Information processing device, information processing system, terminal, communication control method and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device that can help facilitate smooth communication between the user initiating the contact and the user being contacted. [Solution] The information processing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires contact information indicating the content of a message to a second user input in response to an operation by a first user, and a control unit that performs a process of determining a communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user, and presenting information indicating the communication tool to the first user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a terminal, a communication control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining the degree of a user's busyness based on the user's situation, determining a convenient timing for communicating between users based on the degree of the user's busyness, and executing a process of communicating at the determined timing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when it is determined that the user who is the contact is in a busy state, making a contact is reserved, and making a contact between users is suppressed until it is determined that it is a convenient timing for making a contact between users. Therefore, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the user who is the contact origin wants to make an urgent contact, there is a possibility that the contact cannot be made smoothly. Therefore, an aspect of the present disclosure aims to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a terminal, a communication control method, and a program that can contribute to smooth communication between the user who is the contact origin and the user who is the contact destination.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: an acquisition unit that acquires contact information indicating the content of a message to a second user input in response to an operation by a first user; and a control unit that performs a process of determining a communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user, and presenting information indicating the communication tool to the first user.

[0006] An information processing system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes a first terminal operated by a first user, a second terminal operated by a second user, and a server device capable of communicating with the first terminal and the second terminal. The server device includes an acquisition unit that acquires contact information from the first terminal indicating the content of a message to the second user input in response to the operation of the first user, and a control unit that performs a process of determining a communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user, and presenting information indicating the communication tool to the first user.

[0007] A terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a display unit, an operation unit that receives operations from a first user, and a control unit that, when the operation unit receives an operation to input contact information to a second user, performs a process to transmit contact information indicating the contact content to a server device, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display information indicating a communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user.

[0008] A communication control method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of: acquiring communication information indicating the content of a message to a second user input in response to an operation by a first user; determining a communication tool based on the urgency of the communication information and status information indicating the state of the second user; and presenting information indicating the communication tool to the first user.

[0009] A program according to one form of this disclosure causes a computer to perform the following functions: acquire contact information 112 indicating the content of a message to a second user entered in response to an operation by a first user; determine a communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user; and present information indicating the communication tool to the first user. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of a terminal configuration. [Figure 3] This block diagram shows an example of a server device configuration. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a user information database. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of communication tool information. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows an example of how a server device operates. [Figure 7] Figure 6 shows a flowchart illustrating an example of server device operation. [Figure 8] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the first example of how an information processing system operates. [Figure 9] This sequence diagram shows the first example of the operation of the information processing system, following Figure 8. [Figure 10] The first example is shown as an example of the screen displayed on the display unit of the first terminal. [Figure 11] The first example is a diagram showing an example of the screen following Figure 10 displayed on the display unit of the first terminal. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of a screen following Figure 11 displayed on the display unit of the first terminal, and an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the second terminal, as in the first example. [Figure 13]FIG. 0 is a diagram showing an example of a screen following FIG. 12 displayed on the display unit of the first terminal and an example of a screen following FIG. 12 displayed on the display unit of the second terminal. [Figure 14] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a screen following FIG. 13 displayed on the display unit of the first terminal and an example of a screen following FIG. 13 displayed on the display unit of the second terminal for the first example. [Figure 15] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing a second example of the operation of the information processing system. [Figure 16] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the information processing system following FIG. 15. [Figure 17] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing a third example of the operation of the information processing system. [Figure 18] FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the information processing system following FIG. 17. [Figure 19] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the first terminal and an example of a screen displayed on the display unit of the second terminal for the third example.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] (First Embodiment) The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 19. In the drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations are omitted.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system 100 according to the present embodiment. The information processing system 100 includes a first terminal 101a, a second terminal 101b, and a server device (information processing device) 102.

[0013] The first terminal 101a is a terminal operated by the first user 111a, who is the contacting party. The first terminal 101a receives input of the contact content from the first user 111a to the second user 111b. Then, the first terminal 101a transmits contact information 112, which indicates the input contact content, to the server device 102. For example, the first terminal 101a is a smartphone, PC (Personal Computer), tablet terminal, desktop PC, etc. For example, the first terminal 101a can use telephone, chat, and email. Alternatively, the first terminal 101a may use telephone, chat, and email provided by a device other than the first terminal 101a.

