System, Method, and Program

Abstract

To identify a translation destination language.SOLUTION: An information processing system connected via a network to a translation server for translating languages includes: reception means for receiving content data showing a content expressed using a first language and transmission destination information showing a transmission destination for the content data; identification means for identifying, on the basis of the transmission destination information received from the reception means, a second language showing a translation destination language of the first language expressing the content shown by the content data; and transmission means for transmitting post-translation content data showing a content translated from the first language to the second language by the translation server to the transmission destination shown by the transmission destination information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing device, a program, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various functions have been provided as cloud-based services. For example, a service (translation service) is provided that converts voice data into text data using voice recognition technology and then translates the language of the text data into another language.

[0003] There is also known a technology for recognizing speech in a video conference between locations and inserting the speech as subtitles into the video (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, when a conference is held between multiple locations using electronic whiteboard devices, voice input to an electronic whiteboard device at one location can be translated by a translation service, and text showing the translation result can be displayed on an electronic whiteboard device at another location. In this case, the user must set in advance the language used by the participants at the other locations (i.e., the language used by the participants who are participating in the conference using electronic whiteboard devices at the other locations) as the translation target language in the electronic whiteboard device.

[0005] However, for example, there are cases where the language (target language) used by participants at other locations is unknown, and the target language cannot be set in advance. For this reason, it would be convenient if a translation service could be used in a conference or the like without having to set the target language in advance.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to specify a target language. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of the present invention is an information processing system connected to a translation server that translates languages ​​via a network, comprising: a receiving means for receiving content data indicating content expressed in a first language and destination information indicating a destination of the content data; an identifying means for identifying a second language indicating a language into which the first language expressing the content indicated by the content data is translated based on the destination information received by the receiving means; and a transmitting means for transmitting translated content data indicating the content translated from the first language to the second language by the translation server to a destination indicated by the destination information. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the target language can be specified. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an example of an interactive whiteboard system according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an outline of processing of the interactive whiteboard system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an example of an interactive whiteboard device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an example of a management apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an example of an interactive whiteboard system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a country name table. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a translation target language table. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a translation process of the interactive whiteboard system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9]FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the translation process of the interactive whiteboard system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a target language specification process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an example of an interactive whiteboard system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a translation server information table. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a translation process of an interactive whiteboard system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the translation process of the interactive whiteboard system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for specifying a translation target language and a translation server according to the second embodiment; [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an example of an interactive whiteboard system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the translation server information table. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for specifying a translation target language and a translation server according to the third embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an example of an interactive whiteboard system according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a language management table. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a session establishment process of the interactive whiteboard system according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a translation process of an interactive whiteboard system according to a fourth embodiment. [Diagram 23] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the translation process of the interactive whiteboard system according to the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [First embodiment] <Overall composition> First, the overall configuration of an interactive whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an example of an interactive whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of electronic whiteboard devices 10 (electronic whiteboard device 10-1, electronic whiteboard device 10-2, etc.) and a management device 20, which are communicatively connected to each other via a wide area network N1 such as the Internet. The electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment is also communicatively connected to a translation server 30 via the network N1. When there is no need to distinguish between the electronic whiteboard devices 10-1, 10-2, etc., they will be referred to as "electronic whiteboard device 10."

[0013] The electronic whiteboard device 10 is a device that can hold, for example, a conference or a lesson between multiple locations. The electronic whiteboard device 10 can collect (input) sound using a microphone, and can also perform OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing of handwritten characters input using an electronic pen or the like. The electronic whiteboard device 10 is also called an interactive whiteboard (IWB) or electronic whiteboard.

[0014] In addition, when, for example, a conference is held between multiple locations, the electronic whiteboard device 10 translates the voice, text, etc. input to the electronic whiteboard device 10 (for example, from Japanese to English) using the translation server 30 via the management device 20 and displays it on other electronic whiteboard devices 10.

[0015] In this embodiment, a conference is held between an electronic whiteboard device 10-1 installed at a site E1 and an electronic whiteboard device 10-2 installed at a site E2, using these electronic whiteboard devices 10. The site E1 is, for example, a business establishment in Japan, while the site E2 is, for example, a business establishment in the United States.

[0016] At this time, in the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, speech or text (text showing the result of OCR processing of handwritten characters) input in Japanese to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 is translated into English by the translation server 30 and then displayed on the electronic whiteboard device 10-2. Similarly, in the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, speech or text input in English to the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 is translated into Japanese by the translation server 30 and then displayed on the electronic whiteboard device 10-1.

[0017] The management device 20 is a computer (information processing device) that specifies the translation target language of speech or text input to the interactive whiteboard device 10. That is, the management device 20 specifies the translation target language of speech or text (text showing the result of OCR processing of handwritten characters) input to the interactive whiteboard device 10, for example, and then translates the speech or text into the translation target language by the translation server 30. Then, the management device 20 causes the translation result translated by the translation server 30 to be displayed on the other interactive whiteboard devices 10.

[0018] The translation server 30 is an external computer or computer system that provides a service of translating into a target language (translation service) as a cloud-based service. The translation server 30 provides the translation service using technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and intelligent agents (IA).

[0019] That is, when the translation server 30 receives, for example, voice data indicating a voice input to the electronic whiteboard device 10 and a designated target language, it converts the voice data into text data and then translates the language of the converted text data into the target language. Also, when the translation server 30 receives, for example, text data indicating a text input to the electronic whiteboard device 10 and a designated target language, it translates the language of the text data into the target language.

[0020] The translation server 30 according to the present embodiment will be described as providing a translation service as a cloud-based service, but is not limited to this. The translation server 30 may be, for example, a service provided by an ASP (Application Service Provider) or a Web service. The translation server 30 may also be included in the interactive whiteboard system 1 (i.e., the translation server 30 may provide a translation service as an on-premise service).

[0021] The electronic whiteboard system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is an example, and may have other configurations. For example, the management device 20 may be included in the electronic whiteboard device 10. That is, the electronic whiteboard device 10 and the management device 20 may be a single device.

[0022] Moreover, the electronic whiteboard system 1 may be, instead of the electronic whiteboard device 10, a multifunction device such as a PC (personal computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a game machine, a video conference terminal used for video conferences, or an MFP (multifunction peripheral). That is, the present embodiment is not limited to the electronic whiteboard device 10, and may use an electronic device capable of at least one of inputting and outputting various data such as voice data. Therefore, electronic devices capable of inputting data may include, for example, a microphone, a digital camera, a digital video camera, and the like, and electronic devices capable of outputting data may include, for example, a speaker, a display, a digital signage, a projector, and the like.

