Communication terminal, program, remote conference method, remote conference system, and server

Abstract

To provide a technique that can strengthen information security in remote conferences.SOLUTION: A communication terminal (10) is installed at one location in a remote conference held among multiple locations, and communicates with the other locations via an external device (20). The communication terminal (10) includes an acquisition unit, a determination unit, and a first output unit. The acquisition unit acquires video (S10) during the remote conference at the one location. The determination unit determines whether the acquired video includes a predetermined subject (S13, S16). If it is determined that the predetermined subject is included, a first output processing unit performs first output processing to output a first video portion, excluding the portion of the predetermined subject from the video, to the external device (S14, S17).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication terminal, a program, a remote conference method, a remote conference system, and a server. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the use of remote conference systems via communication lines has increased, but even in remote conferences, measures to prevent the leakage of confidential information are required. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses a remote conference system with a viewing function that allows content such as documents to be shared with communication partners. In this remote conference system, viewing of content is restricted depending on the participants in the remote conference. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-107645 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a remote conference system, video and audio data from one location are transmitted to other locations via a communication terminal installed at each location. The video may contain confidential information or other subjects that should not be shown to the other party. Since transmitting the video as is carries the risk of unintentionally disclosing confidential information to the other party, enhanced security is required for the transmitted video.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide a technology that can strengthen security in remote conferences. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A communication terminal according to the present disclosure is installed at one location in a remote conference held among multiple locations, and communicates with the other locations via an external device. The communication terminal includes an acquisition unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The acquisition unit acquires video of the remote conference held at the one location. The determination unit determines whether the acquired video includes a predetermined subject. If it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video, the output unit performs a first output process to output a first video portion, excluding the portion of the predetermined subject, from the video to the external device.

[0007] A program according to the present disclosure causes a computer of a communication terminal installed at one location in a remote conference held among multiple locations to execute processing, the processing including the steps of acquiring video of the remote conference held at the one location, determining whether the acquired video includes a predetermined subject, and, if it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video, outputting a portion of the video excluding the predetermined subject to the external device.

[0008] A remote conference method according to the present disclosure uses a communication terminal provided at one location in a remote conference held among a plurality of locations and communicates with the other locations via an external device. The remote conference method includes the steps of acquiring video of the remote conference held at the one location, determining whether the acquired video includes a predetermined subject, and, if it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video, outputting a portion of the video from which the predetermined subject is removed to the external device.

[0009] A remote conference system according to the present disclosure includes a communication terminal provided at one location for a remote conference between multiple locations, and communicating with the other locations via an external device, and the external device. The communication terminal includes an acquisition unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The acquisition unit acquires video of the remote conference being held at the one location. The determination unit determines whether the acquired video includes a predetermined subject. If it is determined that the video includes the predetermined subject, the output unit outputs a portion of the video excluding the portion of the predetermined subject to the external device. The external device acquires the video portion from the communication terminal and transmits it to the other locations.

[0010] A server according to the present disclosure communicates with multiple locations in a remote conference held among the multiple locations. The server includes an acquisition unit and a transmission unit. The acquisition unit acquires video of the remote conference held at each of the multiple locations. If the acquired video of the multiple locations includes video of a location that includes a specific subject, the transmission unit transmits a video portion of the video of the location, excluding the specific subject, to a communication terminal of another location other than the acquired video of the location. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present disclosure, information security in remote conferences can be enhanced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a remote conference system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the communication terminal shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a video image during a remote conference. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of output video data based on the video shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the server shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an operational flow diagram showing the operation of the remote conference system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, a remote conference system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and description thereof will not be repeated.

[0014] (composition) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a remote conference system according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the remote conference system 1 includes a communication terminal 10a (10) and a communication terminal 10b (10) provided at two locations A and B where the remote conference is held, and a server 20. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the communication terminals 10a and 10b, they may be referred to as communication terminals 10, and when there is no need to distinguish between the locations A and B, they may be simply referred to as locations. Note that the number of locations where the remote conference is held may be three or more, as long as a communication terminal 10 is provided at each location.