[0014] The second terminal 101b is a terminal operated by the contact, the second user 111b. For example, the second terminal 101b may be a smartphone, PC, tablet, etc. For example, the second terminal 101b can use telephone, chat, and email. Alternatively, the second terminal 101b may use the telephone, chat, and email functions provided by the second terminal 101b itself.

[0015] The server device 102 is an information processing device capable of communicating with the first terminal 101a and the second terminal 101b. The server device 102 determines the communication tool to be used for communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b. Specifically, the server device 102 determines the communication tool based on the urgency of the communication and the status of the second user 111b. The server device 102 then mediates communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b by notifying the second user 111b of the content of the communication from the first user 111a.

[0016] In the following explanation, if the first terminal 101a and the second terminal 101b are not distinguished, they will be referred to as terminal 101. Also, in the following explanation, if the first user 111a and the second user 111b are not distinguished, they will be referred to as user 111.

[0017] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of terminal 101. Terminal 101 comprises a communication unit 201, an operation unit 202, a display unit 203, a storage unit 204, and a control unit 205.

[0018] Communication unit 201 is an interface for connecting to the network.

[0019] The operation unit 202 receives input from user 111. For example, the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a receives input from first user 111a to second user 111b. For example, the operation unit 202 is composed of a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, etc.

[0020] The display unit 203 displays information to be presented to the user 111. For example, the display unit 203 is composed of a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) panel, etc. Alternatively, a touch panel display may be configured in which the operation unit 202 and the display unit 203 are integrated.

[0021] The storage unit 204 is a storage medium capable of storing various data, programs, etc. For example, the storage unit 302 is composed of one or more HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), one or more SSDs (Solid State Drives), one or more semiconductor memories, etc. The storage unit 204 stores telephone application programs, chat application programs, email application programs, and schedule information. The schedule of user 111 is shown.

[0022] The control unit 205 controls the entire terminal 101. The control unit 205 realizes various functions by reading and executing various programs stored in the memory unit 204. The control unit 205 may be realized by one or more control devices / arithmetic units (CPU (Central Processing Unit), SoC (System on a Chip)), one or more RAMs (Random Access Memory), one or more ROMs (Random Access Memory), various interface circuits, etc. Furthermore, some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 205 may be composed of electronic circuits.

[0023] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 102. The server device 102 comprises an acquisition unit 301, a storage unit 302, and a control unit 303.

[0024] The acquisition unit 301 acquires contact information 112 indicating the content of a message to the second user 111b, which is entered in response to an operation by the first user 111a. For example, the acquisition unit 301 acquires contact information 112 from the first terminal 101a via the network, which indicates the content of a message entered into the first terminal in response to an operation by the first user 111a when the first user 111a contacts the second user 111b. For example, the acquisition unit 301 is configured to include an interface that connects to the network.

[0025] The storage unit 302 is a storage medium capable of storing various data, programs, etc. For example, the storage unit 302 is composed of one or more HDDs, one or more SSDs, one or more semiconductor memories, etc. The storage unit 302 stores a user information database 311 (see Figure 3) and communication tool information 312 (see Figure 4).

[0026] The control unit 303 controls the entire server device 102. The control unit 303 realizes various functions by reading and executing various programs stored in the memory unit 302. The control unit 303 may be realized by one or more control devices / arithmetic units (CPU, SoC), one or more RAMs, one or more ROMs, various interface circuits, etc. Also, some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 205 may be composed of electronic circuits.

[0027] The control unit 303 performs a process to determine a communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information 112 and status information indicating the status of the second user 111b, and then performs a process to present information indicating the communication tool to the first user 111a. The control unit 303 notifies the second user 111b of the contact content using the determined communication tool. In this disclosure, urgency is related to the importance of the contact content and the waiting time for a response to the contact content. The communication tool is at least one selected from the group consisting of telephone, chat, and email.

