls reading or writing of various data, and a bus line 210 such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting each of the above components as shown in FIG. It has.

Since the relay device 30 has the same hardware configuration as the management system 50, the description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, the application is referred to as an application. FIG. 5A is a software configuration diagram of the terminal 10 according to the embodiment. "Communication application A1" is installed on the terminal 10 as a client application. As shown in FIG. 5A, the OS 1020 and the communication application A1 operate on the work area 1010 of the RAM 103 of the terminal 10. Of these, OS 1020 is basic software that provides basic functions and manages the entire terminal 10. The communication application A1 is an application for communicating with another terminal.

FIG. 5B is a software configuration diagram of the terminal 70 according to the embodiment. "Communication application A7" is installed on the terminal 70 as a client application. As shown in FIG. 5B, the OS 7020 and the communication application A7 operate on the work area 7010 of the RAM 703. Of these, OS 7020 is basic software that provides basic functions and manages the entire terminal 70. The communication application A7 is an application for communicating with another terminal.

The communication protocols of the communication applications A1 and A7 include (1) SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), (2) H.323, (3) SIP extended protocol, (4) instant messenger protocol, and (5). Examples include a protocol using the SIP MESSAGE method, (6) an Internet Relay Chat protocol (IRC), and (7) an extension of the instant messenger protocol. Of these, (4) instant messenger protocols are, for example, (4-1) XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), or (4-2) ICQ (registered trademark), AIM (registered trademark), or Skype (registered). It is a protocol used in (trademark) and the like. (7) A protocol that extends the instant messenger protocol is, for example, Jingle.

<< Functional configuration of the embodiment >>
Next, the functional configuration of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of terminals 10, 70 and the management system 50 that form a part of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 6, the terminals 10, 70 and the management system 50 are connected so that data communication can be performed via the communication network 2.

<Terminal function configuration>
The terminals 10 and 70 have transmission / reception units 11,71, operation input reception units 12,72, activation units 13,73, output control units 14,74, and storage / reading units 19,79. Further, the terminal 70 has a state management unit 75 and a transmission control unit 76. Each of these parts is operated by an instruction from the CPU 101, 701 according to an application (program) developed on the RAM 103, 703 from the flash memory 104 or the EEPROM 704 by any of the components shown in FIG. It is a function realized by.

Further, the terminals 10 and 70 have storage units 1000 and 7000 constructed by the ROMs 102 and 702, the RAMs 103 and 703, the flash memory 104 or the EEPROM 704 shown in FIG.

(Destination management table)
FIG. 7A is a conceptual diagram showing a destination management table. In the storage unit 7000 of the terminal 70, the destination management DB 7001 is constructed by the destination management table as shown in FIG. 7A. In this destination management table, the communication ID of the operator's terminal 10 which is a destination candidate, the presence indicating the state of the destination candidate, and the attribute information indicating the attribute of the destination candidate are managed in association with each other. The communication ID is information for specifying a communication destination in the communication system 1. The communication ID is not particularly limited, and includes, for example, identification information of terminals 10, 70, user identification information of terminals 10, 70, an account, and the like. The details of the presence will be described later.

(Presence management table)
FIG. 7B is a conceptual diagram showing a presence management table. The presence management DB 7002 is constructed in the storage unit 7000 of the terminal 70 by the presence management table as shown in FIG. 7B. In this presence management table, attribute information indicating the attribute of the destination candidate, the presence that integrates each presence of each destination candidate of the attribute, the communication ID of the terminal 10 of the presence "Online" that can make a call among the destination candidates of the attribute, And, among the destination candidates of the attribute, the communication ID of the terminal 10 of the presence "Chat" during a call is associated and managed. The process of integrating the presence of each destination candidate to generate the presence of the attribute will be described later.

(Destination management table)
FIG. 7C is a conceptual diagram showing a destination management table. In the storage unit 7000 of the terminal 70, the destination management DB 7003 is constructed by the destination management table as shown in FIG. 7 (C). In this embodiment, the terminal 70 is used by the customer and the terminal 10 is used by the operator. The terminal 70 can transmit a call start request to a plurality of terminals 10 at the same timing. The destination management table manages the communication ID of the destination terminal 10 of the current call start request by the own terminal 70. The number of communication IDs managed in the destination management table varies depending on the process of transmitting the call start request and the process of canceling the call start request by the own terminal 70.

Next, each functional configuration in the terminal 10 will be described in detail. In the following description of each functional configuration in the terminal 10, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration among the constituent elements shown in FIG. 3 will also be described.

The transmission / reception units 11 and 71 are realized by commands from the CPUs 101 and 701 and the network I / F 111 or the communication unit 711, and transmit and receive various information to and from the terminal of the communication partner, each device or system, etc. via the communication network 2. conduct.

The operation input receiving units 12 and 72 are realized by commands from the CPUs 101 and 701, operation buttons 108a, 108b, 108c, 108d, 108e or a touch panel 721, and a power switch 109, and receive various inputs or various selections by the user.

The activation units 13 and 73 are realized by commands from the CPUs 101 and 701, and activate the operations of the communication applications A1 and A7.

The output control units 14 and 74 are realized by the instructions from the CPUs 101 and 701 and the display I / F 117 and the sound input / output I / F 116, and control the output of the image data and the sound data.

The state management unit 75 of the terminal 70 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 701 and manages the state of the destination candidate based on the presence information sent from the terminal 10.

The transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 701, and controls the transmission of a call start request to the destination candidate based on the state of the destination candidate.

The storage / reading units 19 and 79 are realized by commands from the CPUs 101 and 701, and perform a process of storing various data in the storage units 1000 and 7000 and reading various data stored in the storage units 1000 and 7000.

