Information processing unit, communication method, program, system

Abstract

To provide an information processing unit which allow a terminal to use the service of other system.SOLUTION: An information processing unit 50 has communication connection means 56 performing communication connection of first data between a first transmission terminal identified by first identification information and a second transmission terminal identified by second identification information, if authentication of the first transmission terminal is successful, identification information acquisition means 62 for acquiring third identification information and fourth identification information with reference to correspondence information registering the fourth identification information corresponding to the first identification information, when acquiring a communication connection request of second data including the first identification information and the second identification information from the first transmission terminal, and connection request means 58 performing communication connection request of second data together with the third identification information and fourth identification which the identification information acquisition means acquired to other information processing unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 22

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A video conference system is known in which a video conference is held between a plurality of terminal devices via a communication network such as the Internet. In such a video conference system, image data and audio data are transmitted from one transmission terminal. The other transmission terminal receives the image data and audio data, and displays the image on a display or outputs the audio from a speaker, thereby enabling the video conference to be held between these transmission terminals.

[0003] Also known is a text chat system in which text data is transmitted and received between a plurality of devices via a communication network such as the Internet, and chats are conducted.

[0004] Generally, video conferencing systems and text chat systems are independent of each other, and users are given separate IDs and passwords for each system, so users must manage their IDs and passwords separately for each system.

[0005] As a technology for improving the cooperation between such independent systems, a technology has been devised for associating telephone numbers with email addresses in two independent systems, email and telephone (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a cooperation system in which the telephone number of the other party is notified to the email system when a call is made or received, and the email system stores sent and received emails, and when a call is made or received, the saved emails are searched, and emails that contain a character string corresponding to the telephone number of the other party are extracted and displayed. In this cooperation system, it is possible to register correspondence information between the telephone number of the other party and the extracted email address. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the past, in order to use each independent system, a user had to be authenticated with an ID and password for each system, which meant that one ID could not be used to authenticate the other system.

[0007] For example, a text chat system authenticates a user using an email address that uniquely identifies the user as an ID, while a video conferencing system authenticates a user using a uniquely assigned ID. Therefore, if one user wants to hold a video conference while text chatting with another user, the first user must be authenticated and log in to the video conferencing system again before starting the video conference with the other user.

[0008] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device that allows a user to use services from different systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides an information processing device that establishes a communication connection between a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal, the information processing device including: a first communication connection means that, when authentication of the first transmission terminal is successful, establishes a communication connection for first data between the first transmission terminal identified by first identification information and the second transmission terminal identified by second identification information; an identification information acquisition means that, when a communication connection request for second data including the first identification information and the second identification information is acquired from the first transmission terminal, acquires the third identification information and the fourth identification information by referring to correspondence information in which third identification information is registered in association with the first identification information and fourth identification information is registered in association with the second identification information; and a connection request means that makes a communication connection request for second data to another information processing device together with the third identification information and the fourth identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] It is possible to provide an information processing device that allows a terminal to use services of another system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a video conference terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an example of a mobile terminal according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a relay device, a transmission management system, a common information management device, a program providing system, and a maintenance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is an example of a functional block diagram of each terminal, device, and system constituting a transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a session management table. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a destination list management table. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of an authentication management table. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ID information registration table. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a manager list table. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a service management table. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal type table. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an ID management table. [Figure 14] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a sequence from login to a video conference terminal according to the present embodiment until display of a destination list. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation status notification determination process according to the present embodiment. [Figure 16]FIG. 10 is an image diagram of an example of a destination list display screen displayed on the video conference terminal. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process in which a video conference terminal establishes a session. [Figure 18] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a process from logging in to the mobile terminal according to the embodiment to displaying a destination list. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is an image diagram of an example of a destination list display screen displayed on a mobile terminal. [Figure 20] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure in which an administrator who operates a PC registers a user ID and a communication ID in an ID information registration table. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an ID and password input screen. [Figure 22] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for holding a video conference after a mobile terminal logs in to a text chat management system. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a login screen. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a text chat screen. [Figure 25] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an authentication management table in which the system IDs of other systems are registered. [Figure 26] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for logging in to a text chat management system using an authentication management table in which the system IDs of other systems are registered. [Figure 27] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a login screen of another system A. [Figure 28] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an authentication management table in which the system IDs of other systems are registered. [Figure 29] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure for logging in to the video conference management system using an authentication management table in which the system IDs of other systems are registered. [Figure 30] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a transmission management system and a transmission terminal; [Figure 31] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the destination list management table. [Figure 32] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure in which the video conference management system checks whether a destination terminal is registered in the destination list management table of the request source terminal. [Figure 33] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a procedure in which the video conference management system checks whether a destination terminal is registered in the destination list management table of the request source terminal. [Figure 34] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a text chat screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0013] The transmission system of this embodiment allows a user to log in to one of the two transmission systems using the ID of the other transmission system, which means that the user can communicate with a destination terminal in the other transmission system without being aware of the ID of the other transmission system.

[0014] In addition, in this embodiment, a user can log in to the transmission system using an ID and password of another system that is independent of the transmission system. If the user can log in to the other system, the user can communicate with the destination terminal without entering the ID of the transmission system. The other system may be, for example, Twitter (registered trademark), Google (registered trademark), Facebook (registered trademark), Line (registered trademark), Yahoo (registered trademark), etc., but is not limited to these.

[0015] Here, the ID is defined as follows: The ID of the video conference management system in the transmission system is a communication ID (used for authentication when a user logs in to the video conference management system). The communication ID is an example of third identification information and fourth identification information. Data sent and received during a video conference (mainly image data, audio data, and display data) is an example of second data. The ID of the text chat management system in the transmission system is a user ID (used for authentication when a user logs in to the text chat management system). The user ID is an example of first identification information and second identification information. Data sent and received in text chat (mainly text data, but not limited to text data) is an example of first data. Transmission system administrator ID: Administrator ID (used for authentication when the administrator logs in to the video conference management system when matching the communication ID with the user ID). Other system ID: System ID (used for authentication when a user logs in to another system). This is an example of the fifth identification information.

[0016] The ID in this embodiment indicates identification information such as language, characters, symbols, or various marks used to uniquely identify a transmission terminal or a user of the transmission terminal. The communication ID may be identification information that combines at least two of the above-mentioned language, characters, symbols, and various marks.

[0017] <Overall structure> 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a transmission system according to this embodiment. The transmission system includes a data providing system that transmits content data unidirectionally from one transmission terminal to another transmission terminal via a transmission management system, and a communication system that transmits information, emotions, and the like between multiple transmission terminals via the transmission management system. This communication system is a system for transmitting information, emotions, and the like between multiple communication terminals (corresponding to "transmission terminals") via a communication management system (corresponding to "transmission management system"). Examples of such a communication system include a video conference system, a video phone system, an audio conference system, an audio phone system, a PC (Personal Computer) screen sharing system, and a text chat system.

[0018] In this embodiment, a transmission system will be described assuming a system capable of video conferencing and text chat as an example of a communication system. That is, the communication system of this embodiment is a transmission system capable of providing a video conferencing service and a text chat service. Also, in this embodiment, a transmission management system will be described assuming a video conferencing management system and a text chat management system as examples of communication management systems. Similarly, a transmission terminal will be described assuming a terminal capable of video conferencing, text chat, or both as an example of a communication terminal.

[0019] That is, the transmission terminal and transmission management system of the present invention are not only applied to the above-mentioned transmission system, but also to other communication systems, data providing systems, and the like.

[0020] The transmission system 1 shown in Figure 1 is constructed by multiple transmission terminals (10aa, 10ab,..., 20aa, 20ab,...), displays (120aa, 120ab,...) for each transmission terminal (10aa, 10ab,...), multiple relay devices (30a, 30b,...), multiple transmission management systems (501, 502,...), a common information management device 80, a program provision system 90, and a maintenance system 100.

[0021] The plurality of transmission terminals 10 transmit and receive image data and audio data as examples of content data. That is, the plurality of transmission terminals 10 are video conference terminals that can use a video conference service. In this embodiment, the transmission terminals 10 are assumed to be terminals dedicated to the video conference service (video conference dedicated terminals). Hereinafter, the transmission terminals 10 will be referred to as video conference dedicated terminals 10. These video conference dedicated terminals 10 are managed by a transmission management system 501 that manages call control for the video conference service. Note that the video conference dedicated terminals 10 do not necessarily have to be terminals whose terminal hardware itself is specialized for the video conference service; they may also include terminals whose hardware is general-purpose but whose available applications are specialized for the video conference service.

[0022] Furthermore, if the communication management system is an audio conference system or an audio telephone system, audio data can be sent and received as an example of content data, and audio communication services can be used.

[0023] On the other hand, the multiple transmission terminals 20 transmit and receive image data and audio data, or text data, as examples of content data. That is, the multiple transmission terminals 20 are terminals capable of using video conferencing or text chat. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the transmission terminals 20 are general-purpose mobile terminals such as tablet terminals, mobile phones, and smartphones that can use both video conferencing and text chat services. The transmission terminals 20 are only required to be able to use at least the text chat service, and are not necessarily required to be able to use the video conferencing service. Note that the transmission terminals 20 are wirelessly connected to the communication network 2 via, for example, a mobile phone communication network or WiFi (Wireless Fidelity). Hereinafter, the transmission terminals 20 will be referred to as mobile terminals 20. These mobile terminals 20 are managed by a transmission management system 502 that manages call control for the text chat service.

[0024] As mentioned above, the dedicated video conference terminal 10 and the mobile terminal 20 are examples of communication terminals, and the communication terminal may be a dedicated conference terminal, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, a smartphone, or various other electronic devices such as a game console, a general-purpose PC terminal, a car navigation terminal installed in an automobile, a projection device such as a projector, an electronic whiteboard, or a wearable terminal.

[0025] In the following, any one of the multiple dedicated video conference terminals (10aa, 10ab, ...) will be referred to as "dedicated video conference terminal 10", and any one of the multiple mobile terminals (20aa, 20ab, ...) will be referred to as "mobile terminal 20".

[0026] Furthermore, any one of the multiple displays (120aa, 120ab, ...) is represented as "display 120," and any one of the multiple relay devices (30a, 30b, ...) is represented as "relay device 30." Furthermore, any one of the multiple transmission management systems (501, 502, ...) is represented as "transmission management system 50." Furthermore, a terminal that requests the start of a video conference or text chat from one video conference-dedicated terminal 10 or mobile terminal 20 to another video conference-dedicated terminal 10 or mobile terminal 20 is represented as a "requesting terminal," and the terminal that is the destination of the request is represented as a "destination terminal."

[0027] In the transmission system 1, a management information session for transmitting and receiving various management information is established (a communication connection is established) between the requesting terminal and the destination terminal via the transmission management system 50. In addition, a session for transmitting and receiving content data is established between the requesting terminal and the destination terminal via the relay device 30. Note that if the content data transmitted and received between the requesting terminal and the destination terminal is only text data, a session may be established via the transmission management system 50 or a direct session may be established between the requesting terminal and the destination terminal.

[0028] In this embodiment, if the requesting terminal is the video conference terminal 10, a session is established via the transmission management system 501, whereas if the requesting terminal is the mobile terminal 20, a session is established via the transmission management system 502. In other words, call control of the video conference terminal 10 that uses only the video conference service is managed by the transmission management system 501, whereas call control of the mobile terminal 20 that uses the text chat service is managed by the transmission management system 502. As described above, in this embodiment, a different transmission management system 50 performs call control for each service, and call control of each transmission terminal is managed by one of the transmission management systems 50 depending on which service it mainly uses. Hereinafter, the transmission management system 501 will be referred to as the "video conference management system 501," and the transmission management system 502 will be referred to as the "text chat management system 502." The transmission management system 502 is an example of a first information processing device, and the transmission management system 501 is an example of a second information processing device.

[0029] The relay device 30 shown in FIG. 1 relays content data between a plurality of video conference-dedicated terminals 10 and mobile terminals 20.

[0030] The transmission management system 50 performs login authentication of the transmission terminals, management of call status, management of the destination list, and the call status of the relay device 30. The transmission management system 50 is an example of an information processing device. The transmission management system 50 manages these operations for each transmission management system 50 that manages call control for each service. In other words, the login authentication of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10, management of call status, management of the destination list, and the call status of the relay device 30 are managed by the video conference management system 501. On the other hand, the login authentication of the mobile terminal 20, management of call status, management of the destination list, and the call status of the relay device 30 are managed by the text chat management system 502. As will be described later, so-called status information of each transmission terminal, such as management of the call status, is mutually notified between related transmission management systems 50.

[0031] The common information management device 80 is a DB (Database) server or the like that manages information commonly used among the transmission management systems 50. The common information management device 80 may be a storage device such as a network storage that stores information commonly used among the transmission management systems 50. In this embodiment, the common information management device 80 is configured to be provided separately from each transmission management system 50, but may also be configured to be included in each transmission management system 50.

[0032] The multiple routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, and 70cd) select the optimal route for the content data. Note that, hereinafter, any one of the routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, and 70cd) will be referred to as a "router 70."