[0028] Specifically, the control unit 303 determines a first communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information 112 and status information indicating the state of the second user 111b. The control unit 303 then notifies the second user 111b of the contact content using the first communication tool. Furthermore, if the first communication tool does not result in contact from the second user 111b to the first user 111a, the control unit 303 may determine a second communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information 112 and status information indicating the state of the second user 111b. If the control unit 303 has determined a second communication tool, it notifies the second user 111b of the contact content using the second communication tool.

[0029] The control unit 303 executes the process of acquiring the user information database 311 (see Figure 4) from various devices and various information databases.

[0030] Figure 4 shows an example of a user information database 311. The user information database 311 is a database that manages user information by associating terminal identification information, status information, and urgency with user identification information. User identification information is information that identifies user 111. For example, user identification information indicates the username. Terminal identification information is information that identifies the terminal 101 used by the user whose username is indicated by the user identification information. For example, terminal identification information indicates the telephone number, MAC (Media Access Control) address, etc., assigned to terminal 101.

[0031] The status information registered in the user information database 311 indicates the status of user 111, identified by the user identification information associated with the status information. For example, the status information includes at least one selected from the group consisting of operational information of terminal 101, indicated by terminal identification information associated with the status information; operation information regarding operations accepted by peripheral devices connected to terminal 101; schedule information of user 111; attendance information of user 111; and task information indicating tasks assigned to user 111.

[0032] For example, the user information database 311 illustrated in Figure 4 indicates that the user identification information for user A is associated with "aaaa-bbbb" and registered. Furthermore, for example, the status information registered in the user information database 311 illustrated in Figure 4 indicates that the CPU usage of terminal 101, which has terminal identification information indicating "aaaa-bbbb", is 20%, and the network usage of terminal 101 is 5%. Furthermore, for example, the status information registered in the user information database 311 illustrated in Figure 4 indicates that a peripheral device connected to terminal 101, which has terminal identification information indicating "aaaa-bbbb", accepts 3 input operations per minute. Furthermore, for example, the status information registered in the user information database 311 illustrated in Figure 4 indicates that the tasks assigned to user A are task X1 and task X2. Furthermore, for example, the status information registered in the user information database 311 illustrated in Figure 4 indicates that user A is scheduled to attend meeting Y-2 in one hour.

[0033] Figure 5 shows an example of communication tool information 312. Communication tool information 312 shows status evaluation information, urgency, first type information, and second type information in association. Status evaluation information indicates the degree of busyness. In this example, "busy" indicated by the status evaluation information indicates being busy. Also, in this example, "busy" indicated by the status evaluation information indicates not being busy. First type information indicates the type of the first communication tool. Second type information indicates the type of the second communication tool. Note that the status evaluation information, urgency, first type information, and second type information shown by the communication tool information 312 exemplified in Figure 5 are applied to each user indicated by the user information database 311.

[0034] For example, if the status evaluation information indicates "very busy" and the urgency level indicates "high," then the type of primary communication tool is telephone, and the type of secondary communication tool is chat.

[0035] For example, if the status evaluation information indicates "very busy" and the urgency level indicates "low," the type of first communication tool will be chat, and no second communication tool will be set.

[0036] For example, if the status evaluation information indicates "low busyness" and the urgency level indicates "high," the type of first communication tool will be telephone, and no second communication tool will be set.

[0037] For example, if the status evaluation information indicates "not busy" and the urgency is "low," the type of first communication tool will be email, and no second communication will be set.

[0038] Note that while Figure 5 illustrates status evaluation information as "very busy" or "little busy," this does not mean that status evaluation information is limited to two levels. Status evaluation information may be shown in three or more levels. Furthermore, status evaluation information may be shown numerically. Similarly, while Figure 5 illustrates urgency as "high" or "low," this does not mean that urgency is limited to two levels. Urgency may be shown in three or more levels. Furthermore, urgency may be shown numerically.