[0023] <Processing Overview> Next, an overview of the processing of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the overview of the processing of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a case will be described in which a conference or the like is held using an electronic whiteboard device 10-1 (IP (Internet Protocol) address: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) at site E1 and an electronic whiteboard device 10-2 (IP address: yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy) at site E2. That is, it is assumed that the same conference or the like is held in different languages ​​using the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 at site E1 and the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 at site E2.

[0024] S1-1) A user participating in a conference or the like at site E1 inputs, for example, Japanese voice or handwritten characters to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1. In the following, it is assumed that Japanese voice is input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1.

[0025] S1-2) When voice is input, the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 transmits voice data indicating this voice and the IP address (destination IP address) "yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy" of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 to which the translation result of this voice is to be sent, to the management device 20. Note that the electronic whiteboard device 10 manages the IP addresses of other electronic whiteboard devices 10 to which the translation result of voice, etc. is to be sent (i.e., other electronic whiteboard devices 10 used in the same conference).

[0026] S1-3) The management device 20 identifies the target language based on the destination IP address. That is, the management device 20 identifies the country to which the destination IP address is assigned (e.g., the United States), and then identifies the language used in the identified country (e.g., English). The language identified in this way is the target language.

[0027] S1-4) The management device 20 transmits the voice data received from the interactive whiteboard device 10-1 and the specification of the translation target language identified in S1-3 above to the translation server 30, requesting text conversion of the voice data and language translation.

[0028] S1-5) The translation server 30 converts the voice data received from the management device 20 into text data, and translates the text data into the specified target language. The translation server 30 then returns the translated text data to the management device 20.

[0029] S1-6) The management device 20 transmits the translated text data to the interactive whiteboard device 10-2 (i.e., the destination IP address "yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy").

[0030] S1-7) When the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 receives the translated text data, it displays the text indicated by the text data, for example, on a display. As a result, the voice (Japanese) input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 at site E1 is translated into English and displayed as text on the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 at site E2.

[0031] As described above, in the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment, the management device 20 identifies the target language based on the destination IP address received from one interactive whiteboard device 10. Then, the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment transmits the text translated into the identified target language to the other interactive whiteboard device 10.

[0032] Therefore, according to the electronic whiteboard system 1 of this embodiment, a user of the electronic whiteboard device 10 (e.g., a participant in a conference at location E1) does not need to know the language used by a user (e.g., a participant in a conference at location E2) who is participating in a conference or the like using another electronic whiteboard device 10. In other words, according to the electronic whiteboard system 1 of this embodiment, a user of each electronic whiteboard device 10 can perform translation by the translation server 30 without knowing the language used by a user who is participating in the same conference or the like using another electronic whiteboard device 10.

[0033] <Hardware configuration> Next, a hardware configuration of the electronic whiteboard device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the electronic whiteboard device 10 according to the present embodiment.

[0034] 3, the electronic whiteboard device 10 according to the present embodiment includes an input device 11, a display device 12, an external I / F 13, a communication I / F 14, and a ROM 15 (Read Only Memory). The electronic whiteboard device 10 according to the present embodiment also includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 16, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 17, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 18, and a sound collection device 19. Each of these pieces of hardware is connected to a bus B1.

[0035] The input device 11 is a touch panel or the like, and is used for inputting various operations by the user (for example, inputting handwritten characters, etc.). The display device 12 is a display or the like, and displays various information (for example, text showing the translation result by the translation server 30, etc.).

[0036] The external I / F 13 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 13a. This allows the electronic whiteboard device 10 to read and write data from and to the recording medium 13a via the external I / F 13. The recording medium 13a may be, for example, a USB memory, a CD, a DVD, or an SD memory card.

[0037] The communication I / F 14 is an interface for connecting the electronic whiteboard device 10 to the network N1, etc. This allows the electronic whiteboard device 10 to communicate with other devices (e.g., the management device 20, etc.) via the communication I / F 14.

[0038] The HDD 18 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data. The programs and data stored in the HDD 18 include an OS (Operating System), which is basic software that controls the entire electronic whiteboard device 10, and application programs that provide various functions on the OS.

[0039] The HDD 18 manages the stored programs and data using a predetermined file system and / or DB (database). Note that the electronic whiteboard device 10 may have a drive device (e.g., a solid state drive: SSD) that uses a flash memory as a storage medium instead of the HDD 18.

[0040] The ROM 15 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that can hold programs and data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 15 stores programs and data such as a BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) that is executed when the electronic whiteboard device 10 is started, OS settings, and network settings. The RAM 16 is a volatile semiconductor memory that temporarily holds programs and data.

[0041] The CPU 17 is a calculation device that reads out programs and data from storage devices such as the ROM 15 and the HDD 18 onto the RAM 16 and executes processing to realize the overall control and functions of the interactive whiteboard device 10.

[0042] The sound collection device 19 is, for example, a microphone, and collects sounds around the interactive whiteboard device 10.

[0043] The interactive whiteboard device 10 according to this embodiment has the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 3, and can thereby realize various processes as described below.

[0044] Next, a hardware configuration of the management device 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the management device 20 according to this embodiment.

[0045] 4, the management device 20 according to this embodiment includes an input device 21, a display device 22, an external I / F 23, and a communication I / F 24. The management device 20 according to this embodiment also includes a ROM 25, a RAM 26, a CPU 27, and a HDD 28. These pieces of hardware are connected to each other via a bus B2.

[0046] The input device 21 is a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc., and is used for inputting various operations by the user. The display device 22 is a display, etc., and displays various information. Note that the management device 20 may be in a form in which at least one of the input device 21 and the display device 22 is connected to the bus B2 when necessary and used.

[0047] The external I / F 23 is an interface with an external device. The external device includes a recording medium 23a, etc. This allows the management device 20 to read and write data from and to the recording medium 23a, etc., via the external I / F 23. The recording medium 23a includes, for example, a USB memory, a CD, a DVD, and an SD memory card.

[0048] The communication I / F 24 is an interface for connecting the management device 20 to the network N1, the network N2, etc. This allows the management device 20 to communicate with other devices (e.g., the electronic whiteboard device 10, the translation server 30, etc.) via the communication I / F 24.

[0049] The HDD 28 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs and data. The programs and data stored in the HDD 28 include an OS, which is basic software that controls the entire management device 20, and application programs that provide various functions on the OS.

