Conference system, control method therefor, and program

Abstract

To solve the problem that a conventional conference room system is not devised to automatically set a conference or automatically guide to a conference room and users or a conference room is selected only by operation of an administrator or a user.SOLUTION: A conference room system comprises: a staff table capable of storing and calling names of response staff members who can be take part in a conference; virtual conference room generation means which generates a name and a stationary code of a virtual conference room; and entrance enabled person allocation means, etc., for allocating the response staff members stored in the staff table to the virtual conference room of the name and the stationary code generated by the virtual conference room generation means. The conference room system enables a user or the response staff member to connect and perform smooth customer services without setting and selecting a conference room.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conference system and a control method program thereof, and more particularly to a system characterized by the reservation of a conference and the immediate start of the conference. [Background technology]

[0002] In addition to advances in network technology, the COVID-19 pandemic has also limited face-to-face conversations, leading to the emergence of a variety of conferencing systems that allow meetings to be held over the network without face-to-face contact. Of these, the most common type of conferencing system is one that requires advance reservations and sends a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), which serves as a sender identification code, to schedule a meeting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2006-324925 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2017-084284 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above prior art provides a method for users joining late into a meeting and a conferencing system that allows users to easily select a meeting room, but it does not have a mechanism for automatically setting up a meeting or automatically guiding users to the meeting room, and the selection of users and meeting rooms is done only by the administrator or user.

[0005] The present invention has been made in light of the above circumstances, and is primarily a BtoC (Business to Consume) service, i.e., a service provided by a business to general consumers, and provides a conference room system that automatically sets up a conference room when a general consumer holds a meeting or discussion with a person in charge of the business. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is a conference system that can accept entry to a virtual conference room on a network, and is characterized by comprising: a staff table that can save and call up the dates and times when attendees can attend a conference and the names of available staff members; a virtual conference room generation means that generates the name and fixed code of a virtual conference room; an available entry allocation means that assigns available staff members whose available dates and times when attend a conference match the current date and time stored in the staff table to a virtual conference room with a name and fixed code generated by the virtual conference room generation means; an available entry determination means that assigns a specified number of available staff members from multiple available entry staff members assigned by the available entry allocation means to a user using the system; and a virtual conference room connection means that enables a terminal of a user using the system and a terminal of an available staff member selected by the available entry determination means to connect to the virtual conference room where the conference will be held.

[0007] The invention of claim 2 is the conference system of claim 1, comprising a group table that can save and call up group names that categorize conferences, a virtual conference room entrance display means that selects and displays group names saved in the group table, and a virtual conference room group selection means that allows a user using the system to select from a terminal from multiple group names displayed by the virtual conference room entrance display means, wherein the staff table has a field that links to the group names saved in the group table, and the virtual conference room allocation means assigns a corresponding staff member who has the group name selected by the virtual conference room selection means in the field.

[0008] Furthermore, the invention of claim 4 is the conference system of claim 1, comprising: a calendar generation means for generating a calendar based on available conference attendance dates and times stored in the staff table; a virtual conference room date and time selection means for enabling a user using the system to select any date and time from the calendar generated by the calendar generation means from the terminal of the user; an entry code generation means for generating a virtual conference room entry code based on the fixed code of the virtual conference room generated by the virtual conference room generation means and the calendar generated by the calendar generation means; and a code transmission means for transmitting the virtual conference room entry code generated by the entry code generation means to the terminal of the user using the system, wherein the virtual conference room connection means connects the terminal of the user using the system and the terminal of the corresponding staff member to the virtual conference room based on the virtual conference room entry code generated by the entry code generation means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a virtual conference room that allows users and staff to connect without having to set or select a conference room, thereby enabling smooth customer service. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a conference system S according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a server 10 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a terminal 20 for an administrator, etc. according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a user terminal 40 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a staff table 142 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of a group table 143 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7]10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for a staff member 3 displayed on a terminal 20 for a manager or the like according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process performed by the server 10 and the administrator terminal 20 according to the present embodiment when registering and setting the staff member 3. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when the server 10 and the manager's terminal 20 according to the present embodiment register and set the staff member 3. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for group G displayed on the manager's terminal 20 according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process when the server 10 and the administrator's terminal 20 according to the present embodiment register and set a group G. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when the server 10 and the administrator terminal 20 according to the present embodiment register and set a group G. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an immediate conference connection screen displayed on a user terminal 40 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when the server 10, the manager's terminal 20, and the user's terminal 40 according to the present embodiment start an instant conference. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when the server 10, the manager's terminal 20, and the user's terminal 40 according to the present embodiment start an instantaneous conference. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an entrance connection screen displayed on a user terminal 40 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating a processing example when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to the present embodiment start an entrance conference connection. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to the present embodiment start an entrance conference connection. [Figure 19]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a calendar reservation connection setting screen displayed on a user terminal 40 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 20] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to the present embodiment start calendar reservation connection setting. FIG. [Figure 21] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to the present embodiment start a calendar reservation connection. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to only these embodiments. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the same components in each drawing will be designated by the same reference numerals whenever possible, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0012] [1. Overview of the configuration and functions of the conference system S] First, the configuration and functional overview of a conference system S according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a conference system S according to this embodiment.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the conference system S is capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from a server 10 (hereinafter abbreviated as "server 10") of the conference system S managed by an administrator 2 (hereinafter abbreviated as "system administrator 2") of the conference system S, an administrator terminal 20 managed by a person managing the system 2 (hereinafter abbreviated as "system administrator 2") and a staff member 3 (hereinafter abbreviated as "support staff 3") who handles customers, and a user terminal 40 managed by a user 4 (hereinafter abbreviated as "user 4") who uses the system S, via a network NW using, for example, TCP / IP as a communication protocol. The network NW is constructed, for example, by the Internet, a dedicated communication line (e.g., a CATV (Community Antenna Television) line), a mobile communication network (including base stations, etc.), a gateway, etc.