[0015] Each communication terminal 10 and server 20 are connected to a communication network N such as the Internet. Participants (not shown) of the remote conference at each of sites A and B use communication terminal 10a and communication terminal 10b to exchange video and audio between the sites via server 20 to hold the remote conference. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0016] (Communication terminal 10) Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the communication terminal 10 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the communication terminal 10 includes a control unit 110, a camera 120, a microphone 130, a speaker 140, a display unit 150, a communication unit 160, a storage unit 170, and an operation unit 180.

[0017] The camera 120 captures video during the remote conference at the location and outputs the captured video to the control unit 110.

[0018] The microphone 130 picks up the sound during the remote conference at the location and outputs the picked up sound to the control unit 110.

[0019] The speaker 140 outputs the audio of other locations under the control of the control unit 110 .

[0020] The display unit 150 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, and under the control of the control unit 110, displays images of each location during the remote conference.

[0021] The communication unit 160 is a communication interface for communicating with the server 20 (FIG. 1). Specifically, the communication unit 160 uses a communication protocol such as RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) to establish communication with the server 20 and transmit and receive video data and audio data.

[0022] The storage unit 170 includes a nonvolatile storage medium such as a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 170 stores programs such as a remote conference application program (hereinafter referred to as a remote conference app) for participating in a remote conference, various image data related to the remote conference app, etc.

[0023] The operation unit 180 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel. The operation unit 180 receives operations from the participants and outputs information indicating the received operations to the control unit 110.

[0024] The control unit 110 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory (ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory)) (not shown). The control unit 110 functions as an audio / video signal processing unit 111 and an output processing unit 112 by the CPU executing a remote conference application stored in the storage unit 170.

[0025] The audio / video signal processing unit 111 includes a CODEC. The audio / video signal processing unit 111 sequentially transmits and receives packets of video data and audio data during a remote conference to and from the server 20 via the communication unit 160.

[0026] Specifically, the audio / video signal processing unit 111 converts the audio signal input from the microphone 130 at regular intervals and the video signal input from the camera 120 at regular intervals into digital data in accordance with the standards of the remote conference system. The audio / video signal processing unit 111 outputs this digital data (audio data and video data) to the output processing unit 112.

[0027] Furthermore, the audio / video signal processing unit 111 decodes the video data and audio data from the server 20 that are sequentially input from the communication unit 160 in accordance with the standards of the remote conference system. The video data and audio data from the server 20 are multiplexed with the video data and audio data output from other communication terminals 10. The audio / video signal processing unit 111 decodes the video data and audio data from the server 20, displays video based on the decoded video data on the display unit 150, and outputs audio based on the decoded audio data from the speaker 140.

[0028] The output processing unit 112 acquires video data and audio data of its own location from the audio / video signal processing unit 111. When a predetermined subject is included in the acquired video data of its own location, the output processing unit 112 outputs a video portion (an example of a first video portion) from which the predetermined subject has been removed from the video data (an example of a first output process). The predetermined subject is, for example, an object that should be kept secret and that displays confidential information or the like.

[0029] Specifically, the output processing unit 112 performs image analysis on the acquired video data and generates video data to be output based on the results of the image analysis. The output processing unit 112 then performs processing such as encoding on the video data and audio data to be output, outputs the resulting data from the communication unit 160 to the server 20, and displays the acquired video data from its own location on the display unit 150. More specifically, the output processing unit 112 encodes the video data to be output using a predetermined video codec such as H.264, and encodes the audio data using an audio codec such as AAC (Advanced Audio Coding). The output processing unit 112 assigns a timestamp to each of the encoded video data and audio data to be output, divides them into packets, and outputs them from the communication unit 160 to the server 20.

[0030] The image analysis includes a first identification process for identifying a person area in the video data, and a second identification process for identifying an area (hereinafter, a concealment area) of a predetermined subject to be concealed (hereinafter, a concealment target) in the video data. The person area is an area including a person's face. The concealment target may include, for example, a document, a whiteboard, or a display on which an image is displayed. The image analysis may utilize, for example, a trained model that has been machine-learned using training data in which images of people or objects to be concealed are used as training data. Furthermore, the image analysis may utilize, for example, technologies such as a convolutional neural network or object detection as artificial intelligence for recognizing people or concealment targets.