[0050] The HDD 28 manages the stored programs and data using a predetermined file system and / or DB (database). Note that the management device 20 may have a drive device (e.g., a solid state drive: SSD) that uses a flash memory as a storage medium instead of the HDD 28.

[0051] The ROM 25 is a non-volatile semiconductor memory that can retain programs and data even when the power is turned off. The ROM 25 stores programs and data such as BIOS, OS settings, and network settings that are executed when the management device 20 is started. The RAM 26 is a volatile semiconductor memory that temporarily retains programs and data.

[0052] The CPU 27 is a calculation device that realizes the overall control and functions of the management device 20 by reading out programs and data from storage devices such as the ROM 25 and the HDD 28 onto the RAM 26 and executing the processes.

[0053] The management device 20 according to this embodiment has the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 4, and can thereby realize various processes as described below.

[0054] <Functional configuration> Next, the functional configuration of the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0055] 5, the electronic whiteboard device 10 according to the present embodiment includes an operation reception unit 101, a voice reception unit 102, a communication unit 103, a display control unit 104, and an OCR processing unit 105. Each of these functional units is realized by a process in which one or more programs installed in the electronic whiteboard device 10 are executed by the CPU 17.

[0056] The operation reception unit 101 receives input of various operations by a user. That is, the operation reception unit 101 receives, for example, an input operation of handwritten characters.

[0057] The voice receiving unit 102 receives an input of a voice. That is, the voice receiving unit 102 receives an input of a sound (voice) collected by the sound collection device 19.

[0058] The communication unit 103 communicates various data with other devices (e.g., the management device 20, etc.). That is, the communication unit 103 transmits, for example, to the management device 20, voice data indicating the voice input received by the voice receiving unit 102 and the IP address (destination IP address) of the other electronic whiteboard device 10 to which the translation result of this voice is to be sent. In addition, the communication unit 103 transmits, for example, to the management device 20, text data generated by the OCR processing unit 105 and the IP address (destination IP address) of the other electronic whiteboard device 10 to which the translation result of the text indicated by this text data is to be sent.

[0059] The display control unit 104 displays various information. That is, the display control unit 104 displays, for example, text indicated by the text data received from the management device 20 (text data translated by the translation server 30) on the display device 12.

[0060] The OCR processing unit 105 performs OCR processing on the handwritten characters input by the operation receiving unit 101, and generates text data of the text corresponding to the handwritten characters.

[0061] 5, the management device 20 according to this embodiment includes a communication unit 201 and a language identification processing unit 202. These functional units are realized by processing executed by the CPU 27 of one or more programs installed in the management device 20.

[0062] Moreover, the management device 20 according to this embodiment has a country name table storage unit 310 and a translation target language table storage unit 320. Each of these storage units can be realized using, for example, the HDD 28. Note that at least one of these storage units may be realized using a storage device or the like connected to the management device 20 via the network N1.

[0063] The communication unit 201 communicates various data with other devices (e.g., the electronic whiteboard device 10, the translation server 30, etc.). That is, the communication unit 201 receives, for example, voice data and a destination IP address from the electronic whiteboard device 10. The communication unit 201 also transmits, for example, the voice data and a specification of the translation target language identified by the language identification processing unit 202 to the translation server 30.

[0064] The language identification processing unit 202 performs processing to identify the translation target language based on the destination IP address received by the communication unit 201. Here, the language identification processing unit 202 has a country name identification unit 211 and a language identification unit 212.

[0065] The country name identification unit 211 refers to the country name table 410 stored in the country name table storage unit 310, and identifies the country name of the country to which the destination IP address received by the communication unit 201 is assigned.

[0066] The language identification unit 212 refers to the translation target language table 420 stored in the translation target language table storage unit 320 and identifies the translation target language from the country name identified by the country name identification unit 211 .

[0067] The country name table storage unit 310 stores a country name table 410. The country name table 410 will now be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the country name table 410.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 6, the country name table 410 stores IP addresses and the country names of the countries to which the IP addresses are assigned in association with each other.

[0069] For example, the country name "Germany" is associated with the IP addresses "aaa.aaa.aaa.0" to "aaa.aaa.aaa.255." This indicates that the IP addresses "aaa.aaa.aaa.0" to "aaa.aaa.aaa.255" are assigned to Germany.

[0070] Similarly, for example, the IP addresses "xxx.xxx.xxx.0" to "xxx.xxx.xxx.255" are associated with the country name "Japan." This indicates that the IP addresses "xxx.xxx.xxx.0" to "xxx.xxx.xxx.255" are assigned to Japan.

[0071] 6, each country is associated with an IP address assigned to that country, but the table is not limited to countries. For example, each region, such as a state, prefecture, city, town, or village, may be associated with an IP address assigned to that region.

[0072] The translation target language table storage unit 320 stores the translation target language table 420. The translation target language table 420 will now be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the translation target language table 420.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 7, the translation target language table 420 stores country names and the languages ​​(translation target languages) used in the countries of the country names in association with each other.

[0074] For example, the country name "Germany" is associated with the target language "German". Similarly, the country name "Japan" is associated with the target language "Japanese". When a country has multiple languages, for example, the most important language among the multiple languages ​​may be associated with the country name as the target language. In addition, in the target language table 420 shown in FIG. 7, the language used in each country is associated with the country, but this is not limiting, and for example, the language used in each of the above-mentioned predetermined regions may be associated with the region.

[0075] <Processing details> Next, the details of the processing of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. In the following, a conference or the like is held between the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 and the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 using these electronic whiteboard devices 10. Each electronic whiteboard device 10 is assumed to manage the IP addresses of other electronic whiteboard devices 10 used in the same conference or the like (i.e., other electronic whiteboard devices 10 participating in the same conference or the like) in a predetermined storage area in the RAM 16, HDD 18, or the like.

[0076] First, a process of displaying the translation result on the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 after the speech input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 is translated by the translation server 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the translation process of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0077] The voice receiving unit 102 of the interactive whiteboard device 10-1 receives a voice input (step S801). That is, the voice receiving unit 102 receives an input of a sound (voice) collected by the sound collection device 19.

[0078] The communication unit 103 of the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 transmits voice data indicating the voice input received by the voice receiving unit 102 and the destination IP address to the management device 20 (step S802). The destination IP address is the IP address of another electronic whiteboard device 10 (i.e., the electronic whiteboard device 10-2) participating in the same conference or the like.

[0079] In addition, when there are multiple other electronic whiteboard devices 10 participating in the same conference, etc., the communication unit 103 of the electronic whiteboard device 10 only needs to transmit destination IP addresses indicating each of these multiple other electronic whiteboard devices 10.

