Controller, program, and control method

Abstract

To provide a controller, a program, and a control method for controlling voice communication in a virtual space.SOLUTION: In a virtual office management system in which each of users uses his / her own communication terminal to access a management server via a communication network, the management server includes a call management unit comprising: a distance derivation unit for deriving distances inside a virtual space of respective user objects corresponding to the respective users; an information acquisition unit for acquiring user attribute information indicating respective attributes of the respective users in a real space and utterance information indicating a content of utterance of any one of the plurality of users; and a call control unit for controlling voice communication between the plurality of users in the virtual space. On the basis of a distance between user objects and relation between the respective users' attributes or the content of utterance of any one of the plurality of users, the call control unit determines at least one of permission / rejection and a mode of voice communication between the users.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a program, and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] In relation to calls in a virtual space, there are known techniques for adjusting the volume of a call depending on the group to which each user belongs and for adjusting information displayed around an avatar (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). There are also known techniques for adjusting the availability of a call or the volume depending on the distance of an avatar in a virtual space (see Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1). (Prior art document) (Patent Documents) (Patent Document 1) JP 2023-036519 A (Patent Document 2) JP 2022-181260 A (Non-Patent Literature) (Non-Patent Document 1) OVICE, "What you can do in oVice's virtual space", [online], [searched April 18, 2023], Internet,<URL: https: / / ovice.in / ja / magazine / 2022 / 03 / 31 / howtouse1 / > Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, a control device is provided. The control device controls, for example, voice communication in a virtual space. The control device includes, for example, a distance derivation unit that derives a distance within the virtual space between a first user object and a second user object corresponding to a first user and a second user, respectively, in the virtual space. The control device includes, for example, an information acquisition unit that acquires (i) first user attribute information and second user attribute information indicating attributes of the first user and the second user in the real space, respectively, and / or (ii) speech information indicating the content of the speech of either the first user or the second user. The control device includes, for example, a voice control unit that controls voice communication between the first user and the second user in the virtual space. In the control device, the second user is, for example, a user different from the first user. In the above control device, the voice control unit determines at least one of whether or not to permit and the manner of voice communication between the first user and the second user based on, for example, (a) the distance between the first user object and the second user object, and (b) (i) the relationship between the attributes of the first user and the attributes of the second user, and / or (ii) the content of the speech of either the first user or the second user.

[0004] In any of the above control devices, the attributes may be represented by at least one property selected from the group consisting of: (i) the organization or group to which each user belongs in real space, (ii) each user's status, position or role within the organization or group, and (iii) each user's physical characteristics, residential area, area of ​​activity, occupation or job type, hobbies and preferences.

[0005] In any of the above control devices, the voice control unit may permit voice communication between the first user and the second user, or permit the volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold, if (a)(i) the distance between the first user object and the second user object is equal to or smaller than a predetermined first threshold, and (ii) the attributes of the first user and the second user match or are similar. In any of the above control devices, the voice control unit may prohibit voice communication between the first user and the second user, or prohibit the volume of the voice communication from exceeding a second threshold, if (b)(i) the distance between the first user object and the second user object is greater than the first threshold, or (ii) the attributes of the first user and the second user do not match or are not similar.

[0006] Any of the above control devices may include an object management unit that manages a plurality of user objects corresponding to a plurality of users in the virtual space. In any of the above control devices, when the first user attribute information indicates two or more attributes of the first user, the object management unit may determine to place at least two first user objects corresponding to at least two attributes of the two or more attributes of the first user in the virtual space.

[0007] In any of the above control devices, the object management unit may manage the priority order of each of at least two first user objects. In any of the above control devices, the information acquisition unit may acquire third user attribute information indicating attributes of the third user in real space. In any of the above control devices, the distance derivation unit may derive a distance within the virtual space between the first user object and a third user object corresponding to the third user in the virtual space. In any of the above control devices, the voice control unit may control voice communication between the first user and the third user during a period in which voice communication between the first user and the second user is being carried out. The third user may be a user different from the first user and the second user. In any of the above control devices, the voice control unit may determine at least one of whether or not to permit and the manner of voice communication between the first user and the third user based on (i) the distance between the first user object and the third user object, (ii) the relationship between the attributes of the first user indicated by the first user attribute information and the attributes of the third user indicated by the third user attribute information, and (iii) the relationship between the priority of a preceding object that is a first user object used in voice communication between the first user and the second user and the priority of a succeeding object that is a first user object used in voice communication between the first user and the third user.

[0008] Any of the above control devices may include an object management unit that manages a plurality of user objects corresponding to a plurality of users in a virtual space. In any of the above control devices, the object management unit may determine an appearance of the first user object based on at least one of (i) a time in a real space or a virtual space, (ii) a position of a first user object in a virtual space, (iii) a content of an utterance or conversation of the first user, (iv) an instruction from the first user, and (V) an instruction from another user different from the first user.

[0009] In a second aspect of the present invention, a control method is provided. The control method is, for example, a method for controlling voice communication in a virtual space. The control method includes, for example, a distance derivation step of deriving a distance in the virtual space between a first user object and a second user object corresponding to a first user and a second user, respectively, in the virtual space. The control method includes, for example, an information acquisition step of acquiring (i) first user attribute information and second user attribute information indicating attributes of the first user and the second user in the real space, respectively, and / or (ii) speech information indicating the content of the speech of either the first user or the second user. The control method includes, for example, a voice control step of controlling voice communication between the first user and the second user in the virtual space. In the control method, the second user is, for example, a user different from the first user. In the above control method, the voice control step includes, for example, a step of determining at least one of whether or not and the manner of voice communication between the first user and the second user based on (a) the distance between the first user object and the second user object, and (b) (i) the relationship between the attributes of the first user and the attributes of the second user, and / or (ii) the content of an utterance by either the first user or the second user.

[0010] The above control method may be a control method for controlling voice communication in a virtual space using a computer. In this case, the subject of each step in the control method may be one or more computers.

[0011] In a third aspect of the present invention, a program is provided. A computer-readable medium storing the above program may be provided. The computer-readable medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium or a computer-readable recording medium. The above program may be a program for causing a computer to function as any of the control devices according to the first aspect. The above program may be a program for causing a computer to execute any of the control methods according to the second aspect.

[0012] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of a virtual office management system 100. [Diagram 2] 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example virtual office 200. [Diagram 3] An example of an object associated with an avatar 320 is shown diagrammatically. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of call control by the virtual office management system 100. [Diagram 5] 13 illustrates an example of information processing in call control by the management server 110. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example of a management server 110. [Figure 7] An example of a user manager 644 and a call manager 660 are illustrated in schematic form. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates an example of a communication terminal 120. [Figure 9] An example of the system configuration of a computer 3000 is shown in schematic form. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The present invention will be described below through the embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention. In the drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar parts, and duplicate explanations may be omitted.

[0015] (Overview of the Virtual Office Management System 100) 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of a virtual office management system 100. In this embodiment, the virtual office management system 100 includes a management server 110. The functions of the virtual office management system 100 are realized by, for example, a computer installed in the management server 110.

[0016] In this embodiment, the virtual office management system 100 provides a virtual space that can be shared by multiple users. The virtual office management system 100 supports, for example, the distribution and / or sharing of data between at least two users who share the virtual space. Examples of the data include voice data and image data. This allows the multiple users to interact with each other within the virtual space.

[0017] In one embodiment, the virtual office management system 100 supports voice communication between at least two users. Examples of voice communication include voice calls and video calls. Specifically, the virtual office management system 100 acquires data of a voice (sometimes called a spoken voice) uttered by a specific user and outputs the data to another user.

[0018] In another embodiment, the virtual office management system 100 supports sharing of data between at least two users. Specifically, the virtual office management system 100 acquires data of at least a part (sometimes called a shared image) of a screen (sometimes called a display screen) displayed on a display device of a communication terminal 120 of a specific user, and outputs the data to another user.

[0019] The above virtual space is constructed by a computer system constituting at least a part of the virtual office management system 100. The above virtual space may be a two-dimensional virtual space or a three-dimensional virtual space. The above virtual space or a service that provides the virtual space to each user may be called a metaverse.

[0020] In this embodiment, for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the virtual office management system 100, the details of the virtual office management system 100 will be described using as an example a case where the virtual office management system 100 constructs a virtual space (sometimes referred to as a virtual office) that imitates an office in the real world. In addition, in this embodiment, the details of the virtual office management system 100 will be described using as an example a case where each of a plurality of users including user 32, user 34, and user 36 uses their own communication terminal 120 to access the management server 110 via the communication network 10.

[0021] In the present embodiment, the virtual office management system 100 will be described in detail by taking as an example a case where the user 32, the user 34, and the user 36 are different natural persons. The user 32, the user 34, and the user 36 belong to the same organization or group in the real space, for example. The user 32, the user 34, and the user 36 may be able to use the same office space prepared by the organization or group in the real space.

[0022] In this embodiment, each user can use the communication terminal 120 to operate his / her own character (sometimes referred to as an avatar) arranged inside the virtual office 200. The user can operate his / her own character to express his / her intention or to execute any action. According to one embodiment, each user can operate the communication terminal 120 to cause his / her own character to execute a walking action, a driving action of a moving object, or the like. This allows each user to place (sometimes referred to as moving) his / her own character at any position inside the virtual office 200. According to another embodiment, each user can operate the communication terminal 120 to specify a placement location (sometimes referred to as a destination) of his / her own character on the display screen, thereby placing the character at any position inside the virtual office 200.

[0023] As described above, the virtual office management system 100 controls, for example, the distribution and / or sharing of data between the user 32 and the user 34. In this case, according to the virtual office management system 100 according to the present embodiment, the distribution and / or sharing of data between the user 32 and the user 34 is controlled based on (a) the distance between the avatar of the user 32 and the avatar of the user 34 inside the virtual office, and (b) (i) the relationship between the attributes of the user 32 in the real space and the attributes of the user 34 in the real space, and / or (ii) the content of the utterance of either the user 32 or the user 32.

[0024] Note that data distribution and / or sharing among three or more users can be controlled by a procedure similar to the procedure for controlling data distribution and / or sharing between user 32 and user 34. For example, a procedure for controlling data distribution and / or sharing among user 32, user 34, and user 36 includes a procedure for controlling data distribution and / or sharing between user 32 and user 34, a procedure for controlling data distribution and / or sharing between user 32 and user 36, and a procedure for controlling data distribution and / or sharing between user 34 and user 36.