[0031] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of video during a remote conference. Video P1 during a remote conference at the user's location shown in Fig. 3 includes remote conference participants H1 and H2, and concealment targets C1 and C2. The concealment targets C1 and C2 are documents. In this case, the output processing unit 112 performs a first identification process to identify person regions Rh1 and Rh2 (examples of second video portions) of a predetermined size that include participants H1 and H2, respectively, from the video P1. Furthermore, the output processing unit 112 performs a second identification process to identify concealment regions Rc1 and Rc2 from the video P1.

[0032] When the person area includes a hidden area, the output processing unit 112 generates output video data from the video portion (an example of the first video portion) excluding the hidden area (Rc1, Rc2) from the person area (Rh1, Rh2) and transmits it to the server 20 (an example of the first output process).

[0033] Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram of output video data based on the video shown in Fig. 3. The output video data P2 includes output video R21 and output video R22. The output video R21 is a video enlarged to a predetermined size from the person area Rh1 shown in Fig. 3, excluding the concealed area Rc1. The output video R22 is a video enlarged to a predetermined size from the person area Rh2 shown in Fig. 3, excluding the concealed areas Rc1 and Rc2.

[0034] If the video does not include a person but includes a concealment target, the output processing unit 112 adjusts the video portion excluding the concealment area from the video to a predetermined size and generates video data for output. If the person area does not include a concealment target, the output processing unit 112 adjusts the video portion of the person area to a predetermined size and generates video data for output. If the video does not include either a person or a concealment target, the output processing unit 112 generates video data for output by adjusting the video to a predetermined size.

[0035] In this embodiment, the output processing unit 112 is an example of an acquisition unit, a determination unit, an output unit, and a specification unit.

[0036] (Server 20) Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the server 20 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 5, the server 20 includes a control unit 200, a communication unit 210, and a storage unit 220.

[0037] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for communicating with the communication terminal 10 (FIG. 1 or FIG. 2). Under the control of the control unit 200, the communication unit 210 establishes communication with the communication terminal 10 using a predetermined communication protocol such as RTP, and transmits and receives video data and audio data.

[0038] The storage unit 220 includes a nonvolatile storage medium such as a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 220 stores application programs for the remote conference system and terminal information (not shown) including identification information (such as an IP address) of the communication terminal 10.

[0039] The control unit 200 includes a CPU and memory (ROM and RAM). The CPU executes an application program stored in the ROM, whereby the control unit 200 communicates with each communication terminal 10 via the communication unit 210. Specifically, the control unit 200 acquires packets of audio data and video data transmitted from the communication terminal 10, and transmits data obtained by multiplexing the acquired audio data and video data in accordance with a communication protocol such as RTP to another communication terminal 10 based on the terminal information stored in the storage unit 220.

[0040] (operation) Fig. 6 is an operational flow diagram showing the operation of the remote conference system 1. In Fig. 6, a remote conference app is activated by a participant on the communication terminal 10. The following description will be given assuming that the communication terminal 10 in Fig. 6 is installed at, for example, site A.

[0041] The communication terminal 10a acquires video and audio of its own location (hereinafter referred to as location A) (step S10). Specifically, the audio / video signal processing unit 111 sequentially acquires the video of location A captured by the camera 120 and the audio signals collected by the microphone 130, and outputs the acquired signals to the output processing unit 112 as video data and audio data converted into digital form.

[0042] The communication terminal 10a detects whether or not a person is included in the acquired video (step S11). Specifically, the output processing unit 112 performs a predetermined image analysis on the video data input from the audio / video signal processing unit 111 to detect whether or not a person is included in the video data by performing a first identification process on the video data.

[0043] When communication terminal 10a detects that the video data includes a person (step S11: YES), it identifies a person area in the video data (step S12). Specifically, output processing unit 112 identifies an area of ​​a predetermined size in the video data that includes the face of the person identified by the first identification process as the person area.