[0080] When the language identification processing unit 202 of the management device 20 receives the voice data and the destination IP address via the communication unit 201, it identifies the translation target language based on the destination IP address (step S803). The details of identifying the translation target language in this step will be described later.

[0081] When the management device 20 receives a plurality of destination IP addresses from the electronic whiteboard device 10, the management device 20 identifies the translation target language based on each of the plurality of destination IP addresses. More specifically, for example, it is assumed that the management device 20 receives a first destination IP address and a second destination IP address. In this case, the language identification processing unit 202 of the management device 20 identifies the first translation target language (e.g., "English") based on the first destination IP address, and identifies the second translation target language (e.g., "German") based on the second destination IP address.

[0082] Next, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the voice data and the specification of the target language specified by the language specification processing unit 202 to the translation server 30 (step S804). This allows the management device 20 to request the translation server 30 to convert the voice indicated by the voice data into text and translate the converted text into the specified target language. The management device 20 can make this request by using, for example, a WebAPI (Application Program Interface) or the like made public by the translation server 30.

[0083] If multiple target languages ​​are identified in step S803, the management device 20 performs the process of step S804 for each target language. More specifically, for example, it is assumed that the management device 20 identifies a first target language and a second target language in step S803. In this case, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the voice data and a designation of the first target language to the translation server 30, and also transmits the voice data and a designation of the second target language to the translation server 30.

[0084] When the translation server 30 receives the voice data and the designated target language, it converts the voice data into text data and translates the text data into the designated target language (step S805). The translation server 30 then returns the translated text data to the management device 20.

[0085] When the translated text data is returned from the translation server 30, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the translated text data to the interactive whiteboard device 10-2 (step S806). That is, the communication unit 201 transmits the translated text data to the destination IP address.

[0086] In addition, when the management device 20 receives a plurality of destination IP addresses in the above step S803, the management device 20 transmits the text data translated into the translation target language identified based on each destination IP address to each destination IP address. More specifically, the management device receives a first destination IP address and a second destination IP address in the above step S803. In this case, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the text data translated into the translation target language identified based on the first IP address to the first IP address. Similarly, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the text data translated into the translation target language identified based on the second IP address to the second IP address.

[0087] The display control unit 104 of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 displays the translated text data on the display device 12 (step S807). As a result, the voice (e.g., voice in Japanese) input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 at the site E1 is translated into a language (e.g., English) used by the user of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 at the site E2 and displayed as text.

[0088] In the above step S807, the electronic whiteboard device 10 displays the translated text data on the display device 12, but this is not limited to the above. The electronic whiteboard device 10 may output the translated text data as voice from a speaker or the like, or may store the translated text data in a predetermined storage area of ​​the HDD 18.

[0089] Next, a process in which handwritten characters input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 are converted into text, the text is translated by the translation server 30, and the translation result is displayed on the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the translation process of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0090] The operation reception unit 101 of the interactive whiteboard device 10-1 receives an input operation of handwritten characters (step S901).

[0091] The OCR processor 105 of the interactive whiteboard device 10-1 performs OCR processing on the handwritten characters input by the operation receiver 101, and generates text data of the text corresponding to the handwritten characters (step S902).

[0092] Next, the communication unit 103 of the interactive whiteboard device 10-1 transmits the text data generated by the OCR processing unit 105 and the destination IP address (that is, the IP address of the interactive whiteboard device 10-2) to the management device 20 (step S903).

[0093] In addition, if there are multiple other electronic whiteboard devices 10 participating in the same conference, etc., the communication unit 103 of the electronic whiteboard device 10 simply transmits destination IP addresses indicating each of these multiple other electronic whiteboard devices 10, as in step S802 of Figure 8.

[0094] When the language identification processing unit 202 of the management device 20 receives the text data and the destination IP address via the communication unit 201, the language identification processing unit 202 identifies the translation target language based on the destination IP address (step S904). The details of identifying the translation target language in this step will be described later.

[0095] When the management device 20 receives a plurality of destination IP addresses from the interactive whiteboard device 10, the management device 20 identifies the translation target language based on each of the plurality of destination IP addresses, similarly to step S803 in FIG.

[0096] Next, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the text data and the specification of the target language specified by the language specification processing unit 202 to the translation server 30 (step S905). This enables the management device 20 to request the translation server 30 to translate the text indicated by the text data into the specified target language. Note that the management device 20 can make this request by using, for example, a WebAPI or the like made public by the translation server 30.

[0097] When multiple translation target languages ​​are identified in step S904, the management device 20 performs the process of step S905 for each translation target language, similar to step S804 in FIG.

[0098] When the translation server 30 receives the text data and the designated translation target language, it translates the text data into the designated translation target language (step S906). Then, the translation server 30 returns the translated text data to the management device 20.

[0099] When the translated text data is returned from the translation server 30, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the translated text data to the interactive whiteboard device 10-2 (step S907). That is, the communication unit 201 transmits the translated text data to the destination IP address.

[0100] In addition, when the management device 20 receives multiple destination IP addresses in step S903 above, it transmits the text data translated into the target language identified based on each destination IP address to each destination IP address, as in step 806 of FIG. 8.

[0101] The display control unit 104 of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 displays the translated text data on the display device 12 (step S908). As a result, the text (e.g., Japanese text) input by handwriting input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 at the site E1 is translated into the language (e.g., English) used by the user of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 at the site E2 and displayed as text.

[0102] As in step S908 in FIG. 8, the interactive whiteboard device 10 may output the translated text data as voice from a speaker or the like, or may store the translated text data in a predetermined storage area of ​​the HDD 18.

[0103] Next, details of the process of step S803 in Fig. 8 and the process of step S904 in Fig. 9 (target language specification process) will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the target language specification process according to this embodiment.

[0104] First, country name identification unit 211 refers to country name table 410 stored in country name table storage unit 310 to identify the country name of the country to which the destination IP address received by communication unit 201 is assigned (step S1001). That is, for example, when the destination IP address is "yyy.yyy.yyy.100", country name identification unit 211 refers to country name table 410 shown in Fig. 6 to identify the country name "America" ​​of the country to which the destination IP address is assigned.

[0105] Next, the language identification unit 212 refers to the target language table 420 stored in the target language table storage unit 320, and identifies the target language from the country name identified by the country name identification unit 211 (step S1002). That is, for example, when the country name identification unit 211 identifies the country name "America", the language identification unit 212 refers to the target language table 420 shown in FIG. 7 and identifies the target language "English".