[0014] The server 10 is not managed by a specific person, but is managed by a system administrator 2 such as an administrator of a banking system or a customer service system. Details of the server 10 will be described later, but it is constructed with a server device or the like, and has a database of video producers and viewers, processing programs, etc. in its internal storage, and is the core device of the conference system.

[0015] The administrator terminal 20 is not managed by a specific person, but is a general-purpose terminal with a communication function owned or contracted by, for example, a specific system administrator 2 or support staff member 3. It may be a general-purpose computer, tablet, smartphone, etc., but considering that it is an administrator terminal, it is preferable that it is a general-purpose computer. It has an internal web browser application or a dedicated application, and uses these to connect to the server 10 via the network NW and hold a conference on the network and set up the server 10.

[0016] The user terminal 40 is a general-purpose terminal with communication functions that is managed, owned, or contracted by the user 4, and may be a general-purpose computer, tablet, smartphone, etc. It has an internal web browser application or a dedicated application, and uses these to connect to the server 10 via the network NW and hold a conference on the network.

[0017] [2. Server 10 Configuration] Next, the configuration of the server 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0018] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the server 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 10 includes a communication control unit 101, an input / output interface unit 102, a processing unit 103, and a storage unit 104.

[0019] The server 10 may be configured with a plurality of server devices. For example, a server device that transmits a web page in response to a request, a server device that manages a database, and the like may be connected to each other via a LAN or the like.

[0020] The communication control unit 101 is composed of a general-purpose communication protocol control unit, and is connected to the network NW and other terminals to control the communication status with an administrator terminal 20 managed by a system administrator 2, etc., and a user terminal 40 managed by a user 4, etc.

[0021] The input / output interface unit 102 performs interface processing between the communication control unit 101, the processing unit 103, and the storage unit 104.

[0022] Although the processing unit 103 is not shown, the functions of each unit can be realized by a CPU or the like executing a program stored in the storage unit 104. The functions of each unit in the processing unit 103 will be described below.

[0023] The virtual conference room generation means 111 generates a fixed code VN or the like for the virtual conference room V where the staff member 3 and the user 4 or the like will hold a virtual conference. It is preferable that the fixed code VN is a unique code generated randomly based on a random number function or the like.

[0024] The available entry allocation means 112 allocates available staff members 3 from among the available staff members 3 stored in the staff table 142 (described later) to the virtual conference room V, such as the fixed code VN, generated by the virtual conference room generation means 111. There is no particular definition for the available entry allocation logic, but it is sufficient if the available entry allocation logic sets the available participation date and time of the available staff members 3 and a link to the group G in the staff table 142, and allocates the time specified in the virtual conference room V generated by the virtual conference room generation means 111 or the present and the group G so that they match the available participation date and time of the available staff members 3 and the group G.

[0025] The entry person determination means 113 allocates to the user 4 or the like using the system S, from among the multiple staff members 3 allocated to the virtual conference room V by the entry person allocation means 112, the number of staff members 3 set in the virtual conference room V or designated by the system administrator 2 and the user 4 or the like. It is preferable that one staff member 3 is automatically allocated at random, and it is preferable to provide a means for manually setting two or more staff members, but the number and the method of determination are not particularly specified.

[0026] The virtual conference room connection means 114 connects the user terminal 40 used by the user 4 or the like who uses the system S and the manager terminal 20 of the staff member 3 selected by the entry decision means 113 to the virtual conference room V where the conference will be held. The operation of connecting the manager terminal 20 of the staff member 3 who enters the virtual conference room V and the user terminal 40 of the user 4 or the like by the virtual conference room connection means 114 without going through the entrance connection screen described below or using the virtual conference room entry code VE or the like is hereinafter referred to as the "instant connection operation."