[0025] This reduces the leakage of highly confidential information compared to when permission and / or manner of voice communication and / or data sharing is controlled simply according to the distance between two avatars (sometimes referred to as the distance between avatars). Also, the transmission of voice or images that are unlikely to be related to each user can be suppressed. This improves the productivity of each user.

[0026] According to one embodiment, based on the above-described distance between the avatars and the relationship between the attributes, at least one of permission and manner of voice communication and / or data sharing between user 32 and user 34 is determined. This allows, for example, voice communication and / or data sharing between the speaker and a user having attributes that match or are similar (sometimes described as matching or similar) to the attributes of the speaker, among one or more users corresponding to one or more avatars arranged in the vicinity of the speaker's avatar.

[0027] According to another embodiment, at least one of whether to permit and the manner of voice communication and / or data sharing between user 32 and user 34 is determined based on the above-mentioned distance between the avatars and the content of the speech of one of the users. Thereby, for example, voice communication and / or data sharing may be permitted when the content of the speech of a speaker matches or is similar to the attributes of a user corresponding to an avatar placed in the vicinity of the speaker's avatar.

[0028] Examples of the manner of voice communication include volume, call quality, and strength of masking effect. At least one of permission and manner of data sharing between user 32 and user 34 may be determined based on the distance between the avatars and the attribute relationship between the users. Examples of the manner of data sharing include strength of concealment, image resolution, and the like.

[0029] (User attributes) In this embodiment, the attributes of each user are used as conditions for restricting the other party of voice communication and / or data sharing. According to one embodiment, for example, when the attribute type of a specific user is set to "Sales Department", voice communication and / or data sharing may be permitted when the other party of voice communication and / or data sharing has the attribute of "Sales Department". According to another embodiment, for example, when the attribute type of a specific user is set to "No attribute" or "Unlimited", voice communication and / or data sharing may be permitted regardless of the attribute of the other party of voice communication and / or data sharing.

[0030] The attributes of each user are represented by at least one property selected from the group consisting of, for example, (i) an organization or group to which each user belongs in real space, (ii) the position, title or role of each user within the organization or group, and (iii) each user's physical characteristics, residential area, active area, occupation or type of job, hobbies and preferences. Examples of organizations or groups include companies, corporations, groups, hobby groups, and families. Examples of organizations or groups may include departments, divisions, sections, and sections established within the above-mentioned companies, corporations, groups, and the like. Examples of organizations or groups may include a group of people assigned to a specific project. Examples of physical characteristics include age, sex, height, weight, and medical history.

[0031] (Controlling available attributes) In this embodiment, multiple types of attributes may be set as attributes of a specific user. According to one embodiment, all of the multiple types of attributes set as attributes of a specific user may be used. According to another embodiment, the use of a part of the multiple types of attributes set as attributes of a specific user may be restricted. Specifically, when multiple types of attributes are set as attributes of a specific user, the virtual office management system 100 determines available attributes from the multiple types of attributes based on at least one of, for example, (i) the time in the real space or the virtual office, (ii) the position of the avatar of the specific user in the virtual office, (iii) the content of the speech or conversation of the specific user, (iv) an instruction from the specific user, and (v) an instruction from another user.

[0032] Thereby, for example, during working hours, the use of attributes related to the position, title or role of each user is permitted, while the use of attributes related to the hobbies of each user is prohibited. When working hours end and it becomes non-working hours, the use of both attributes related to the position, title or role of each user and attributes related to the hobbies of each user is permitted. According to another example, in a first area inside the virtual office, the use of attributes related to the position, title or role of each user is permitted, while the use of attributes related to the hobbies of each user is prohibited. In a second area inside the virtual office, the use of both attributes related to the position, title or role of each user and attributes related to the hobbies of each user is permitted.

[0033] (Avatar display mode) In this embodiment, multiple attributes are set for at least some users. When multiple types of attributes are set as attributes of a specific user in the virtual office management system 100, the virtual office management system 100 can control the display mode of the avatar of the specific user.

[0034] Examples of the display mode of the user's avatar include the number of avatars corresponding to the user arranged inside the virtual office, and the appearance of the avatars. Examples of the appearance of the avatar include at least one of the shape, pattern, color, and size of the avatar itself, and at least one of the shape, pattern, color, and size of objects arranged around the avatar (sometimes referred to as objects associated with the avatar). The objects associated with the avatar are used, for example, to present information about the avatar or the user corresponding to the avatar. Examples of the information about the user include user identification information, user attributes, and the like. The user identification information may be the user's name or title, or may be the user's account name. The user's name or title may be an abbreviation or nickname of the user's name or title.

[0035] (Controlling the number of avatars) According to one embodiment, when a plurality of attributes are set for a specific user, a plurality of avatars corresponding to the specific user are arranged inside the virtual office. Each of the plurality of avatars is assigned one of the plurality of attributes of the specific user. In this way, the avatar of the specific user is associated with the attribute of the specific user. In this case, for example, when a specific user moves an avatar corresponding to a specific attribute among his / her avatars to the vicinity of an avatar of another user having an attribute that matches or is similar to the specific attribute, voice communication and / or data sharing between the specific user and the other user can be started.

[0036] When the voice communication and / or data sharing is started, it is also conceivable that an avatar of a third party is present in the vicinity of the avatars of the specific user and the other users. According to this embodiment, when the attributes of a third party match or are similar to the attributes of the specific user or the other users, data such as voice and image of the specific user or the other users is also delivered to the third party. On the other hand, when the attributes of a third party do not match or are similar to the attributes of the specific user or the other users, data such as voice and image of the specific user or the other users is not delivered to the third party.

[0037] This not only prevents highly confidential information from leaking, but also allows voice or data to be shared with parties other than the parties of the voice communication and / or data sharing. Also, voice communication and / or data sharing can be realized among three or more users.

[0038] According to another embodiment, at least one of one or more avatars of a particular user is assigned multiple attributes. A particular user may use a single avatar, and the single avatar may be assigned multiple attributes of the particular user. In this way, the avatar of the particular user is associated with the attributes of the particular user.

[0039] In this case, for example, when a specific user moves his / her avatar to the vicinity of another user's avatar, one or more attributes of the specific user are compared with one or more attributes of the other user. Similarly, when another user moves the other user's avatar to the vicinity of the specific user's avatar, one or more attributes of the specific user are compared with one or more attributes of the other user.

[0040] If it is determined that at least a portion of the attributes of the two users match or are similar, voice communication and / or data sharing between the specific user and the other user may be initiated. On the other hand, if it is not determined that at least a portion of the attributes of the two users match or are similar, voice communication and / or data sharing between the specific user and the other user is not initiated.

[0041] When the voice communication and / or data sharing is started, it is also conceivable that an avatar of a third party is present in the vicinity of the avatars of the specific user and the other user. In this case, for example, one or more attributes of the specific user or the other user are compared with one or more attributes of the third party. If it is determined that at least a part of the compared attributes of the two users match or are similar, data such as voice and images of the specific user or the other user are also delivered to the third party. On the other hand, if it is not determined that at least a part of the compared attributes of the two users match or are similar, data such as voice and images of the specific user or the other user are not delivered to the third party.

[0042] This not only prevents highly confidential information from leaking, but also allows voice or data to be shared with parties other than the parties of the voice communication and / or data sharing. Also, voice communication and / or data sharing can be realized among three or more users.

[0043] (Controlling the appearance of your avatar) When multiple types of attributes are set as attributes of a particular user, the virtual office management system 100 determines the appearance of the particular user's avatar based on at least one of, for example, (i) the time in the real space or the virtual office, (ii) the position of the particular user's avatar in the virtual office, (iii) the content of the particular user's speech or conversation, (iv) instructions from the particular user, and (v) instructions from other users.

[0044] As described above, the appearance of a user's avatar may be determined by the attributes of the user. Therefore, the virtual office management system 100 may determine the appearance of the user's avatar by determining the attributes of the specific user based on at least one of the above (i) to (V).

[0045] The virtual office management system 100 may determine the appearance of the avatar of the specific user displayed on the display device of the communication terminal 120 of the specific user, and may also determine the appearance of the avatar of the specific user displayed on the display device of the communication terminal 120 of the other user. The appearance of the avatar of the specific user displayed on the display device of the communication terminal 120 of the specific user and the appearance of the avatar of the specific user displayed on the display device of the communication terminal 120 of the other user may be the same or different.

[0046] For example, on the display device of communication terminal 120 of user B, an avatar corresponding to the attribute of user A, "Development Department," is displayed as the avatar of user A. On the other hand, on the display device of communication terminal 120 of user C, an avatar corresponding to the attribute of user A, "Joined the company in 2000," is displayed as the avatar of user A.

[0047] This makes it easier for a specific user to control the avatar of a specific user when the specific user requests voice communication and / or data sharing with another user.Similarly, when the other user requests voice communication and / or data sharing with the specific user, it makes it easier for the other user to control the avatar of the specific user.

[0048] (Overview of each part related to the virtual office management system 100) In this embodiment, the communication network 10 transmits information between multiple devices. The communication network 10 may be a transmission path for wired communication, a transmission path for wireless communication, or a combination thereof. The communication network 10 may be the Internet, a dedicated line, a wireless communication network, or a combination thereof. The communication network 10 may include a P2P network such as an ad-hoc network.

[0049] The communication method in the wireless communication network may be a mobile communication method or a wireless data communication method. Examples of the mobile communication method include the 3G method, the LTE method, the 4G method, and the 5G method. Examples of the wireless data communication method include the wireless PAN method, the wireless LAN method, the wireless MAN method, and the wireless WAN method. The communication method in the wireless communication network may be various short-distance wireless communication methods.

[0050] In this embodiment, the management server 110 constructs and / or operates the above-mentioned virtual office. The management server 110 supports, for example, the distribution and / or sharing of data between at least two users who share the virtual office. This allows the multiple users to interact with each other within the above-mentioned virtual office. As described above, the management server 110 is configured to be able to transmit and receive information to and from the communication terminals 120 used by each of the multiple users via the communication network 10. The management server 110 will be described in detail later.