[0033] The program providing system 90 includes an HD (Hard Disk) 204 (described later), which stores terminal programs for enabling the video conference terminal 10 and the mobile terminal 20 to realize various functions (or for enabling the video conference terminal 10 and the mobile terminal 20 to function as various means), and can transmit the terminal programs to the video conference terminal 10 and the mobile terminal 20. Here, different terminal programs are transmitted to the video conference terminal 10 and the mobile terminal 20, respectively. That is, the program providing system 90 transmits a terminal program for using the video conference service to the video conference terminal 10, and transmits a terminal program for using the video conference service and the text chat service to the mobile terminal 20. Note that the program providing system 90 may transmit a terminal program for using only the text chat service to the mobile terminal 20.

[0034] The HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a relay device program for causing the relay device 30 to realize various functions (or for causing the relay device 30 to function as various means), and can transmit the relay device program to the relay device 30. The HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a transmission management program for causing the transmission management system 50 to realize various functions (or for causing the transmission management system 50 to function as various means), and can transmit the transmission management program to the transmission management system 50. The HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores an information management program for causing the common information management device 80 to realize various functions (or for causing the common information management device 80 to function as various means), and can transmit the information management program to the common information management device 80.

[0035] The maintenance system 100 is a computer for maintaining, managing, or servicing at least one of the video conference terminal 10, the mobile terminal 20, the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the common information management device 80, and the program providing system 90. For example, if the maintenance system 100 is installed domestically and the video conference terminal 10, the mobile terminal 20, the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the common information management device 80, or the program providing system 90 are installed overseas, the maintenance system 100 remotely performs maintenance, such as maintaining, managing, or servicing at least one of the video conference terminal 10, the mobile terminal 20, the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the common information management device 80, and the program providing system 90 via the communication network 2. In addition, the maintenance system 100 performs maintenance such as managing the model number, serial number, sales destination, maintenance inspection, or failure history of at least one of the dedicated video conferencing terminal 10, mobile terminal 20, relay device 30, transmission management system 50, common information management device 80, and program provision system 90 without going through the communication network 2.

[0036] Meanwhile, the video conference dedicated terminals (10aa, 10ab, 10ac,...), relay device 30a, and router 70a are communicatively connected via LAN 2a. The video conference dedicated terminals (10ba, 10bb, 10bc,...), relay device 30b, and router 70b are communicatively connected via LAN 2b. Furthermore, LAN 2a and LAN 2b are communicatively connected via dedicated line 2ab, which includes router 70ab, and are constructed within a predetermined area A. For example, area A is Japan, and LAN 2a is constructed within an office in Tokyo, and LAN 2b is constructed within an office in Osaka. Furthermore, mobile terminals (20aa, 20ab,...) are used in area A.

[0037] Meanwhile, the video conference terminals (10ca, 10cb, 10cc,...), relay device 30c, and router 70c are communicatively connected via LAN 2c. The video conference terminals (10da, 10db, 10dc,...), relay device 30d, and router 70d are communicatively connected via LAN 2d. Furthermore, LAN 2c and LAN 2d are communicatively connected via dedicated line 2cd, which includes router 70cd, and are constructed within a predetermined region B. For example, region B is the United States, and LAN 2c is constructed within an office in New York, and LAN 2d is constructed within an office in Washington, D.C. Furthermore, mobile terminals (20ba, 20bb,...) are used in region B.

[0038] Area A and area B are connected to each other via routers (70ab, 70cd) via the Internet 2i so that they can communicate with each other.

[0039] The video conference terminal 10 does not necessarily need to be connected via a dedicated line, but may be directly connected to the Internet 2i.

[0040] Furthermore, the transmission management system 50, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are communicably connected via the Internet 2i to the video conference terminal 10, the mobile terminal 20, the relay device 30, and the common information management device 80. The transmission management system 50, the common information management device 80, the program providing system 90, or the maintenance system 100 may be installed in area A or area B, or may be installed in an area other than these.

[0041] In this embodiment, the communication network 2 is constructed by the LAN 2a, the LAN 2b, the dedicated line 2ab, the Internet 2i, the dedicated line 2cd, the LAN 2c, and the LAN 2d. The communication network 2 may include locations where communication is performed not only by wire but also by wireless means such as WiFi or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0042] 1, four sets of numbers shown under each video conference terminal 10, each mobile terminal 20, each relay device 30, each transmission management system 50, common information management device 80, each router 70, program providing system 90, and maintenance system 100 simply indicate IP addresses in the general IPv4 standard. For example, the IP address of video conference terminal 10aa is "1.2.1.3." Although IPv6 may be used instead of IPv4, IPv4 will be used for simplicity of explanation.

[0043] Each video conference terminal 10 and each mobile terminal 20 may be used not only for communication between multiple offices or between different rooms within the same business, but also for communication within the same room, or for communication between indoors and outdoors, or between outdoors and outdoors. When each video conference terminal 10 and each mobile terminal 20 is used outdoors, wireless communication is performed via a mobile phone communication network or the like.

[0044] <Hardware configuration> Next, the hardware configuration of the video conference terminal 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the video conference terminal according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the video conference terminal 10 of this embodiment includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that controls the overall operation of the video conference terminal 10, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 that stores programs used to drive the CPU 101, such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader), a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 that is used as a work area for the CPU 101, a flash memory 104 that stores various data such as terminal programs, image data, and audio data, a solid state drive (SSD) 105 that controls reading and writing of various data from and to the flash memory 104 in accordance with the control of the CPU 101, a media drive 107 that controls reading and writing (storing) of data from and to a recording medium 106 such as a flash memory, an operation button 108 that is operated when selecting a destination for the video conference terminal 10, etc., a power switch 109 that switches the power of the video conference terminal 10 on and off, and a network I / F (Interface) 111 that transmits data using the communication network 2.

[0045] The video conference terminal 10 also includes a built-in camera 112 that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 101 to obtain image data, an image sensor I / F 113 that controls the operation of the camera 112, a built-in microphone 114 that inputs audio, a built-in speaker 115 that outputs audio, an audio input / output I / F 116 that processes input and output of audio signals between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 under the control of the CPU 101, a display I / F 117 that transmits image data to an external display 120 under the control of the CPU 101, an external device connection I / F 118 for connecting various external devices, and bus lines 110 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the above components as shown in FIG. 2.

[0046] The display 120 is a display unit configured with a liquid crystal or organic EL display that displays an image of a subject, operation icons, etc. The display 120 is connected to the display I / F 117 by a cable 120c. This cable 120c may be a cable for analog RGB (VGA) signals, a cable for component video, or a cable for HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or DVI (Digital Video Interactive) signals.

[0047] The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state imaging element that converts light into electric charges to digitize an image (video) of a subject. As the solid-state imaging element, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), or the like is used.

[0048] External devices such as an external camera, an external microphone, and an external speaker can be connected to the external device connection I / F 118 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like. When an external camera is connected, the external camera is driven in priority over the built-in camera 112 under the control of the CPU 101. Similarly, when an external microphone or an external speaker is connected, the external microphone or the external speaker is driven in priority over the built-in microphone 114 or the built-in speaker 115 under the control of the CPU 101. Note that the video conference terminal 10 does not necessarily have to include the built-in camera 112, and only the external camera may be connected via the external device connection I / F 118. Similarly, the video conference terminal 10 does not necessarily have to include the built-in microphone 114 or the built-in speaker 115, and only the external microphone or the external speaker may be connected via the external device connection I / F 118. Furthermore, the display 120 of the video conference terminal 10 is connected to the display I / F 117 by a cable 120c, but this is not limiting, and the display 120 may be built into the video conference terminal 10.

[0049] Furthermore, the video conference terminal 10 may also be provided with an external recording medium I / F capable of reading external recording media such as an SD card or a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card in addition to the external device connection I / F 118.

[0050] The recording medium 106 is detachable from the video conference terminal 10. In addition, the recording medium 106 is not limited to the flash memory 104, and may be an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like, as long as it is a non-volatile memory that reads or writes data under the control of the CPU 101.

[0051] Furthermore, the terminal program may be distributed by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 106. The terminal program may also be stored in the ROM 102 instead of the flash memory 104.

[0052] Mobile devices Fig. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a mobile terminal according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the mobile terminal 20 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 201 that controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal 20, an input device 202 for inputting various operation signals to the mobile terminal 20, a display device 203 for displaying processing results by the mobile terminal 20, an external I / F 204 that interfaces with various external devices such as an external microphone, an external camera, and an external recording medium (storage medium), a RAM 205 used as a work area for the CPU 201, a ROM 206 that stores programs and data such as OS settings and network settings for the mobile terminal 20, a network I / F 207 for transmitting data using a mobile phone communication network or the like, a flash memory 208 that stores various data such as terminal programs, and an SSD 209 that controls reading and writing of various data from and to the flash memory 208 under the control of the CPU 201.

[0053] Mobile terminal 20 also includes a built-in camera 210 that captures an image of a subject and obtains image data under the control of CPU 201, an image sensor I / F 211 that controls the driving of camera 210, a built-in microphone 212 that inputs audio, a built-in speaker 213 that outputs audio, an audio input / output I / F 214 that processes input and output of audio signals between microphone 212 and speaker 213 under the control of CPU 201, and bus lines 215 such as an address bus and a data bus that electrically connect the above components as shown in Fig. 4. Note that if mobile terminal 20 is a terminal that only uses a text chat service, it does not need to include camera 210, microphone 212, speaker 213, etc.

[0054] Furthermore, the memory is not limited to the flash memory 208, and an EEPROM or the like may be used as long as it is a nonvolatile memory that reads or writes data under the control of the CPU 101.

[0055] The terminal program may be distributed by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium. The terminal program may also be stored in ROM 206 instead of flash memory 208.

[0056] <Relay devices, transmission management systems, common information management devices, program provision systems, maintenance systems> Next, we will explain the hardware configurations of the relay device 30, the transmission management system 50, the common information management device 80, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100. Fig. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the relay device, the transmission management system, the common information management device, the program providing system, and the maintenance system according to this embodiment.

[0057] The transmission management system 50 includes a CPU 301 for controlling the overall operation of the transmission management system 50, a ROM 302 storing a program used to drive the CPU 301, such as an IPL, a RAM 303 used as a work area for the CPU 301, a HD 304 for storing various data such as a transmission management program, a hard disk drive (HDD) 305 for controlling reading or writing of various data from or to the HD 304 under the control of the CPU 301, a media drive 307 for controlling reading or writing (storing) of data from or to a recording medium 306, such as a flash memory, a display 308 for displaying various information such as a cursor, menu, window, character, or image, a network I / F 309 for transmitting data using the communication network 2, a keyboard 311 having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numbers, various instructions, etc., a mouse 312 for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving the cursor, etc., a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only The CD-ROM drive 314 controls the reading and writing of various data from and to the CD-ROM drive 313, and bus lines 310 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the above components as shown in FIG.

[0058] The transmission management program may be distributed by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 306 or CD-ROM 313. The transmission management program may also be stored in the ROM 302 instead of the HD 304.

[0059] Furthermore, the relay device 30 and the common information management device 80 have the same hardware configuration as the transmission management system 50, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. However, the HD 304 of the relay device 30 stores a relay device program for controlling the relay device 30, and the HD 304 of the common information management device 80 stores an information management program for controlling the common information management device 80. In this case, too, the relay device program and the information management program may be recorded as installable or executable files on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 306 or CD-ROM 313 and distributed. Furthermore, the relay device program and the information management program may be stored in the ROM 302 instead of the HD 304.

[0060] Furthermore, the program provision system 90 and the maintenance system 100 have the same hardware configuration as the above-described transmission management system 50, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. However, a program provision program for controlling the program provision system 90 is recorded on the HD 304. In this case, too, the program provision program may be recorded as an installable or executable file on a computer-readable recording medium such as the above-described recording medium 306 or CD-ROM 313 and distributed. Furthermore, the program for the program provision system may be stored in the ROM 302 instead of the HD 304.

[0061] As another example of the removable recording medium, the information may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a Blu-ray disc and provided.

[0062] <Functional configuration> Next, the functional configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram of the terminals, devices, and systems that constitute the transmission system according to this embodiment. In Fig. 5, a video conference terminal 10, a mobile terminal 20, a transmission management system 50, and a common information management device 80 are connected so as to be able to communicate data via a communication network 2. Note that the relay device 30, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 shown in Fig. 1 are not directly related to this embodiment, and are therefore omitted from Fig. 5.

[0063] <<Device Functional Configuration>> The video conference-dedicated terminal 10 and the mobile terminal 20 each include a transmission / reception unit 11, an operation input reception unit 12, a login request unit 13, an imaging unit 14, an audio input unit 15a, an audio output unit 15b, a display control unit 16, a destination list creation unit 17, and a storage / readout processing unit 18. The following description will mainly focus on the case where the transmission terminal in Fig. 5 is the video conference-dedicated terminal 10.