[0027] The virtual conference room entrance display means 115 selects the name GN of the group G stored in the group table 143 described later, and displays the selected group name GN on the monitor and screen which are the display unit 408 of the administrator terminal 20 and the user terminal 40 of the user 4, etc.

[0028] The virtual conference room group selection means 116 selects the names GN of the multiple groups G displayed by the virtual conference room entrance display means 115 from the user terminal 40 of the user 4 or the like who uses the system S. The specific operation will be described later, but the virtual conference room group selection means 116 displays the names GN of the multiple groups G on the monitor and screen of the user terminal 40, and provides a selectable operation when the user 4 or the like selects and clicks or taps.

[0029] The availability determination means 117 determines whether the staff members 3 are available to attend the meeting based on the number of staff members 3 who have a link to the name GN of the group G displayed by the virtual conference room entrance display means 115 in the field, that is, from among the staff members 3 who belong to the name GN of the group G, and whose available dates and times for attending the meeting stored in the staff table 142 match the current date and time. The specific operation will be described later.

[0030] The number-of-people-waiting setting means 118 can set the number of people who can wait when the availability determination means 117 determines that the number of staff members 3 currently available is 0. Although specific operations will be described later, even when the number of available staff members is 0, it is possible to set the number of people waiting using the number-of-people-waiting setting means 118 and put users 4 on hold, making them wait.

[0031] The number-of-waiting-persons display means 119 displays the number of other users 4 who are actually waiting, which is set by the number-of-waiting-persons setting means 118. The specific operation will be described later.

[0032] The calendar generation means 120 generates a calendar that allows reservations for conferences based on the available dates and times for conference attendance stored in the staff table 142. The specific operation will be described later.

[0033] The virtual conference room date and time selection means 121 provides a function that enables the user 4 to select any date and time from the calendar generated by the calendar generation means 120 on the user terminal 40. The specific operation will be described later, but by displaying the calendar and clicking on an available date and time displayed in the calendar, a virtual conference can be reserved.

[0034] The entry code generating means 122 generates a virtual conference room entry code VE based on the fixed code VN of the virtual conference room V generated by the virtual conference room generating means 111 and the current or specified date and time data D.

[0035] The code sending means 123 sends the virtual conference room entry code VE generated by the entry code generating means 122 to a user terminal 40 such as a user 4 who uses the system S. Specifically, the code is sent using email, a social networking service (SNS), a short message service (SMS), or the like.

[0036] The storage unit 104 is configured with, for example, a hard disk drive, an SSD (Solid State Drive), etc. The storage unit 104 stores programs 141 for operating the server 10, a staff table 142 in which data on the staff 3 is stored, a group table 143 in which date and time data of virtual conferences is stored, and a virtual conference room table 144 in which data on the virtual conference room V is stored.

[0037] [3. Configuration of administrator terminal 20] Next, the configuration of the administrator terminal 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0038] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the manager's terminal 20 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the manager's terminal 20 includes a communication control unit 201, an input / output interface unit 202, a processing unit 203, a storage unit 204, an audio output unit 205, an audio input unit 206, an imaging unit 207, and a display unit 208.

[0039] The administrator terminal 20 may be a general-purpose computer, a tablet, a smartphone, or the like, but is preferably a general-purpose computer as described above, considering that it will be used by the system administrator 2, the support staff 3, etc. The administrator terminal 20 may have an internal web browser application or a dedicated application, and each function may be realized by the web browser application or the dedicated application.

[0040] The communication control unit 201 is composed of a general-purpose communication protocol control unit, and is connected to the network NW and other terminals to control the state of communication with the server 10 and the like.

[0041] The input / output interface unit 202 performs interface processing between the communication control unit 201, the processing unit 203, the storage unit 204, the audio output unit 205, the audio input unit 206, the image capturing unit 207, the display unit 208, and other units.

[0042] Although the processing unit 203 is not shown, the functions of each unit can be realized by a CPU or the like executing a program stored in the storage unit 204 .

[0043] The storage unit 204 is configured by, for example, a hard disk drive and an SSD.

[0044] The audio output unit 205 plays back the voice data of the other party (voice of the system administrator 2, the support staff 3, etc. during the virtual conference) received from the server 10 or the user terminal 40 via the communication control unit 201, and may be a speaker attached to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, or may be earphones connected via USB (Universal Serial Bus), or an external speaker.

[0045] The voice input unit 206 converts the user's voice into data (encodes it), and may be a microphone attached to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, or may be a small USB-connected microphone or a headset microphone. The input voice data is transmitted to the server 10 or the user terminal 40 via the server 10 or the communication control unit 201.

[0046] The photographing unit 207 is a series of camera devices that are mainly attached to commercially available computers, tablets, and smartphones, and captures images and videos, encodes them, and transmits them as conference video data to the server 10 or a user terminal 40 via the communication control unit 201.