[0051] In this embodiment, the communication terminal 120 transmits and receives information to and from the management server 110 via the communication network 10. The communication terminal 120 functions as an interface between each user and the management server 110. For example, the communication terminal 120 accepts various inputs from each user. Examples of the above inputs include inputs related to the operation of the communication terminal 120, inputs related to settings of a virtual office and / or one's own avatar, and inputs of spoken voice. The communication terminal 120 transmits information input by each user to the communication terminal 120 to the management server 110. The communication terminal 120 acquires various data from the management server 110. The communication terminal 120 presents information indicated by the above data to each user.

[0052] The communication terminal 120 may be any device capable of transmitting and receiving information to and from other information processing devices, and the details thereof are not particularly limited. The communication terminal 120 may support a plurality of communication methods. For example, the communication terminal supports both a mobile communication method such as a 3G method, an LTE method, a 4G method, and a 5G method, and a wireless communication method such as a wireless LAN method and a wireless MAN method. The communication terminal 120 may be a mobile terminal. Examples of the mobile terminal include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA (registered trademark), a tablet, a notebook computer or a laptop computer, and a wearable computer. The details of the communication terminal 120 will be described later.

[0053] (Specific configuration of each part of the virtual office management system 100) Each part of the virtual office management system 100 may be realized by hardware, software, or both. At least a part of each part of the virtual office management system 100 may be realized by a personal computer or a mobile terminal. For example, a personal computer or a mobile terminal may be used as a user interface of the virtual office management system 100. Examples of the mobile terminal include a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA, a tablet, a notebook computer or a laptop computer, and a wearable computer.

[0054] When at least some of the components constituting the virtual office management system 100 are realized by software, the components realized by the software may be realized by starting a program that defines the operation of the components in an information processing device of a general configuration. The information processing device includes, for example, (i) a data processing device having various processors (examples of the processor include a CPU, a GPU, etc.), a ROM, a RAM, a communication interface, etc., and (ii) a storage device (including an external storage device) such as a memory and a HDD. The information processing device may include (iii) input devices such as a keyboard, a touch panel, a camera, a microphone, various sensors, a GPS receiver, etc., and (iv) output devices such as a display device, a speaker, a vibration device, etc.

[0055] In the information processing device, the data processing device or storage device may store a program. For example, when the program is loaded into a computer, the information processing described in the program functions as a specific means in which software related to the program and various hardware resources constituting at least a part of the virtual office management system 100 work together. The specific means then realizes calculation or processing of information according to the intended use of the computer in this embodiment, thereby constructing the virtual office management system 100 or a part thereof according to the intended use.

[0056] The above program may be stored in a computer-readable medium. The above program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium. The above program may be stored in a computer-readable medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, a memory, or a hard disk, or may be stored in a storage device connected to a network. The above program may be installed in a computer constituting at least a part of the virtual office management system 100 from the computer-readable medium or the storage device connected to the network.

[0057] By executing the above program, the computer may function as at least a part of each unit of the virtual office management system 100. By executing the above program, the computer may execute an information processing method in at least a part of the virtual office management system 100.

[0058] A program for causing a computer to function as at least a part of the virtual office management system 100 includes, for example, a module that defines at least a part of the operation of the virtual office management system 100. When the above program or module is executed, the above program or module acts on a data processing device, an input device, an output device, a storage device, etc. to cause the computer to function as at least a part of the virtual office management system 100 or to execute an information processing method in at least a part of the virtual office management system 100.

[0059] The information processing method includes, for example, a control method for controlling voice communication in a virtual space. The control method includes, for example, a distance derivation step of deriving a distance in the virtual space between a first user object and a second user object corresponding to a first user and a second user, respectively, in the virtual space. The control method includes, for example, an information acquisition step of acquiring (i) first user attribute information and second user attribute information indicating attributes of the first user and the second user in the real space, and / or (ii) speech information indicating the content of the speech of either the first user or the second user. The control method includes, for example, a voice control step of controlling voice communication between the first user and the second user in the virtual space. In the control method, the second user is, for example, a user different from the first user. In the above control method, the voice control step includes, for example, a step of determining at least one of whether or not and the manner of voice communication between the first user and the second user based on (a) the distance between the first user object and the second user object, and (b) (i) the relationship between the attributes of the first user and the attributes of the second user, and / or (ii) the content of an utterance by either the first user or the second user.

[0060] The above control method may be a control method for controlling voice communication in a virtual space using a computer. In this case, the subject of each step in the control method may be one or more computers.

[0061] The user 32 may be an example of any one of the first user, the second user, and the third user. The user 34 may be an example of any one of the first user, the second user, and the third user. The user 36 may be an example of any one of the first user, the second user, and the third user. The avatar of the user 32 may be an example of any one of the first user object, the second user object, and the third user object. The avatar of the user 34 may be an example of any one of the first user object, the second user object, and the third user object. The avatar of the user 36 may be an example of any one of the first user object, the second user object, and the third user object.

[0062] The specific user may be an example of any one of the first user, the second user, and the third user. The other user may be an example of any one of the first user, the second user, and the third user. The avatar of the specific user may be an example of any one of the first user object, the second user object, and the third user object. The avatar of the other user may be an example of any one of the first user object, the second user object, and the third user object.

[0063] The virtual office management system 100 may be an example of a control device. The management server 110 may be an example of a control device. The virtual office may be an example of a virtual space.

[0064] 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, the virtual office management system 100 and the virtual office 200 realized by the virtual office management system 100 will be described in detail, taking as an example a case where one or more avatars corresponding to one or more attributes of each user are arranged inside the virtual office. According to this embodiment, multiple avatars may be assigned to a single user. However, it should be noted that the virtual office management system 100 is not limited to this embodiment. As described above, according to other embodiments, a single avatar may be assigned to each user.

[0065] 2 illustrates an example of a virtual office 200. In this embodiment, the virtual office 200 includes an office space 210 and a shared space 220.

[0066] In this embodiment, a name object 212 indicating the name of the virtual office 200, a desk object 214 indicating the area where the avatars of the members of each department are arranged, and a desk object 216 indicating the area where the avatars of the members of each project are arranged are arranged in the office space 210. In this embodiment, a conference room object 222 indicating the area of ​​the conference room, a concentration room object 224 indicating the area of ​​the concentration room, and a conversation room object 226 indicating the area of ​​the conversation room are arranged in the shared space 220.

[0067] The conference room object 222 is used for a conference in which multiple users participate. Therefore, voice communication and / or data sharing is permitted between users whose avatars are placed inside the conference room object 222, regardless of the attribute relationship between the users.

[0068] The concentration room object 224 is used by a user who wishes to concentrate on a task in the real space. The user can restrict voice communication and / or data sharing from other users by moving his / her avatar into the concentration room object 224. For example, voice communication and / or data sharing are prohibited.

[0069] As described above, according to this embodiment, multiple attributes can be set for the user of the avatar placed inside the concentration room object 224. In this case, multiple avatars corresponding to the user are placed inside the virtual office 200. Voice communication and / or data sharing is also restricted or prohibited for other avatars placed at positions other than inside the concentration room object 224. A state in which at least one avatar corresponding to a user is placed inside the concentration room object 224 may be referred to as a concentration mode. This allows the user to concentrate on work in the real space.

[0070] An upper limit may be set for the length of time that an avatar can be placed inside the concentration room object 224, and the end of the time that an avatar can be placed inside the concentration room object 224 may be set by the user. In this way, even if the user forgets to move his / her avatar outside the concentration room object 224, restrictions on voice communication and / or data sharing may be automatically lifted.

[0071] An avatar corresponding to the attribute "no attribute" or "unlimited" is placed inside the chat room object 226. This allows each user to freely enjoy voice communication and / or data sharing using an avatar corresponding to the attribute "no attribute" or "unlimited".

[0072] According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, for example, an avatar 232 corresponding to the attribute of "no attribute" or "unlimited" of the user 32 and an avatar 234 corresponding to the attribute of "no attribute" or "unlimited" of the user 34 are arranged inside the chat room object 226. In this embodiment, permission of voice communication and / or data sharing between the avatar corresponding to the attribute of "no attribute" or "unlimited" and other avatars is determined based on the distance between the avatars, not on the relationship between the attributes. As a result, for example, the user 36 can start voice communication and / or data sharing with the user 32 by moving one of the multiple avatars 236 corresponding to the user 36 to the vicinity of the avatar 232 corresponding to the attribute of the user 32, "no attribute" or "unlimited".

[0073] 2, according to this embodiment, a plurality of avatars are arranged inside the virtual office 200, including an avatar 232 corresponding to the user 32, an avatar 234 corresponding to the user 34, and an avatar 236 corresponding to the user 36. As described above, when a plurality of attributes are set for a single user, a plurality of avatars corresponding to the single user are arranged inside the virtual office 200. For example, the avatar 232 corresponding to the attribute "Sales Department" of the user 32 is arranged around the desk object 214 corresponding to the sales department. Similarly, the avatar 232 corresponding to the attribute "No attribute" of the user 32 is arranged inside the chat room object 226.

[0074] The virtual office 200 may be an example of a virtual space. The avatar 232 may be an example of any one of a first user object, a second user object, and a third user object. The avatar 234 may be an example of any one of a first user object, a second user object, and a third user object. The avatar 236 may be an example of any one of a first user object, a second user object, and a third user object.

[0075] 3 shows an example of an object associated with an avatar 320. In this embodiment, the avatar 320 is placed near a desk object 214 corresponding to a specific attribute. For example, the avatar 320 corresponding to the attribute "Sales Department" is placed near the desk object 214 corresponding to the attribute "Sales Department".

[0076] As described above, a user corresponding to an avatar 320 may have multiple attributes. In one embodiment, a single user has multiple avatars, and a single attribute is associated with a single avatar. In this case, the body of the avatar 320 corresponding to each attribute may have a shape, pattern, color, and / or size according to the attribute.

[0077] In another embodiment, a single user has one or more avatars, and multiple attributes are associated with the single avatar. A single user may have a single avatar, and multiple attributes may be associated with the single avatar. In these cases, the body of the avatar 320 associated with multiple attributes may (i) have a shape, pattern, color, and / or size that is initially set or specified by the user, (ii) have a shape, pattern, color, and / or size according to the attributes of the other party of the voice communication and / or data sharing, or (iii) have a shape, pattern, color, and / or size according to the content of the user's speech or conversation. The shape, pattern, color, and / or size of the body of the avatar 320 may be changed according to the attributes of the other party of the voice communication and / or data sharing, or may be changed according to the content of the user's speech or conversation.