[0039] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the server device 102. In the following description, it is assumed that the first terminal 101a and the second terminal 102b have application programs installed or are equipped with application programs for realizing the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0040] In step S600, the control unit 303 obtains status information from terminal 101. That is, the control unit 303 obtains status information from the first terminal 101a and the second terminal 101b. For example, the control unit 303 executes the process in step S600 at predetermined time intervals. Specifically, the control unit 205 transmits at least one of the following to the server device 102: information regarding the operating status of terminal 101, and information regarding operations accepted by peripheral devices (not shown) connected to terminal 101. The control unit 303 then associates the status information with terminal identification information indicating terminal 101, the source of the acquired status information, and registers it in the user information database 311. The status information indicates at least one of the following selected from the group: information regarding user 111's schedule, information regarding user 111's attendance, information regarding tasks assigned to user 111, information regarding the usage status of communication tools on terminal 101, information regarding the operating status of terminal 101, and information regarding operations accepted by peripheral devices (not shown) connected to terminal 101. For example, attendance information might indicate arrival at work, departure from work, or leave of absence.

[0041] In step S601, the control unit 303 determines whether or not it has received the contact information 112 transmitted from the first terminal 101a. Specifically, suppose the first terminal 101a has received an operation to input contact content. In that case, the control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a transmits the contact information 112 indicating the input contact content to the server device 102.

[0042] If the server device 102 has not received the contact information 112 in step S601, the control unit 303 returns the process to step S601. On the other hand, if the server device 102 has received the contact information 112 in step S601, the control unit 303 stores the contact information 112 in the storage unit 302, and in step S602, the control unit 303 determines the urgency of the contact information 112. For example, the control unit 303 detects keywords related to urgency from the contact content indicated by the contact information 112 acquired in step S601, and determines the urgency based on the detected keywords. In other words, the control unit 303 determines the urgency from the contact content.

[0043] For example, keywords related to urgency are words that relate to the time it takes to respond to a message. For example, keywords related to urgency may be pre-set strings such as "urgent". For example, suppose message 112 indicates that "I would like to urgently ask User B about the minutes of the meeting the other day." In that case, for example, the control unit 303 may determine that the urgency is "high" based on the keyword "urgent" included in the message.

[0044] Alternatively, keywords related to urgency may indicate a deadline for response based on the current time. For example, if the current time is 10:00, and contact information 112 indicates the message, "Please provide the minutes of the recent meeting Y-1 by 10:30," then, for example, the control unit 303 might determine the urgency to be "high" based on the fact that the deadline for response is 30 minutes or less from the current time.

[0045] Alternatively, suppose contact information 112 indicates that the user wants to inquire about the minutes of the recent meeting Y-1. Furthermore, suppose the status information registered in the user information database 311 indicates that user A is scheduled to attend meeting Y-2 in one hour. In this case, the control unit 303 determines that "meeting Y-1" indicated in the contact information and "meeting Y-2" indicated in the status information are related. Furthermore, based on the status information indicating that user A is scheduled to attend meeting Y-2, which is related to meeting Y-1 indicated in the contact information, in one hour, the control unit 303 determines that the urgency is "high".

[0046] Alternatively, keywords related to urgency may be words indicating the importance of the task included in the communication. For example, suppose communication information 112 indicates the message, "I want to ask user B about task X." And suppose task X is registered in the memory unit 302 as a task with relatively high importance. In that case, for example, the keyword "task X" included in the communication may be used to determine that the urgency is "high."

[0047] Alternatively, if the message contains at least one of an icon indicating urgency and / or an image indicating urgency, the control unit 303 may determine that the urgency level is "high".

[0048] Alternatively, the control unit 303 may determine the urgency based on the content of the communication and the schedule information of the first user 111a. Specifically, the control unit 303 may request the schedule information of the first user 111a from the first terminal 101a. The control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a transmits the schedule information of the first user 111a, stored in the storage unit 204, to the server device 102 in response to the request from the server device 102. If the control unit 303 detects a keyword related to urgency from the content of the communication, it determines the urgency based on that keyword and the schedule information of the first user 111a. On the other hand, if the control unit 303 does not detect a keyword related to urgency from the content of the communication, it determines the urgency based on the schedule information of the first user 111a.