[0047] The display unit 208 is a display device that is mainly attached to commercially available computers, tablets, and smartphones.

[0048] [4. Configuration of User Terminal 40] Next, the configuration of the user terminal 40 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0049] Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a user terminal 40 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the user terminal 40 includes a communication control unit 401, an input / output interface unit 402, a processing unit 403, a storage unit 404, an audio output unit 405, an audio input unit 406, an imaging unit 407, a display unit 408, a wireless unit 409, and the like.

[0050] The user terminal 40 may be a personal computer, a tablet, a smartphone, etc. It may have a web browser application built in, or a dedicated application, and each function may be realized by the web browser application or the dedicated application.

[0051] The communication control unit 401 is configured by a general-purpose communication protocol control unit, and is connected to the network NW and other terminals to control the communication state with the server 10 managed by the system administrator 2 or the like.

[0052] The input / output interface unit 402 performs interface processing between each unit, such as the communication control unit 401, the processing unit 403, the storage unit 404, the audio output unit 405, the audio input unit 406, the image capturing unit 407, the display unit 408, and the wireless unit 409.

[0053] Although the processing unit 403 is not shown, the functions of each unit can be realized by a CPU or the like executing a program stored in the storage unit 404 .

[0054] The storage unit 404 is configured by, for example, a hard disk drive and an SSD.

[0055] The audio output unit 405 plays back the voice data of the other party (voice of the staff member 3 or the like during the virtual conference) received from the server 10 or the administrator terminal 20 via the communication control unit 401, and may be a speaker attached to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, or may be USB-connected earphones or an external speaker.

[0056] The voice input unit 406 converts the user's voice into data (encodes it), and may be a microphone attached to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, or may be a small USB-connected microphone or a headset microphone. The input voice data is transmitted to the server 10 or the administrator's terminal 20 via the server 10 or the communication control unit 201.

[0057] The photographing unit 407 is a series of camera devices that are mainly attached to commercially available computers, tablets, and smartphones, and captures images and videos, encodes them, and transmits them as conference video data to the server 10 or a user terminal 40 via the communication control unit 401.

[0058] The display unit 408 is a display device that is mainly attached to commercially available computers, tablets, and smartphones.

[0059] The wireless unit 409 communicates in accordance with a standardized wireless system such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark), which are mainly provided in commercially available computers, tablets, and smartphones, and may be used as a function of the communication control unit 401. It may also be equipped with a GPS function for measuring location and acquiring the location. [5. Table Composition]

[0060] 5 and 6, examples of the data structure of the staff table 142 and the group table 143 that stores data of the virtual conference room V will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the staff table 142 according to this embodiment, and Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the group table 143 according to this embodiment.

[0061] 5, the staff table 142 has one record for each staff member 3, and one field may store the name, available date and time of the staff member 3, a link to the group name GN, and whether or not the staff member 3 is available to handle the entrance. In the illustration, the group name GN is written directly for the sake of expression, but a link code on the group table 143 may also be used. The type and number of columns are not particularly specified.

[0062] 6, the group table 143 has one record for each group, and one field may store the group name GN, whether or not the entrance is displayed, the number of people waiting at the entrance, and the link to the linked member of the staff 3. The type and number of columns are not particularly specified.

[0063] [6. Example of a method for generating the staff table 142 by the server 10 and the administrator terminal 20] Next, an example of generating the staff table 142 using the server 10 and the administrator's terminal 20 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 9. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for the service staff 3 displayed on the administrator's terminal 20 according to this embodiment, Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process when the server 10 and the administrator's terminal 20 according to this embodiment register and set the service staff 3, and Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a process when the server 10 and the administrator's terminal 20 according to this embodiment register and set the service staff 3.

[0064] (Step S11) The administrator terminal 20 is operated by the system administrator 2 or the staff member 3 to request the server 10 to display a registration screen for the staff member 3 .

[0065] (Step S12) The server 10, which has received a request for the registration screen of the staff member 3 from the manager's terminal 20, transmits the registration screen data of the staff member 3 to the manager's terminal 20. The display unit 208 of the manager's terminal 20 displays a registration screen such as that shown in Fig. 7, and waits for input.

[0066] (Step S13) The system administrator 2 or the corresponding staff member 3 or the like operates a registration screen as shown in FIG. 7 to input the name of the corresponding staff member 3 in the staff name field 208a1, the name of the group in which the corresponding staff member 3 will participate in the group name field 208a2, and the dates and times that the corresponding staff member 3 is available for meetings in the staff work day fields 208a3 to 208a18, etc. Finally, the system administrator 2 or the corresponding staff member 3 or the like presses or clicks the registration button 208a20 on the administrator's terminal 20, and the input data is sent to the server 10.