[0078] In this embodiment, around the avatar 320, there are arranged (i) various objects for presenting basic information regarding the avatar 320, (ii) various objects for presenting the situation in the virtual space of the avatar 320, and (iii) various objects for presenting the situation in the real space of the user corresponding to the avatar 320. These objects are arranged, for example, at predetermined positions around the avatar 320.

[0079] Examples of objects for presenting basic information regarding the avatar 320 include (i) an object 324 indicating user identification information and (ii) an object 326 indicating user attributes. Examples of user identification information include the user's account name, full name, title, and character strings that are abbreviated versions of these. As described above, the user's full name or title may be an abbreviation or nickname of the full name or title. Note that objects for presenting basic information regarding the avatar 320 are not limited to the above objects.

[0080] Examples of objects indicating the status of avatar 320 in the virtual space include (i) object 332 indicating that the distance between the avatar and other avatars is equal to or smaller than a threshold value that is the criterion for determining whether voice communication is permitted, (ii) object 336 indicating that the state of all avatars including the avatar is in a concentration mode, and (iii) object 342 indicating that the distance between the avatar and other avatars is equal to or smaller than a threshold value that is the criterion for determining whether data sharing is permitted, etc. Note that objects indicating the status of avatar 320 in the virtual space are not limited to the above objects.

[0081] Object 332 is displayed in a predetermined manner, for example, when the distance between avatar 320 and another user's avatar is equal to or smaller than the threshold value. Object 336 is displayed in a predetermined manner, for example, when avatar 320 is in the concentration mode. Object 342 is displayed in a predetermined manner, for example, when the distance between avatar 320 and another user's avatar is equal to or smaller than the threshold value.

[0082] Examples of objects indicating the situation in real space of a user corresponding to avatar 320 include (i) object 334 indicating that voice communication is being carried out between the user corresponding to the avatar and another user, (ii) object 340 indicating that the user is on business or working, (iii) object 344 indicating that data sharing is being carried out between the user and another user, and (iv) object 346 indicating the amount of work assigned to the user. Note that objects indicating the situation in real space of a user corresponding to avatar 320 are not limited to the above objects.

[0083] The object 334 is displayed in a predetermined manner, for example, when voice communication is being carried out between the user of the avatar 320 and another user. The object 340 is displayed in a predetermined manner, for example, when the user is operating the communication terminal 120 or when a predetermined type of application program is running on the communication terminal 120. The object 344 is displayed in a predetermined manner, for example, when data sharing is being carried out between the user of the avatar 320 and another user. The object 346 is displayed in a predetermined manner, for example, when the management server 110 receives information indicating the workload of the user from an application program for managing the user's work or the communication terminal 120 of the user.

[0084] The threshold value serving as a criterion for determining whether or not voice communication is permitted may be an example of a first threshold value. The threshold value serving as a criterion for determining whether or not data sharing is permitted may be an example of a fourth threshold value.

[0085] 4 shows an example of call control by the virtual office management system 100. According to the present embodiment, the details of information processing in the virtual office management system 100 will be described using an example in which the virtual office management system 100 determines whether voice communication is permitted. However, the information processing in the virtual office management system 100 is not limited to the present embodiment. In another embodiment, the virtual office management system 100 may determine whether data sharing is permitted according to a procedure similar to the procedure in which the virtual office management system 100 determines whether voice communication is permitted.

[0086] In FIG. 4, the dotted circle may be an example of an object indicating a threshold value that is a reference for determining whether voice communication is permitted based on the distance between avatars. The above object may (i) be constantly displayed on the screen, or (ii) be not normally displayed on the screen, and may be displayed on the screen when the user performs an operation to start voice communication and / or data sharing. In addition, the display mode of the above object may be different between when voice communication and / or data sharing is permitted and when voice communication and / or data sharing is not permitted. For example, after voice communication and / or data sharing is started, the display mode of the above object is changed from displayed to hidden.

[0087] In one embodiment, two avatars may be said to be "within range" when the distance between them is equal to or less than a threshold that determines whether voice communication is permitted. Similarly, two avatars may be said to be "out of range" when the distance between them is greater than a threshold that determines whether voice communication is permitted.

[0088] In another embodiment, when the distance between two avatars is equal to or less than a threshold that is a criterion for determining whether or not data sharing is permitted, the two avatars may be said to be "within data sharing range." Similarly, when the distance between two avatars is greater than a threshold that is a criterion for determining whether or not sound data sharing is permitted, the two avatars may be said to be "outside data sharing range."

[0089] According to the embodiment described in relation to Fig. 4, the details of call control by the virtual office management system 100 will be described by taking as an example a case where the user 32 corresponding to the avatar 232 wishes to make a call with the user corresponding to the avatar 432. In this case, the user 32 operates the communication terminal 120 to move his / her own avatar 232 corresponding to the attribute "Sales Department" close to the avatar 432 corresponding to the attribute "Sales Department" of the other user. Note that the user 32 corresponding to the avatar 232 and users other than the user corresponding to the avatar 432 may be referred to as third parties.

[0090] 4, the destination of avatar 232 is outside the communication range of third party avatar 436 corresponding to the attribute "Sales Department" and third party avatar 444 corresponding to the attribute "Accounting Department". Therefore, the virtual office management system 100 does not allow voice communication between user 32 and users corresponding to avatar 436 and avatar 444, for example.

[0091] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the destination of avatar 232 is located within the calling range of third party avatar 434 corresponding to the attribute "Sales Department". Similarly, the destination of avatar 232 is located within the calling range of third party avatar 442 corresponding to the attribute "Accounting Department".

[0092] In this embodiment, the attributes of the user 32 corresponding to the avatar 232 are the same as or similar to the attributes of the user corresponding to the avatar 432. Therefore, the virtual office management system 100 allows, for example, voice communication between the user 32 and the user corresponding to the avatar 432. Similarly, in this embodiment, the attributes of the user 32 corresponding to the avatar 232 are the same as or similar to the attributes of the user corresponding to the avatar 434. Therefore, the virtual office management system 100 allows, for example, voice communication between the user 32, the user corresponding to the avatar 432, and the user corresponding to the avatar 434.

[0093] On the other hand, in this embodiment, the attributes of the user 32 corresponding to the avatar 232 are not the same as or similar to the attributes of the user corresponding to the avatar 442. Therefore, the virtual office management system 100 does not permit voice communication between the user 32 and the user corresponding to the avatar 432, for example.

[0094] In this embodiment, an object 422 is placed inside a desk object 412 corresponding to the sales department. When an avatar corresponding to the sales department is placed within the calling range of the object 422, the voice of the user corresponding to the avatar is distributed to all users belonging to the sales department. Similarly, an object 424 is placed inside a desk object 412 corresponding to the accounting department. When an avatar corresponding to the accounting department is placed within the calling range of the object 422, the voice of the user corresponding to the avatar is distributed to all users belonging to the accounting department.

[0095] (An example of another embodiment) In the present embodiment, the details of the virtual office management system 100 have been described by taking as an example a case in which one or more avatars corresponding to one or more attributes of each user are arranged inside the virtual office. However, the virtual office management system 100 is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0096] In another embodiment, when multiple attributes are associated with a single avatar, the virtual office management system 100 may change the appearance of the avatar and / or the objects associated with the avatar depending on the situation. As described above, examples of the appearance of the avatar include at least one of the shape, pattern, color, and size of the avatar body, and at least one of the shape, pattern, color, and size.

[0097] The virtual office management system 100 may change the appearance of the avatar of each user and / or the object associated with the avatar based on an instruction from each user. For example, the virtual office management system 100 acquires information indicating that one of a plurality of attributes associated with the avatar of the user 32 has been selected from the communication terminal 120 of the user 32. The virtual office management system 100 may, for example, decide to change the appearance of the avatar of the user 32 to an appearance of the avatar corresponding to the attribute instructed or selected by the user 32. The virtual office management system 100 may decide to change the object associated with the avatar of the user 32 to an object corresponding to the attribute instructed or selected by the user 32.

[0098] The virtual office management system 100 may change the appearance of each user's avatar and / or objects associated with the avatar based on the content of each user's utterance. For example, the virtual office management system 100 acquires information indicating the content of the user 32's utterance from the communication terminal 120 of the user 32. The virtual office management system 100 may, for example, decide to change the appearance of the user 32's avatar to an appearance of an avatar corresponding to an attribute matching the content of the user 32's utterance. The virtual office management system 100 may decide to change the object associated with the user 32's avatar to an object corresponding to an attribute matching the content of the user 32's utterance.

[0099] In the present embodiment, the virtual office management system 100 has been described in detail by taking as an example a case where a threshold value serving as a reference for determining whether voice communication is permitted based on the distance between avatars is indicated by a single circle on the display device of the communication terminal 120 of the user 32. Specifically, the virtual office management system 100 has been described in detail by taking as an example a case where the virtual office management system 100 displays, on the display device of the communication terminal 120 of the user 32, an object indicating the range in which voice communication is permitted for each of the users avatar 432, avatar 434, and avatar 442. However, the virtual office management system 100 is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0100] In another embodiment, the virtual office management system 100 may display, on the display device of the communication terminal 120 of the user 32, (i) an object indicating the range in which voice communication with each of the users avatar 432, avatar 434, and avatar 442 is permitted, and (ii) an object indicating the range in which voice communication with the user 32 is permitted. The shape of the object indicating the range is not limited to a circle. The shape of the object is not particularly limited, but may be a polygon. The center of the object may be the position of the avatar corresponding to the object, or may not be the position of the avatar corresponding to the object.

[0101] In an example where avatar Y of user X who belongs to the sales department is located inside area Z assigned to the sales department, the position and shape of an object indicating the range in which voice communication with user X is permitted may match the position and shape of area Z. In the above example, the object indicating the range in which voice communication with user X is permitted may have any shape inside area Z.