[0049] In step S603, the control unit 303 determines the contact, the second user 111b, based on the content of the communication. Specifically, the control unit 303 detects a string from the content of the communication that corresponds to the user identification information registered in the user information database 311. The control unit 303 then determines that the user indicated by the detected string is the second user 111b.

[0050] In step S604, the control unit 303 obtains status information from the user information database 311 that is associated with the second user 111b determined in step S603. Specifically, the control unit 303 obtains status information for the second user 111b from the user information database 311 that is associated with the user identification information indicating the second user 111b. This status information includes at least one selected from the group consisting of operational information for the second terminal 101b, operation information regarding operations accepted by peripheral devices connected to the second terminal 101b, schedule information for the second user 111b, attendance information for the second user 111b, and task information indicating tasks assigned to the second user 111b.

[0051] In step S605, the control unit 303 determines the first communication tool based on the status information of the second user 111b and the urgency determined in step S602.

[0052] For example, the control unit 303 stores an evaluation model in the storage unit 302, which is composed of evaluation values ​​for status information. For example, the evaluation model is generated by learning the acquired evaluation values ​​for status information using machine learning such as SVM (Support Vector Machine). The evaluation values ​​for status information refer to at least one of the following selected from the group consisting of, for example, evaluation values ​​for the operation information of the second terminal 101b, evaluation values ​​for operation information related to operations accepted by peripheral devices connected to the second terminal 101b, evaluation values ​​for the schedule information of the second user 111b, evaluation values ​​for the attendance information of the second user 111b, and evaluation values ​​for task information indicating tasks assigned to the second user 111b.

[0053] The control unit 303 calculates status evaluation information by inputting status information about the second user 111b into the evaluation model. This status evaluation information indicates the degree of busyness of the second user 111b. In other words, the control unit 303 calculates the degree of busyness of the second user 111b from the status information about the second user 111b. Then, the control unit 303 obtains the first type information linked to the generated status evaluation information and urgency in the communication tool information 312. Then, the control unit 303 determines the communication tool indicated by the obtained first type information as the first communication tool.

[0054] Furthermore, if the status information for the second user 111b indicates information about the tool's usage, the control unit 303 may determine the first communication tool based on the status evaluation information, the tool usage information, and the urgency indicated by the status information. For example, suppose the tool usage indicated by the status information for the second user 111b indicates that when the second user 111b received a message via chat in the past, it took a long time for the chat to be viewed. Or, suppose the tool usage indicated by the status information for the second user 111b indicates that when the second user 111b received a message via chat in the past, it took a long time for the chat to be replied to. Or, suppose the tool usage indicated by the status information for the second user 111b indicates that the second user did not initiate a chat in the past. In that case, the control unit 303 does not determine chat as the first communication tool, but instead determines a different communication tool as the first communication tool.

[0055] In step S606, the control unit 303 notifies the first user 111a that it will communicate the details of the message to the second user 111b.

[0056] In step S607, the control unit 303 notifies the second user 111b of the contact details using the first communication tool determined in step S605. Specifically, the control unit 303 determines the second terminal 101b based on the contact information obtained from the first terminal 101a, and notifies the second user 111b of the contact details via the determined first communication tool and the second terminal 101b. For example, if the type of first communication tool is a telephone, the control unit 303 uses the telephone to send an audio signal indicating the contact details to the second terminal 101b. Alternatively, for example, if the type of first communication tool is a telephone, the control unit 303 may make a call to the second terminal 101b.

[0057] Alternatively, the control unit 303 may store the time from when it makes a call to the second terminal 101b until the second user 111b answers. If the number of times the time from when it makes a call to the second terminal 101b until the second user 111b answers exceeds a threshold value, the control unit 303 may send an audio signal indicating the content of the call to the second terminal 101b. On the other hand, if the number of times the time from when it makes a call to the second terminal 101b until the second user 111b answers exceeds a threshold value, the control unit 303 may not send an audio signal indicating the content of the call to the second terminal 101b and may make a call to the second terminal 101b.