<Functional configuration of management system>
The management system 50 includes a transmission / reception unit 51, an authentication unit 52, a management unit 53, a session control unit 58, and a storage / reading unit 59. Each of these parts is a function realized by operating any of the components shown in FIG. 4 by an instruction from the CPU 201 according to a program for the management system 50 developed on the RAM 203 from the HD 204. be. Further, the management system 50 has a storage unit 5000 constructed by HD204. Further, in the storage unit 5000, each DB is constructed by each table as shown below.

(Authentication management table)
FIG. 7D is a conceptual diagram showing an authentication management table. In the storage unit 5000, the authentication management DB 5001 is constructed by the authentication management table as shown in FIG. 7D. In this authentication management table, a password for authentication is associated and managed for each communication ID of all terminals 10 and 70 managed by the management system 50.

(Terminal management table)
FIG. 7 (E) is a conceptual diagram showing a terminal management table. In the storage unit 5000, the terminal management DB 5002 is constructed by the terminal management table as shown in FIG. 7 (E). In this terminal management table, the IP addresses of the terminals 10 and 70 are associated and managed for each communication ID of the terminals 10 and 70.

<Each functional configuration of the management system>
Next, each functional configuration of the management system 50 will be described in detail. In the following description of each functional configuration of the management system 50, among the constituent elements shown in FIG. 4, the relationship with the main constituent elements for realizing each functional configuration of the management system 50 is also included. explain.

The transmission / reception unit 51 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 and a network I / F 209, and transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from each terminal, device, or system via the communication network 2.

The authentication unit 52 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201, searches the authentication management table using the communication ID and password received by the transmission / reception unit 51 as a search key, and the same communication ID and password are managed in this authentication management table. Authenticate the terminal by determining if it is.

The management unit 53 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201, and manages the terminal 10 by recording the information of the terminal 10 in the terminal management table (see (E) of FIG. 7).

The session control unit 58 controls a session for transmitting content data between the terminals 10 and 70 by an instruction from the CPU 201. This control includes control for establishing a session, control for joining terminals 10 and 70 in the established session, control for leaving the session, and the like.

The storage / reading unit 59 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 and an instruction from the HDD 205, or is realized by a command from the CPU 201, and is a process of storing various data in the storage unit 5000 or extracting various data stored in the storage unit 5000. I do.

<< Processing / operation of communication system 1 >>
Subsequently, the processing and operation in the communication system 1 will be described.

First, the process of logging in to the management system 50 by the terminals 10 and 70 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process in which the terminals 10 and 70 log in to the management system 50.

When the user of the terminal 70 turns on the power switch, the operation input receiving unit 72 accepts the power on and activates the terminal 70 (step S1). When the terminal 70 is activated, the activation unit 73 activates the communication application A7 installed in the terminal 70 (step S2). Hereinafter, the processing in the terminal 70 is executed by the instruction of the communication application A7.

The transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70 transmits a login request to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 (step S3). This login request includes a communication ID and a password for identifying the own terminal that is the login request source. In the present embodiment, the communication ID of the terminal 70 is represented by an acronym "C" so that it can be determined that the terminal 70 is the terminal 70 on the customer side. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the communication IDs of the terminals 70x and 70y are "C01 and C02".

The transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the login request. When the login request is transmitted from the terminal 70 to the management system 50, the management system 50 on the receiving side can acquire the IP address of the terminal 70 on the transmitting side.

Next, the authentication unit 52 of the management system 50 searches the authentication management table of the storage unit 5000 (see (D) in FIG. 7) using the communication ID and password included in the login request as search keys, and this authentication is performed. Authentication is performed by determining whether the same communication ID and password are managed in the management table (step S4).

When the authentication unit 52 authenticates that the login request is from the terminal 70 having the proper usage authority, the management unit 53 puts the login request source in the terminal management table (see (E) in FIG. 7). The communication ID and IP address of the terminal 70 are associated and recorded (step S5).

The transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits the authentication result information indicating the authentication result of the authentication unit 52 to the terminal 70 of the login request source via the communication network 2 (step S6). As a result, the transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70 receives the authentication result information. Hereinafter, a case where the authentication of the terminals 70x and 70y of the login request source is successful and the terminals 70x and 70y log in to the management system 50 will be described.

On the other hand, when the user of the terminal 10 on the operator side turns on the power switch 109, the operation input receiving unit 12 accepts the power ON and activates the terminal 10 (step S11). When the terminal 10 is activated, the activation unit 13 activates the communication application A1 installed on the terminal 10 (step S12). Hereinafter, the processing in the terminal 10 is executed by the instruction of the communication application A1.

The output control unit 14 of the terminal 10 outputs a reception screen for receiving the input of the attribute of the operator who is the user of the terminal 10 to the display 120. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the reception screen. The reception screen 140 includes a field for accepting input of a communication ID and a password, as well as a check box for selecting and selecting a language that can be supported as an operator attribute. When the operator selects a compatible language and presses the OK button on the reception screen 140, the operation input reception unit 12 accepts the input of the operator's attributes (step S13-1). The storage / reading unit 19 stores the attribute information corresponding to the selected attribute in the storage unit 1000. Below, the attribute information corresponding to the attributes "English, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Russian" is "en, zh, ko, pt, es, th, ru", respectively. And.

The terminal 10 sends a login request to the management system 50 and logs in to the management system 50 (steps S13-2, S14, S15, S16). Since this process is the same as the process of steps S3, S4, S5, and S6 between the terminal 70 and the management system 50, the description thereof will be omitted. However, the communication ID transmitted from the terminal 10 to the management system 50 in the login request is represented by an acronym "O" so that it can be determined that the terminal 10 is on the operator side. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the communication IDs of the terminals 10a, 10b, and 10c are "O01, O02, O03". If the authentication of the terminals 10a, 10b, 10c of the login request source is successful, the terminals 10a, 10b, 10c log in to the management system 50.

Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 10, a process of transmitting presence information indicating the state on the operator side from the terminal 10 to the terminal 70 will be described. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for transmitting presence information.

The communication application A1 manages the event that triggers the state transition and the presence after the transition due to the occurrence of the event in the storage unit 1000. The presence is used to identify whether the operator, who is the user of the terminal 10, is ready to start a call. The presence indicating a state in which a call can be started includes "Online" indicating a state in which the terminal 10 is logged in to the management system 50 and is not communicating with the terminal 70 on the customer side. The presence indicating that the call cannot be started includes "Offline" indicating that the terminal 10 is not logged in to the management system 50, and "Offline" indicating that the terminal 10 is logged in to the management system 50, but the customer has already logged in. "Chat" indicating a state in which a new call cannot be started because the terminal 70 is communicating with the side terminal 70 is included. The presence is not limited to the above. For example, the presence may include those based on user input. Among the presences based on user input, an example of a presence indicating a state in which a call cannot be started is "away from the desk".

As an example of the event that triggers the transition to the presence "Online", the terminal 10 may receive the authentication result information in step S16, accept the input of the call termination request from the user, and the like. As an example of the event that triggers the transition to the presence "Offline", there is a logout from the management system 50 by the terminal 10. An example of an event that triggers a transition to the presence “Chat” is establishment of communication between terminals 70 and 10 (step S105 described later). The event that triggers the transition of presence is not particularly limited as long as it can be detected, and can be arbitrarily set according to the communication protocol and the processing content by the communication application A1.

When any of the above events occurs in the terminal 10a (step S21), the storage / reading unit 19 reads the attribute information from the storage unit 1000. The attribute information to be read corresponds to attributes such as "English, Chinese, Spanish" input by the operator who is the user of the terminal 10a at the time of login (see step S13-1). The transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10a includes the presence indicating the state after the transition due to the event occurrence in step S21, the attribute information read from the storage unit 1000, and the presence information including the communication ID “O01” of the transmission source terminal 10a. Is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S22). For example, when the terminal 10a receives the authentication result information in step S16, the terminal 10a transmits the presence information including the presence "Online" to the management system. Further, when the log-out request is received, the terminal 10a transmits the presence information including the presence "Offline" to the management system 50. Further, the terminal 10a transmits presence information including the presence "Chat" to the management system 50 in response to the establishment of communication with the terminal 70. If the attribute information is not updated after the attribute information is recorded in the storage unit 1000 in step S13-1, the terminal 10a transmits the presence information including the same attribute information to the management system 50 every time an event occurs. do.

When the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the presence information transmitted by the terminal 10a, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the received presence information to the terminals 70x and 70y on the customer side logged in to the management system 50 (steps S23 and S24). ). The method of identifying the terminal 70 on the customer side logged in to the management system 50 is not particularly limited, but as an example, from the terminal management table (see (E) in FIG. 7), "C" is an acronym for the communication ID. A reading method can be mentioned.

The transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminals 70x and 70y receives the presence information transmitted from the terminal 10a on the operator side via the management system 50. The storage / reading unit 79 of the terminals 70x and 70y associates the communication ID, presence, and attribute information included in the received presence information and records them in the destination management table (see (A) of FIG. 7) (steps S25 and S26). ). When a record having the same communication ID as the communication ID included in the received presence information exists in the destination management table, the storage / reading unit 79 is recorded in this record based on the newly received presence information. Update your presence. As a result, the terminals 70x and 70y can manage the latest presence on the terminal 10a side.

When the above event occurs in the terminal 10b on the operator side, between the terminal 10b, the management system 50, and the terminals 70x, 70y, steps S21, S22, S23, between the terminal 10a, the management system 50, and the terminals 70x, 70y, The same processing as in S24, S25, and S26 is executed (steps S31, S32, S33, S34, S35, S36). When the above event occurs in the terminal 10c on the operator side, between the terminal 10c, the management system 50, and the terminals 70x, 70y, steps S21, S22, S23, between the terminal 10a, the management system 50, and the terminals 70x, 70y, The same processing as in S24, S25, and S26 is executed (steps S41, S42, S43, S44, S45, S46). As a result, the terminals 70x and 70y can manage the latest presence on the terminals 10b and 10c.

Subsequently, the process of managing the presence for each attribute will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of processing for managing the presence of each attribute. Hereinafter, the operator side is referred to as a destination candidate on the assumption that a call is requested from the customer side to the operator side. When the destination candidate selects a plurality of attributes (for example, "English, Chinese, Spanish") in step S13-1, the destination candidate belongs to a group of a plurality of attributes. The presence "Online" of the attribute indicates that one of the destination candidates of this attribute is the presence "Online" that can be talked to. The presence "Chat" of the attribute indicates that none of the destination candidates of the group of this attribute is in the state of the presence "Online", and that one or more destination candidates of the presence "Chat" during the call are included. The presence "Offline" of the attribute indicates that all of the destination candidates of this attribute are the presence "Offline". Hereinafter, the processing of the terminal 70x will be described, but the terminal 70y can also execute the same processing.

The state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x has a communication ID and presence recorded in the updated record each time the presence of the destination management table (see (A) in FIG. 7) is updated in steps S26, S36, and S46. , And the attribute information is acquired (step S51).

The state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x updates each record including the attribute information acquired in step S51 in the presence management table (see (B) of FIG. 7). That is, when the attribute information "en, zh, es" is acquired in step S51, the state management unit 75 updates each record including the attribute information "en, zh, es" in the presence management table.