[0102] (An example of an embodiment in which multiple attributes are associated with a single avatar) For example, assume that multiple avatars corresponding to multiple sales staff belonging to the sales department are arranged inside the sales department area Zs in the virtual office 200, and that a user 32 belonging to the intellectual property department wishes to have a conversation with sales staff Xa in charge of company A about company A. In this embodiment, the position and shape of an object indicating the range in which voice communication with all sales staff belonging to the sales department is permitted matches the sales department area Zs, and the details of information processing in the virtual office management system 100 will be described.

[0103] In this embodiment, for example, the avatar 232 of the user 32 is configured to be able to set an attribute called "Intellectual Property Department" and an attribute called "Person in Charge of Company A." Also, the avatar Ya of the sales staff Xa is configured to be able to set an attribute called "Sales Department" and an attribute called "Person in Charge of Company A."

[0104] In this embodiment, when each user selects one of a plurality of attributes that can be set for each user's avatar as a current attribute, the selected single attribute is set as the current attribute of the avatar. As the appearance of each avatar, an image unique to each user may be used, or an image corresponding to the current attribute of each avatar may be used.

[0105] According to one embodiment, first, with the attribute "Intellectual Property Department" set as the current attribute of the user 32's avatar 232, the user 32 operates the communication terminal 120 to move the avatar 232 into the sales department area Zs. When the virtual office management system 100 detects that the avatar 232 of the user 32 has been placed inside the sales department area Zs, it determines that the distance between the avatar 232 of the user 32 and the avatars of all the sales staff satisfies the condition for allowing voice communication.

[0106] Next, the user 32 changes the current attribute of his / her avatar 232 to "Company A staff member." At this time, the appearance of the avatar 232 may remain an image unique to each user, or may be changed to an image corresponding to the attribute "Company A staff member." Note that the user 32 may change the current attribute of his / her avatar 232 to "Company A staff member" before moving the avatar 232 into the sales department area Zs.

[0107] Thereafter, when the user 32 starts a conversation, the voice of the user 32 is transmitted to a sales member who has the attribute "Company A representative" among the multiple sales members who belong to the sales department. The volume of the voice of the user 32 is determined, for example, according to the distance between the avatar 232 of the user 32 and the avatar of the sales member who has the attribute "Company A representative". On the other hand, the voice of the user 32 is not transmitted to a sales member who does not have the attribute "Company A representative" or "Intellectual Property Department" among the multiple sales members who belong to the sales department.

[0108] Thereafter, when the user 32 performs an operation to end the conversation, the virtual office management system 100 may change the attribute of the avatar 232 of the user 32 back to "Intellectual Property Department". The virtual office management system 100 may also change the appearance of the avatar 232 to an image unique to the user 32 or an image corresponding to the attribute "Intellectual Property Department". The virtual office management system 100 may execute a process to change the attribute of the avatar 232 of the user 32 back to "Intellectual Property Department" even if the user 32 has not performed an operation to change the attribute of the avatar 232 back to "Intellectual Property Department".

[0109] According to another embodiment, first, with the attribute "Intellectual Property Department" set as the current attribute of the user 32's avatar 232, the user 32 operates the communication terminal 120 to move the avatar 232 into the sales department area Zs. When the virtual office management system 100 detects that the avatar 232 of the user 32 has been placed inside the sales department area Zs, it determines that the distance between the avatar 232 of the user 32 and the avatars of all the sales staff satisfies the condition for allowing voice communication.

[0110] Next, the user 32 utters, for example, "I'm a member of the intellectual property department in charge of Company A. Do you have a sales representative who is knowledgeable about Company A?" The virtual office management system 100 analyzes the content of the utterance of the user 32 and determines to permit voice communication between the user 32 and a sales member who has the attribute "person in charge of Company A" among multiple sales members belonging to the sales department.

[0111] The virtual office management system 100 may change the attribute of the avatar 232 of the user 32 to "Company A staff member". The virtual office management system 100 may change the appearance of the avatar 232 to an image corresponding to the attribute "Company A staff member". The virtual office management system 100 may execute a process for changing the attribute of the avatar 232 of the user 32 to "Company A staff member" even if the user 32 has not performed an operation for changing the attribute of the avatar 232 to "Company A staff member". The virtual office management system 100 may transmit a command to the communication terminal 120 of the sales staff member having the attribute "Company A staff member" to cause an output device of the terminal to output a message indicating the content or summary of the speech of the user 32.

[0112] Thereafter, when the user 32 continues the conversation, the voice of the user 32 is transmitted to the sales staff member having the attribute "Company A Personnel." The voice of the user 32 may be transmitted only to the sales staff member who replies to the above message from the virtual office management system 100 with an instruction to permit the call.

[0113] Thereafter, when the user 32 performs an operation to end the conversation, the virtual office management system 100 may return the attribute of the avatar 232 of the user 32 to "Intellectual Property Department". The virtual office management system 100 may execute a process to return the attribute of the avatar 232 of the user 32 to "Intellectual Property Department" even if the user 32 has not performed an operation to return the attribute of the avatar 232 to "Intellectual Property Department".

[0114] FIG. 5 shows an example of information processing in call control by the management server 110. In this embodiment, the details of the information processing in the management server 110 are described using as an example a case where the management server 110 determines whether voice communication is permitted based on the distance between avatars and the relationship between attributes. However, the information processing in the management server 110 is not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, the management server 110 may determine whether data sharing is permitted according to a procedure similar to the procedure in which the management server 110 determines whether voice communication is permitted. The management server 110 may determine whether voice communication and / or data sharing is permitted based on the distance between avatars and the content of the user's utterance or conversation.

[0115] According to this embodiment, first, in step 520 (step may be abbreviated as S), the user operates communication terminal 120 to input an instruction (sometimes referred to as a movement instruction) to move a specific avatar of the user. Communication terminal 120 transmits the movement instruction to management server 110. The movement instruction includes, for example, user identification information (sometimes referred to as ID), the ID of the specific avatar of the user, and information indicating the movement destination of the specific avatar. Management server 110 receives the movement instruction from communication terminal 120 and accepts the instruction.

[0116] Next, in S522, the management server 110 derives the distance (the distance within the virtual office 200) between the destination position of the avatar indicated by the above-mentioned movement instruction and other avatars existing in the vicinity of the movement destination position. Next, in S524, the management server 110 acquires information indicating the attributes of the user who input the movement instruction. The management server 110, for example, refers to a database that stores information indicating the attributes of each user to acquire information indicating the attributes of the user who input the movement instruction. Similarly, the management server 110 acquires information indicating the attributes of other users corresponding to other avatars existing in the vicinity of the above-mentioned movement destination position. The management server 110, for example, refers to a database that stores information indicating the attributes of each user to acquire information indicating the attributes of the above-mentioned other users.

[0117] Next, by the processes from S530 to S534, the management server 110 controls voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and each of the other users. First, in S530, the management server 110 determines at least one of whether or not to permit voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and each of the other users, and the manner of such communication, based on the distance between the avatars and the attribute relationship between the users.

[0118] For example, (a)(i) if the distance between the avatar of the user who input the movement instruction and the avatar of the other user is equal to or smaller than a predetermined first threshold, and (ii) the attributes of the user who input the movement instruction and the attributes of the other user match or are similar, the management server 110 permits voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and the other user, or permits the volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold. The management server 110 repeats the above process for one or more users corresponding to one or more other avatars that exist in the vicinity of the above-mentioned movement destination position.

[0119] The first threshold value may be a value determined by the management server 110 (e.g., an initial value), may be a value determined by the user who inputs the transfer instruction, or may be a value determined by another user. Similarly, the second threshold value may be a value determined by the management server 110 (e.g., an initial value), may be a value determined by the user who inputs the transfer instruction, or may be a value determined by another user.

[0120] According to another example, (a)(i) when the avatar of the user who input the movement instruction and the avatar of the other user are located within a predetermined area, and (ii) the attributes of the user who input the movement instruction and the attributes of the other user match or are similar, the management server 110 permits voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and the other user, or permits the volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold. The management server 110 repeats the above process for one or more users corresponding to one or more other avatars that exist in the vicinity of the above-mentioned destination position.

[0121] For example, (b)(i) if the distance between the avatar of the user who input the movement instruction and the avatar of the other user is greater than the first threshold, or (ii) if the attributes of the user who input the movement instruction and the attributes of the other user are not identical or similar, the management server 110 prohibits voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and the other user, or prohibits the volume of the voice communication from exceeding a second threshold. The management server 110 repeats the above process for one or more users corresponding to one or more other avatars that exist in the vicinity of the destination position.

[0122] According to another example, (b)(i) if one of the avatar of the user who input the movement instruction and the avatar of the other user is located inside a predetermined area and the other of the avatar of the user who input the movement instruction and the avatar of the other user is located outside the area, or (ii) if the attributes of the user who input the movement instruction and the attributes of the other user are not the same or similar, the management server 110 prohibits voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and the other user, or prohibits the volume of the voice communication from exceeding a second threshold. The management server 110 repeats the above process for one or more users corresponding to one or more other avatars that exist in the vicinity of the above-mentioned movement destination position.

[0123] Next, in S532, the management server 110 updates the image of the virtual office 200 provided to each user. Specifically, in S530, when the management server 110 permits voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and a specific other user, or when the management server 110 permits the volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold, the display mode of the object 332 described in relation to FIG. 3 is changed for the avatar of the specific other user.

[0124] In S530, when the management server 110 permits voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and the specific other user, or when the management server 110 permits the volume of the voice communication to exceed the second threshold, in S534, a call process between the user who input the movement instruction and the specific other user is started. Specifically, the management server 110 acquires voice data of the user who input the movement instruction from the communication terminal 120 of the user. In addition, the management server 110 transmits the voice data to the communication terminal 120 of the specific other user.

[0125] The call control may be an example of voice communication control. The information processing in the call control by the management server 110 may be an example of a control method for controlling voice communication in a virtual space. S522 may be an example of a distance derivation stage. S524 may be an example of an attribute acquisition stage. S530 may be an example of a voice control stage.

[0126] The avatar corresponding to the movement instruction may be an example of a first user object. Another avatar existing near the destination position may be an example of a second object. The user who inputted the movement instruction may be an example of a first user. A user corresponding to another avatar existing near the destination position may be an example of a second user.