[0064] Each of the above parts is a function realized by any of the components shown in Figure 2 operating in accordance with instructions from CPU 101 in accordance with the terminal program expanded from flash memory 104 onto RAM 103, or a means for making the function.

[0065] The video conference terminal 10 also has a volatile storage unit 2000 constructed from the RAM 103 shown in FIG. 2, and a non-volatile storage unit 1000 constructed from the flash memory 104 shown in FIG.

[0066] Next, each functional configuration of the video conference terminal 10 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 and 5. In the following, when describing each functional component of the video conference terminal 10, the relationship between each component shown in Figure 2 and the main component for realizing each functional component of the video conference terminal 10 will also be described.

[0067] The transceiver 11 of the video conference terminal 10 shown in FIG. 5 is realized by commands from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 and the network I / F 111 shown in FIG. 2, and transmits and receives various data (or information) to and from other terminals, devices, or systems via the communication network 2. Before starting a call with a desired destination terminal, the transceiver 11 starts receiving status information indicating the status of each transmission terminal as a destination candidate from the video conference management system 501. This status information not only indicates the operating status (online or offline) of each video conference terminal 10 and / or each mobile terminal 20, but also indicates detailed statuses such as whether the terminal is online but is currently in a call or is away from its desk. The status information also indicates various statuses, such as whether the cable 120c of the video conference terminal 10 is disconnected from the video conference terminal 10, whether audio is output but no image is output, or whether audio is muted (MUTE). Below, a case where the status information indicates the operating status will be described as an example. In the above, when the transmitting terminal in Figure 5 is a mobile terminal 20, the transmitting / receiving unit 11 starts receiving each status information indicating the status of each terminal as a destination candidate from the text chat management system 502 before starting a call with the desired destination terminal.

[0068] The operation input receiving unit 12 is realized by commands from the CPU 101 shown in Fig. 2 and the operation buttons 108 and power switch 109 shown in Fig. 2, and receives various inputs from the user. For example, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in Fig. 2, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in Fig. 5 receives the power-on command and turns on the power. Note that when the transmission terminal in Fig. 5 is the mobile terminal 20, the commands from the CPU 201 and the operation input receiving unit 12 are realized by the input device 202.

[0069] 2, and upon receiving the power-on command, the login request unit 13 automatically transmits login request information indicating a login request, information indicating the terminal type, the names of services that the terminal can use, and the current IP address of the requesting terminal from the transmitting / receiving unit 11 to the videoconference management system 501 via the communication network 2. When the user turns the power switch 109 from the ON state to the OFF state, the transmitting / receiving unit 11 transmits status information indicating that the power is to be turned OFF to the videoconference management system 501, and then the operation input receiving unit 12 turns the power completely OFF. This allows the videoconference management system 501 to know that the videoconference-dedicated terminal 10 has been turned OFF from the ON state.

[0070] 5 is the mobile terminal 20, the login request unit 13 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201, and upon receiving a login operation performed by the user of the mobile terminal 20, the login request unit 13 transmits login request information indicating a login request, information indicating the terminal type of the requesting terminal, the names of services that can be used by this transmitting terminal, and the current IP address of the requesting terminal, from the transmitting / receiving unit 11 to the text chat management system 502 via the communication network 2. In this way, in the mobile terminal 20, when the user performs a login operation in a program (terminal program) installed on this mobile terminal 20, a login request and the like are transmitted to the text chat management system 502.

[0071] The imaging unit 14 is realized by commands from the CPU 101 shown in Fig. 2 and the camera 112 and the imaging element I / F 113 shown in Fig. 2, captures an image of a subject, and outputs image data obtained by capturing the image. When the transmission terminal in Fig. 5 is the mobile terminal 20, the imaging unit 14 is realized by commands from the CPU 201 shown in Fig. 4 and the camera 210 and the imaging element I / F 211 shown in Fig. 3. However, when the mobile terminal 20 can only use the text chat service, the mobile terminal 20 does not need to have the imaging unit 14.

[0072] The audio input unit 15a is realized by an instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 and the audio input / output I / F 116 shown in FIG. 2, and inputs audio data related to the audio signal after the user's voice is converted into an audio signal by the microphone 114. The audio output unit 15b is realized by an instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 2 and the audio input / output I / F 116 shown in FIG. 2, and outputs an audio signal related to the audio data to the speaker, causing the speaker 115 to output the audio. Note that when the transmission terminal in FIG. 5 is the mobile terminal 20, the audio input unit 15a and the audio output unit 15b are realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 3 and the audio input / output I / F 214 shown in FIG. 4. However, when the mobile terminal 20 can only use the text chat service, the mobile terminal 20 does not need to have the audio input unit 15a and the audio output unit 15b.

[0073] The display control unit 16 is realized by commands from the CPU 101 shown in Fig. 2 and the display I / F 117 shown in Fig. 2, and performs control for transmitting image data to the external display 120. When the transmission terminal in Fig. 5 is the mobile terminal 20, the display control unit 16 is realized by commands from the CPU 201 shown in Fig. 3 and the display device 203 shown in Fig. 3, and performs control for transmitting image data, etc. to the display device 203.

[0074] The destination list creation unit 17 is realized by commands from the CPU 101 shown in Fig. 2, and creates and updates the destination list based on the destination list information received from the transmission management system 50 and the status information of the video conference terminal 10 and / or the mobile terminal 20 as each destination candidate. Note that when the transmission terminal in Fig. 5 is the mobile terminal 20, the destination list creation unit 17 is realized by commands from the CPU 201 shown in Fig. 3.

[0075] The storage / readout processing unit 18 is executed by instructions from the CPU 101 shown in Fig. 2 and the SSD 105 shown in Fig. 2, and performs processing to store various data in the nonvolatile storage unit 1000 and read out various data stored in the volatile storage unit 2000. The nonvolatile storage unit 1000 stores a communication ID (Identification) and a password for identifying the terminal or user of the video conference terminal 10 as the communication destination. Note that the communication ID and password may not be stored in the nonvolatile storage unit 1000, and may be input by the user each time a login request is made to the transmission management system 50, for example.

[0076] The storage / readout processing unit 18 also stores various data in the volatile storage unit 2000 and reads out various data stored in the volatile storage unit 2000. Image data and audio data received during a call with a destination terminal are overwritten and stored in the volatile storage unit 2000 each time the data is received. Images are displayed on the display 120 using the image data before being overwritten, and audio is output from the speaker 150 using the audio data before being overwritten. In the above description, when the transmitting terminal in FIG. 5 is the mobile terminal 20, the storage / readout processing unit 18 is realized by commands from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 3 and the SSD 209 shown in FIG. 3. The volatile storage unit 2000 also stores text data received during a text chat with a destination terminal.

[0077] <<Functional configuration of the transmission management system>> The transmission management system 50 includes a transmitter / receiver 51, an authentication unit 52, a status management unit 53, a terminal extraction unit 54, a terminal status notification / acquisition unit 55, a session management unit 56, a notification destination determination unit 57, a text / TV call unit 58, a system linkage unit 59, an ID registration unit 60, an administrator authentication unit 61, an ID acquisition unit 62, and a storage / readout processing unit 63. Each of these units is a function realized or a means for being functioned when any of the components shown in FIG. 4 operates in response to an instruction from the CPU 301 in accordance with a management system program loaded from the HD 304 onto the RAM 303. The transmission management system 50 also includes a nonvolatile memory unit 3000 that maintains the storage of various data (or information) even when the power to the transmission management system 50 is turned off, and this nonvolatile memory unit 3000 is constructed using the HD 304 shown in FIG. 4.

[0078] (Session management table) The nonvolatile storage unit 3000 has a session management DB 3002 configured by a session management table as shown in Fig. 6. In this session management table, the relay device ID of the relay device 30 used to relay data, the communication ID of the request source terminal, and the communication ID of the destination terminal are associated and managed for each session ID used to execute a session for selecting a relay device 30. For example, the session management table shown in Fig. 6 indicates that the relay device 30a (relay device ID "111a") selected in the session executed using the session ID "se1" relays data between the request source terminal (mobile terminal 02aa) with the communication ID "02aa" and the destination terminal (video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab) with the communication ID "01ab."

[0079] (Address list management table) Furthermore, the non-volatile storage unit 3000 has a destination list management DB 3003 configured with a destination list management table for managing destination information as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7(a) is an example of a destination list management table in which destination information managed by the video conference management system 501 is registered. On the other hand, Fig. 7(b) is an example of a destination list management table in which destination information managed by the text chat management system 502 is registered. In these destination list management tables, the communication IDs or user IDs of destination terminals registered as candidate destination terminals are all associated as destination information with the communication ID of a requesting terminal requesting the initiation of a connection (call) in the video conference service or text chat service. Furthermore, the communication ID or user ID of the destination terminal is associated with information of the transmission management system 50 that manages the call control of the destination terminal after "@".

[0080] For example, in the destination list management table managed by the video conference management system 501 shown in Figure 7(a), the candidate destination terminals that can request the start of a connection using a video conference service from a requesting terminal (video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab) with a communication ID of "01ab" are the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab with a communication ID of "01aa" managed by the video conference management system, the mobile terminal 20aa with a user ID of "02AA" managed by the text chat management system, etc.

[0081] On the other hand, for example, in the destination list management table managed by the text chat management system 502 shown in FIG. 7(b), the candidate destination terminals to which a request source terminal (mobile terminal 20aa) with a user ID of "02AA" can request the initiation of a connection using the video conference service or text chat service are indicated as mobile terminal 20ab with a user ID of "02AB" managed by the text chat management system and dedicated video conference terminal 10ab with a communication ID of "01ab" managed by the video conference management system. Note that even if a destination terminal is managed in the destination list, it cannot make a connection initiation request for a service that the destination terminal cannot use. For example, mobile terminal 20aa with a user ID of "02AA" cannot make a connection initiation request for the text chat service with a destination terminal with the communication ID "01ab" (but it can make a connection initiation request for the video conference service).

[0082] Note that the description after "@" shown in FIG. 7 may be domain information (domain name) corresponding to each transmission management system 50.

[0083] (Authentication management table) The nonvolatile storage unit 9000 also stores an authentication management DB 3005 that is configured with authentication management tables such as those shown in Fig. 8. Fig. 8(a) is the authentication management table used by the video conference management system 501 for authentication, and Fig. 8(b) is the authentication management table used by the text chat management system 502 for authentication.

[0084] 8(a), a password is associated with each communication ID of all transmission terminals (video conference-dedicated terminals 10 and mobile terminals 20) managed by the video conference management system 501. For example, the authentication management table shown in FIG. 8(a) indicates that the communication ID of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10aa is "01aa" and the password is "aaaa."

[0085] In the authentication management table of Fig. 8(b), passwords are associated with the user IDs of all transmission terminals (video conference-dedicated terminals 10 and mobile terminals 20) managed by the text chat management system 502. For example, the authentication management table shown in Fig. 8(b) indicates that the user ID of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10AA is "01AA" and the password is "AAAA." Furthermore, a user name is registered in association with each user ID, but a user can receive text chat services even without a user name.

[0086] (ID information registration table) The non-volatile storage unit 9000 stores an ID information registration DB 3004 configured with an ID information registration table as shown in Fig. 9. In this ID information registration table, a communication ID and a user ID are associated with an administration number. For example, in the ID information registration table shown in Fig. 9, administration number 1 is associated with a communication ID "01aa" and a user ID "01AA."

[0087] Each user ID and communication ID is unique. In other words, a user ID does not overlap with another user ID, and a communication ID does not overlap with another communication ID.

[0088] The ID information registration table is an example of correspondence information.

[0089] (Administrator List Table) The non-volatile storage unit 9000 stores an administrator list management DB 3006 that includes an administrator list table as shown in Fig. 10. In this administrator list table, administrator IDs are associated with passwords. For example, in the administrator list table shown in Fig. 10, the administrator with the administrator ID "X001" is associated with the password "999."

[0090] The administrator ID is identification information for identifying the administrator of the video conference management system 501 or the administrator of the user (company) who receives the service provided by the video conference management system 501. It may also be identification information for identifying the administrator of the text chat management system 502 or the administrator of the user (company) who receives the service provided by the text chat management system 502. The administrator is distinguished from the user because the administrator can check the communication IDs available on the user side and register new ones, but one of the users may also be the administrator.

[0091] <<Functions of the transmission management system 50>> Next, a detailed description will be given of each functional configuration of the transmission management system 50. In the following, when describing each functional configuration unit of the transmission management system 50, the relationship between each component shown in Fig. 4 and the main components for realizing each functional configuration unit of the transmission management system 50 will also be described.

[0092] The transmission / reception unit 51 is executed by instructions from the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 4 and the network I / F 309 shown in FIG. 4, and transmits and receives various data (or information) with other terminals, devices, or systems via the communication network 2.

[0093] The authentication unit 52 is executed by commands from the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 4 and the network I / F 309 shown in FIG. 4, and performs authentication by searching the authentication management DB 3005 of the common information management device 80 using the communication ID and password contained in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 as search keys and determining whether the same communication ID and password are managed in the authentication management DB 3005.