[0106] This allows the language identification processing unit 202 to identify the translation target language based on the destination IP address received from the interactive whiteboard device 10.

[0107] In the present embodiment, the case where the language identification processor 202 identifies the target language based on the destination IP address has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The language identification processor 202 may identify the target language based on, for example, the telephone number or manufacturing unique number (serial number) of the electronic whiteboard device 10 that is the destination of the voice data, text data, etc., or the user ID of the user logged in to the electronic whiteboard device 10.

[0108] That is, the language identification processing unit 202 may identify the target language based on various destination information that identifies the electronic whiteboard device 10 to which the voice data, text data, etc. are to be sent, or the user who is logged in to the electronic whiteboard device 10.

[0109] When the destination information is a telephone number, the language identification processing unit 202 may, for example, identify a country name from a country code, and then identify a target language from the identified country name. When the destination information is a manufacturing unique number, the language identification processing unit 202 may, for example, identify a country name from a sales country code or the like included in the manufacturing unique number, and then identify a target language from the identified country name. When the destination information is a user ID, the language identification processing unit 202 may, for example, identify a country name from a nationality or the like associated with the user ID, and then identify a target language from the identified country name.

[0110] As described above, the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment identifies the translation target language from destination information (e.g., IP address) of the voice data or text data when a conference or the like is held in different languages ​​using multiple interactive whiteboard devices 10. Then, the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment designates the identified translation target language and requests the translation server 30 to translate the voice data or text data.

[0111] As a result, in the electronic whiteboard system 1 of this embodiment, a user of an electronic whiteboard device 10 can translate into the language used by the users of other electronic whiteboard devices 10 participating in a meeting, etc., even if the user does not know the language used by the other users of the electronic whiteboard devices 10.

[0112] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Translation services are provided by various service providers, and the translation accuracy and translation speed may differ depending on the translation service. Therefore, in the second embodiment, when the electronic whiteboard system 1 can use multiple translation servers 30, a translation is requested to the translation server 30 corresponding to the translation target language among the multiple translation servers 30.

[0113] That is, the translation servers 30 include, for example, a translation server 30A with high translation accuracy into Japanese, a translation server 30B with high translation accuracy into German, a translation server 30C with high translation accuracy into English, a translation server 30D with high translation accuracy into Russian, etc. In such a case, the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the second embodiment identifies a translation server 30 according to the translation target language, and then requests the identified translation server 30 for translation.

[0114] For convenience, hereinafter, the server name of translation server 30A will be referred to as "Server A," the server name of translation server 30B as "Server B," the server name of translation server 30C as "Server C," the server name of translation server 30D as "Server D," etc.

[0115] <Functional configuration> First, the functional configuration of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an example of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment. Note that the description of the functional configuration similar to that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0116] 11, the management device 20 according to this embodiment has a language identification processing unit 202A. The management device 20 according to this embodiment also has a translation server information table storage unit 330. This storage unit can be realized using, for example, the HDD 28. The storage unit may also be realized using a storage device or the like connected to the management device 20 via a network N1.

[0117] The language identification processing unit 202A performs processing to identify the translation target language and the translation server 30 based on the destination IP address received by the communication unit 201. Here, the language identification processing unit 202A includes a translation server identification unit 213.

[0118] The translation server identification unit 213 refers to the translation server information table 430 stored in the translation server information table storage unit 330 to identify the translation server 30 that translates the voice data and text data from the translation target language identified by the language identification unit 212.

[0119] The translation server information table storage unit 330 stores a translation server information table 430. The translation server information table 430 will now be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the translation server information table 430.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 12, the translation server information table 430 stores a translation target language and the name (server name) of a translation server 30 that has high translation accuracy (or / and high translation speed) into the translation target language in association with each other.

[0121] For example, the translation target language "German" is associated with the server name "Server B." This indicates that the translation server 30B, whose server name is "Server B," can translate with high accuracy when the translation target language is "German."

[0122] Similarly, for example, the translation target language "Japanese" is associated with the server name "Server A." This indicates that the translation server 30A, whose server name is "Server A," can translate with high accuracy when the translation target language is "Japanese."

[0123] <Processing details> Next, the details of the processing of the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0124] First, a process in which speech input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 is translated by the translation server 30 and then the translation result is displayed on the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a translation process of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment. Note that the processes of steps S801 to S802 and steps S805 to S807 are similar to those in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0125] Following step S802, when the language identification processing unit 202A of the management device 20 receives the voice data and the destination IP address via the communication unit 201, it identifies the target language and the translation server 30 based on the destination IP address (step S1301). Details of identifying the target language and the translation server 30 in this step will be described later.

[0126] In addition, when the management device 20 receives a plurality of destination IP addresses from the electronic whiteboard device 10, the management device 20 identifies the translation target language and the translation server 30 based on each of the plurality of destination IP addresses. More specifically, for example, it is assumed that the management device 20 receives a first destination IP address and a second destination IP address. In this case, the language identification processing unit 202 of the management device 20 identifies the first translation target language (e.g., "English") and the first translation server 30 (e.g., "translation server 30C") based on the first destination IP address. Similarly, the language identification processing unit 202 of the management device 20 identifies the second translation target language (e.g., "German") and the second translation server 30 (e.g., "translation server 30B") based on the second destination IP address.

[0127] Next, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the voice data and the specification of the target language specified by the language identification processing unit 202A to the translation server 30 specified by the language identification processing unit 202A (step S1302). This allows the management device 20 to request the translation server 30 specified by the language identification processing unit 202A to convert the voice indicated by the voice data into text and translate the converted text into the specified target language. In other words, the management device 20 can request the translation server 30, which can translate the voice data into the target language with high accuracy (or / and high speed), to translate the voice data.

[0128] If multiple target languages ​​and translation servers 30 are identified in step S1301, the management device 20 performs the process of step S1302 for each target language. More specifically, for example, the management device 20 identifies the target language "English" and the translation server 30C, and the target language "German" and the translation server 30C in step S1301. In this case, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the voice data and the specification of the target language "English" to the translation server 30C, and transmits the voice data and the specification of the target language "German" to the translation server 30B.

[0129] Next, a process in which handwritten characters input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 are converted into text, the text is translated by the translation server 30, and the translation result is displayed on the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the translation process of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment. Note that the processes of steps S901 to S903 and steps S906 to S908 are similar to those in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0130] Following step S903, when the language identification processing unit 202A of the management device 20 receives the text data and the destination IP address via the communication unit 201, it identifies the target language and the translation server 30 based on this IP address (step S1401). Details of identifying the target language and the translation server 30 in this step will be described later.