[0127] (An example of another embodiment) In this embodiment, the details of the information processing in the management server 110 have been described by taking as an example a case where the management server 110 controls voice communication between a user who inputs a movement instruction and other users based on (a) the distance between the avatar of the user who inputs the movement instruction and the avatar of the other users, and (b) the relationship between the attributes of the user who inputs the movement instruction and the attributes of the other users. Specifically, the details of the information processing in the management server 110 have been described by taking as an example a case where the management server 110 acquires information indicating the attributes of the user who inputs the movement instruction in S524, and controls voice communication between the user who inputs the movement instruction and each of the other users in S530 to S534. However, the information processing in the management server 110 is not limited to this embodiment.

[0128] In another embodiment, the management server 110 may control voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and the other user based on (a) the distance between the avatar of the user who input the movement instruction and the avatar of the other user, and (b) the content of the speech of either the user who input the movement instruction or the other user. As described later, the management server 110 may control data sharing between the user who input the movement instruction and the other user.

[0129] For example, a user inputs a command to move his / her avatar, and then inputs a message to the user corresponding to the other avatar. The message may be voice, text, or an image. After acquiring the message in S524, the management server 110 analyzes the content of the message in S530. In addition, in S530, the management server 110 determines at least one of whether or not to permit voice communication between the user who input the command to move and each of the other users, and the manner of such communication, based on the distance between the avatars and the content of the message, in a manner similar to that described above.

[0130] The management server 110 may determine at least one of whether or not to permit the voice communication and the manner of the voice communication based on the distance between the avatars, the content of the message, and the attributes of the other user. For example, if the degree of association between the content of the message and the attributes of the other user matches a predetermined criterion, the management server 110 permits voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and the other user, or permits the volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold. On the other hand, if the degree of association between the content of the message and the attributes of the other user does not match a predetermined criterion, the management server 110 does not permit voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and the other user, or does not permit the volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold.

[0131] The content of the above message may be an example of the content of the speech of either the first user or the second user. The content of the above message may be an example of the content of the speech or conversation of the first user.

[0132] In the present embodiment, the details of the information processing in the management server 110 have been described using as an example a case in which the management server 110 controls voice communication between the user who input the movement instruction and each of the other users described above in S530 to S534. However, the information processing in the management server 110 is not limited to this embodiment. In other embodiments, the management server 110 may determine whether or not to permit data sharing according to a procedure similar to the procedure in which the management server 110 determines whether or not to permit voice communication.

[0133] 6 shows an example of the internal configuration of the management server 110. In this embodiment, the management server 110 includes a storage unit 620, a communication control unit 630, an entrance / exit management unit 642, a user management unit 644, an input reception unit 646, a display control unit 650, and a call management unit 660. In this embodiment, the storage unit 620 includes a space construction data storage unit 622, a login data storage unit 624, and a user data storage unit 626. In this embodiment, the display control unit 650 includes a virtual space construction unit 652 and an image data generation unit 654.

[0134] In this embodiment, the storage unit 620 stores various types of data. In one embodiment, the storage unit 620 stores various types of data used in information processing in the management server 110. In another embodiment, the storage unit 620 stores various types of data generated in information processing in the management server 110.

[0135] In this embodiment, the space construction data storage unit 622 stores various data for constructing the virtual office 200. The above data may be two-dimensional data or three-dimensional model data. The space construction data storage unit 622 stores, for example, data of each object constituting the virtual office 200. The space construction data storage unit 622 may store data of each part for creating an avatar of each user, or may store data of the avatar of each user.

[0136] In this embodiment, the login data storage unit 624 stores login data for each of one or more users. The login data may be an example of authentication information for each user to use the virtual office 200. An example of the login data is a combination of an account ID and a password.

[0137] In this embodiment, the user data storage unit 626 stores information (sometimes referred to as setting data) on various settings for each of one or more users. Examples of the settings include settings on the avatar of each user, settings on the attributes of each user, and the like.

[0138] In this embodiment, the communication control unit 630 controls the communication between the management server 110 and the communication terminal 120. This allows various types of information to be transmitted and received between the management server 110 and the communication terminal 120.

[0139] In this embodiment, the entrance / exit management unit 642, for example, manages the entrance / exit of each user to the virtual office 200. For example, in response to a login request from each user, the entrance / exit management unit 642 authenticates each user using the login data stored in the login data storage unit 624. This allows the entrance / exit management unit 642 to manage the entry of each user to the virtual office 200. Similarly, the entrance / exit management unit 642 acquires an exit request from each user. This allows the entrance / exit management unit 642 to manage the exit of each user from the virtual office 200.

[0140] In this embodiment, the user management unit 644, for example, manages registration and / or modification of various settings related to each user. The user management unit 644 may manage various information related to an avatar corresponding to each user. The user management unit 644 will be described in detail later.

[0141] In this embodiment, the input accepting unit 646 accepts various inputs from each user. The input accepting unit 646 acquires information indicating the contents of the input from each user from the communication terminal 120 of each user. The input accepting unit 646 accepts, for example, input related to registration and / or change of various settings. The input accepting unit 646 accepts, for example, input related to operation of an avatar. The input accepting unit 646 accepts, for example, input related to spoken voice. The input related to spoken voice may be audio data of the spoken voice. The input accepting unit 646 accepts, for example, input related to a shared image. The input related to the shared image may be image data of the shared image.

[0142] In this embodiment, the display control unit 650 controls the image display of the virtual office 200. For example, the display control unit 650 controls the image presented to each user.

[0143] In this embodiment, the virtual space construction unit 652 constructs the virtual office 200 by using the model data stored in the space construction data storage unit 622. The virtual space construction unit 652 constructs, for example, data of rooms or desks that constitute the virtual office 200. The virtual space construction unit 652 adjusts, for example, the position of each avatar within the virtual office 200. The virtual space construction unit 652 adjusts, for example, the content and display mode of objects associated with each avatar.

[0144] In this embodiment, the image data generating unit 654 generates image data to be transmitted to each user by using the model data of the virtual office 200 constructed by the virtual space constructing unit 652. This allows each user who is logged in to the virtual office 200 to interact with each other within the virtual office 200.

[0145] In this embodiment, the call management unit 660 controls the voice communication in the virtual office 200. The call management unit 660 controls the voice communication in the virtual office 200, for example, by a procedure similar to the procedure described in relation to Fig. 5. The call management unit 660 may control the data sharing in the virtual office 200. The call management unit 660 controls the data sharing in the virtual office 200, for example, by a procedure similar to the procedure described in relation to Fig. 5, except that the voice communication is changed to data sharing in the procedure described in relation to Fig. 5. The call management unit 660 will be described in detail later.

[0146] The user manager 644 may be an example of an object manager. The call manager 660 may be an example of a control device.

[0147] 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the user management unit 644 and the call management unit 660. In this embodiment, the user management unit 644 includes an avatar management unit 720 and an attribute management unit 740. In this embodiment, the avatar management unit 720 includes a setting management unit 722, a status management unit 724, and a synchronization management unit 726. In this embodiment, the attribute management unit 740 includes an attribute assignment unit 742, an attribute selection unit 744, and a priority setting unit 746. In this embodiment, the call management unit 660 includes a distance derivation unit 762, an information acquisition unit 764, a call control unit 766, and a screen sharing control unit 768.

[0148] In this embodiment, the avatar management unit 720 manages a plurality of avatars corresponding to a plurality of users, respectively. The avatar management unit 720 manages, for example, (i) settings for each of one or more avatars corresponding to each user, (ii) the status of each of the one or more avatars, and (iii) the status of each user reflected in each of the one or more avatars.

[0149] The avatar management unit 720 may manage the settings of each avatar so that an image corresponding to a current attribute among a plurality of attributes assigned to each avatar is displayed as the appearance of each avatar. The avatar management unit 720 may manage the settings of each avatar so that an image corresponding to at least one of the position of each avatar in the virtual office 200, the time in the virtual office 200, and the time in the real world is displayed as the appearance of each avatar. The avatar management unit 720 may acquire schedule information of each user and manage the settings of each avatar so that the appearance of each user's avatar is changed according to the schedule of each user. Thereby, for example, the appearance of each user's avatar may be automatically changed between during working hours and outside working hours.

[0150] In one embodiment, the avatar management unit 720 manages the settings of the avatar of each user based on an instruction from each user. In another embodiment, the avatar management unit 720 analyzes the contents of the speech of each user and manages the settings of the avatar of each user based on the contents of the speech of each user.

[0151] In this embodiment, the setting management unit 722 manages settings related to one or more avatars corresponding to each user. The setting management unit 722 has a database that stores, for each of a plurality of users, the identification information of each user and the settings related to one or more avatars corresponding to each user in association with each other. Examples of the settings include (i) the above-mentioned basic information related to one or more avatars corresponding to each user, (ii) the number of one or more avatars corresponding to each user, (iii) the type of attribute corresponding to one or more avatars corresponding to each user, (iv) the appearance of one or more avatars corresponding to each user, and (v) the type of object associated with one or more avatars corresponding to each user, as well as the display position and / or display mode.

[0152] The setting management unit 722 manages the number of avatars to be placed inside the virtual office 200, for example, by using a database that stores identification information of each user in association with the number of one or more avatars corresponding to each user. For example, if the number of attributes of a specific user is two or more, the setting management unit 722 determines to place at least two avatars corresponding to at least two of the two or more attributes of the specific user inside the virtual office 200.

[0153] The setting management unit 722 may use a database that stores identification information of each user in association with the type of attributes corresponding to each of one or more avatars corresponding to each user, to manage the number of avatars placed inside the virtual office 200. The number of types of attributes may be an example of information indicating the number of avatars.

[0154] The setting management unit 722 may have a database that stores, for each of one or more attributes, identification information of each attribute in association with an area in which an avatar having the attribute can be placed. The setting management unit 722 can use the database to manage settings related to the placement of each of one or more avatars corresponding to each user.

[0155] In this embodiment, the status management unit 724 manages the status of each of one or more avatars corresponding to each user. The status management unit 724 has, for example, a database that stores, for each of a plurality of avatars, the identification information of the avatar and information indicating the status of each avatar in association with each other. Examples of the above-mentioned avatar status include (i) the current location of the avatar within the virtual office 200, (ii) whether or not there is another avatar within the communication range of the avatar, (iii) whether or not there is another avatar within the data sharing range of the avatar, and (iv) whether or not the avatar is in a concentration mode.