[0067] 7 is just one example, and other items may be provided. Further, scroll bars 208b1 and 208b2 may be provided to provide further items, and the screen configuration is not limited thereto.

[0068] (Step S14) When the server 10 receives a request for a registration screen for the staff member 3 from the manager's terminal 20, the server 10 adds data to the staff table 142 in the storage unit 104 and transmits a registration completion notice to the manager's terminal 20. [7. Example of a method for generating the group table 143 by the server 10 and the administrator's terminal 20] Next, an example of generating the group table 143 will be described with reference to Fig. 10 to Fig. 12 using the server 10 and the administrator's terminal 20 according to this embodiment. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for a group G displayed on the administrator's terminal 20 according to this embodiment, Fig. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when the server 10 and the administrator's terminal 20 according to this embodiment register and set a group G, and Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when the server 10 and the administrator's terminal 20 according to this embodiment register and set a group G.

[0069] (Step S15) The administrator terminal 20 is operated by the system administrator 2 or the staff member 3 or the like to request the server 10 to display a registration screen for group G.

[0070] (Step S16) The server 10, which has received a request for the registration screen for group G from the manager's terminal 20, transmits registration screen data for the staff member 3 to the manager's terminal 20. The display unit 208 of the manager's terminal 20 displays a registration screen such as that shown in Fig. 10, and waits for input.

[0071] (Step S17) 10, a staff member such as the system administrator 2 or the staff member 3 enters the name of group G in the group name field 208g1, the display order of group G in the group name display order field 208g2, and whether or not to display the entrance screen for group G in the entrance screen display / non-display button 208g3, and selects the staff member 3 for group G by moving cursor 208g7 from the staff member field 208g6 and pressing select button 208g8 and select all button 208g9 to add the group member to the group member field 208g4, or by moving cursor 208g5 from the group member field 208g4 and pressing delete button 208g10 and delete all button 208g11 to delete the group member from the group member field 208g4. If the entrance screen display / non-display button 208g3 is set to "ON" to determine whether or not to display the entrance screen for group G, the number of people waiting at the entrance may be entered in the number of people waiting field 208g12. Finally, the system administrator 2 or the support staff member 3 presses or clicks the registration button 208g20. After that, the administrator terminal 20 transmits the registration data to the server 10.

[0072] The example of the registration screen displayed on the display unit 208 in FIG. 10 is just one example, and other items may be provided.

[0073] (Step S18) The server 10, which has received a request for a registration screen for group G from the manager's terminal 20, adds data to the group table 143 in the storage unit 104 and transmits a registration completion notification to the manager's terminal 20. When the entrance screen display for group G is set to "Yes" and the number of people waiting at the entrance is input, the number of people waiting may be set in the group table 143 using the number-of-people-waiting setting means 118.

[0074] [8. Instant conference connection example] Next, an example of instant conference connection by the server 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13 to Fig. 15. Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an instant conference connection screen displayed on the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment, Fig. 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment start an instant conference, and Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment start an instant conference.

[0075] As an example, an instant conference connection screen such as that shown in Fig. 13 is displayed on the user terminal 40. The instant conference connection screen may be requested from the server 10 each time a connection is made, or may be prepared in advance as an application on the user terminal 40. Note that the registration screen example displayed on the display unit 408 in Fig. 13 is just one example, and other items may be provided. Furthermore, a scroll bar 408b1 may be provided to provide further items, and the screen configuration is not limited.

[0076] (Step S21) First, user 4 or the like operates the instant conference connection screen as shown in Figure 13 to input the name of user 4 in the user name field 408a1, the consultation field that user 4 or the like who belongs to group G would like to consult about in the consultation field field 409a2, and the details of the consultation that user 4 or the like would like to consult about in the consultation details input field 409a3, and finally, when user 4 or the like presses or clicks the registration button 408a4, the user terminal 40 sends instant conference connection data to the server 10.

[0077] (Step S22) Server 10 receives instant conference connection data for the instant conference connection example from user terminal 40, and generates virtual conference room V using virtual conference room generating means 111, and adds the virtual conference room V data to virtual conference room table 144.

[0078] (Step S23) The server 10 that generated the virtual conference room V uses the entry-allowed person allocation means 112 to search the staff table 142 and allocate one or more available staff members 3 to the virtual conference room V who match the group G of the generated virtual conference room V and the available participation date and time.

[0079] (Step S24) The server 10, which has created the virtual conference room V and assigned the staff member 3, sends a message to the user terminal 40 indicating that the staff member is available. There are no particular restrictions on the sending screen of the user terminal 40, but it is preferable to display a button or the like on the screen that allows the user to send an understanding message.

[0080] (Step S25) When a button or the like displayed on the user terminal 40 that can send an understanding is pressed, the user terminal 40 sends an understanding to the server 10, and the server 10 receives data from the user terminal 40 indicating that the connection has been understood.