[0044] The communication terminal 10a detects whether the identified person area includes a concealment target (step S13). Specifically, the output processing unit 112 performs a predetermined image analysis on the person area to detect a concealment target through the second identification process, and detects whether the person area includes a concealment target.

[0045] When the communication terminal 10a detects that the person area includes a concealment target (step S13: YES), it outputs the video data and audio data from the person area excluding the concealment target to the server 20 (step S14). Specifically, the output processing unit 112 adjusts the data of the video portion from the person area excluding the concealment area identified from the person area by the second identification process to a predetermined size to generate output video data. The output processing unit 112 performs processing such as encoding on each of the output video data and audio data, and transmits them to the server 20 via the communication unit 160.

[0046] In step S13, if communication terminal 10a detects that the person area does not include a concealment target (step S13: NO), it outputs the video data and audio data of the person area to server 20 (step S15). Specifically, output processing unit 112 adjusts the person area in the video data identified in the first identification process to a predetermined size to generate output video data. Output processing unit 112 performs predetermined processing such as encoding on each of the output video data and audio data, and transmits them to server 20 via communication unit 160.

[0047] Furthermore, in step S11, if the communication terminal 10a detects that the acquired video data does not include a person (step S11: NO), it detects whether or not the video data includes a concealment target (step S16). Specifically, the output processing unit 112 performs a predetermined image analysis to detect a concealment target in the video data acquired from the audio / video signal processing unit 111 through the second identification process, and detects whether or not the concealment target is included.

[0048] When the communication terminal 10a detects that the acquired video data contains a confidentiality target (step S16: YES), it outputs the video data and audio data from which the confidentiality target has been removed to the server 20 (step S17). Specifically, the output processing unit 112 identifies a confidentiality area in the video data by a second identification process, and adjusts the video portion from which the confidentiality area has been removed to a predetermined size to generate video data for output. The output processing unit 112 performs processing such as encoding on each of the video data and audio data for output, and transmits them to the server 20 via the communication unit 160.

[0049] In step S16, if the communication terminal 10a detects that the acquired video data does not contain any concealment target (step S16: NO), it outputs the video data and audio data of the predetermined area to the server 20 (step S18). Specifically, if the second identification process fails to identify a concealment area from the video data, the output processing unit 112 adjusts the acquired video data to a predetermined size to generate output video data. The output processing unit 112 performs processing such as encoding on each of the output video data and audio data, and transmits them to the server 20 via the communication unit 160.

[0050] The communication terminal 10a repeats the processes from step S10 onwards until it receives an operation to end the remote conference via the operation unit 180 (step S19: NO). When the communication terminal 10a receives an operation to end the remote conference via the operation unit 180 (step S19: YES), it ends the remote conference processing. Specifically, when the communication terminal 10a receives an operation to end the remote conference app, it transmits information indicating the end of communication to the server 20 via the communication unit 160 and closes the screen of the remote conference app on the display unit 150.

[0051] The server 20 acquires the video data and audio data from the communication terminal 10a (step S20). Specifically, the control unit 200 acquires packets of the output video data and audio data output from the communication terminal 10a via the communication unit 210.

[0052] The server 20 outputs the acquired video data and audio data to the other communication terminal 10b (step S21). Specifically, the control unit 200 multiplexes each packet of the output video data and audio data acquired from the communication terminal 10a in accordance with a communication protocol such as RTP, and transmits the multiplexed packets to the other communication terminal 10b via the communication unit 210.

[0053] The server 20 repeats the processes from step S20 onwards until the remote conference is ended at the communication terminal 10 (step S22: NO), and when the remote conference is ended at the communication terminal 10 (step S22: YES), the server 20 ends communication with the communication terminal 10. Specifically, the server 20 receives a signal indicating the end of communication from the communication terminal 10, and ends communication with the communication terminal 10.