Hereinafter, as an example, when the presence information "Online, (en, zh, es), O01" is transmitted from the terminal 10a to the terminal 70x via the management system 50, and this information is acquired in step S51. The process will be described (Online in step S52).

First, in the loop process, the process of updating the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table will be described. The state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x lists the communication IDs of the terminals 10 that are in a talkable state in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table (see (B) in FIG. 7). Refer to the field. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a field in which the communication IDs of the terminals 10 in a communicable state are listed is referred to as a “communicable field”. As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether or not the communication ID "O01" acquired in step S51 is included in the call-enabled field (step S53).

When it is determined that the communication ID "O01" acquired in step S51 is not included in the call-enabled field in the presence management table (NO in step S53), the state management unit 75 puts the call-enabled field in the call-enabled field. The acquired communication ID "O01" is added (step S54).

When the process of step S54 is completed, or when YES in step S53, the state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x records the attribute information "en" in the presence management table (see (B) of FIG. 7). Refer to the field in which the communication ID of the terminal 10 in the busy state in the record is listed. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, a field in which the communication IDs of the terminals 10 in the communicating state are listed is referred to as a “communication field”. As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether or not the communication ID "O01" acquired in step S51 is included in the field during the call (step S55).

When it is determined that the communication ID "O01" acquired in step S51 is included in the field during a call in the presence management table (YES in step S55), the communication ID acquired from the field during a call is input. Delete (step S56). By the processing up to this point, the attribute information "en" of the presence management table is recorded regardless of whether the presence on the terminal 10a side transitions from "Chat" to "Online" or from "Offline" to "Online". In the recorded record, the communication ID of the terminal 10a is recorded only in the field where the call is possible.

When the process of step S56 is completed, or when NO in step S55, the state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x records the attribute information "en" in the presence management table (see (B) of FIG. 7). Refer to the presence of the attribute in the record. As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether the presence of the group is “Online” (step S57).

When it is determined that the presence of the attribute in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is not "Online" (NO in step S57), the state management unit 75 updates the presence of this attribute to "Online". When it is determined that the presence of the attribute in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is "Online" (YES in step S57), the state management unit 75 determines the attribute in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded. Do not update your presence. By the processing up to this point, the presence of the attribute in the record in which the attribute information "en" of the presence management table is recorded becomes "Online".

Since the attribute information "en, zh, es" is acquired in step S51, the state management unit 75 performs the same for each record in which the attribute information "zh, es" in the presence management table is recorded in the loop processing. Update to. When the loop processing is completed, the presence management table of FIG. 7A is updated as shown in Table 1.

Subsequently, the presence information "Chat, (en, zh, es), O01" is transmitted from the terminal 10a to the terminal 70x via the management system 50, and the processing when these presence information is acquired in step S51. (Chat in step S52).

First, in the loop process, the process of updating the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table will be described. The state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x refers to the callable field in the record in which the attribute information “en” is recorded in the presence management table (see Table 1). As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether the communication ID "O01" acquired in step S51 is included in the call-enabled field (step S63).

When it is determined that the communication ID "O01" acquired in step S51 is included in the call enable field in the presence management table (YES in step S63), the acquired communication ID is entered from the call enable field. Delete (step S64).

When the process of step S64 is completed, or when NO in step S63, the state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x makes a call in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table (see Table 1). Refer to the field inside. As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether or not the communication ID "O01" acquired in step S51 is included in the field during the call (step S65).

When it is determined that the communication ID "O01" acquired in step S51 is not included in the field during a call in the presence management table (NO in step S65), the acquired communication ID "O01" is entered in the field during a call. "O01" is added (step S66). By the processing up to this point, the communication ID of the terminal 10a is recorded only in the field during the call in the record in which the attribute information "en" of the presence management table is recorded.

When the process of step S66 is completed, or when YES in step S65, the state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x makes a call in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table (see Table 1). Refer to the available fields. As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether the number of communication IDs recorded in the call-enabled field in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is 0 (step S67).

When the number of communication IDs recorded in the call-enabled field in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is 0 (YES in step S67), the state management unit 75 records the attribute information "en". The presence of the attribute in the record is updated to "Chat" (step S68). When the number of communication IDs recorded in the call-enabled field in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is not 0 (NO in step S67), the state management unit 75 records the attribute information "en". Do not update the presence of the attribute in the record. That is, when the communication ID is recorded in the callable field in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded, the corresponding presence is not updated as "Online".

Since the attribute information "en, zh, es" is acquired in step S51, the state management unit 75 performs the same for each record in which the attribute information "zh, es" in the presence management table is recorded in the loop processing. Update to. As a result, the presence management table in Table 1 becomes as shown in Table 2.

Subsequently, the case where the presence information "Offline, (en, ko, pt), O03" is transmitted from the terminal 10c to the terminal 70x via the management system 50 and these presence information are acquired in step S51 will be described. (Offline in step S52).

First, in the loop process, the process of updating the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table will be described. The state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x refers to the callable field in the record in which the attribute information “en” is recorded in the presence management table (see Table 2). As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether or not the communication ID "O03" acquired in step S51 is included in the call-enabled field (step S73).

When it is determined that the communication ID "O03" acquired in step S51 is included in the call enable field in the presence management table (YES in step S63), the communication ID "O3" acquired from the call enable field is determined. O03 ”is deleted (step S74).

When the process of step S74 is completed, or when NO in step S73, the state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x makes a call in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table (see Table 2). Refer to the field inside. As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether or not the communication ID "O03" acquired in step S51 is included in the field during the call (step S75).

When it is determined that the communication ID "O03" acquired in step S51 is included in the field during a call in the presence management table (YES in step S75), the communication ID "O03" acquired from the field during a call is determined. Is deleted (step S76). By the processing up to this point, the communication ID of the terminal 10c is deleted from the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table.