[0131] When the management device 20 receives multiple destination IP addresses from the interactive whiteboard device 10, the management device 20 identifies the translation target language and the translation server 30 based on each of the multiple destination IP addresses, similar to step S1301 in FIG.

[0132] Next, the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 transmits the text data and the specification of the target language specified by the language specification processing unit 202A to the translation server 30 specified by the language specification processing unit 202A (step S1402). This allows the management device 20 to request the translation server 30 to translate the text indicated by the text into the specified target language. In other words, the management device 20 can request the translation server 30, which can translate the text into the target language with high accuracy (or / and high speed), to translate the text data.

[0133] If multiple translation target languages ​​and translation servers 30 are identified in step S1401, the management device 20 performs the process of step S1402 for each translation target language, similar to step S1302 in FIG.

[0134] Next, the process of step S1301 in Fig. 13 and the process of step S1401 in Fig. 14 (processing for specifying the translation target language and the translation server 30) will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing for specifying the translation target language and the translation server 30 according to this embodiment.

[0135] Following step S1002, the translation server identifying unit 213 refers to the translation server information table 430 stored in the translation server information table storage unit 330, and identifies the translation server 30 from the target language identified by the language identifying unit 212 (step S1501). That is, for example, when the target language is identified as "English" by the language identifying unit 212, the translation server identifying unit 213 refers to the translation server information table 430 shown in Fig. 12, and identifies the server name "Server C" (i.e., the translation server 30C).

[0136] As a result, the language identification processing unit 202A can identify the translation target language and the translation server 30 based on the destination IP address received from the interactive whiteboard device 10.

[0137] As described above, the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment identifies the translation target language and the translation server 30 that translates the audio data or text data into the translation target language from destination information (e.g., IP address) of the audio data or text data. Then, the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment designates the identified translation target language and requests the identified translation server 30 to translate the audio data or text data.

[0138] As a result, in the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment, depending on the translation target language, translation can be performed by one of the multiple translation servers 30 that can perform translation with high translation accuracy and high translation speed.

[0139] [Third embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the translation server 30 is specified according to the translation target language, but there may be cases where the translation accuracy and translation speed of the translation server 30 also depend on the translation source language.

[0140] That is, for example, when the source language is "German" and the target language is "English," a certain translation server 30 can perform translation with high accuracy, whereas when the source language is "Japanese" and the target language is "English," the translation accuracy may be low. Thus, for a certain translation server 30, even if the target language is the same, the accuracy, speed, etc. may differ depending on the source language.

[0141] Therefore, in the third embodiment, when the electronic whiteboard system 1 has multiple translation servers 30 available, a translation is requested from among these multiple translation servers 30, the translation server 30 corresponding to the translation target language and the translation source language.

[0142] As in the second embodiment, for convenience, hereinafter, the server name of the translation server 30A will be referred to as "Server A", the server name of the translation server 30B will be referred to as "Server B", the server name of the translation server 30C will be referred to as "Server C", the server name of the translation server 30D will be referred to as "Server D", etc.

[0143] <Functional configuration> First, the functional configuration of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an example of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment. Note that the description of the functional configuration similar to that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0144] 16, the management device 20 according to this embodiment includes a language identification processing unit 202B. In addition, the management device 20 according to this embodiment includes a translation server information table storage unit 330A.

[0145] The language identification processing unit 202B performs processing to identify the target language and the translation server 30 based on the destination IP address received by the communication unit 201 and the IP address (source IP address) of the electronic whiteboard device 10 that transmitted the destination IP. Here, the language identification processing unit 202B has a country name identification unit 211A, a language identification unit 212A, and a translation server identification unit 213A.

[0146] The country name identification unit 211A refers to the country name table 410 stored in the country name table storage unit 310 to identify the country name of the country to which the destination IP address is assigned (destination country name) and the country name of the country to which the source IP address is assigned (source country name).

[0147] The language identification unit 212A refers to the translation target language table 420 stored in the translation target language table storage unit 320 to identify the translation target language from the destination country name identified by the country name identification unit 211A. The language identification unit 212A also refers to the translation target language table 420 stored in the translation target language table storage unit 320 to identify the translation source language from the transmission source country name identified by the country name identification unit 211A.

[0148] The translation server identification unit 213A refers to the translation server information table 430A stored in the translation server information table storage unit 330, and identifies the translation server 30 that translates the voice data and text data from the target language and source language identified by the language identification unit 212A.

[0149] The translation server information table storage unit 330A stores a translation server information table 430A. The translation server information table 430A will now be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a diagram showing another example of the translation server information table 430A.

[0150] As shown in FIG. 17, the translation server information table 430A stores a source language, a target language, and the name (server name) of a translation server 30 that has high translation accuracy (or / and fast translation speed) from the source language to the target language in association with each other.

[0151] For example, the source language "Japanese" and the target language "German" are associated with the server name "Server B." This indicates that the translation server 30B, whose server name is "Server B," can translate with high accuracy when the source language is "Japanese" and the target language is "German."

[0152] Similarly, for example, the source language "Japanese" and the target language "English" are associated with the server name "Server C." This indicates that the translation server 30C, whose server name is "Server C," can translate with high accuracy when the source language is "Japanese" and the target language is "English."

[0153] <Processing details> Next, the details of the processing of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the processing of step S1301 in Fig. 13 and the processing of step S1401 in Fig. 14 (processing for specifying the translation target language and the translation server 30) described in the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing for specifying the translation target language and the translation server 30 according to this embodiment.

[0154] First, the country name identification unit 211A refers to the country name table 410 stored in the country name table storage unit 310 to identify the country name of the country to which the destination IP address is assigned (destination country name) and the country name of the country to which the source IP address is assigned (source country name) (step S1801). Note that the source IP address can be acquired from, for example, the header of the voice data received in step S802 in Fig. 13 or step S903 in Fig. 14.

[0155] Next, the language identification unit 212A refers to the target language table 420 stored in the target language table storage unit 320 to identify the target language from the destination country name and the source language from the source country name (step S1802).

[0156] Next, the translation server identification unit 213A refers to the translation server information table 430A stored in the translation server information table storage unit 330, and identifies the translation server 30 from the target language and the source language identified by the language identification unit 212A (step S1803). That is, for example, when the source language "Japanese" and the target language "English" are identified by the language identification unit 212A, the translation server identification unit 213A refers to the translation server information table 430A shown in FIG. 17 and identifies the server name "Server C" (i.e., the translation server 30C).