[0058] Alternatively, if the first communication tool is a telephone, the second terminal 101b may forward the received audio signal to a terminal other than the second terminal 101b. For example, if the second terminal 101b is a smartphone or an IP (Internet Protocol) phone, the second terminal 101b may forward the received audio signal to a PC (Personal Computer) that can communicate with the second terminal 101b.

[0059] For example, if the type of the first communication tool is chat, the control unit 303 uses chat to send a message indicating the content of the communication to the second terminal 101b. For example, if the type of the first communication tool is email, the control unit 303 uses email to send an email indicating the content of the communication to the second terminal 101b.

[0060] Alternatively, the control unit 303 may generate a message based on the content of the communication, depending on the type of first communication tool. The control unit 303 may then send the generated message to the second terminal 101b using the first communication tool.

[0061] In step S608, the control unit 303 uses the first communication tool to determine whether or not communication has been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b.

[0062] For example, suppose the first communication tool is a telephone. In that case, if, after the control unit 303 sends an audio signal indicating the content of the call to the second terminal 101b, a call is established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b within a predetermined time, the control unit 303 determines that contact between the first user 111a and the second user 111b has been established. For example, if the operation unit 202 of the second terminal 101b receives an operation to answer the phone, the control unit 205 sends a signal to the server device 102 indicating that the operation has been received. When the control unit 303 receives this signal, it determines that contact between the first user 111a and the second user 111b has been established. On the other hand, if the control unit 303 receives a signal indicating that the operation unit 202 of the second terminal 101b has received an operation to answer the phone, the control unit 303 determines that contact between the first user 111a and the second user 111b has not been established.

[0063] Alternatively, the control unit 303 may receive a signal indicating that the operation unit 202 of the second terminal 101b has received an operation to answer the phone, and after a call has been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b, it may determine, based on the content of the speech, whether or not contact has been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b. For example, if the control unit 303 detects that the second user 111b said, "I'm busy, please call me back," it will determine that contact has not been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b.

[0064] On the other hand, if, after the control unit 303 transmits an audio signal indicating the content of the communication to the second terminal 101b, a call is not established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b within a predetermined time, the control unit 303 determines that communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b has not been established. For example, the predetermined time is 5 minutes. Also, for example, if the content of the communication includes an instruction indicating a response deadline such as "Please contact us within 10 minutes," the control unit 303 may determine the predetermined time from the content of the communication.

[0065] For example, suppose the first communication tool is chat. In that case, the control unit 303 sends a message indicating the content of the communication to the second terminal 101b using chat, and if it determines that the message sent to the second user 111b has been confirmed within a predetermined time, it determines that communication has been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b. On the other hand, if the control unit 303 does not determine that the message sent to the second user 111b has been confirmed within a predetermined time after sending a message indicating the content of the communication to the second terminal 101b using chat, it determines that communication has not been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b.

[0066] For example, suppose the first communication tool is email. In that case, the control unit 303 sends an email containing the content of the communication to the second terminal 101b using email, and if it determines that the email sent to the second user 111b has been confirmed, it determines that communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b has been established. On the other hand, if the control unit 303 sends an email containing the content of the communication indicated by the communication information 112 to the second terminal 101b using email, and does not determine that the email sent to the second user 111b has been confirmed, it determines that communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b has not been established.

[0067] If, in step S608, it is determined that communication has been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b using the first communication tool, the control unit 303 terminates the process. On the other hand, if, in step S608, it is determined that communication has not been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b using the first communication tool, the control unit 303 proceeds to step S700, as illustrated in Figure 7.

[0068] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server device 102, following Figure 6.

[0069] In step S700, the control unit 303 determines whether or not to determine a second communication tool. If the second type information is linked to the status information and urgency of the second user 111b in the communication tool information 312, the control unit 303 determines to determine a second communication tool. On the other hand, if the second type information is not linked to the status information and urgency of the second user 111b in the communication tool information 312, the control unit 303 determines not to determine a second communication tool.