[0094] The status management unit 53 is realized by instructions from the CPU 301 shown in Figure 4, and in order to manage the operating status of the requesting terminal that has made a login request, stores the operating status of this requesting terminal in association with the communication ID, etc. in the ID management DB 9003 of the common information management device 80.

[0095] The terminal extraction unit 54 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 301 shown in Figure 4, and searches the destination list management DB 3003 using the communication ID of the requesting terminal that made the login request as a key, and reads out the communication ID of a candidate destination terminal that can be connected to the requesting terminal, and information about the transmission management system 50 that manages the call control of the terminal with this communication ID.

[0096] The terminal status notification / acquisition unit 55 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 301 shown in Fig. 4, and acquires the operating status of a transmitting terminal that it manages from among the communication IDs of the candidate destination terminals extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54. The terminal status notification / acquisition unit 55 also notifies the corresponding candidate destination terminal of the operating status of the received request source terminal.

[0097] 4, and stores and manages the relay device ID of the relay device 30 that relays content data, the session ID, the communication ID of the requesting terminal, and the communication ID of the destination terminal in association with each other in the session management DB 3002 of the non-volatile storage unit 3000. The session management unit 56 of the transmission management device 502 is an example of a first communication connection means, and the session management unit 56 of the transmission management device 501 is an example of a second communication connection means.

[0098] 4, the notification destination determination unit 57 determines the transmission management system 50 to notify of the operating status of the request source terminal according to the service name included in the login request information from the request source terminal. That is, for example, when a mobile terminal 20 that can use the video conference service logs in to the text chat management system 502, the notification destination determination unit 57 determines that the operating status of this mobile terminal 20 should be notified to the video conference management system 501. This makes it possible to notify and obtain status information such as the operating status of a transmission terminal that can be used across different services managed by different call controls.

[0099] 4, the text / video call unit 58 calls the videoconference management system 501 from the currently logged-in text chat management system 502 and requests the start of a videoconference. Also, the currently logged-in videoconference management system 501 calls the text chat management system 502 and requests the start of a text chat. The text / video call unit 58 is an example of a connection request means.

[0100] 4, and acquires the system ID of another system when a user logs in to that system. The other system ID is associated with the user ID and registered in the authentication management table. The other system collaboration unit 59 is an example of an authentication destination identification information acquisition unit.

[0101] The administrator authentication unit 61 is realized by commands from the CPU 301 shown in Figure 4, and determines whether authentication of the administrator is successful, and if authentication is successful, allows the ID registration unit 60 to register the user ID and communication ID.

[0102] The ID registration unit 60 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 301 shown in Fig. 4, and registers the user ID and the communication ID in association with each other in the ID information registration table. The ID registration unit 60 is an example of an identification information registration means.

[0103] 4, and acquires a communication ID associated with a user ID or a user ID associated with a communication ID from the ID information registration table. The ID acquisition unit 62 is an example of an identification information acquisition means.

[0104] The storage / readout processing unit 63 is executed by instructions from the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 4 and the HDD 305 shown in FIG. 4, and performs processing such as storing various data in the non-volatile storage unit 3000 and reading out various data stored in the non-volatile storage unit 3000.

[0105] <Functional configuration of the common information management device> The common information management device 80 has a transmission / reception unit 71 and a storage / readout processing unit 72. Each of these units is a function or a means for being performed when any of the components shown in Fig. 4 operates in response to an instruction from the CPU 301 in accordance with the management system program loaded from the HD 304 onto the RAM 303. The common information management device 80 also has a non-volatile storage unit 9000 that maintains the storage of various data (or information) even when the power to the common information management device 80 is turned off, and this non-volatile storage unit 9000 is constructed from the HD 304 shown in Fig. 4.

[0106] (Service management table) A service management DB 9001 configured by a service management table as shown in Fig. 11 is constructed in the non-volatile storage unit 9000. In this service management table, the name of the transmission management system that performs call control for each service is associated and managed for each service name of the transmission system 1. For example, the service management table shown in Fig. 11 indicates that call control for a service named "video conference" is managed by a transmission management system named "video conference management system" (transmission management system 501). Similarly, it indicates that call control for a service named "text chat" is managed by a transmission management system named "text chat management system" (transmission management system 502).

[0107] The management system names shown in FIG. 11 may be domain information (domain names) corresponding to the respective transmission management systems 50.

[0108] (Terminal type management table) Furthermore, the nonvolatile storage unit 9000 has constructed a terminal type management DB 9002 configured by a terminal type table as shown in Fig. 12. In this terminal type table, the terminal type names of all transmission terminals constituting the transmission system 1 and the names of services that can be used by terminals of this terminal type are associated and managed. For example, in the terminal type table shown in Fig. 12, a terminal type name of "video conference only" indicates that a service with a service name of "video conference" can be used. Similarly, a terminal type name of "general purpose" indicates that services with a service name of "video conference" and a service name of "text chat" can be used. A terminal type name of "chat only" indicates that a service with a service name of "text chat" can be used.

[0109] In this embodiment, the terminal type of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10 is "video conference-dedicated," and the terminal type of the mobile terminal 20 is "general-purpose." However, the mobile terminal 20 can be used as a terminal with a terminal type of "chat-dedicated" by installing a program that can only provide text chat services on the mobile terminal 20. Similarly, the mobile terminal 20 can be used as a terminal with a terminal type of "video conference-dedicated" by installing a program that can only provide video conference services on the mobile terminal 20. In this way, the mobile terminal 20 can be used as a terminal of different terminal types depending on the type of terminal program installed.

[0110] (ID management table) Furthermore, the non-volatile storage unit 9000 has an ID management DB 9003 configured with an ID management table as shown in Fig. 13. In this ID management table, for each communication ID of each terminal constituting the transmission system 1, the name when each communication ID is used as a destination, the operating status of each terminal, the destination to which the operating status is notified, the date and time when login request information is received by the transmission management system 50, and the IP address of the terminal are associated and managed. For example, the ID management table shown in Fig. 13 indicates that the video conference terminal 10aa with a communication ID of "01aa" has a name of "AA conference terminal," an operating status of "ONLINE (communication available)," a destination of "-" (not set), the date and time when login request information was received by the transmission management system 50 (video conference management system 501) is "November 10, 2013, 1:40 PM," and the IP address of this video conference terminal 10aa is "1.2.1.3." If the notification destination is "-" (not set), the operating status of the terminal is not notified to other transmission management systems 50. In other words, the operating status of this terminal is notified only to the transmission management system 50 that made the login request. In the above example, the operating status of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10aa is notified only to the transmission management system 501 (video conference management system).

[0111] On the other hand, the mobile terminal 20aa with the user ID "02AA" has the name "AA mobile terminal", the operating status "ONLINE (available for communication)", the notification destination "video conference management system", the date and time when the login request information was received by the transmission management system 50 (text chat management system 502) is "November 25, 2013, 14:30", and the IP address of this mobile terminal 20aa is "1.4.1.1". If a notification destination is set, the operating status of this terminal is notified to other transmission management systems 50 that have been set. In the above example, the operating status of the mobile terminal 20aa is also notified to the transmission management system 501 (video conference management system). Note that multiple notification destinations may be set, for example, "video conference management system, XXX management system, ...".

[0112] Next, a detailed description will be given of each functional configuration of the common information management device 80. In the following, when describing each functional configuration unit of the common information management device 80, the relationship between each component shown in Fig. 5 and the main components for realizing each functional configuration unit of the common information management device 80 will also be described.

[0113] The transmission / reception unit 71 is executed by instructions from the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 4 and the network I / F 309 shown in FIG. 4, and transmits and receives various data (or information) with the transmission management system 50 via the communication network 2.

[0114] The storage / readout processing unit 72 is executed by instructions from the CPU 301 shown in FIG. 4 and the HDD 305 shown in FIG. 4, and performs processing such as storing various data in the non-volatile storage unit 9000 and reading out various data stored in the non-volatile storage unit 9000.

[0115] <Processing details> In this embodiment, there are cases where a user logs in to the video conference management system 501 first, and cases where a user logs in to the text chat management system 502 first. The login procedures for each will be explained in order. On the other hand, in this embodiment, regardless of which one the user logs in to first, the user can omit inputting an ID (user ID or communication ID) and password (text chat management system password or video conference management system password) when logging in later.

[0116] <<Login to the video conference management system>> The details of the process of the user operating the video conference terminal 10ab to display a destination list, which is a list of candidate destination terminals for the video conference terminal 10ab, will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a sequence diagram of an example of the process from login to the video conference terminal according to this embodiment to display of the destination list.

[0117] When a user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 2, the operation input accepting unit 12 shown in FIG. 5 accepts the power-on command and turns on the power (step S1401). Then, upon accepting the power-on command, the login request unit 13 automatically transmits login request information indicating a login request from the transmitting / receiving unit 11 to the video conference management system 501 via the communication network 2 (step S1402). The login request may be transmitted in response to an instruction input by the user. The login request information includes a communication ID and a password for identifying the video conference terminal 10ab, which is the requesting terminal. The login request information also includes the terminal type name and service name of the video conference terminal 10ab. The communication ID and password may be read from the nonvolatile storage unit 1000 via the storage / readout processing unit 18, or may be input by the user via the operation input accepting unit 12. The communication ID, password, service name, and terminal type name recorded in an external recording medium may also be read via the storage / readout processing unit 18. When the login request information is transmitted from the video conference terminal 10ab to the video conference management system 501, the video conference management system 501 on the receiving side can grasp the IP address of the video conference terminal 10ab on the sending side.

[0118] Hereinafter, the explanation will be given assuming that the terminal type name included in the login request information transmitted by the video conference terminal 10ab is "video conference only" and the service name is "video conference."

[0119] Next, the authentication unit 52 of the video conference management system 501 performs authentication processing upon receiving the login request information via the transmission / reception unit 51 (step S1403). This authentication processing is determined based on whether the communication ID and password transmitted in S1402 are registered in the authentication management table.

[0120] The transmitter / receiver 51 of the video conference management system 501 transmits the authentication result generated in the authentication process of step S1403 to the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab (step S1404). The explanation will continue assuming that the video conference management system 501 transmits the authentication result indicating successful login to the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab. Note that, when the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab receives authentication information indicating unsuccessful login from the video conference management system 501, it displays a screen indicating unsuccessful login on the display 120ab of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab and ends the process.

[0121] Next, when the transmitting / receiving unit 11 of the video conference terminal 10ab receives an authentication result indicating successful login from the video conference management system 501, it requests destination list information and notifies the operating status of the video conference terminal 10ab (step S1405). The operating status of the video conference terminal 10ab notified here is information indicating that the operating status is "ONLINE (communication possible)". Note that, for example, if the operating status is ONLINE but communication with other transmission terminals is not possible for some reason, the information may indicate "ONLINE (communication not possible)".

[0122] Thereafter, the status management unit 53 of the video conference management system 501 sets the operating status of the requesting terminal (video conference terminal 10ab) in the ID management DB 9003 of the common information management device 80 to "ONLINE (communication possible)" (step S1406).

[0123] Then, the video conference management system 501 performs an operation status notification determination process (step S1407). This operation status notification determination process will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation status notification determination process according to this embodiment.

[0124] The terminal extraction unit 54 of the video conference management system 501 acquires the destination list of the requesting terminal (video conference terminal 10ab) from the destination list management table of the destination list management DB 3003 (step S1601). Here, the destinations acquired as the destination list of the video conference terminal 10ab include "01aa@video conference management system," "02AA@text chat management system," ..., etc.

[0125] Next, the notification destination determination unit 57 of the video conference management system 501 determines whether or not a transmission terminal managed by another transmission management system 50 exists in the destination list acquired in the above step S1601 (step S1602).

[0126] Here, the destination list of the video conference terminal 10ab (communication ID "01ab") includes "02AA@text chat management system" managed by another transmission management system 50. Therefore, since there is a transmission terminal managed by another transmission management system 50, the process proceeds to step S1603.

[0127] It should be noted that if the acquired destination list does not include any transmission terminals managed by other transmission management systems 50, the process is terminated. That is, in this case, all of the destination terminal candidates included in the acquired destination list are transmission terminals managed by the video conference management system 501. Therefore, the notification destination determination unit 57 of the video conference management system 501 determines that it is not necessary to notify other transmission management systems 50 of the operating status of the request source terminal or to obtain the operating status from other transmission management systems 50.

[0128] Next, the notification destination determination unit 57 of the video conference management system 501 determines whether or not a notification destination is set in the ID management table for the request source terminal (video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab) (step S1603).

[0129] Here, since the notification destination is not set in the ID management table of the video conference terminal 10ab (communication ID "01ab"), the process proceeds to step S1605. If the notification destination is set in the ID management table of the requesting terminal, the process proceeds to step S1604. The process of step S1604 will be described with reference to FIG. 18.

[0130] Next, the notification destination determination unit 57 of the video conference management system 501 determines whether or not there is a destination terminal that has itself (the video conference management system 501) set as a notification destination in the ID management table, from among the candidate destination terminals in the destination list of the requesting terminal (video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab) (step S1605).