[0156] In this embodiment, the synchronization management unit 726 manages the status of each user reflected in one or more avatars corresponding to each user. The synchronization management unit 726 has a database that stores, for each of a plurality of avatars, the identification information of the avatar and information indicating the status of each user reflected in each avatar in association with each other. Examples of the above user status include (i) whether or not voice communication is being performed between the user corresponding to each avatar and other users, (ii) whether or not data sharing is being performed between the user corresponding to each avatar and other users, (iii) whether or not the user corresponding to each avatar is working or in the middle of a task, and (iv) the status of the task assigned to the user corresponding to each avatar. Examples of the task status include the type of task and the amount of task.

[0157] In one embodiment, the synchronization management unit 726 acquires information indicating whether each user is in business or working by synchronizing information indicating the operation status of a business application program with a program for managing the business application program running on each user's communication terminal 120. In another embodiment, the synchronization management unit 726 acquires information indicating the status of a task assigned to each user by synchronizing information indicating the status of the task of each user with an application program for managing the task of each user.

[0158] In this embodiment, the attribute management unit 740 manages the attributes of each user. According to this embodiment, the attributes of each user are registered by a special user (sometimes referred to as an authority granting user) who has the authority to grant attributes to himself / herself and other users. When logging in or when making initial settings or changing settings, each user selects an attribute corresponding to an avatar placed inside the virtual office 200 from the attributes granted to him / her.

[0159] In this embodiment, the attribute assigning unit 742 determines the type of attribute to be assigned to each user. The attribute assigning unit 742 determines the type of attribute to be assigned to each user, for example, according to an input from the assigning authority described above. The assigning authority may determine, for each type of attribute, a threshold value that is a criterion for determining whether or not voice communication is permitted and / or a threshold value that is a criterion for determining whether or not data sharing is permitted.

[0160] In this embodiment, the attribute selection unit 744 determines the type of attribute corresponding to the avatar placed inside the virtual office 200. The attribute selection unit 744 determines the type of attribute corresponding to the avatar placed inside the virtual office 200, for example, according to an input from each user. Each user may determine the appearance of the avatar for each type of attribute. Each user may determine a threshold value that is a criterion for determining whether or not voice communication is permitted and / or a threshold value that is a criterion for determining whether or not data sharing is permitted for each type of attribute. The initial settings of the appearance of the avatar and each of the above threshold values ​​may be determined by the setting management unit 722 described above.

[0161] In this embodiment, the priority setting unit 746 sets priorities among a plurality of attributes. The above priorities may be set according to input from the above-mentioned authority, or may be set according to input from each user. In this way, the priorities of at least two avatars corresponding to each user are managed.

[0162] In this embodiment, the distance derivation unit 762 derives the distance between two avatars inside the virtual office 200. For example, the distance derivation unit 762 derives the distance between a first avatar corresponding to a first user and a second avatar corresponding to a second user. In this case, the distance derivation unit 762 may further derive the distance between the first avatar corresponding to the first user and a third avatar corresponding to a third user. The first user, the second user, and the third user may be different users.

[0163] In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 764 acquires information indicating the attributes of each user (sometimes referred to as user attribute information). For example, the information acquisition unit 764 acquires information indicating the type of attribute selected by the attribute selection unit 744 from the attribute selection unit 744. For example, the information acquisition unit 764 acquires first user attribute information and second user attribute information indicating the attributes of the first user and the second user, respectively. In this case, the information acquisition unit 764 may further acquire third user attribute information indicating the attributes of the third user.

[0164] In this embodiment, the information acquisition unit 764 may acquire information indicating the content of each user's utterance (sometimes referred to as utterance information). When voice communication between the first user and the second user is permitted, the conversation between the first user and the second user is composed of the utterance of the first user and the utterance of the second user. Therefore, the content of the utterance of the second user may constitute a part of the content of the conversation of the first user. Similarly, the content of the utterance of the first user may constitute a part of the content of the conversation of the second user.

[0165] (Call control processing) In this embodiment, the call control unit 766 controls voice communication between two or more users in the virtual office 200. The call control unit 766 may control voice communication between two or more users in the virtual office 200 based on at least two of: (i) the positions of the two or more users in the virtual office 200, (ii) the attributes of the two or more users, and (iii) the content of the speech of the user who is the speaker.

[0166] The call control unit 766 controls voice communication between two or more users in the virtual office 200 based on at least two of the following: (i) the distance within the virtual office 200 between the avatar of the user who is the speaker, the user who wishes to start a call, or the user who has started a call (these users may be referred to as reference users) and the avatars of the other users (may be referred to as the distance between the avatars), (ii) the relationship between the attributes of the reference user and the attributes of the other users (may be referred to as the relationship between the attributes), and (iii) the content of the utterance or conversation of the reference user. The call control unit 766 may control voice communication between two or more users in the virtual office 200 based on the distance between the avatars and the relationship between the attributes or the content of the utterance.

[0167] The reference user may be a user who wishes to start a call or a user who has started a call. The reference user may be a user who has started a call. In addition, a distance within the virtual office 200 may simply be referred to as a distance.

[0168] (A combination of the distance between avatars and the relationship between attributes) In one embodiment, the call control unit 766 controls voice communication between two or more users in the virtual office 200 based on the distance between the avatar of the reference user and the avatar of the other user, and the relationship between the attribute of the reference user and the attribute of the other user. More specifically, the call control unit 766 determines at least one of permission and manner of voice communication between the first user and the second user based on, for example, (i) the distance between the avatar of the first user and the avatar of the second user, and (ii) the relationship between the attribute of the first user and the attribute of the second user. The attribute of the first user is indicated, for example, by the first user attribute information described above. The attribute of the second user is indicated, for example, by the second user attribute information described above. The first user may be an example of the reference user. The second user may be an example of the other user.

[0169] The call control unit 766, for example, (a) (i) when the distance between the avatar of the first user and the avatar of the second user is equal to or smaller than a predetermined first threshold value, and (ii) when the attributes of the first user and the second user match or are similar, allows voice communication between the first user and the second user, or allows the volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold value. The call control unit 766, for example, (b) (i) when the distance between the avatar of the first user and the avatar of the second user is greater than the first threshold value, or (ii) when the attributes of the first user and the second user do not match or are not similar, prohibits voice communication between the first user and the second user, or prohibits the volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold value. When a combination of N attributes of the first user and M attributes of the second user includes a combination in which both match or are similar, the call control unit 766 may determine that the attributes of the first user and the second user match or are similar. N and M may each independently be a positive integer.

[0170] (Combination of distance between avatars and speech content) In another embodiment, the call control unit 766 controls voice communication between two or more users in the virtual office 200 based on the distance between the avatar of the reference user and the avatar of the other user, and the contents of the speech or conversation of the reference user. The call control unit 766 may control voice communication between the reference user and the other user based on the distance between the avatar of the reference user and the avatar of the other user, the contents of the speech of the reference user, and the attributes of the other users. More specifically, the call control unit 766 determines at least one of permission and mode of voice communication between the first user and the second user based on, for example, (i) the distance between the avatar of the first user and the avatar of the second user, (ii) the contents of the speech of the first user, and (iii) the attributes of the second user.

[0171] The call control unit 766 permits voice communication between the first user and the second user, or permits the volume of the voice communication to exceed the second threshold, when, for example, (a)(i) the distance between the avatar of the first user and the avatar of the second user is equal to or smaller than a predetermined first threshold, and (ii) the degree of association between the content of the first user's utterance and the attribute of the second user meets a predetermined criterion. The call control unit 766 prohibits voice communication between the first user and the second user, or prohibits the volume of the voice communication from exceeding the second threshold, when, for example, (b)(i) the distance between the avatar of the first user and the avatar of the second user is greater than the first threshold, or (ii) the degree of association between the content of the first user's utterance and the attribute of the second user does not meet the predetermined criterion.

[0172] (Interrupt control processing) The call control unit 766 may further control the voice communication between the first user and the third user during the period in which the voice communication between the first user and the second user is being carried out. This allows, for example, a conversation between the first user and the second user to be conveyed to the third user. Similarly, a conversation between the first user and the third user may be conveyed to the second user. Also, a conversation between the second user and the third user may be conveyed to the third user.

[0173] The call control unit 766 determines at least one of whether to permit and the manner of voice communication between the first user and the third user based on, for example, (i) the distance between the first user's avatar and the third user's avatar, (ii) the relationship between the attributes of the first user indicated by the first user attribute information and the attributes of the third user indicated by the third user attribute information, and (iii) the priority of the first user's avatar (sometimes referred to as a preceding object) used in voice communication between the first user and the second user, and the priority of the first user's avatar (sometimes referred to as a succeeding object) used in voice communication between the first user and the third user.

[0174] For example, (a) (i) when the distance between the avatar of the first user and the avatar of the third user is equal to or smaller than a third threshold value, and (ii) the attributes of the first user and the attributes of the third user match or are similar, and (b) the priority of the preceding object is lower than the priority of the succeeding object, the call control unit 766 stops or interrupts the voice communication between the first user and the second user. Also, the call control unit 766 decides to start the voice communication between the first user and the third user. This allows a call to be placed on hold based on the priority between the avatars corresponding to the same user.

[0175] In this embodiment, the screen sharing control unit 768 controls screen sharing between two or more users in a virtual space. Except for the fact that screen data is shared instead of voice data, the screen sharing control unit 768 may control screen sharing between two or more users in a similar manner to the procedure in which the call control unit 766 controls voice communication.

[0176] The avatar management unit 720 may be an example of an object management unit. The attribute management unit 740 may be an example of an object management unit. The call control unit 766 may be an example of a voice control unit. The voice control unit may be an example of a data sharing control unit. The contents of the utterances of each user may be an example of the contents of the utterances or conversations of the first user.

[0177] 8 illustrates an example of an internal configuration of the communication terminal 120. In this embodiment, the communication terminal 120 includes a communication unit 822, an input unit 824, an output unit 826, and a control unit 840, for example.

[0178] In this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, the details of the communication terminal 120 will be explained by taking as an example a case where the user 32 uses the communication terminal 120. The communication terminal 120 used by the user 34 may have a similar configuration to the communication terminal 120 used by the user 32. Similarly, the communication terminal 120 used by the user 36 may have a similar configuration to the communication terminal 120 used by the user 32.