When the process of step S76 is completed, or when NO in step S75, the state management unit 75 of the terminal 70x makes a call in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded in the presence management table (see Table 2). See Yes and in-call fields. As a result, the state management unit 75 determines whether the conditions IF1 and IF2 are satisfied (step S77). In the condition IF1, the number of communication IDs recorded in the call-enabled field in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is 0, and the number of communication IDs recorded in the field during the call is not 0. If this is the case. In the condition IF2, the number of communication IDs recorded in the call-enabled field in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is 0, and the number of communication IDs recorded in the field during the call is 0. If this is the case.

When the number of communication IDs recorded in the call-enabled field in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is 0, and the number of communication IDs recorded in the field during a call is not 0 (step S77). IF1), the state management unit 75 updates the presence of the attribute in the record in which the attribute information “en” of the presence management table is recorded to “Chat” (step S78). When the number of communication IDs recorded in the call-enabled field in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded is 0, and the number of communication IDs recorded in the field during a call is 0 (step S77). IF2), the state management unit 75 updates the presence of the attribute in the record in which the attribute information “en” of the presence management table is recorded to “Offline” (step S79). If neither IF1 nor IF2 is applicable in step S77 (NO in step S77), the state management unit 75 does not update the presence of the attribute in the record in which the attribute information "en" is recorded as "Online".

Since the attribute information "en, ko, pt" is acquired in step S51, the state management unit 75 also performs loop processing for each record in which the attribute information "ko, pt" is recorded in the presence management table. Update in the same way. As a result, the presence management table in Table 2 becomes as shown in Table 3.

Subsequently, the process of initiating communication will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for starting communication. Hereinafter, the process of starting the communication by the terminal 70x will be described as an example, but the terminal 70y can also start the communication by the same process. A case where the destination management table is in the state of FIG. 7A and the presence management table is in the state of Table 2 at the time when the process of FIG. 12 is started will be described.

The operation input receiving unit 12 of the terminal 70x receives a display request of the attribute list of the destination candidate in response to the operation input by the user. In response to the display request, the output control unit 74 acquires each attribute information recorded in the presence management table (see Table 2) and a set of presence of the group corresponding to this attribute information. The storage unit 7000 stores in advance the data of the display image corresponding to the attribute information and the data of the display image corresponding to the presence of the attribute. As an example, the data of the display image corresponding to the attribute information "en" is text data indicating "English English". Further, as an example, the data of the display image corresponding to the attribute presence "Online, Offline, Chat" is the image data of the icon in which the check mark, the non-image, and the balloon are represented, respectively. The output control unit 74 acquires a set of data of the display image of the corresponding text and icon from the storage unit 7000 for each set of the acquired attribute information and presence. The output control unit 74 generates image data of an attribute list by arranging a set of acquired display image data in association with the same line in a predetermined display area. The output control unit 74 outputs the image data of the generated attribute list to the display 720 (step S81). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an attribute list displayed when the presence management table is in the state shown in Table 2.

The output control unit 74 repeatedly executes the above process every time the presence management table is updated. As a result, a list of attributes showing the latest presence for each attribute is displayed on the display 720.

In step S81, the output control unit 74 outputs an icon showing a check mark corresponding to “Online” as a selectable icon among the icons, and displays no image and a balloon corresponding to “Offline, Chat”. Output the represented icon as a non-selectable icon. For example, even if the user presses the icon representing the balloon corresponding to "Chinese" in the attribute list shown in FIG. 13, the operation input receiving unit 72 does not accept the operation input. When the operation of pressing the no-image icon or the icon showing the balloon is executed, the output control unit 74 displays a message indicating that the call cannot be started, a message prompting the user to wait for the start of the call, and the like. It may be output to 720.

On the screen shown in FIG. 13, when the user presses an icon showing a check mark corresponding to any of the attributes, the operation input receiving unit 72 accepts the selection of the attribute corresponding to the icon (step S82). ). The processing when the selection of the attribute "English" is accepted will be described below.

When the selection of the attribute "English" is accepted, the storage / reading unit 79 uses the attribute information "en" indicating the attribute selected in step S82 as a search key in the destination management table (see (A) in FIG. 7). The search is performed, and the corresponding communication ID and presence sets "O01, Chat", "O02, Online", and "O03, Online" are read out (step S83).

Among the communication IDs read in step S83, the transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70x selects the communication ID "O02" whose corresponding presence is "Online", the communication ID "C01" of the own terminal 70x, and step S82. A call start request including the attribute information "en" indicating the attributed attribute is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S84-1). Similarly, among the communication IDs read in step S83, the transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70x has the communication ID “O03” whose corresponding presence is “Online”, the communication ID “C01” of the own terminal 70x, and the step. A call start request including the attribute information "en" indicating the attribute selected in S82 is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S86-1).

When the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the call start request transmitted by the terminal 70x, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the call start request to the terminal 10b specified by the communication ID "O02" included in the call start request. (Step S84-2). Similarly, when the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the call start request transmitted by the terminal 70x, the transmission / reception unit 51 starts this call to the terminal 10c specified by the communication ID "O03" included in the call start request. The request is transmitted (step S86-2).

The transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x updates by recording the communication ID “O02” of the terminal 10b of the transmission destination of the call start request in the destination management table (step S85). Similarly, the transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x updates by recording the communication ID “O03” of the terminal 10c of the destination of the call start request in the destination management table (step S87).

When the input of the call termination request is received by the terminal 10a on the operator side (step S21'), the transmission / reception unit 11 receives the attribute information "en, zh, es" read from the storage unit 1000, and the communication ID "O01" of the terminal 10a. , The presence information including the presence "Online" is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S22').