[0131] In this case, the "video conference management system" is set as the notification destination of the mobile terminal 20aa (communication ID "02aa"), which is a candidate destination terminal included in the destination list of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab, so the process proceeds to step S1606.

[0132] Note that, if there is no destination terminal candidate that has itself (the video conference management system 501) set as a notification destination in the ID management table, the processing is terminated. That is, in this case, although the destination terminal candidates included in the acquired destination list include transmission terminals managed by other transmission management systems 50, it is not necessary to notify the other transmission management systems 50 of the operating status of the request source terminal. In other words, this is the case when status information such as operating status is not exchanged with transmission terminals included in the destination list and managed by other transmission management systems 50. This is, for example, the case where a transmission terminal dedicated to text chat is included as a destination terminal candidate in the destination list of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10. In such a case, the video conference-dedicated terminal 10 and the transmission terminal dedicated to text chat cannot use each other's services, and therefore there is no need to notify or acquire status information such as operating status.

[0133] Next, the notification destination determination unit 57 of the video conference management system 501 determines that it is necessary to notify and obtain the operating status of the transmission management system 50 that manages the candidate destination terminals that have set itself (the video conference management system 501) as the notification destination (step S1606).

[0134] Here, it is determined that it is necessary to notify and obtain the operating status of the text chat management system 502 that manages the mobile terminal 20aa (communication ID "02aa") included in the destination list of the video conference terminal 10ab, and the process is terminated.

[0135] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 14, if it is determined in the operating status notification determination process of step S1407 that it is necessary to notify and obtain the operating status of the other transmission management systems 50, the processes of steps S1408 to S1410 are performed. Here, as described above, it has been determined that it is necessary to notify and obtain the operating status of the text chat management system 502, so the processes of steps S1408 to S1410 are performed.

[0136] First, the transmitter / receiver 51 of the video conference management system 501 requests the text chat management system 502 to obtain the operating status of the requesting terminal (video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab) as "ONLINE (communication available)" and the operating status of the corresponding candidate destination terminal (mobile terminal 20aa) (step S1408).

[0137] Next, upon receiving the request to acquire the operating status of the requesting terminal and the corresponding candidate destination terminal, the terminal status notification / acquisition unit 55 of the text chat management system 502 acquires the operating status of the corresponding candidate destination terminal and notifies the candidate destination terminal of the operating status of the requesting terminal (step S1409). However, the candidate destination terminal is notified of the operating status of the requesting terminal only if the operating status of the candidate destination terminal is "ONLINE."

[0138] Here, the terminal status notifying / acquiring unit 55 of the text chat management system 502 acquires the operating status of the mobile terminal 20aa (communication ID "02aa"), which is a candidate destination terminal, from the ID management DB 9003. Then, because the operating status of this mobile terminal 20aa is "ONLINE," the terminal status notifying / acquiring unit 55 of the text chat management system 502 notifies the mobile terminal 20aa that the video conference-specific terminal 10ab has become "ONLINE." This allows the mobile terminal 20aa to detect that the video conference-specific terminal 10ab, which is a candidate destination terminal on its own destination list, has become "ONLINE."

[0139] Next, the transmitting / receiving unit 51 of the text chat management system 502 notifies the video conference management system 501 of the operating status of the candidate destination terminal (the mobile terminal 20aa) (step S1410).

[0140] The terminal status notifying / acquiring unit 55 of the video conference management system 501 acquires the operating status of a transmission terminal managed by itself (the video conference management system 501) from among candidates for the destination terminal of the request source terminal (the video conference terminal 10ab) from the ID management DB 9003 (step S1411). Here, the terminal status notifying / acquiring unit 55 of the video conference management system 501 acquires the operating status of the video conference terminal 10aa (communication ID "01aa"), which is a transmission terminal managed by itself from among candidates for the destination terminal of the video conference terminal 10ab, from the ID management DB 9003.

[0141] Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 51 of the video conference management system 501 transmits to the request source terminal (video conference terminal 10ab) information on the destination list of this request source terminal (such as the communication IDs of the destination terminal candidates) and the operating status of the destination terminal candidates acquired in steps S1410 and S1411 (step S1412). Here, the transmitting / receiving unit 51 transmits to the video conference terminal 10ab the information on the destination list of the video conference terminal 10ab, which is the request source terminal, and the operating status of the video conference terminal 10aa and the mobile terminal 20aa, which are destination terminal candidates included in this destination list.

[0142] Upon receiving the destination list information and the operating status of the candidate destination terminals from the video conference management system 501, the destination list creation unit 17 of the video conference terminal 10ab creates a destination list and displays it on the display 120ab (step S1413). Here, the display 120ab of the video conference terminal 10ab displays, for example, a destination list as shown in FIG.

[0143] Fig. 16 is an image diagram of an example of a destination list display screen displayed on a video conference terminal. The destination list display screen 600 shown in Fig. 16 includes a destination list 610, a communication ID 620 of the terminal itself, and a video display 630 captured by the terminal itself. The destination list 610 displays a list of transmitting terminals as candidate destination terminals for the video conference terminal 10ab. The list of candidate destination terminals displays the communication IDs, names, and operating statuses of the candidate destination terminals.

[0144] The communication ID 620 displays the communication ID of the video conference terminal 10ab that is displaying this destination list display screen 600. The video display 630 displays the video captured by the camera 1021 of the video conference terminal 10ab that is displaying this destination list display screen 600.

[0145] The user of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab can hold a video conference with a desired transmission terminal by selecting the desired transmission terminal with which to communicate from the destination list 610 on the destination list display screen 600. Although not shown, if the list of candidate destination terminals displayed on the destination list 610 includes a transmission terminal whose operating status is "OFFLINE" or a transmission terminal whose operating status is "ONLINE" but which is currently communicating with another transmission terminal, the user cannot hold a video conference with such a transmission terminal.

[0146] Next, a process in which a video conference terminal establishes a session will be described with reference to Fig. 17. In this embodiment, the request source terminal 10ab can communicate with the video conference terminal 10aa having the communication ID "01aa" and an operating status of "ONLINE" and the mobile terminal 20 having the communication ID "02aa" based on the destination status information received in step S1412, among the video conference terminals 10 as destination candidates. The following description will be given of a case in which a user of the request source terminal 10aa selects to start communication with the mobile terminal 20 having the communication ID "02aa".

[0147] 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process in which the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab establishes a session. First, when the user presses the operation button 108 to select the mobile terminal 20aa, the operation input accepting unit 12 of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab accepts the selection of the destination terminal (step S41).

[0148] Next, the transmitting / receiving unit 11 of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab transmits start request information indicating a desire to start communication, which includes the communication ID "01ab" of the request source terminal 10ab and the communication ID "02aa" of the destination terminal 20aa, to the video conference management system 501 (step S42). As a result, the transmitting / receiving unit 51 of the video conference management system 501 receives the start request information and also learns the IP address "1.2.1.3" of the request source terminal 10ab, which is the sender.

[0149] Then, based on the communication ID "01ab" of the requesting terminal 10ab and the communication ID "02aa" of the destination terminal 20aa contained in the start request information, the status management unit 53 changes the operating status field portions of the records containing the communication ID "01ab" and the communication ID "02aa" respectively in the ID management table of the ID management DB 9003 to "in communication" (step S43).

[0150] The video conference management system 501 generates a selection session ID used to execute a session for selecting a relay device 30 (step S44). Then, the session management unit 56 stores and manages the selection session ID "se1" generated in step S44, the communication ID "01ab" of the request source terminal 10aa, and the communication ID "02aa" of the destination terminal 20aa in a session management table in the non-volatile storage unit 3000 in association with each other (step S45).

[0151] Thereafter, the transmission management system 50 narrows down the relay devices 30 for relaying communication between the request source terminal 10ab and the mobile terminal 20aa, which is the destination terminal, but details are omitted.

[0152] Next, the session management unit 56 of the video conference management system 501 stores and manages the relay device ID "111a" of the selected relay device 30a in the relay device ID field of the record containing the selection session ID "se1" in the session management table of the session management DB 3002 (step S46).

[0153] The transmitter / receiver 51 transmits relay start request information to the relay device 30a (S47). This relay start request information includes the IP addresses ("1.2.1.3", "1.3.2.4") of the request source terminal 10ab and the destination terminal 20aa to be relayed.

[0154] As a result, the relay device 30a learns the IP addresses of the video conference terminal 10ab and the mobile terminal 20aa, and establishes a session for communicating image data and audio data between the video conference terminal 10ab and the mobile terminal 20aa (step S48). The video conference can then be started between the video conference terminal 10ab and the mobile terminal 20aa.

[0155] 《Logging in to the text chat management system》 Next, with reference to Fig. 18, a process in which a user operates the mobile terminal 20aa to display a destination list, which is a list of candidate destination terminals for the mobile terminal 20aa, will be described in detail. Fig. 18 is a sequence diagram of an example of the process from logging in to the mobile terminal 20 according to this embodiment to displaying the destination list. Note that the differences from Fig. 14 are that the communication ID has been changed to a user ID and that the login destination has been changed to the text chat management system 502, and therefore the differences will be mainly described. The mobile terminal 20aa is an example of a first transmission terminal, and the mobile terminal 20ab is an example of a second transmission terminal.

[0156] The user performs a login operation via the input device 202 of the mobile terminal 20 (step S1801). Then, the operation input acceptance unit 12 of the mobile terminal 20 accepts this login operation and transmits login request information to the text chat management system 502 (step S1802). This login request information includes the user ID and password of the mobile terminal 20aa, which is the request source terminal. The login request information also includes the terminal type name and service name of the mobile terminal 20. The user ID and password are input by the user via the operation input acceptance unit 12 during the login operation. The text chat management system 502 can also know the IP address of the mobile terminal 20aa, which is the sender.

[0157] Next, when the authentication unit 52 of the text chat management system 502 receives the login request information via the transmission / reception unit 51, it performs authentication processing (step S1803). This authentication processing is the same as the authentication processing of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab.

[0158] The transmitter / receiver 51 of the text chat management system 502 transmits the authentication result generated in the authentication process of step S1803 to the mobile terminal 20aa (step S1804). The following description will be given assuming that the text chat management system 502 transmits the authentication result indicating successful login to the mobile terminal 20aa.

[0159] When the transmitter / receiver 11 of the mobile terminal 20aa receives an authentication result indicating successful login from the text chat management system 502, the transmitter / receiver 11 transmits a destination list request and notifies the mobile terminal 20aa of the operating status (step S1805). The notified operating status of the mobile terminal 20aa is information indicating that the operating status is "ONLINE (communication available)".

[0160] Thereafter, the status management unit 53 of the text chat management system 502 sets the operating status of the request source terminal (mobile terminal 20aa) in the ID management DB 9003 of the shared information management device 80 to "ONLINE (communication available)" (step S1806).

[0161] The text chat management system 502 then performs an operating status notification determination process (step S1807). This operating status notification determination process is the same as in Fig. 15, but in step S1603, the notification destination in the ID management table of the mobile terminal 20aa (user ID "02AA") is set to "video conference management system," so the process proceeds to step S1604.

[0162] The notification destination determination unit 57 of the text chat management system 502 determines that it is necessary to notify and acquire the operating status of another transmission management system 50 (video conference management system 501) that is set as a notification destination in the ID management table of the requesting terminal, and terminates the process (step S1604). In this way, when a notification destination of the requesting terminal is set in the ID management table, the notification destination determination unit 57 determines that it is necessary to notify this notification destination of the operating status of the requesting terminal and to acquire the operating status of candidate destination terminals of the requesting terminal.

[0163] 18, when it is determined in the operating status notification determination process of step S1807 that it is necessary to notify and obtain the operating status of the other transmission management systems 50, the processes of steps S1808 to S1810 are performed. Here, as described above, it is determined that it is necessary to notify and obtain the operating status of the video conference management system 501, and therefore the processes of steps S1808 to S1810 are performed.

[0164] First, the transmitter / receiver 51 of the text chat management system 502 requests the video conference management system 501 to obtain the operating status of the requesting terminal (mobile terminal 20aa) as "ONLINE (communication available)" and the operating status of the corresponding destination terminal candidate (video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab) (step S1808).

[0165] Next, upon receiving the request to acquire the operating status of the requesting terminal and the operating status of the corresponding candidate destination terminal, the terminal status notifying / acquiring unit 55 of the video conference management system 501 acquires the operating status of the corresponding candidate destination terminal and notifies the candidate destination terminal of the operating status of the requesting terminal (step S1809). However, the operating status of the requesting terminal is notified to the candidate destination terminal only if the operating status of the candidate destination terminal is "ONLINE".

[0166] Here, the terminal status notifying / acquiring unit 55 of the video conference management system 501 acquires the operating status of the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab (communication ID "01ab"), which is a candidate destination terminal, from the ID management DB 9003. Since the operating status of this video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab is "OFFLINE," the operating status of the request source terminal (mobile terminal 20aa) is not notified to the video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab.