[0179] In this embodiment, the communication unit 822 transmits and receives information to and from the virtual office management system 100 via the communication network 10. Specifically, the communication unit 822 transmits and receives information to and from the management server 110.

[0180] In this embodiment, the input unit 824 accepts various inputs from the user 32. The input unit 824 accepts, for example, an input from the user 32, which is related to the operation of an avatar of the user 32. The input unit 824 may accept an input related to the operation of the avatar by detecting a change in the position and posture of the user 32. The input unit 824 accepts, for example, an input from the user 32, which is related to the settings of the avatar of the user 32. Examples of the input unit 824 include a keyboard, a pointing device, a touch panel, a microphone, a voice input device, a gesture input device, and a motion input device.

[0181] In this embodiment, the output unit 826 outputs information to the user 32. The output unit 826 acquires image data from the management server 110, and outputs an image shown in the image data. Examples of the output unit 826 include a display and a projector.

[0182] In this embodiment, the control unit 840 controls the operation of each unit of the communication terminal 120. The control unit 840 controls various operations related to the communication terminal 120 described above.

[0183] 9 shows an example of a computer 3000 in which multiple aspects of the present invention may be embodied in whole or in part. At least a part of the virtual office management system 100 may be realized by the computer 3000. For example, at least a part of the management server 110 is realized by the computer 3000. For example, at least a part of the communication terminal 120 is realized by the computer 3000.

[0184] A program installed on the computer 3000 may cause the computer 3000 to function as or perform operations associated with an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention or one or more "parts" of the apparatus, and / or to perform a process or steps of the process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 3012 to cause the computer 3000 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0185] The computer 3000 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 3012, a RAM 3014, a graphic controller 3016, and a display device 3018, which are connected to each other by a host controller 3010. The computer 3000 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 3022, a hard disk drive 3024, a DVD-ROM drive 3026, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 3010 via an input / output controller 3020. The computer also includes legacy input / output units such as a ROM 3030 and a keyboard 3042, which are connected to the input / output controller 3020 via an input / output chip 3040.

[0186] The CPU 3012 operates according to a program stored in the ROM 3030 and the RAM 3014, thereby controlling each unit. The graphic controller 3016 acquires image data generated by the CPU 3012 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 3014 or into itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 3018.

[0187] The communications interface 3022 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The hard disk drive 3024 stores programs and data used by the CPU 3012 in the computer 3000. The DVD-ROM drive 3026 reads programs or data from the DVD-ROM 3001 and provides the programs or data to the hard disk drive 3024 via the RAM 3014. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0188] The ROM 3030 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 3000 upon activation, and / or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 3000. The input / output chip 3040 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 3020 via a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0189] The programs are provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM 3001 or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the hard disk drive 3024, the RAM 3014, or the ROM 3030, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 3012. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 3000, and brings about cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be constructed by realizing an operation or processing of information according to the use of the computer 3000.

[0190] For example, when communication is performed between computer 3000 and an external device, CPU 3012 may execute a communication program loaded in RAM 3014 and instruct communication interface 3022 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of CPU 3012, communication interface 3022 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in RAM 3014, hard disk drive 3024, DVD-ROM 3001, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0191] Furthermore, CPU 3012 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as hard disk drive 3024, DVD-ROM drive 3026 (DVD-ROM 3001), an IC card, etc. to be read into RAM 3014, and perform various types of processing on the data on RAM 3014. CPU 3012 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0192] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored in the recording medium and undergo information processing. The CPU 3012 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 3014, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and writes back the results to the RAM 3014. The CPU 3012 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. in the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 3012 may search for an entry whose attribute value of the first attribute matches a specified condition from among the plurality of entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0193] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on the computer 3000 or in the vicinity of the computer 3000. In addition, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the above-described programs to the computer 3000 via the network.

[0194] The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the above embodiments may represent stages of a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of an apparatus responsible for performing the operation. Particular stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium, and / or a processor provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium. The dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as, for example, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic arrays (PLAs), and the like, including AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0195] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by a suitable device, such that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs or flash memories), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), static random access memories (SRAMs), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), Blu-ray disks, memory sticks, integrated circuit cards, and the like.

[0196] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0197] Computer readable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or to a programmable circuit, either locally or over a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, etc., to cause the processor of the general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or to a programmable circuit, to execute the computer readable instructions to generate means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0198] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. Furthermore, the matters described for a specific embodiment can be applied to other embodiments to the extent that they are not technically inconsistent. Furthermore, each component may have the same features as other components having the same name and different reference numerals. It is clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0199] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and may be realized in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the process in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0200] 10. Communications Networks 32 users 34 users 36 users 100 Virtual Office Management System 110 Management Server 120 Communication terminal 200 Virtual Offices 210 Office Space 212 Name Object 214 Desk Object 216 Desk Object 220 Shared Space 222 Conference Room Object 224 Concentration Room Object 226 Chat Room Objects 232 Avatar 234 Avatar 236 Avatar 320 Avatar 324 Objects 326 Objects 332 Objects 334 Objects 336 Objects 340 Objects 342 Objects 344 Objects 346 Objects 412 Desk Object 422 Objects 424 Objects 432 Avatar 434 Avatar 436 Avatar 442 Avatar 444 Avatar 620 Storage Unit 622 Space Construction Data Storage Unit 624 Login data storage section 626 User Data Storage 630 Communication Control Unit 642 Entrance and Exit Control Department 644 User Management Department 646 Input Reception Section 650 Display control unit 652 Virtual Space Construction Department 654 Image data generation unit 660 Call Management Department 720 Avatar Management Department 722 Settings Management Department 724 Situation Management Department 726 Synchronization Management Department 740 Attribute management department 742 Attribute Assignment Department 744 Attribute Selection Section 746 Priority Setting Unit 762 Distance derivation part 764 Information Acquisition Department 766 Call Control Unit 768 Screen sharing control section 822 Communications Department 824 Input section 826 Output section 840 Control Unit 3000 Computers 3001 DVD-ROM 3010 Host Controller 3012 CPU 3014 RAM 3016 Graphics Controller 3018 Display Device 3020 I / O Controller 3022 Communication Interface 3024 Hard Disk Drive 3026 DVD-ROM drive 3030 ROM 3040 I / O chip 3042 Keyboard

Claims

1. A control device for controlling voice communication in a virtual space, comprising: a distance derivation unit that derives a distance within the virtual space between a first user object and a second user object corresponding to a first user and a second user, respectively, in the virtual space; (i) an information acquisition unit that acquires first user attribute information and second user attribute information indicating attributes of the first user and the second user in real space, and / or (ii) speech information indicating the content of a speech of either the first user or the second user; a voice control unit that controls voice communication between the first user and the second user in the virtual space; Equipped with the second user is a user different from the first user, The voice control unit determines at least one of permission and mode of voice communication between the first user and the second user based on (a) the distance between the first user object and the second user object, and (b) (i) a relationship between an attribute of the first user and an attribute of the second user, and / or (ii) a content of an utterance of either the first user or the second user. Control device.

2. The attributes are represented by at least one property selected from the group consisting of (i) an organization or group to which each user belongs in real space, (ii) the status, position or role of each user within the organization or group, and (iii) each user's physical characteristics, residential area, area of ​​activity, occupation or type of job, hobbies and preferences. The control device according to claim 1 .

3. The voice control unit is (a) permitting voice communication between the first user and the second user, or permitting a volume of the voice communication to exceed a second threshold, when (i) the distance between the first user object and the second user object is equal to or less than a first predetermined threshold, and (ii) an attribute of the first user and an attribute of the second user match or are similar; (b) (i) prohibiting voice communication between the first user and the second user, or prohibiting a volume of the voice communication from exceeding the second threshold, if the distance between the first user object and the second user object is greater than the first threshold, or (ii) if attributes of the first user and attributes of the second user are not identical or similar; The control device according to claim 1 .

4. An object management unit that manages a plurality of user objects corresponding to the plurality of users in the virtual space, The object management unit When the attribute of the first user indicated by the first user attribute information is two or more, determining to place at least two of the first user objects corresponding to at least two attributes of the two or more attributes of the first user within the virtual space; The control device according to claim 1 .

5. The object management unit manages a priority order of each of the at least two first user objects; The information acquisition unit further acquires third user attribute information indicating attributes of a third user in real space; the distance derivation unit further derives a distance within the virtual space between the first user object and a third user object corresponding to the third user in the virtual space; The voice control unit further controls voice communication between the first user and the third user during a period in which the voice communication between the first user and the second user is being performed; the third user is a user different from the first user and the second user, The voice control unit is determining at least one of whether or not to permit and the manner of voice communication between the first user and the third user based on (i) the distance between the first user object and the third user object, (ii) a relationship between the attributes of the first user indicated by the first user attribute information and the attributes of the third user indicated by the third user attribute information, and (iii) a relationship between a priority of a preceding object that is the first user object used in the voice communication between the first user and the second user and a priority of a succeeding object that is the first user object used in the voice communication between the first user and the third user; The control device according to claim 4.

6. An object management unit that manages a plurality of user objects corresponding to the plurality of users in the virtual space, The object management unit determines an appearance of the first user object based on at least one of: (i) a time in a real space or a virtual space; (ii) a position of the first user object in a virtual space; (iii) a content of an utterance or conversation of the first user; (iv) an instruction from the first user; and (V) an instruction from another user different from the first user. The control device according to claim 1 .

7. A program for causing a computer to function as the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A control method for controlling voice communication in a virtual space using a computer, comprising: a distance derivation step in which the computer derives a distance within the virtual space between a first user object and a second user object corresponding to a first user and a second user, respectively, in the virtual space; An information acquisition step in which the computer acquires (i) first user attribute information and second user attribute information indicating attributes of the first user and the second user in real space, and / or (ii) speech information indicating the content of a speech of either the first user or the second user; a voice control step in which the computer controls voice communication between the first user and the second user in the virtual space; having the second user is a user different from the first user, The voice control stage is (a) determining at least one of whether or not and the manner of voice communication between the first user and the second user based on the distance between the first user object and the second user object, and (b) (i) a relationship between an attribute of the first user and an attribute of the second user, and / or (ii) the content of an utterance of either the first user or the second user; Including, Control methods.

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