[0070] If it is determined in step S700 that a second communication tool should not be determined, the control unit 303 terminates the process. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S700 that a second communication tool should be determined, in step S701 the control unit 303 determines the second communication tool based on the status information and urgency of the second user 111b. Specifically, the control unit 303 determines the communication tool indicated by the second type information linked to the status information and urgency of the second user 111b as the second communication tool. In other words, in step S700 the control unit 303 determines whether or not a second communication tool is registered. If a second communication tool is not registered, the control unit 303 terminates the process. On the other hand, if a second communication tool is registered, the control unit 303 selects the registered second communication tool in step S701.

[0071] In step S702, the control unit 303 notifies the second user 111b of the contact details using the determined second communication tool. In other words, if the second user 111b does not contact the first user 111a using the first communication tool, the control unit 303 notifies the second user 111b of the contact details using the second communication tool. The absence of contact from the second user 111b to the first user 111a using the first communication tool means that communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b has not been established using the first communication tool. For example, if the type of first communication tool is telephone, and there is no call from the second terminal 101b to the first terminal 101a, the control unit 303 determines that there has been no contact from the second user 111b to the first user 111a using the first communication tool. The process in step S702 is the same as the process in step S607 illustrated in Figure 6, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0072] In step S703, the control unit 303 determines whether or not communication has been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b. The process in step S703 is the same as the process in step S608 illustrated in Figure 6, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0073] If it is determined in step S703 that communication has been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b, the control unit 303 terminates the process. On the other hand, if it is not determined in step S703 that communication has been established between the first user 111a and the second user 111b, the control unit 303 proceeds to step S704.

[0074] In step S704, the control unit 303 determines whether or not to terminate the communication. For example, if the communication content has been notified using the second communication tool in step S702 a predetermined number of times, the control unit 303 determines to terminate the communication. On the other hand, if the communication content has not been notified using the second communication tool in step S702 a predetermined number of times, the control unit 303 determines not to terminate the communication. For example, the predetermined number of times is 10. For example, the predetermined number of times is determined by the administrator of the server device 102, etc. Alternatively, the predetermined number of times may be determined by the operation of the first user 111a to the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a, or by the operation of the second user 111b to the operation unit 202 of the second terminal 101b.

[0075] Alternatively, the control unit 303 may estimate the timing at which communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b will be established based on the schedule of the second user 111b. The control unit 303 may then perform a process to present the estimated timing to the first user 111a. The control unit 303 may then decide whether or not to notify the second user 111b of the communication content at the time the communication is established, based on the input of the first user a to the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a. If the input of the first user a to the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a indicates that the communication content should be notified to the second user 111b at the time the communication is established, the control unit 303 terminates the communication in step S704 and then notifies the second user 111b of the communication content at the time the communication is established. On the other hand, if the input from the first user a to the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a does not indicate that the content of the contact should be notified to the second user 111b at the time the contact is established, the control unit 303 will terminate the contact in step S704 and will not notify the second user 111b of the content of the contact at the time the contact is established.

[0076] Next, an example of the operation of the information processing system 100 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 19.

[0077] Figures 8 and 9 are sequence diagrams showing a first example of the operation of the information processing system 100. Figures 10 and 11 show examples of screens displayed on the display unit 203a of the first terminal 101a for the first example. Figures 12 to 14 show examples of screens displayed on the display unit 203a of the first terminal 101a and examples of screens displayed on the display unit 203b of the second terminal 101b for the first example. In the following description, the user identification information of the first user 111a will be assumed to be "User A". Also, in the following description, the user identification information of the second user 111b will be assumed to be "User B".

[0078] In step S800, the control unit 303 obtains status information from the second terminal 101b (step S600 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0079] In step S801, the control unit 303 associates the status information obtained in step S800 with the user identification information of the second user 111b and registers it in the user information database 311.

[0080] In step S802, the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a receives an operation to input a message containing the keywords "User B" and "Urgent". For example, the message may contain the string "I would like to urgently ask User B about the minutes of the recent meeting Y-1".

[0081] In step S803, the control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a transmits the contact information 112, which indicates the contact content entered in step S802, to the server device 102.