[0167] Next, the transmitting / receiving unit 51 of the text chat management system 502 notifies the text chat management system 502 of the operating status of the candidate destination terminal (video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab) (step S1810).

[0168] The terminal status notifying / acquiring unit 55 of the text chat management system 502 acquires the operating status of transmission terminals managed by itself (the text chat management system 502) from among candidate destination terminals for the request source terminal (mobile terminal 20aa) from the ID management DB 9003 (step S1811). Here, the terminal status notifying / acquiring unit 55 of the text chat management system 502 acquires the operating status of the mobile terminal 20ab (user ID "02AB"), which is a transmission terminal managed by itself from among candidate destination terminals for the mobile terminal 20aa, from the ID management DB 9003.

[0169] Then, the transmitter / receiver 51 of the text chat management system 502 transmits to the request source terminal (mobile terminal 20aa) information on the destination list of this request source terminal (such as the communication IDs of the destination terminal candidates) and the operating status of the destination terminal candidates acquired in steps S1810 and S1811 above (step S1812). Here, the transmitter / receiver transmits to the mobile terminal 20aa the information on the destination list of the request source terminal, mobile terminal 20aa, and the operating status of the destination terminal candidates mobile terminal 20ab and video conference-dedicated terminal 10ab included in this destination list.

[0170] When the destination list creation unit 17 of the mobile terminal 20aa receives the destination list information and the operating status of the destination terminal candidates from the text chat management system 502, it creates a destination list and displays it on the display device 203 (step S1813). Here, the display device 203 of the mobile terminal 20aa displays a destination list such as that shown in Fig. 19, for example.

[0171] Fig. 19 is an image diagram of an example of a destination list display screen displayed on a mobile terminal. The destination list display screen 700 shown in Fig. 19 includes a destination list 710, a user ID 720 of the mobile terminal itself, and a video display 730 captured by the mobile terminal itself. The destination list 710 displays a list of transmitting terminals as candidate destination terminals for the mobile terminal 20aa. The list of candidate destination terminals displays the communication ID, user ID, name, operating status, and services (video conferencing, text chat) available to the candidate destination terminals.

[0172] The user ID 720 displays the user ID of the mobile terminal 20aa that is displaying this destination list display screen 700. The video display 730 displays the video captured by the camera 210 of the mobile terminal 20aa that is displaying this destination list display screen 700.

[0173] Returning to Fig. 18, the user of the mobile terminal 20aa selects a desired transmission terminal with which to communicate from the destination list 710 on the destination list display screen 700 (S1814).

[0174] Next, the transmitter / receiver 11 of the mobile terminal 20aa transmits start request information indicating a desire to start communication, which includes the user ID "02AA" of the request source terminal 20aa and the user ID "02AB" of the destination terminal 20ab, to the text chat management system 502 (step S1815). The start request information is an example of a communication connection request.

[0175] As a result, the text chat management system 502 refers to the ID management table to read the IP address of the mobile terminal 20ab, which is the destination terminal, and establishes a text chat session between the mobile terminals 20aa and 20ab (S1816).

[0176] The text chat management system 502 transmits and receives text chat data between the mobile terminal 20aa and the mobile terminal 20ab. It is not necessary to establish a session through the relay device 30, but the relay device 30 may relay the data.

[0177] <Logging in to a video conference management system using authentication from a text chat management system> As described above, in this embodiment, a transmission management system that receives a login request notifies other transmission management systems of status information such as the operating status of the transmission terminal related to the login request based on various information included in the login request. In addition, the transmission management system can obtain status information of a specific transmission terminal managed by another transmission management system and provide the status information to the user.

[0178] However, in order for a user who has logged in to the text chat management system to log in to the video conference management system, login using a communication ID and password is required. In order for a user who has logged in to the video conference management system to log in to the text chat management system, login using a user ID and password was required.

[0179] Therefore, in the present embodiment, a procedure for logging in to the video conference management system 501 or logging in to the text chat management system 502 using the fact that the user has logged in to the text chat management system 502 will be described.

[0180] <<Registration of Communication ID and User ID in ID Information Registration Table>> First, the procedure for registering by associating a communication ID and a user ID will be described using FIG. 20. By associating the communication ID and the user ID, when logging in to either the video conference management system 501 or the text chat management system 502, the ID (communication ID or user ID) of the system that has not been logged in can be obtained. Therefore, the transmission management system that has not been logged in can be used with a single login.

[0181] FIG. 20 is an example of a sequence diagram showing the procedure for an administrator operating a PC to register a user ID and a communication ID in an ID information registration table.

[0182] First, the administrator operates PC 10-1 to log in to the video conference management system 501. PC 10-1 may be any device that can log in to the video conference management system 501, and the communication terminal described above is an example. S1: The administrator operates the PC to display a web page for registering a communication ID from the video conference management system 501 on the display, and inputs an administrator ID and password. S2: The PC 10-1 transmits the administrator ID and password to the administrator authentication unit 61 of the video conference management system 501 as an administrator login request. S3.1: The administrator authentication unit 61 searches the administrator list table in Fig. 10 to see if the administrator ID and password are registered. Although the command "find" is written in the figure, the command used for the search is an example and is not limited to this. The administrator authentication unit 61 obtains the search results from the administrator list table. Here, if the set of administrator ID and password sent together with the command "find" is registered in the administrator list table, the same administrator ID and password as the administrator ID and password sent together with the command "find" will be returned. S3.2: The administrator authentication unit 61 verifies whether or not the administrator can be authenticated based on the search results. That is, it determines whether or not the administrator ID and password sent along with the "find" command match the administrator ID and password obtained as a result of the search. S3.3: The administrator authentication unit 61 sends the verification result (success) to the PC 10-1. S4: Next, the administrator inputs a communication ID, a password, and a user ID into the PC 10-1. This password is registered in association with the communication ID in the authentication management table of FIG.

[0183] 21 is a diagram showing an example of an ID and password input screen 8000. The ID and password input screen 8000 is a screen for, for example, an administrator to register a communication ID.

[0184] The ID and password input screen 8000 has a message 8002 indicating that this is the ID and password input screen, a communication ID input field 8003 for inputting a communication ID, a password input field 8004 for inputting a password, a user ID input field 8005 for inputting a user ID, a Cancel button 8006 for canceling registration of the communication ID and password, and an OK button 8007 for transmitting the communication ID and password to the video conference management system 501. This password is an example of authentication identification information.

[0185] This ID / password input screen 8000 registers one communication ID, but if the administrator manages multiple communication IDs, it is possible to select one from the multiple communication IDs under management and associate it with the user ID, or to register multiple communication IDs and user IDs in association with each other.

[0186] Here, the user ID may be used as the administrator ID. In other words, if the administrator and the user are the same person, the administrator can use the user ID instead of the administrator ID. In this case, the administrator logs in using the user ID, so they only need to enter the communication ID and password, and do not need to enter the user ID.

[0187] Returning to Fig. 20, it is assumed that the user presses the OK button 8007. S5: The PC transmits the communication ID entered in the communication ID entry field 8003, the password entered in the password entry field 8004, and the user ID entered in the user ID entry field 8005 to the administrator authentication unit 61. S6: The administrator authentication unit 61 sends the communication ID, user ID and password to the ID registration unit 60 together with a communication ID registration request. S6.1: The ID registration unit 60 authenticates the communication ID and password for which registration is requested. That is, it determines whether authentication is successful based on whether the communication ID and password for which registration is requested are registered in the authentication management table shown in Fig. 8(a). Here, it is assumed that authentication is successful. S6.2: Next, the ID registration unit 60 searches for a user ID in the ID registration information table using the user ID sent from PC 10-1. This is because the same user ID may already be registered in the ID information registration table, but user IDs must be unique. If a user ID and a communication ID are registered when the same user ID is already registered, different communication IDs may be registered for one user ID, making it impossible to uniquely identify the communication ID from the user ID. Note that if the same user ID is registered, the ID registration unit 60 obtains that user ID as a search result. S6.3: The ID registration unit 60 confirms that the user ID sent from PC 10-1 is not already registered in the ID registration information table by confirming that the search result does not include the user ID sent from PC 10-1. Here, it is assumed that the user ID is not registered. S6.4: The ID registration unit 60 searches for a communication ID in the ID registration information table using the communication ID sent from PC 10-1. This is because the same communication ID may already be registered, but communication IDs must be unique. If a user ID and a communication ID are registered when the same communication ID has already been registered, different user IDs will be registered for one communication ID, making it impossible to uniquely identify the user ID from the communication ID. If the same communication ID is registered, the ID registration unit 60 obtains the communication ID as a search result. S6.5: The ID registration unit 60 confirms that the communication ID sent from the PC 10-1 is not already registered in the ID registration information table by confirming that the search result does not include the communication ID sent from the PC 10-1. Here, it is assumed that the communication ID is not registered. S6.6: The ID registration unit 60 registers the communication ID and the user ID in association with each other in the ID registration information table.

[0188] If a duplicate user ID or communication ID is detected in S6.3 or S6.5, the ID registration unit 60 overwrites the ID registration information table with the user ID and communication ID sent from PC 10-1 as a set. For example, if the user ID and communication ID sent from the PC are "01aa 01AA," but a record "01aa 01CC" is registered in the ID registration information table, "01aa 01CC" is overwritten with "01aa 01AA." If a record "01cc 01AA" is registered in the ID registration information table, "01cc 01AA" is overwritten with "01aa 01AA." If two records, "01aa 01CC" and "01cc 01AA," are registered in the ID registration information table, one of the two records is deleted, and the remaining record is overwritten with "01aa 01AA."

[0189] Alternatively, the ID registration unit 60 may send an error along with a set of a communication ID and a user ID that are already registered in the ID registration information table to the PC, and prompt the user to delete the existing record to make a new association. In this case, the user can select whether or not to delete the existing user ID and communication ID.

[0190] <<Login to the text chat management system>> Next, the procedure for logging in to the text chat management system 502 and starting a video conference will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Fig. 22 is an example of a sequence diagram showing the procedure for holding a video conference after the mobile terminal 20 logs in to the text chat management system 502. S1: The mobile terminal 20aa accesses the top page of the text chat management system, which causes a login screen to be displayed on the display device 203 of the mobile terminal 20aa.

[0191] 23 is a diagram showing an example of a login screen. Login screen 5000 has a user ID input field 5001, a password input field 5002, a login button 5003, and a login with another system ID button 5004. A user can log in using either the login button 5003 or the login with another system ID button 5004, but first, a description will be given of logging in when the login button 5003 is selected. S2: Returning to Fig. 22, when the user enters a user ID and password on login screen 5000 and presses login button 5003, mobile terminal 20aa sends the user ID and password along with a login request to text chat management system 502. The authentication process performed by text chat management system 502 has already been explained in Fig. 18. As explained in Fig. 18, the destination list display screen shown in Fig. 19 is displayed on display device 203 of mobile terminal 20aa. S3: When the user selects a destination terminal, the mobile terminal transmits the start request information described in S1814 of Fig. 18 to the text chat management system 502. The start request information includes the user ID (02AB) of the destination terminal. S4: In this embodiment, the ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 uses the user ID included in the start request information to send a communication ID presence / absence determination to the ID information registration DB 3004. The communication ID (02ab) associated with the user ID (02AB) of the destination terminal is returned as a search result from the ID information registration DB 3004, so the ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 can determine whether or not the mobile terminal 20aa can hold a video conference with the other party in the text chat. S5: The user operates the mobile terminal 20aa to conduct a text chat with the user of the destination terminal.

[0192] 24 is a diagram showing an example of a text chat screen. A text chat screen 6000 displays a user name display 6001 showing the user's own user name, a partner user name display 6002 showing the partner of the text chat, a video conference start button 6003, chat display fields 6004 and 6005, and a text chat available user display field 6006.

[0193] First, a user name display 6001 indicates that a user named "Mike" is logged in to the text chat management system 502. A partner user name display 6002 indicates that the current chat partner is a user named "Ryu." A chat display field 6004 displays text entered by "Mike," and a chat display field 6005 displays text entered by "Ryu." Furthermore, a text chat-enabled user display field 6006 displays the usernames of users who are capable of text chat. A user who is capable of text chat is a user who owns a transmission terminal whose operating status is ON or ON (communication enabled) in the ID management table. In other words, the user is a user of an ONLINE mobile terminal 20 among the candidate destination terminals included in the destination list displayed in FIG. 19.

[0194] The display "video available" on the video conference start button 6003 indicates that a video conference can be started with the current chat partner "Ryu." In a video conference, as explained above, the destination is specified by a communication ID, so that being able to start a video conference requires that at least the user ID and communication ID of "Ryu" are associated in the ID information registration table. Therefore, the display "video available" indicates that the user ID and communication ID are associated in the ID information registration table.