[0081] (Step S26) The server 10, which has received the data indicating that the connection has been accepted, uses the entry person determination means 113 to determine which staff member 3 will enter the virtual conference room V from among the multiple staff members 3 assigned by the entry person assignment means 112. The entry person determination means 113 preferably automatically assigns one person, but may also be a means for manually assigning multiple people depending on the type of virtual conference room V.

[0082] (Step S27) The server 10, which has determined the staff member 3 by the entry determining means 113, transmits the conference information to the manager's terminal 20 managed or operated by the determined staff member 3.

[0083] (Step S28) The manager's terminal 20 that has received the conference information is operated by the staff member 3 and transmits a connection response to the server 10 .

[0084] (Step S29) The server 10 uses the virtual conference room connection means to establish a connection between the manager terminal 20 managed by the staff member who will be holding the virtual conference and the user terminal 40 that has made the connection request, and starts the virtual conference.

[0085] [9. Entrance connection example] Next, an example of connection from an entrance screen by the server 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16 to Fig. 18. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an entrance connection screen displayed on the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment, Fig. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment start an entrance conference connection, and Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of processing when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment start an entrance conference connection.

[0086] (Step S31) The user terminal 40 requests the server 10 to display an entrance screen from a connection button provided on the company's homepage or the like.

[0087] (Step S32) When the server 10 receives an entrance screen request from the user terminal 40, the virtual conference room entrance display means 115 arranges the group names GN of the group G with entrance display "Yes" from the group table 143, and generates an entrance screen as shown in Fig. 16. The virtual conference room entrance display means 115 may generate an entrance screen using the availability determination means 117 and the number of people waiting display means 119, and display the number of people waiting in group G as shown in 408c11 to 408c14.

[0088] 16 is just an example, and other items may be provided. Also, a scroll bar 408b1 may be provided to provide further items, and the screen configuration is not limited thereto.

[0089] (Step S33) The user terminal 40 selects the connection button 408c1 to 408c4 of the desired group G in the virtual conference room V from the displayed entrance screen, and transmits a connection request to the server 10.

[0090] (Step S34) The server 10 uses the availability determination means 117 to determine whether the staff members 3 who have the name GN of group G in their field, that is, the staff members 3 who belong to the name GN of group G, are available to attend the meeting based on the number of staff members 3 whose available dates and times stored in the staff table 142 match the current date and time. If it is determined that the staff members 3 are available, the process proceeds to step S37, and if it is determined that the staff members 3 are not currently available, the process jumps to step S35.

[0091] (Step S35) If the availability determination means 117 of the server 10 determines in step S34 that the server is not currently available but that there is one or more available staff members 3 and that the number of people waiting is less than the number of people set in group G, the server 10 sends a screen display of a hold status to the user terminal 40 and waits until a staff member 3 becomes available. If the server 10 determines that the number of people waiting is less than the number of people set in group G, the server 10 displays a screen on the user terminal 40 urging the user to connect later and ends the process.

[0092] (Step S36) If the availability determining means 117 of the server 10 determines that the staff member 3 is available and available to handle the request, the server 10 jumps to step S37.

[0093] (Step S37) When server 10 determines by availability determination means 117 that it is available, server 10 generates virtual conference room V using virtual conference room generation means 111 and adds the virtual conference room V data to virtual conference room table 144 .

[0094] (Step S38) The server 10 that generated the virtual conference room V uses the entry-allowed person allocation means 112 to search the staff table 142 and allocate one or more available staff members 3 to the virtual conference room V who match the group G of the generated virtual conference room V and the available participation date and time.

[0095] (Step S39) The server 10, which has created the virtual conference room V and assigned the staff member 3, sends a message to the user terminal 40 indicating that the staff member is available. There are no particular restrictions on the sending screen of the user terminal 40, but it is preferable to display a button or the like on the screen that allows the user to send an understanding message.

[0096] (Step S40) When a button or the like displayed on the user terminal 40 that can send an understanding is pressed, the user terminal 40 sends an understanding to the server 10, and the server 10 receives data from the user terminal 40 indicating that the connection has been understood.

[0097] (Step S41) The server 10, which has received the data indicating that the connection has been accepted, uses the entry person determination means 113 to determine which staff member 3 will enter the virtual conference room V from among the multiple staff members 3 assigned by the entry person assignment means 112. The entry person determination means 113 preferably automatically assigns one person, but may also be a means for manually assigning multiple people depending on the type of virtual conference room V.

[0098] (Step S42) The server 10, which has determined the staff member 3 by the entry determining means 113, transmits the conference information to the manager's terminal 20 managed or operated by the determined staff member 3.

[0099] (Step S43) The manager's terminal 20 that has received the conference information is operated by the staff member 3 and transmits a connection response to the server 10 .