When the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the presence information transmitted by the terminal 10a, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the received presence information to the terminal 70x on the customer side logged in to the management system 50 (step S24').

The transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70x receives the presence information transmitted from the terminal 10a on the operator side via the management system 50. The storage / reading unit 79 of the terminal 70x records the communication ID, presence, and attribute information included in the received presence information in the destination management table (step S26'). As a result, the destination management table is updated from the state of (A) in FIG. 7 to the state of Table 4.

The transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x determines whether to transmit a call start request to the terminal 10a of the transmission source of the presence information received in step S24'(step S88). In this process, the transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x refers to the updated presence of the terminal 10a in the destination management table, and determines whether or not this presence is “Online”. If the presence of the terminal 10a is not "Online", the transmission control unit 76 determines that the call start request is not transmitted and ends the process.

When it is determined that the presence of the terminal 10a is "Online", one of these attribute information is selected in step S82 by referring to the attribute information "en, zh, es" of the terminal 10a in the destination management table. Judge whether to show the attribute "English". If none of the attribute information indicates the selected attribute, the transmission control unit 76 determines that the start request will not be transmitted and ends the process.

When any of the attribute information indicates the selected attribute, the transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x determines that the start request is to be transmitted. In response to the determination to transmit the start request, the transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70x is selected in the communication ID “O01” of the terminal 10a from which the presence information is transmitted, the communication ID “C01” of the own terminal 70x, and step S82. A call start request including the attribute information "en" indicating the attribute is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S89-1).

When the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the call start request transmitted by the terminal 70x, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the call start request to the terminal 10a specified by the communication ID "O01" included in the call start request. (Step S89-2).

Subsequently, the process of updating the destination of the call start request on the terminal 70x will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process of updating the destination of a call start request.

First, the processing when the offline processing is executed at the terminal 10b of the transmission destination of the call start request will be described. When the operation input receiving unit 12 of the terminal 10b receives the offline operation input (step S31'), the transmitting / receiving unit 11 receives the attribute information "en, es, pt, ru, th" read from the storage unit 1000, and the terminal 10b. Presence information including the communication ID "O02" and the presence "Offline" is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S32').

When the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the presence information transmitted by the terminal 10b, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the received presence information to the terminal 70x on the customer side logged in to the management system 50 (step S34').

The transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70x receives the presence information transmitted from the terminal 10b on the operator side via the management system 50. The storage / reading unit 79 of the terminal 70x records the communication ID, presence, and attribute information included in the received presence information in the destination management table in association with each other (step S36').

When the presence of the terminal 10b is changed to "Offline", the terminal 10b cannot respond to the call start request of the terminal 70x. Therefore, the transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x updates the communication ID “O02” of the terminal 10b by deleting it from the destination management table (step S91).

The transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x determines whether the communication ID of the destination of the call start request is recorded in the updated destination management table (step S92).

When the communication ID "O02" of the terminal 10b that is the source of the presence information is deleted, so that no communication ID of the destination of the call start request is recorded in the updated destination management table (step). NO) of S92, the output control unit 74 outputs a message to the effect that the connection with the operator has failed from the display 720 (step S93). If the communication ID of the destination of the call start request is recorded in the updated destination management table, the output control unit 74 may connect to the remaining destination of the call start request. Does not output the above message.

Subsequently, the process when the terminal 10c of the transmission destination of the call start request starts the communication with the terminal 70 different from the terminal 70x will be described. When communication between the terminal 10c and the terminal 70 different from the terminal 70x is established (step S41'), the transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10c receives the attribute information "en, ko, pt" read from the storage unit 1000, and the communication of the terminal 10c. Presence information including the ID "O03" and the presence "Chat" is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S42').

When the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the presence information transmitted by the terminal 10c, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the received presence information to the terminal 70x on the customer side logged in to the management system 50 (step S44').

The transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70x receives the presence information transmitted from the terminal 10c on the operator side via the management system 50. The storage / reading unit 79 of the terminal 70x records the communication ID, presence, and attribute information included in the received presence information in the destination management table in association with each other (step S46').

When the presence of the terminal 10c is changed to "Chat", the terminal 10c cannot respond to the call start request of the terminal 70x. Therefore, the transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x updates the communication ID “O03” of the terminal 10c by deleting it from the destination management table (step S94).

The transmission control unit 76 of the terminal 70x determines whether the communication ID of the destination of the call start request is recorded in the updated destination management table (step S95).

When the communication ID "O03" of the terminal 10c that is the source of the presence information is deleted, so that no communication ID of the destination of the call start request is recorded in the updated destination management table (step). NO) of S95, the output control unit 74 outputs a message to the effect that the connection with the operator has failed from the display 720 (step S96). If the communication ID of the destination of the call start request is recorded in the updated destination management table, the output control unit 74 may connect to the remaining destination of the call start request. Does not output the above message.

Subsequently, the process of establishing communication between the terminals 10 and 70 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing for establishing communication between terminals 10 and 70. Hereinafter, a case where the terminal 10a responds to a request for starting a call by the terminal 70x will be described.

The transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10a receives a call start request transmitted from the terminal 70x via the management system 50 (see step S89-2). When the call start request is received, the output control unit 14 of the terminal 10a receives the request source information corresponding to the communication ID "CO1" included in the call start request and the attribute information "attribute information" included in the call start request. A message including the attribute "English" corresponding to "en" is output to the display 720. FIG. 16 is a display example of a message. By indicating the attribute in the message, the operator who is the user of the terminal 10 can grasp in advance in which language the call should be made, even before the call is started.

The message of FIG. 16 includes an answer button for accepting permission to initiate a call. When the user presses the response button on the screen of the terminal 10a, the operation input receiving unit 12 accepts the operation input for permitting the response (step S101). When the operation input for permitting the response is accepted, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10a transmits a response including the communication ID "C01" of the call start request source and the communication ID "O01" of the own terminal 10a to the management system 50. (Step S102).

The transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 receives the response transmitted by the terminal 10a. The transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits the received response to the terminal 70x specified by the communication ID “C01” included in the response (step S103).

When the transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70x receives the response, the transmission / reception unit 71 transmits a communication establishment request for establishing communication with the terminal 10a, which is the transmission source of the response, to the management system 50 (step S104). The communication establishment request includes the communication ID "C01" of the own terminal and the communication ID "O01" of the terminal 10a of the transmission source of the response.

The transmission / reception unit 71 of the management system 50 receives the communication establishment request. The session control unit 58 of the management system 50 transmits the content data of the image data and the sound data between the terminals 10a and 70x specified by the communication IDs "O01 and C01" included in the communication establishment request via the relay device 30. Control is performed to establish a session for the operation (step S105). The session is not limited to the above, and may be a session for directly transmitting content data between the terminals 10a and 70x via the communication network 2. When the communication between the terminals 10a and 70x is established, the terminals 10a and 70x transmit the image data of the image captured by the own terminal and the sound data collected by the own terminal to the other terminal 70x via the relay device 30. , 10a. The output control units 14 and 74 of the terminals 10a and 70x output the received content data. This makes it possible to start a call between users.

The case where the attribute is a language has been described above, but the attribute is not limited to the language and can be arbitrarily selected. Examples of attributes include place names such as "New York, London, Tokyo" indicating the location of travel destinations and real estate, product types such as "food, clothing, home appliances", and information indicating reservations for meetings. ..

<< Effect of the embodiment >>
According to the transmission method of the above embodiment, the operation input reception unit 72 (an example of the reception means) of the terminal 70 accepts the designation of the attribute (an example of the reception process). The transmission / reception unit 71 (an example of a receiving means) of the terminal 70 receives the attribute information of the destination candidate (an example of the destination candidate) and the presence information of the destination candidate (an example of the reception process). Based on the received attribute information and presence information, the transmission / reception unit 71 (an example of the transmitting means) of the terminal 70 has the above-specified attribute and is the destination of "Online" (an example of the first presence). A call start request (an example of a first request) is transmitted (an example of a call) to a candidate (an example of a candidate of a first call destination) (an example of a call processing). After the transmission / reception unit 71 sends a call start request, the transmission / reception unit 71 receives the attribute information of another destination candidate (an example of a second destination candidate) and the presence information of the other destination candidate, and the attribute information thereof. Indicates the specified attribute, and when the presence information indicates "Online", the transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70 transmits a call start request (an example of the second request) to another destination candidate. According to this method, when another destination candidate that was not "Online" at the time of sending the start request of the previous call among the destination candidates of the specified attribute becomes "Online", another destination candidate is sent from the terminal 70. You can send a call start request to. As a result, when the terminal 70 makes a transmission by designating an attribute, it is possible to increase the responsiveness to the transmission.

The destination management DB 7003 (an example of management means) of the terminal 70 manages a communication ID (an example of identification information) of a destination of a call start request by the transmission / reception unit 71. Attribute information of other destination candidates different from the destination of the communication ID managed in the destination management DB 7003 and presence information of other destination candidates are received by the transmission / reception unit 71, and the attribute information is specified. When the presence information indicates "Online", the transmission / reception unit 71 of the terminal 70 transmits to another destination candidate. According to this method, the terminal 70 determines whether or not the call start request has been transmitted to the source of the presence information based on the information managed in the destination management DB 7003, and makes a call start request according to the determination result. Can be sent.

After the transmission / reception unit 71 sends a call start request to the destination candidate, the transmission / reception unit 71 receives the attribute information of the destination and the presence information of the destination, and the attribute information indicates the specified attribute, and the presence information is displayed. When indicating "Offline" or "Chat" (an example of the second presence), the transmission control unit 76 (an example of the deletion means) of the terminal 70 is the communication ID of the destination managed in the destination management DB 7003. To delete. As a result, the terminal 70 can manage the destination of the call start request in real time, so that it is possible to accurately determine whether or not the call start request has been transmitted to the source of the presence information.

After the communication ID of the destination managed in the destination management DB 7003 is deleted by the transmission control unit 76, the output control unit 74 (an example of the output means) of the terminal 70 displays information indicating that the connection with the destination cannot be established. Output to 720. As a result, when it becomes impossible to connect to the destination of the call start request, the terminal 70 can notify the user to that effect.

The presence "Online" indicates a state in which communication with the terminal 70 can be started, and the presence "Offline" or "Chat" indicates a state in which communication with the terminal 70 cannot be started. As a result, the terminal 70 can send a call start request to the destination candidate at the timing when the destination candidate disconnects the previous communication.

The destination candidate terminal 10 transmits presence information to the terminal 70 when a predetermined event occurs. As a result, the terminal 10 can notify the terminal 70 of the changed presence at the timing when the presence is changed.

<< Supplement to the embodiment >>
The terminals 10, 70 and the management system 50 in each of the above embodiments may be constructed by a single computer, or may be constructed by a plurality of computers arbitrarily assigned by dividing each part (function or means). You may. Further, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a single computer, the program transmitted by the program providing system 90 may or may not be divided into a plurality of modules and transmitted. It may be sent. Further, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a plurality of computers, the plurality of modules may be separated and transmitted from each computer.

Further, the terminal program of the communication system 1, the relay device program, the recording medium in which the communication management program is stored, and the HD204 in which these programs are stored are all domestic as program products. Or it is provided overseas.