[0195] In this embodiment, the video conference management system 501 holds communication IDs corresponding to user IDs, so "Mike" can hold a video conference by simply requesting a video conference with user "Ryu" even if he does not know "Ryu's" communication ID. In other words, "Mike" can hold a video conference with "Ryu" by pressing the video conference start button 6003. 22, when the user presses the video conference start button 6003 on the text chat screen 6000, the mobile terminal 20aa requests a video conference with the mobile terminal 20ab whose user name is "Ryu." This request includes the user IDs (02AA and 02AB) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal. S7: The ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 searches the ID information registration DB 3004 using the user IDs (02AA, 02AB) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal that were sent together with the video conference request. As a result of the search, the communication IDs (02aa, 02ab) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal can be acquired, respectively. S8: The text / video call unit 58 of the text chat management system 502 requests the video conference management system 501 to start a video conference. This request includes the communication IDs of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal.

[0196] The start of the video conference in step S8 corresponds to the transmission of the start request information in step S42 in Fig. 17. Therefore, if the operating status of the destination terminal is registered as ONLINE and its IP address in the ID management table, the video conference can be started as described in Fig. 17.

[0197] As a mechanism for the destination terminal to notify the video conference management system 501 of the IP address, it is conceivable that the IP address may be transmitted to the video conference management system 501 while text chatting.

[0198] <Login using the system ID of another system> Next, a case will be described where the Login with Other System ID button 5004 is pressed on the login screen 5000 of Fig. 23. The user can specify the authentication destination using the Login with Other System ID button 5004. The same number of Login with Other System ID buttons 5004 are provided as there are other systems.

[0199] Since a user logs in using another system ID, the system ID of the other system is registered in the authentication management table. Fig. 25(a) is a diagram showing an example of an authentication management table in which the system ID of the other system is registered. With an authentication management table like Fig. 25(a), it becomes possible to log in to the text chat management system 502 using not only the user ID of the text chat management system 502 but also the other system ID. This authentication management table is an example of identification information registration information.

[0200] The registration method for the authentication management table in Figure 25(a) will be described. The text chat management system 502 assumes that a user can log in using authentication information from another system in addition to the user ID. This embodiment utilizes the fact that a user can log in to another system A or another system B and that the text chat management system 502 can obtain a system ID from the logged-in other system A or another system B.

[0201] FIG. 25(b) is an example of a flowchart showing the procedure for registering a system ID. S10 First, the user presses the login button 5004 with another system ID on the login screen 5000 of Fig. 23. This allows the user to log in by entering the system ID and password on the login screen of the other system (an example is shown in Fig. 27). S20 If the login is successful, the other system transmits a system ID to the text chat management system 502. The process up to the transmission of the system ID will be explained later with reference to FIG. S30 Then, the other system cooperation unit 59 of the text chat management system 502 assigns a unique number to this user and registers it in the authentication management table in association with the user. S40 A single user may be associated with multiple user IDs, but after the user logs in to the text chat management system 502 using the system ID, the user may be prompted to enter a user ID that has been assigned to the user in advance. If the user ID is already registered in the authentication management table, the user ID registered in S30 is overwritten with the ID entered by the user.

[0202] This associates the system ID with the user ID. The assigned user ID only needs to be unique. The user can create and register a password to be associated with the assigned user ID, but can also log in to the text chat management system 502 without registering a password.

[0203] For example, users numbered 1, 6 to 8 have registered user IDs and passwords, and are therefore able to log in to the text chat management system 502 without going through another system.

[0204] The user numbered 2 has the system ID and user ID of the other system A registered, and is therefore a user who logged in to the text chat management system 502 via the other system A.

[0205] User number 3 has the system ID, user ID, and password of other system B registered, so he can log in to the text chat management system 502 without going through another system, and he is also a user who logged in to the text chat management system 502 via other system B.

[0206] The user numbered 4 has the system ID and user ID of the other system B registered, and is therefore a user who logged in to the text chat management system 502 via the other system B.

[0207] User number 5 has the system IDs of other systems A and B registered, and is therefore a user who logged in to the text chat management system 502 via other systems A and B.

[0208] In this way, the correspondence between user ID and system ID is maintained using the login results of other systems.

[0209] Furthermore, when a user who already has a registered user ID and password, such as user number 3, logs in to other system B, the user ID "01BA" can be associated with the system ID "9876" of other system B by following the procedure in S40 above.

[0210] Once the user ID is obtained in this way, the administrator can register the user ID in association with the communication ID, as explained in Fig. 20. Therefore, a user who logs in to the text chat management system 502 through authentication in another system can seamlessly use the video conference system.

[0211] Furthermore, the text chat management system 502 may only assign a number without necessarily assigning a user ID. By ensuring the uniqueness of the number, the text chat management system 502 can use the number as a user ID. If the administrator registers the number in association with the communication ID, the number will have the same effect as a user ID.

[0212] For example, user number 9 is a user who has logged in to the text chat management system 502 via other system A, as the system ID of other system A is registered in association with the number. Since the unique number 9 has been assigned, user number 9 can start a video conference if the number and communication ID are associated in the ID information registration DB 3004.

[0213] <<Login procedure using system ID>> 26 is an example of a sequence diagram showing the procedure for logging in to text chat management system 502 using an authentication management table in which the system ID of other system 503 is registered. In Fig. 26, the explanation is given assuming that the system ID of other system A is used, but the same applies to other system B. S1: The user operates the mobile terminal 20aa to access the top page of the text chat management system 502. The login page of the text chat management system 502 shown in Fig. 23 is displayed on the display device 203 of the mobile terminal 20aa. S2: The user presses the login button 5004 in the other system 503. This causes the mobile terminal 20aa to request login using the other system A from the text chat management system 502. In response, the text chat management system 502 redirects the mobile terminal 20aa to the login page of the other system A. S3: The mobile terminal 20aa redirects to the login page of the other system A. That is, the mobile terminal 20aa transitions to the login page of the other system A. As a result, the login screen of the other system A is displayed on the display device 203 of the mobile terminal 20aa.

[0214] 27 is a diagram showing an example of a login screen for other system A. A login screen 7000 for other system A has a system ID input field 7001, a password input field 7002, an authenticate linked app button 7003, and a cancel button 7004. The user inputs the system ID of other system A in the system ID input field 7001. Here, the user may input a username instead of the system ID. Since the username is associated with the system ID, other system A can identify the system ID from the username. When the user presses the authenticate linked app button 7003, authentication for other system A is requested. S4: Returning to Fig. 26, the mobile terminal 20aa requests authentication from the other system A. In response, the other system A authenticates the user and requests a redirection from the text chat management system 502. Here, the explanation will be given assuming that authentication is successful. Authentication allows the text chat management system 502 to obtain a system ID from the other system A. S5: The mobile terminal 20aa redirects to the text chat management system 502. S5.1: The other system cooperation unit 59 of the text chat management system 502 requests the access token of the mobile terminal 20aa from the other system A. The other system A returns the access token. The access token describes the authority granted to the user. The access procedure in steps S2 to S5 complies with OAuth2.0, but in this embodiment, it is not necessary to comply with OAuth2.0. In this embodiment, it is sufficient if the text chat management system 502 can obtain the system ID of the other system A. S5.2: The other system cooperation unit 59 of the text chat management system 502 requests the user profile of this user from the other system A. Information identifying the mobile terminal 20aa is included in the redirection of S5. In response, the other system A returns a user profile that includes at least the system ID. This process allows the other system A to identify the user who has logged in to the text chat management system 502. S5.3: The ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 reads the user ID associated with the system ID acquired in S5.2 from the authentication management table of the authentication management DB 3005. As described above, a user with the system ID has previously logged in to the text chat management system 502 via another system A. In addition, an administrator or the like has linked the user ID and communication ID in the ID information registration table. With the processing up to this point, the login process to the text chat management system 502 is completed, and the mobile terminal 20aa is notified of success. Therefore, the destination list display screen 700 of FIG. 19 is displayed on the display device of the mobile terminal 20aa.

[0215] S6: The subsequent processing is the same as in the case of logging in using a user ID. The mobile terminal 20aa transmits start request information to the text chat management system 502. This start request information corresponds to the start request information described in S1814 of FIG. S7: The mobile terminal 20 performs a text chat with the user of the destination terminal. S8: Next, the user presses the video conference start button 6003 on the text chat screen 6000, causing the mobile terminal 20aa to request a video conference with the mobile terminal 20ab whose user name is "Ryu." This request includes the user IDs (02AA, 02AB) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal. S8.1: The ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 searches the ID information registration DB 3004 using the user IDs of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal sent together with the video conference request. As a result of the search, the communication IDs (02aa, 02ab) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal can be acquired, respectively. S8.2: The text / video call unit 58 of the text chat management system 502 requests the videoconference management system 501 to start a videoconference. This request corresponds to the transmission of the start request information in S42 described in Fig. 17, and includes the communication IDs of the request source terminal and the destination terminal. Therefore, as described in Fig. 17, the mobile terminal 20aa and the mobile terminal 20ab can start a videoconference.

[0216] In this way, the user of the mobile terminal 20aa can use his or her ability to log in to the other system A to not only log in to the text chat management system 502 but also to hold a video conference. Not only does the user not need to enter a communication ID, but the user can also participate in a video conference without even being aware of it.

[0217] <<Logging in to the video conference management system using the system ID>> In FIG. 26, the user logs in to the text chat management system 502 by using the login to the other system A, but the user may also log in to the video conference management system 501 by using the login to the other system A.

[0218] In this case, the authentication management table associates passwords and system IDs with communication IDs as shown in Fig. 28. Fig. 28 is a diagram showing an example of an authentication management table in which system IDs of other systems are registered. Such an authentication management table can be created using the same procedure as for the authentication management table in Fig. 25(a). However, since the video conference management system 501 cannot arbitrarily assign communication IDs (because communication IDs are assigned by license), it is assumed that communication IDs and passwords are registered. Therefore, there is no user such as number 9 in Fig. 25(a). Note that if communication IDs are distributed free of charge, such as during a trial period, a user such as number 9 in Fig. 25(a) may exist.

[0219] Fig. 29 is an example of a sequence diagram showing the procedure for logging in to the video conference management system 501 using an authentication management table in which the system IDs of other systems 503 are registered. The procedure in Fig. 29 is the same as that in Fig. 26, and differences will mainly be described. S1: The user operates the mobile terminal 20aa to access the top page of the video conference management system 501. The display device 203 of the mobile terminal 20aa displays the login page of the video conference management system 501 similar to that shown in FIG. S2: The user presses the login button 5004 in the other system 503. This causes the mobile terminal 20aa to request login using the other system A from the video conference management system 501. In response, the other system cooperation unit 59 of the video conference management system 501 redirects the mobile terminal 20aa to the login page of the other system A. S3: The mobile terminal 20aa redirects to the login page of the other system A. That is, the mobile terminal 20aa transitions to the login page of the other system A. As a result, the display device 203 of the mobile terminal 20aa displays a login screen 7000 of the other system A as shown in FIG. 27. When the user presses the authenticate linked app button 7003, authentication for the other system A is requested. S4: The mobile terminal 20aa requests authentication from the other system A. In response, the other system A authenticates the user and requests a redirection from the video conference management system 501. The authentication enables the video conference management system 501 to obtain a system ID from the other system A. S5: The mobile terminal 20aa redirects to the video conference management system 501. S5.1: The other system cooperation unit 59 of the video conference management system 501 requests an access token for the mobile terminal 20aa from the other system A. The other system A returns the access token. S5.2: The other system cooperation unit 59 of the video conference management system 501 requests the user profile of this user from the other system A. In response, the other system A returns a user profile that includes at least the system ID. By this process, the other system A can identify the user who has logged in to the video conference management system 501. S5.3: The ID acquisition unit 62 reads out the communication ID (02aa) associated with the system ID acquired in S5.2 from the authentication management table. With the processing up to this point, the login processing to the video conference management system 501 is completed, and the mobile terminal 20aa is notified of success. S6: The subsequent processes are the same as in the case of logging in using a user ID. The mobile terminal 20aa transmits start request information to the video conference management system 501. This start request information corresponds to the start request information in step S42 in FIG. S7: The mobile terminal 20 holds a video conference with the user of the destination terminal. S8: Next, when the user performs an operation to start a text chat on the video conference screen, the mobile terminal 20aa requests a video conference with the user of the destination terminal from the video conference management system 501. This request includes the communication IDs (02aa, 02ab) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal. S8.1: The ID acquisition unit 62 of the video conference management system 501 searches the ID information registration DB 3004 using the communication IDs (02aa, 02ab) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal that were sent together with the video conference request. As a result of the search, the user IDs (02AA, 02AB) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal can be acquired, respectively. S8.2: The text / video call unit 58 of the video conference management system 501 requests the text chat management system 502 to start a text chat. This request corresponds to the start request information described in step S1814 of Fig. 18, and includes the user IDs (02AA, 02AB) of the requesting terminal and the destination terminal. Therefore, a text chat can be started as described in Fig. 18.

[0220] As described above, the user of the mobile terminal 20aa can not only log in to the video conference management system 501 but also conduct text chat by utilizing the ability to log in to the other system A. Therefore, even if the text chat is started first or the video conference is started first, the video conference or text chat can be started without having to enter the ID and password a second time.