[0100] (Step S44) The server 10 uses the virtual conference room connection means to establish a connection between the manager terminal 20 managed by the staff member who will be holding the virtual conference and the user terminal 40 that has made the connection request, and starts the virtual conference.

[0101] [10. Calendar Reservation Connection Example] Next, an example of connection from a calendar reservation connection setting screen by the server 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 19 to Fig. 21. Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a calendar reservation connection setting screen displayed on the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment, Fig. 20 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment start calendar reservation connection setting, and Fig. 21 is a flowchart diagram showing an example of processing when the server 10, the administrator terminal 20, and the user terminal 40 according to this embodiment start calendar reservation connection.

[0102] 19 is displayed on the user terminal 40. The calendar reservation connection setting screen is a screen for selecting a date and time from the calendar screen and reserving a virtual conference room V in advance based on the consultation content.

[0103] The calendar reservation connection setting screen may be requested from the server 10 each time a connection is made, or may be prepared in advance as an application on the user terminal 40. Note that the registration screen example displayed on the display unit 408 in Fig. 19 is just one example, and other items may be provided. Furthermore, a scroll bar 408b1 may be provided to provide additional items, and the screen configuration is not critical.

[0104] (Step S51) First, the user 4 or the like operates the user terminal 40 to request a calendar screen from the server 10 via a connection button provided on the company's homepage or the like.

[0105] (Step S52) The server 10 uses the calendar generation means 120 to generate a calendar screen that allows reservations for conferences, such as that shown in Fig. 19, based on the available conference attendance dates and times stored in the staff table 142. A circle may be displayed in a field where an available conference attendance date and time exists, such as field 208d3 in Fig. 19.

[0106] (Step S53) The server 10 that has generated the calendar screen transfers the calendar screen to the requested user terminal 40 and displays it. A virtual conference room date and time selection means 121 is set on the calendar screen, and the virtual conference room date and time selection means 121 provides a function that enables the user 4 to select any date and time from the user terminal 40.

[0107] (Step S54) The user 4 clicks or presses down to select the desired date and time from the displayed calendar, which is displayed as a circle and is available on the calendar. Finally, when the user 4 or the like presses or clicks the reservation button 408d20, the user terminal 40 or the like transmits the calendar reservation data to the server 10.

[0108] (Step S55) The server 10 receives calendar reservation data from the user terminal 40, and generates a virtual conference room V using the virtual conference room generating means 111, and adds the virtual conference room V data to the virtual conference room table 144.

[0109] (Step S56) The server 10 that generated the virtual conference room V uses the entry-allowed person allocation means 112 to search the staff table 142 and allocates one or more available staff members 3 to the virtual conference room V whose attendance dates and times match those of the generated virtual conference room V.

[0110] (Step S57) The server 10, which has created the virtual conference room V and assigned the staff member 3, uses the entry person determination means 113 to determine the staff member 3 who will enter the virtual conference room V from among the multiple staff members 3 assigned by the allowed entry person allocation means 112. The entry person determination means 113 preferably automatically assigns one person, but may also be a means for manually assigning multiple people depending on the type of virtual conference room V.

[0111] (Step S58) The server 10, which has determined the staff member 3 by the entry person determination means 113, uses the entry code generation means 122 to generate a virtual conference room entry code VE.

[0112] (Step S59) The server 10 transmits the generated virtual conference room entry code VE to the terminal 40 of the user or the like that transmitted the calendar reservation data.

[0113] (Step S60) The server 10 transmits the generated virtual conference room entry code VE to the manager terminal 20 managed by the staff member 3 determined by the entry determination means 113. The virtual conference room entry code VE may be the URL itself that allows web connection with just that code, or it may be a code managed by the server 10, or it may not be particularly specified.

[0114] (Step S61) When the opening time VT of the virtual conference room V reserved on the calendar arrives, the user terminal 40 transmits the transmitted virtual conference room entry code VE to the server 10, and at the same time, the manager terminal 20, which is managed by the support staff 3, transmits the transmitted virtual conference room entry code VE. The server 10, which has received the virtual conference room entry code VE from the manager terminal 20 and the user terminal 40, connects to the manager terminal 20 and the user terminal 40 via the virtual conference room V. [Explanation of symbols]