[0157] As a result, the language identification processing unit 202B can identify the translation server 30 corresponding to the source language and the target language based on the destination IP address received from the electronic whiteboard device 10 and the source IP address of the electronic whiteboard device 10.

[0158] As described above, the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment identifies the target language and the source language from destination information (e.g., the IP address of the destination) of the voice data or text data and source information (e.g., the IP address of the source) of the voice data or text data. Then, the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment identifies a translation server 30 according to the source language and the target language, and requests the identified translation server 30 to translate the voice data or text data by specifying the source language.

[0159] As a result, in the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment, depending on the source language and the target language, translation can be performed by one of the multiple translation servers 30 that can perform translation with high translation accuracy and high translation speed.

[0160] [Fourth embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, when a conference is held using a plurality of electronic whiteboard devices 10, the languages ​​used by the plurality of electronic whiteboard devices 10 (for example, languages ​​set in software such as an OS) are acquired when a session is established, and are managed by the management device 20.

[0161] As a result, in the electronic whiteboard system 1 of this embodiment, for example, one electronic whiteboard device 10 can use the language set in software such as an OS installed on another electronic whiteboard device 10 as the translation target language.

[0162] <Functional configuration> First, the functional configuration of the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 19. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of an example of the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0163] 19, the interactive whiteboard device 10 according to the present embodiment has a language acquisition unit 106. This functional unit is realized by a process in which one or more programs installed in the interactive whiteboard device 10 are executed by the CPU 17.

[0164] For example, when the operation receiving unit 101 receives a connection operation (an operation for starting a session establishment with another electronic whiteboard device 10), the language acquisition unit 106 acquires the language (language used) used in the electronic whiteboard device 10. Note that the language used is, for example, a language set in a predetermined software (for example, an OS or various applications running on the OS) installed in the electronic whiteboard device 10.

[0165] 19, the management device 20 according to this embodiment includes a language identification processing unit 202C and a session processing unit 203. The session processing unit 203 is realized by a process in which one or more programs installed in the management device 20 are executed by the CPU 17.

[0166] Moreover, the management device 20 according to this embodiment has a language management table storage unit 340. The storage unit can be realized, for example, by using the HDD 28. Note that the storage unit may also be realized by using a storage device or the like connected to the management device 20 via the network N1.

[0167] The language identification processor 202C refers to the language management table 440 stored in the language management table storage unit 340, and identifies the translation target language from the destination IP address.

[0168] The session processing unit 203 performs processing for establishing a session between a plurality of interactive whiteboard devices 10. Here, the session processing unit 203 includes a session establishing unit 221 and a language management unit 222.

[0169] The session establishing unit 221 establishes a session between a plurality of interactive whiteboard devices 10 by transmitting and receiving a session establishment request via the communication unit 201 .

[0170] The language management unit 222 manages the IP address of the electronic whiteboard device 10 with which a session has been established and the language used by the electronic whiteboard device 10 using the language management table 440. That is, the language management unit 222 stores the IP address of the electronic whiteboard device 10 with which a session has been established and the language used by the electronic whiteboard device 10 in the language management table 440 in association with each other.

[0171] The language management table storage unit 340 stores a language management table 440. The language management table 440 will now be described with reference to Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the language management table 440.

[0172] As shown in FIG. 20, the language management table 440 stores the IP address of the electronic whiteboard device 10 with which a session is established and the language used by the electronic whiteboard device 10 in association with each other.

[0173] For example, the IP address "xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" is associated with the language "Japanese." Similarly, the IP address "yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy" is associated with the language "English."

[0174] This indicates that a session has been established between the interactive whiteboard device 10 with the IP address "xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" and the interactive whiteboard device 10 with the IP address "yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy."

[0175] <Processing details> Next, the details of the processing of the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0176] First, a process of establishing a session between a plurality of electronic whiteboard devices 10 in order to hold a conference or the like between the plurality of electronic whiteboard devices 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 21. Fig. 21 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a session establishment process of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, a case where a session is established between the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 and the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 will be described.

[0177] First, the operation reception unit 101 of the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 receives an operation (connection operation) for starting a session establishment with the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 (step S2101). Here, the user of the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 can perform a connection operation by, for example, selecting the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 from a list screen of connectable electronic whiteboard devices 10 displayed on the display device 12 of the electronic whiteboard device 10-1.

[0178] Next, when the operation reception unit 101 receives the connection operation, the language acquisition unit 106 of the interactive whiteboard device 10-1 acquires the language used by the interactive whiteboard device 10-1 (step S2102). Note that the language acquisition unit 106 may acquire, for example, the language set in the OS or the language set in a predetermined application running on the OS.

[0179] Next, the communication unit 103 of the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 transmits to the management device 20 a session establishment request specifying the IP address of the destination electronic whiteboard device 10 (i.e., the electronic whiteboard device 10-2) and the language used acquired by the language acquisition unit 106 (step S2103).

[0180] When the session establishment unit 221 of the management device 20 receives the session establishment request via the communication unit 201, the session establishment unit 221 transmits the session establishment request to the interactive whiteboard device 10-2 (step S2104).

[0181] The operation reception unit 101 of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 receives an operation (connection response operation) for establishing a session with the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 (step S2105). Here, when the display control unit 104 of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 receives a session establishment request via, for example, the communication unit 103, it displays a screen for the user to select whether or not to permit a connection with the electronic whiteboard device 10-1. Then, the user of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 can perform a connection response operation by selecting to permit a connection with the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 on the screen.

[0182] Next, when the operation receiving unit 101 receives the connection response operation, the language acquiring unit 106 of the interactive whiteboard device 10-2 acquires the language used by the interactive whiteboard device 10-2 (step S2106). Note that, similar to the above step S2102, the language acquiring unit 106 may acquire, for example, the language set in the OS, or the language set in a predetermined application running on the OS.

[0183] Next, the communication unit 103 of the interactive whiteboard device 10-2 transmits a session establishment response and the used language acquired by the language acquisition unit 106 to the management device 20 (step S2107).

[0184] When the communication unit 201 of the management device 20 receives the session establishment response from the interactive whiteboard device 10-2, the communication unit 201 transmits the session establishment response to the interactive whiteboard device 10-1 (step S2108).

[0185] Next, the language management unit 222 of the management device 20 associates the IP address of the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 with the language used by the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 and stores them in the language management table 440. The language management unit 222 of the management device 20 also associates the IP address of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 with the language used by the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 and stores them in the language management table 440 (step S2109).