[0221] <Approval from the destination device> In video conferencing systems and text chat systems, a user may need to be approved by the other party before communicating with them. This is a measure to prevent unknown users from requesting a video conference or text chat. Specifically, if person A wants to communicate with person B, person A requests approval from person B, and if B approves, person B is registered in person A's address book. Once registered in the address book, person A can request a video conference or text chat with person B.

[0222] In the above embodiment, when person A requests person B to hold a video conference, it is not verified whether person B is registered in the destination list management table for person A in the video conference management system 501.

[0223] However, in order to limit the users who can request a video conference with person B, if person A and person B are using a text chat service, it is preferable to verify whether person B is registered in person A's destination list management table in the video conference management system 501 before person A requests a video conference with person B. The procedure for this verification is described below.

[0224] Fig. 30 is an example of a functional block diagram of a transmission management system 50 and a transmission terminal 10 according to this embodiment. Among the components in Fig. 30, components with the same reference numerals as in Fig. 5 perform similar functions, so in some cases only the main components of this embodiment will be mainly described.

[0225] The transmission management system 50 in Fig. 30 has a verification unit 64. The verification unit 64 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 301 shown in Fig. 4, and determines whether the communication ID of the destination terminal is registered in the destination list management table in association with the communication ID of the requesting terminal. The verification unit 64 is an example of a determination means.

[0226] This destination list management table corresponds to an address book. For ease of explanation, a destination list management table different from that shown in FIG. 7 will be described below.

[0227] Fig. 31 shows another example of a destination list management table. The video conference management system 501 stores the destination list management table of Fig. 30 in the destination list management DB 3003. In this destination list management table, communication IDs (02ab, 02ba, 02bb, 02cb, 02da, 02db, etc.) correspond to communication ID (02aa). Therefore, according to the destination list management table of Fig. 30, a user with communication ID (02aa) can request the start of a video conference only for communication IDs (02ab, 02ba, 02bb, 02cb, 02da, 02db, etc.).

[0228] 32 is an example of a sequence diagram showing the procedure by which the video conference management system 501 checks whether the destination terminal is registered in the destination list management table of the requesting terminal. The video conference management system 501 does not permit the video conference if the destination terminal is not registered in the destination list management table of the requesting terminal. Therefore, when a user requests the start of a video conference, the text chat management system 502 checks with the video conference management system 501 whether the communication ID of the destination terminal is registered in the destination list management table in association with the communication ID of the requesting terminal.

[0229] The processing in steps S1 and S2 is the same as that in FIG. S3: When the user selects a destination terminal, the mobile terminal 20 transmits the start request information described in S1814 of Fig. 18 to the text chat management system 502. The start request information includes the user ID (02AA) of the requesting terminal and the user ID (02AB) of the destination terminal.

[0230] S3.1: The ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 uses the user ID included in the start request information to send a communication ID presence / absence determination to the video conference management system 501. The storage / readout processing unit 63 of the video conference management system 501 reads out the communication IDs (02aa, 02ab) associated with the user IDs (02AA, 02AB) of the request source terminal and destination terminal from the ID information registration DB 3004. This allows the ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 to acquire the communication IDs (02aa, 02ab) associated with the user IDs (02AA, 02AB).

[0231] S4: The text / video call unit 58 of the text chat management system 502 requests the video conference management system 502 to start a video conference together with the communication ID (02aa, 02ab) acquired in step S3.1.

[0232] S4.1: The verification unit 64 of the video conference management system 501 reads out the communication IDs (02ab, 02ba, 02bb, 02cb, 02da, 02db) associated with the communication ID (02aa) from the destination list management table of FIG.

[0233] S4.2: The verification unit 64 determines whether the communication ID read out in step S4.1 includes the communication ID (02ab). Since the communication ID (02ab) is included, the verification result is successful.

[0234] The video conference management system 501 notifies the text chat management system 502 that a video conference is to be started. That is, similar to step S8 in Fig. 22, the video conference management system 501 is assumed to have acquired the start request information, and the video conference is started.

[0235] 33 is an example of a sequence diagram showing a procedure in which the video conference management system 501 checks whether or not the destination terminal is registered in the destination list management table of the request source terminal. Unlike in FIG. 32, an example in which the verification fails will be described.

[0236] S3.1: The ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 uses the user ID included in the start request information to transmit a communication ID presence / absence determination to the video conference management system 501. As a result, the ID acquisition unit 62 of the text chat management system 502 can acquire the communication ID (02aa, 02ca) associated with the user ID (02AA, 02CA).

[0237] S4: The text / video call unit 58 of the text chat management system 502 requests the video conference management system 502 to start a video conference together with the communication ID (02aa, 02ca) acquired in step S3.1.

[0238] S4.1: The verification unit 64 of the video conference management system 501 reads out the communication IDs (02ab, 02ba, 02bb, 02cb, 02da, 02db) associated with the communication ID (02aa) from the destination list management table of FIG. S4.2: The verification unit 64 determines whether the communication ID read in step S4.1 includes the communication ID (02ca). Since the communication ID (02ca) is not included, the verification results in failure.

[0239] In this case, the video conference management system 501 transmits a notice that the video conference cannot be started to the text chat management system 502. That is, since the communication ID (02ca) is not registered in association with the communication ID (02aa) in the destination list management table of the video conference management system 501, the video conference cannot be started.

[0240] The message that the video conference cannot be started is sent from the text chat management system 502 to the mobile terminal 20. The mobile terminal 20 displays a message as shown in Fig. 34 on the text chat screen 6000. In Fig. 34, a message 6007 is displayed saying "The other party is not registered in the address book of the conference service, so the conference cannot be started." This allows the user to understand the reason why the video conference cannot be started.

[0241] As described above, the communication method performed by the transmission system 1 of this embodiment verifies the registration status of the destination list management table when the video conference management system 501 and the text chat management system 502 work together, thereby allowing the two systems to work together while maintaining security.

[0242] <Suitable Modification> The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above using examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples in any way, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0243] For example, the various databases that the common information management device 80 has may be stored in the transmission management system 50 .

[0244] In this embodiment, the ID information registration DB 3004 is included in the video conference management system 501, but it may be included in the text chat management system 502 or the common information management device 80. The nonvolatile storage units 3000, 1000, and 9000 may be located in places that can be accessed by the transmission management system 50 and the common information management device 80 from the communication network 2.

[0245] There may also be multiple video conference management systems 501 and multiple text chat management systems 502. Some of the functions of the multiple video conference management systems 501 and multiple text chat management systems 502 may be distributed and held by separate devices.

[0246] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transmission system has been described as an example of a video conference system and a text chat system, but the present invention can be applied to a combination of any two systems: a call system, a social network service (SNS), and an email system.

[0247] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a seamless login from a text chat system to a video conference system has been described as an example, but it may also be possible to seamlessly log in from a text chat system to, for example, a telephone system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0248] 1 Transmission System 10, 20 Transmission terminal 30 Relay Device 50 Transmission Management System 51 Transmitter / Receiver 52 Authentication Section 53 State Management Unit 54 Terminal Extraction Unit 55 Terminal status notification and acquisition unit 56 Session Management Unit 57 Notification destination determination unit 58 Text / Video Call Unit 59 Other System Integration Department 60 ID Registration Department 61 Administrator authentication section 62 ID acquisition part 63 Storage and readout processing unit 80 Common information management device [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0249] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-330234

Claims

1. An information processing device that performs a communication connection between a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal, a first communication connection means for establishing a first data communication connection between the first transmission terminal identified by first identification information and the second transmission terminal identified by second identification information when authentication of the first transmission terminal is established; an identification information acquiring means for, when acquiring a communication connection request for second data including the first identification information and the second identification information from the first transmission terminal, referring to correspondence information in which third identification information is registered in association with the first identification information and fourth identification information is registered in association with the second identification information, and acquiring the third identification information and the fourth identification information; a connection requesting means for making a communication connection request for second data to another information processing device together with the third identification information and the fourth identification information acquired by the identification information acquiring means; An information processing device having the above.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the identification information acquisition means notifies the first transmission terminal, which has established a communication connection for the first data with the second transmission terminal, whether or not a communication connection for the second data is possible, depending on the result of determining whether the second identification information or the fourth identification information is registered in the correspondence information.

3. 3. An information processing device as described in claim 1 or 2, having an identification information registration means that, when the first identification information and the third identification information are acquired from any device, registers the third identification information in the correspondence information in correspondence with the first identification information so that the first identification information and the third identification information do not overlap.

4. The information processing device described in claim 3, wherein the identification information registration means acquires authentication identification information along with the first identification information and the third identification information, and registers the third identification information in the correspondence information in correspondence with the first identification information only if authentication of the first identification information is successful using the authentication identification information.

5. an authentication destination identification information acquiring means for, when acquiring an authentication request specifying an authentication destination from the first transmission terminal, transmitting the authentication request to the authentication destination and acquiring fifth identification information of the first transmission terminal at the authentication destination; the identification information acquisition means refers to identification information registration information in which the first identification information is registered in association with the fifth identification information, and acquires the first identification information associated with the fifth identification information; when acquiring the first identification information from the first transmission terminal and the second identification information of the second transmission terminal registered as a destination terminal of the first transmission terminal, acquiring the third identification information and the fourth identification information by referring to the correspondence information; 5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the connection requesting means sends a communication connection request for second data to the other information processing device together with the third identification information and the fourth identification information.

6. an authentication destination identification information acquiring means for, when acquiring an authentication request specifying an authentication destination from the first transmission terminal, transmitting the authentication request to the authentication destination and acquiring fifth identification information of the first transmission terminal at the authentication destination; the identification information acquisition means refers to identification information registration information in which the third identification information is registered in association with the fifth identification information, and acquires the third identification information associated with the fifth identification information; when acquiring the third identification information from the first transmission terminal and the fourth identification information of the second transmission terminal registered as a destination terminal of the first transmission terminal, acquiring the first identification information and the second identification information by referring to the correspondence information; 5. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the connection requesting means makes a communication connection request for first data to the other information processing device together with the first identification information and the second identification information.

7. an authentication destination identification information acquiring means for, when acquiring an authentication request specifying an authentication destination from the first transmission terminal, transmitting the authentication request to the authentication destination and acquiring fifth identification information of the first transmission terminal at the authentication destination; 6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the authentication destination identification information acquisition means generates the first identification information that does not overlap with the fifth identification information and registers the generated first identification information in the identification information registration information in association with the fifth identification information.

8. A communication method performed by an information processing device that establishes a communication connection between a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal, comprising: a first communication connection step in which, when authentication of the first transmission terminal is established, a first communication connection is established between the first transmission terminal identified by first identification information and the second transmission terminal identified by second identification information; an identification information acquisition step in which, when a communication connection request for second data including the first identification information and the second identification information is acquired from the first transmission terminal, an identification information acquisition means refers to correspondence information in which third identification information is registered in association with the first identification information and fourth identification information is registered in association with the second identification information, and acquires the third identification information and the fourth identification information; a connection request step in which a connection request means makes a communication connection request for second data to another information processing device together with the third identification information and the fourth identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition step.

9. An information processing device that performs communication connection between a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal, a first communication connection step of establishing a first data communication connection between the first transmission terminal identified by first identification information and the second transmission terminal identified by second identification information when authentication of the first transmission terminal is established; an identification information acquisition step of, when a communication connection request for second data including the first identification information and the second identification information is acquired from the first transmission terminal, referring to correspondence information in which third identification information is registered in association with the first identification information and fourth identification information is registered in association with the second identification information, and acquiring the third identification information and the fourth identification information; a connection request step of issuing a communication connection request for second data to another information processing device together with the third identification information and the fourth identification information acquired in the identification information acquisition step.

10. A system including a first information processing device that performs a first data communication connection between a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal, and a second information processing device that performs a second data communication connection between the first transmission terminal and the second transmission terminal, the first information processing device includes a first communication connection means for establishing a first data communication connection between the first transmission terminal identified by first identification information and the second transmission terminal identified by second identification information when authentication of the first transmission terminal is established; an identification information acquiring means for, when acquiring a communication connection request for second data including the first identification information and the second identification information from the first transmission terminal, referring to correspondence information in which third identification information is registered in association with the first identification information and fourth identification information is registered in association with the second identification information, and acquiring the third identification information and the fourth identification information; a connection requesting means for making a communication connection request for second data to a second information processing device together with the third identification information and the fourth identification information acquired by the identification information acquiring means, The second information processing device A system having a second communication connection means that, when a communication connection request for the second data is obtained from the first information processing device, establishes a communication connection for the second data between transmission terminals identified by third identification information of the first transmission terminal and fourth identification information of the second transmission terminal.

11. The second information processing device a determination means for determining whether or not the fourth identification information is associated with the third identification information in advance when a communication connection request for the second data is received from the first information processing device; The system described in claim 10, wherein the second communication connection means establishes a communication connection for the second data between a transmission terminal identified by the third identification information and the fourth identification information only when the determination means determines that the fourth identification information is pre-associated with the third identification information.

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