[0115] S Conference System 2 System Administrator 3. Staff available 4 users D Date and time data G Virtual Conference Room Group GN Group Name V Virtual Meeting Room VE Virtual Meeting Entry Code VN Virtual Conference Room Fixed Code 10 Servers 101 Communication control unit 102 Input / output interface section 103 Processing section 104 Storage section 111 Virtual Meeting Creation Methods 112 Entry availability allocation method 113 Entry determination method 114 Virtual Conference Room Connection Method 115 Virtual Meeting Room Entrance Display Means 116 Virtual Conference Room Group Selection Method 117 Means for displaying the number of people available 118 Waiting number reception method 119 Waiting number display means 120 Calendar Generation Method 121 Virtual conference room date and time selection method 122 Entry code generation means 123 Code transmission means 141 Programs etc. 142 Staff Table 143 Group Table 144 Virtual Conference Room Table 20 System administrator terminal 201 Communication control unit 202 Input / Output Interface Section 203 Processing section 204 Storage section 205 Audio output section 206 Audio input section 207 Photography Department 208 Display section 40 User terminals 401 Communication control unit 402 Input / Output Interface Unit 403 Processing Unit 404 Storage section 405 Audio output unit 406 Audio input section 407 Photography Department 408 Display section 409 Radio Department

Claims

1. A conference system that can accept entry to a virtual conference room on a network, A staff table that can save and call the dates and times when staff can attend meetings and the names of staff who can attend. a virtual conference room generating means for generating a name and a fixed code of the virtual conference room; an available person allocation means for allocating a staff member who can attend the conference and whose current date and time match the available date and time stored in the staff table to the virtual conference room with the name and fixed code generated by the virtual conference room generation means; an entry determination means for allocating a designated number of staff members to a user of the system from among the plurality of staff members allocated by the entry-authorized staff allocation means; a virtual conference room connection means for enabling a terminal of a user who uses the system and a terminal of a staff member selected by the entry determination means to connect to a virtual conference room where a conference is to be held; A conference system comprising:

2. The conference system of claim 1, A group table that can save and recall group names that categorize meetings, a virtual conference room entrance display means for selecting and displaying a group name stored in the group table; a virtual conference room group selection means for allowing a user using the system to select from the plurality of group names displayed by the virtual conference room entrance display means, using the user's terminal; Equipped with The staff table is provided with a field that links with the group name stored in the group table, the virtual conference room allocation means allocates a staff member having the group name selected by the virtual conference room selection means in a field; A conference system characterized by:

3. The conference system of claim 2, availability determination means for determining the number of available staff members whose available dates and times stored in the staff table match the current date and time from among the available staff members who have a link to the group name displayed by the virtual conference room entrance display means in their fields; a waiting number setting means for setting the number of waiting staff members to be able to accept a set number of waiting staff members when the number of available staff members determined by the available staff determination means is 0; a waiting number display means for displaying the number of waiting people set by the waiting number setting means; A conference system comprising:

4. The conference system of claim 1, a calendar generation means for generating a calendar based on the available dates and times for attending the conference stored in the staff table; a virtual conference room date and time selection means for allowing a user using the system to select any date and time from the calendar generated by the calendar generation means; an entry code generating means for generating a virtual conference room entry code based on the fixed code of the virtual conference room generated by the virtual conference room generating means and the calendar generated by the calendar generating means; a code sending means for sending the virtual conference room entry code generated by the entry code generating means to a terminal of a user who uses the system; Equipped with The virtual conference room connection means connects the terminal of the user who uses the system and the terminal of the staff member to the virtual conference room based on the virtual conference room entry code generated by the entry code generation means. A conference system characterized by:

5. The conference system of claim 4, A group table that can save and recall group names that categorize meetings, Equipped with The staff table is provided with a field for storing a link to the group name stored in the group table, The calendar generating means generates a calendar for each staff member who has a link with the same group name in a field at once. A conference system characterized by:

6. A control method for a conference system that allows users to enter a virtual conference room on a network, comprising: A staff table that can save and call the dates and times when staff can attend meetings and the names of staff who can attend. a virtual conference room generating step of generating a name and a fixed code of the virtual conference room; an allow-entry-person allocation step of allocating a staff member who can attend the conference and whose current date and time match the available date and time stored in the staff table to the virtual conference room with the name and fixed code generated by the virtual conference room generation step; an entry determination step of allocating a designated number of staff members to a user of the system from among the plurality of staff members allocated by the entry-allowed staff allocation step; a virtual conference room connection step that enables a terminal of a user using the system and a terminal of a staff member selected in the entry determination step to connect to the virtual conference room where the conference will be held; 1. A method for controlling a conference system, comprising:

7. A program that causes a computer to function as a conference system that can accept entry to a virtual conference room on a network, A staff table that can save and call the dates and times when staff can attend meetings and the names of staff who can attend. a virtual conference room generating means for generating a name and a fixed code of the virtual conference room; an available person allocation means for allocating a staff member who can attend the conference and whose current date and time match the available date and time stored in the staff table to the virtual conference room with the name and fixed code generated by the virtual conference room generation means; an entry determination means for allocating a designated number of staff members to a user of the system from among the plurality of staff members allocated by the entry-authorized staff allocation means; a virtual conference room connection means for enabling a terminal of a user who uses the system and a terminal of a staff member selected by the entry determination means to connect to a virtual conference room where a conference is to be held; A program that functions as a conference system, comprising:

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