[0186] That is, the language management unit 222 associates the IP address of the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 with the language used by the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 and stores them in the language management table 440. The language management unit 222 also associates the IP address of the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 with the language used by the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 and stores them in the language management table 440.

[0187] Next, the session establishment unit 221 of the management device 20 establishes a session between the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 and the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 (step S2110). This allows the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 and the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 to transmit and receive voice data, text data, and the like to each other via the management device 20.

[0188] In this manner, in the interactive whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment, when a session is established between a plurality of interactive whiteboard devices 10, the management device 20 manages the IP addresses and the languages ​​used by the plurality of interactive whiteboard devices 10.

[0189] Next, a process for displaying the translation result on the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 after the speech input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 is translated by the translation server 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Fig. 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the translation process of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment. Note that the processes of steps S801 to S802 and steps S804 to S807 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0190] Following step S802, the language identification processing unit 202C of the management device 20 refers to the language management table 440 stored in the language management table storage unit 340 to identify the target language from the destination IP address (step S2201). That is, the language identification processing unit 202C refers to the language management table 440 to identify the used language associated with the destination IP address received by the communication unit 201. The used language identified in this way is the target language.

[0191] When the management device 20 receives a plurality of destination IP addresses from the interactive whiteboard device 10, the management device 20 identifies the translation target language from each of the plurality of destination IP addresses.

[0192] Next, a process in which handwritten characters input to the electronic whiteboard device 10-1 are converted into text, the text is translated by the translation server 30, and the translation result is displayed on the electronic whiteboard device 10-2 will be described with reference to Fig. 23. Fig. 23 is a sequence diagram showing another example of the translation process of the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment. Note that the processes of steps S901 to S903 and steps S905 to S908 are similar to those in the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0193] Following step S903, the language identification processing unit 202C of the management device 20 refers to the language management table 440 stored in the language management table storage unit 340 to identify the target language from the destination IP address (step S2301). That is, similar to step S2201 in Fig. 22, the language identification processing unit 202C refers to the language management table 440 to identify the used language associated with the destination IP address received by the communication unit 201. The used language identified in this way is the target language.

[0194] As described above, when establishing a session between multiple electronic whiteboard devices 10, the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment manages the IP addresses and languages ​​used of the multiple electronic whiteboard devices 10 in the management device 20. Then, the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to this embodiment identifies the translation target language from the IP addresses and languages ​​used managed by the management device 20, and requests the translation server 30 to translate the voice data and text data.

[0195] As a result, in the electronic whiteboard system 1 according to the present embodiment, when a meeting or the like is being held using multiple electronic whiteboard devices 10, one electronic whiteboard device 10 can set the language used by a user who is holding the meeting or the like using another electronic whiteboard device 10 as the translation target language. Therefore, even if the country in which the electronic whiteboard device 10 is installed does not correspond to the language used (for example, when the electronic whiteboard device 10 is installed in "Germany" and the language used is "English"), translation can be performed in the appropriate translation target language.

[0196] The voice data and the text data are examples of content data in the claims. The voice and the text are examples of content in the claims. The electronic whiteboard system 1 is an example of an information processing system in the claims. The electronic whiteboard device 10 or the management device 20 is an example of an information processing device in the claims. The electronic whiteboard device 10 is an example of an electronic device in the claims. The communication unit 201 or the communication unit 103 is an example of a receiving means and a transmitting means in the claims. The language identification processing unit 202 is an example of a specifying means in the claims. The IP address is an example of destination information in the claims. The server name is an example of identification information in the claims. The country is an example of a region in the claims. The operation reception unit 101 or the voice reception unit 102 is an example of an input reception means in the claims. The display control unit 104 is an example of a display means in the claims. The country name table storage unit 310 is an example of a first storage means in the claims. The translation target language table storage unit 320 is an example of a second storage means in the claims. The translation server information table storage unit 330 is an example of a third storage means in the claims. The translation server information table storage unit 330A is an example of a fourth storage means in the claims. The language management table storage unit 340 is an example of a fifth storage means in the claims.

[0197] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments specifically disclosed, and various modifications, changes, and combinations are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0198] 1. Electronic whiteboard system 10. Electronic whiteboard device 20 Management device 30 Translation Server 101 Operation reception section 102 Voice Reception Unit 103 Communications Department 104 Display control unit 105 OCR processing section 201 Communications Department 202 Language specific processing unit 211 Country Name Specification Section 212 Language Specification Section 310 Country name table storage section 320 Translation target language table storage unit 410 Country Name Table 420 Translation Language Table [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0199] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-209731 A

Claims

1. A system including a first electronic device and a second electronic device, the system transmitting voice data transmitted from the first electronic device to the second electronic device, a session establishing unit for establishing a session between a first electronic device and a second device that accepts handwritten input; a receiving means for receiving audio data of a voice in a first language from the first electronic device via the session; a determination means for determining a second language transmitted from the second electronic device as a translation language; a translation means for translating the received voice data into text data of the second language; a transmitting means for transmitting the text data to the second electronic device via the session; having The second electronic device includes: an operation receiving unit that receives handwritten input from a user; a display unit for displaying text data of the text in the second language; system.

2. The system described in claim 1, wherein the display unit of the second electronic device displays the handwritten input characters and text data of the text in the second language.

3. The second electronic device comprises: an OCR processing unit that performs OCR processing on the handwritten input characters; The system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a communication unit that transmits the OCR-processed data to the system.

4. A method executed by a system including a first electronic device and a second electronic device, the system transmitting voice data transmitted from the first electronic device to the second electronic device, comprising: a session establishment procedure for establishing a session between a first electronic device and a second device that accepts handwritten input; a receiving step of receiving audio data of a first language from the first electronic device via the session; a step of identifying a second language transmitted from the second electronic device as a translation language; a translation step of translating the received voice data into text data of the second language text; a transmission step of transmitting the text data to the second electronic device via the session; Including, The second electronic device includes: an operation receiving unit that receives handwritten input from a user; a display unit for displaying text data of the text in the second language; method.

5. A system including a first electronic device and a second electronic device, the system transmitting voice data transmitted from the first electronic device to the second electronic device, a session establishment procedure for establishing a session between a first electronic device and a second device that accepts handwritten input; a receiving step of receiving audio data of a first language from the first electronic device via the session; a step of identifying a second language transmitted from the second electronic device as a translation language; a translation step of translating the received voice data into text data of the second language text; a transmission step of transmitting the text data to the second electronic device via the session; Run the command, The second electronic device includes: an operation receiving unit that receives handwritten input from a user; a display unit for displaying text data of the text in the second language; program.

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