[0054] Although not shown in the figure, when communication terminal 10b provided at another base (base B) acquires output video data and audio data from server 20, audio / video signal processing unit 111 decodes the acquired output video data and audio data using a predetermined video and audio codec, and outputs the decoded video data and audio data from display unit 150 and speaker 140, respectively.

[0055] In the above embodiment, when a confidential object is included in a video during a remote conference at a base where the communication terminal 10 is installed, the video portion excluding the confidential object is transmitted to another communication terminal 10 via the server 20. Therefore, compared to a case where a video including the confidential object is transmitted from the server 20 to the communication partner, unintentional leakage of confidential information is prevented, and security is strengthened.

[0056] The above describes embodiments of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner to facilitate understanding, and the thickness, length, number, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the shape, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present disclosure.

[0057] [Variations] (1) In the above embodiment, the communication terminal 10 may perform image analysis to determine whether or not there is a confidentiality target based on identification information identifying participants in the remote conference. The identification information may be, for example, the name and affiliation of the participant. Note that the domain included in the participant's email address may be used as the identification information indicating the affiliation. The identification information may be stored in advance in the storage unit 170 or may be obtained from the server 20 or an external device via the communication unit 160.

[0058] If the participants indicated by the identification information include a specific participant (for example, an outsider who does not belong to a specific affiliation), communication terminal 10 performs image analysis of the confidential subject through a second identification process and generates video data for output. If the participants indicated by the identification information do not include a specific participant, communication terminal 10 does not perform the second identification process and generates video data for output. In other words, if the acquired identification information is identification information of a person other than a specific participant, communication terminal 10 outputs the video portion of the person area identified in the first identification process (an example of a second video portion) to server 20 (an example of a third output process).

[0059] (2) In the above embodiment, if the size of the image portion (an example of the second image portion) excluding the secret area from the person area is less than a threshold, the communication terminal 10 may output an instruction to the server 20 to replace the output image data with another image (an example of the second output process).

[0060] The other video is an image that allows participants to be identified, and may be, for example, a pre-photographed image of the participant's face or an icon image represented by an illustration. The smaller the portion of the video excluding the confidential subject, the higher the magnification rate of the video portion to adjust it to the specified size, and the more likely it is that the person's image will become unclear. By replacing the output video data with another video, it becomes easier to identify the other party of communication.

[0061] (3) In the above embodiment, the communication terminal 10 performs image analysis of the confidentiality target using the second identification process and outputs output video data that does not include the confidentiality target to the server 20. However, the output video data may be generated in the server 20 and transmitted to another communication terminal 10.

[0062] For example, the communication terminal 10 may perform only the first identification process on the video of its own base without performing the second identification process. In this case, the server 20 acquires video data of a predetermined size including a person area from the communication terminal 10, performs the second identification process on the acquired video data, and generates video data for output. The server 20 then transmits the video data for output to the other communication terminals 10.

[0063] Furthermore, for example, communication terminal 10 may output video data of a predetermined size to server 20 without performing either the first identification process or the second identification process. In this case, server 20 acquires the video data of the predetermined size output from communication terminal 10, performs the first identification process and the second identification process on the acquired video data, generates video data for output of the predetermined size, and transmits it to other communication terminals 10. That is, server 20 in this modification includes an acquisition unit that acquires video of the remote conference at each location, and a transmission unit that, if the acquired video of each location includes video that includes a predetermined subject, transmits the video portion of the video of the location, excluding the portion of the predetermined subject, to other locations other than the location.

[0064] (4) In the above embodiment, if a YES judgment is made in step S13 and step S16 of FIG. 6, i.e., if the image or person area contains a concealment target, the communication terminal 10 may notify information indicating that the concealment target is included in the image from at least one of the speaker 140 and the display unit 150 (an example of a notification unit).

[0065] (5) The functional units (audio / video signal processing unit 111 and output processing unit 112) in the communication terminal 10 shown in the above embodiment may be individually integrated into one chip using a semiconductor device such as an LSI, or may be integrated into one chip to include some or all of them.