Further, in the communication system 1, the IP address of the terminal is managed in the terminal management table shown in FIG. 7 (E), but the present invention is not limited to this, and the terminal 10 is used on the communication network 2. If it is the terminal specific information for identification, each FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) may be managed. In this case, a well-known DNS (Domain Name System) server will acquire the IP address corresponding to the FQDN.

In communication system 1, "video conference" is used as a term that can be replaced with "video conference".

It should be noted that each terminal 10 can be used not only for calls between a plurality of business establishments and between different rooms in the same business establishment, but also for calls within the same room, outdoors and indoors, or outdoors and outdoors. May be used. When each terminal 10 is used outdoors, wireless communication such as a mobile phone communication network is performed. Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the video conference is held by the communication system 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the information is not limited to this, but is limited to meetings, general conversations between family members and friends, or information in one direction. It may be used for presentation.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-147416

10,70 Terminal 11,71 Transmission / reception unit 12,72 Operation input reception unit 13,73 Start-up unit 14,74 Output control unit 75 Status management unit 76 Transmission control unit 19,79 Storage / reading unit 30 Relay device 50 Management system 51 Transmission / reception Unit 52 Authentication unit 53 Management unit 58 Session control unit 59 Storage / reading unit 1000 Storage unit 5000 Storage unit 5001 Authentication management DB
5002 Terminal management DB
7000 Storage 7001 Destination management DB
7002 Presence management DB
7003 Destination management DB

Claims (7)

Reception means for accepting attribute specifications and
A receiving means for receiving the attribute information of a plurality of destination candidates and the presence information of the plurality of destination candidates, and
Based on the attribute information received by the receiving means and the presence information, among the plurality of destination candidates, the attribute received by the receiving means and the state in which communication with the communication terminal can be started. A calling means for sending a call start request to the first destination candidate of
A management means for managing the identification information of the first destination candidate to which the call start request is transmitted by the calling means, and
With the deletion means for deleting the identification information of the first destination candidate managed by the management means
Have,
The attribute information of the second destination candidate different from the first destination candidate of the identification information managed by the management means , and the presence information of the second destination candidate are obtained by the receiving means. When the attribute information of the second destination candidate indicates the attribute received by the receiving means, and the presence information of the second destination candidate indicates a state in which communication with the communication terminal can be started. In addition, the calling means transmits a call start request to the candidate of the second calling destination, and the calling means transmits the call start request.
After the call start request is transmitted by the calling means, the attribute information of the first destination candidate and the presence information of the first destination candidate are received by the receiving means, and the attribute information is received. When the attribute is shown and the presence information indicates a state in which communication with the communication terminal cannot be started, the deletion means deletes the identification information of the first destination candidate managed by the management means.
A communication terminal characterized by that. The claim is characterized in that it has an output means for outputting information indicating that the destination cannot be connected after the identification information of the first destination managed by the management means is deleted by the deletion means. 1 The communication terminal described. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2,
With the communication terminal as a candidate for the destination,
A communication system characterized by having . The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the communication terminal as a candidate for the transmission destination transmits presence information to the communication terminal when a predetermined event occurs . For communication terminals
Reception process that accepts attribute specification and
Reception processing for receiving the attribute information of a plurality of destination candidates and the presence information of the plurality of destination candidates, and
Based on the attribute information received by the reception process and the presence information, the first of the plurality of destination candidates, which is the accepted attribute and in a state where communication with the communication terminal can be started. Outgoing processing to send a call start request to the candidate destination of
A management process for managing the identification information of the first destination candidate to which the call start request is transmitted by the call processing, and a management process for managing the identification information of the first destination candidate.
With the deletion process of deleting the identification information of the first destination candidate managed in the management process.
It is a transmission method to execute
The attribute information of the second destination candidate different from the first destination candidate of the identification information managed in the management process and the presence information of the second destination candidate are obtained by the reception process. When the attribute information of the second destination candidate indicates the attribute received in the reception process and the presence information of the second destination candidate indicates a state in which communication with the communication terminal can be started. In addition, a process of transmitting the call start request to the second destination candidate, and
After the call start request is transmitted by the call processing, the attribute information of the first destination candidate and the presence information of the first destination candidate are received by the reception process, and the attribute information is received. A process of deleting the identification information of the first destination candidate managed in the management process when the attribute is shown and the presence information indicates a state in which communication with the communication terminal cannot be started.
A transmission method characterized by executing . The transmission method according to claim 5, wherein the communication terminal of the candidate of the transmission destination executes a process of transmitting presence information to the communication terminal when a predetermined event occurs . For communication terminals
Reception process that accepts attribute specification and
Reception processing for receiving the attribute information of a plurality of destination candidates and the presence information of the plurality of destination candidates, and
Based on the attribute information received by the reception process and the presence information, the first of the plurality of destination candidates, which is the accepted attribute and in a state where communication with the communication terminal can be started. Outgoing processing to send a call start request to the candidate destination of
A management process for managing the identification information of the first destination candidate to which the call start request is transmitted by the call processing, and a management process for managing the identification information of the first destination candidate.
With the deletion process of deleting the identification information of the first destination candidate managed in the management process.
Is a program that executes
The attribute information of the second destination candidate different from the first destination candidate of the identification information managed in the management process and the presence information of the second destination candidate are obtained by the reception process. When the attribute information of the second destination candidate indicates the attribute received in the reception process and the presence information of the second destination candidate indicates a state in which communication with the communication terminal can be started. In addition, a process of transmitting the call start request to the second destination candidate, and
After the call start request is transmitted by the call processing, the attribute information of the first destination candidate and the presence information of the first destination candidate are received by the reception process, and the attribute information is received. A process of deleting the identification information of the first destination candidate managed in the management process when the attribute is shown and the presence information indicates a state in which communication with the communication terminal cannot be started.
A program characterized by executing .

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