[0066] Furthermore, some or all of the processing of the functional units described in the above embodiment may be executed by a program. Specifically, the processing of the output processing unit 112 in the above embodiment may be executed by a program. That is, the program includes the steps of acquiring video of a remote conference held at one location, determining whether the acquired video includes a predetermined subject, and, if it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video, outputting the video portion excluding the predetermined subject from the video to an external device.

[0067] The processing of the functional units of the communication terminal 10 and the server 20 described in the above embodiment may be executed by the following system: A system including one or more processors, which acquire video via a communication terminal at one location, determine whether the acquired video includes a predetermined subject, and, if it is determined that the video includes the predetermined subject, transmit the video portion excluding the portion of the predetermined subject from the video to a communication terminal at another location. [Industrial Applicability]

[0068] The present invention can be used for remote conferences such as web conferences. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1: Remote conferencing system 10, 10a, 10b: communication terminal 20: Server 110, 200: Control section 111: Video signal processing unit 112: Output processing section 120: Camera 130:Mike 140: Speaker 150:Display section 160, 210: Communications Department 170 220: Storage section 180:Operation unit A, B: Base C1, C2: Confidentiality targets P1: Video P2: Video data for output R21, R22: Output video Rc1, Rc2: Hidden area Rh1, Rh2: Person area

Claims

1. A communication terminal that is provided at one location in a remote conference held among a plurality of locations and communicates with other locations via an external device, an acquisition unit that acquires video of the remote conference at the one location; a determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined subject is included in the acquired video; an output unit that performs a first output process of outputting a first video portion, which is a portion of the video excluding the predetermined subject, to the external device when it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video; A communication terminal comprising:

2. an identification unit that identifies a person portion from the acquired video; The communication terminal according to claim 1 , wherein the determining unit determines whether the predetermined subject is included in a second video portion that includes the identified person portion in the video.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output unit performs a second output process of outputting an instruction to the external device to replace the first video portion with another video when the size of the area of ​​the first video portion is equal to or smaller than a threshold value.

4. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a notification unit that, when it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video, notifies information indicating that the predetermined subject is included in the video.

5. 3. The communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein the output unit acquires participant identification information that identifies participants participating in the remote conference at the other location, and if the acquired participant identification information includes the participant identification information of a specific participant, performs the first output process, and if the acquired participant identification information is not the participant identification information of the specific participant, performs a third output process of outputting the second video portion to the external device.

6. A program for causing a computer of a communication terminal that is provided at one location in a remote conference held among a plurality of locations and that communicates with other locations via an external device to execute processing, The process comprises: acquiring a video of the remote conference at the one location; determining whether or not a predetermined subject is included in the acquired video; outputting a video portion of the video excluding a portion of the video that is the predetermined subject from the video when it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video to the external device; Programs including.

7. A remote conference method using a communication terminal provided at one location in a remote conference held among a plurality of locations, the communication terminal communicating with other locations via an external device, comprising: acquiring a video of the remote conference at the one location; determining whether or not a predetermined subject is included in the acquired video; outputting a video portion of the video excluding a portion of the video that is the predetermined subject from the video when it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video to the external device; A remote conferencing method including:

8. A remote conference system including a communication terminal provided at one location in a remote conference held among a plurality of locations, the communication terminal communicating with other locations via an external device, and the external device, The communication terminal an acquisition unit that acquires video of the remote conference at the one location; a determination unit that determines whether or not a predetermined subject is included in the acquired video; an output unit that, when it is determined that the predetermined subject is included in the video, outputs a video portion excluding the predetermined subject from the video to the external device; The external device is The remote conference system acquires the video portion from the communication terminal and transmits it to the other location.

9. A server that communicates with a plurality of communication terminals installed at a plurality of locations in a remote conference held among the plurality of locations, an acquisition unit that acquires video of the remote conference at each of the plurality of locations; a transmitting unit that, when there is an image of a location that includes a predetermined subject among the acquired images of the plurality of locations, transmits an image portion of the image of the location excluding the portion of the predetermined subject to the communication terminal of another location other than the acquired image of the location; A server comprising:

Images