[0082] In step S804, the control unit 303 determines that the contact is "User B" from the contact information 112 transmitted in step S803 (step S603 as illustrated in Figure 6). Specifically, the control unit 303 determines that the contact is "User B" by detecting the string "User B" from the contact information 112. In this example, it is assumed that in the user information database 311, status information indicating that the user is busy is associated with the user identification information indicating "User B".

[0083] In step S805, the control unit 303 determines that the urgency is "high" based on the keyword "urgent" included in the message (step S602 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0084] In this example, assume that in the user information database 311, status information indicating that the user is busy is associated with the user identification information indicating "User B". In that case, in step S806, the control unit 303 retrieves the status information indicating that the user is busy, which is associated with the user identification information indicating "User B", from the user information database 311 (step S604 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0085] In step S807, the control unit 303 determines the telephone to be the first communication tool based on the urgency determined in step S805 and the status information acquired in step S806 (step S605 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0086] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the information processing system 100 following Figure 8.

[0087] In step S900, the control unit 303 notifies the first terminal 101a that communication has been established between user A and user B (step S606 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0088] In step S901, the control unit 303 transmits an audio signal indicating the content of the communication to the second terminal 101b using a telephone (step S607 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0089] If, after the control unit 303 sends an audio signal indicating the content of the communication to the second terminal 101b using a telephone, the second terminal 101b does not respond within a predetermined time, in step S902 the control unit 303 determines that communication between user A and user B cannot be established (No. in step S608 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0090] Here, in the communication tool information 312, the status information indicating busyness and the second type information linked to the urgency level indicating "high" represent chat. In that case, in step S903, the control unit 303 determines chat as the second communication tool (step S701 as illustrated in Figure 7).

[0091] In step S904, the control unit 303 sends a message indicating the content of the communication using chat (step S702 as illustrated in Figure 7).

[0092] For example, suppose in step S905 the operation unit 202 of the second terminal 101b receives an operation to start using the telephone. In that case, in step S906 the control unit 205 of the second terminal 101b sends a call request signal to the server device 102. In step S907 the control unit 303 notifies the first terminal 101a that a call request signal has been sent from the second terminal 101b. In step S908 the control unit 303 instructs the second terminal 101b to make a call to the first terminal 101a using the telephone.

[0093] In step S909, the control unit 205 of the second terminal 101b sends an outgoing signal to the server device 102 using the telephone to the first terminal 101a. In step S910, the control unit 303 sends the outgoing signal sent from the second terminal 101b to the first terminal 101a. If the control unit 303 determines that the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a has received an operation to answer the telephone, the control unit 303 determines that communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b has been established (Yes in step S703 as illustrated in Figure 7).

[0094] Figure 10 shows an example of message 1001 in the process of step S802 executed by the first terminal 101a as illustrated in Figure 8. In step S802 as illustrated in Figure 8, when the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a receives an operation to input message 1001 indicating the content of the message, "I would like to urgently ask user B about the minutes of the meeting Y-1 the other day," the control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a displays message 1001 on the display unit 203a.

[0095] While the screens illustrated in Figures 10 to 14 show chat application screens, this does not mean that the screens related to the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment are limited to chat application screens. For example, the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment may support communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b using a communication support application screen, a communication support service screen, or a browser screen displaying a communication support service, instead of the screen illustrated in Figure 10.

[0096] Furthermore, although Figure 10 shows an example of message 1001 containing the string "User B", if the contact content is entered with User B designated as the contact or conversation partner, the contact content does not necessarily have to include the string "User B" indicating the contact. Also, for example, if the contact content is entered with User B designated as the contact or conversation partner, the control unit 303 detects keywords related to urgency from the input contact content to the first terminal 101a, even if the contact content does not contain a string indicating the contact, and determines the urgency based on the detected keywords.

[0097] Figure 11 shows an example of the screen following Figure 10 displayed on the display unit 203a of the first terminal, for the process of step S900 executed by the server device 102 illustrated in Figure 9. When the control unit 303 notifies the first terminal 101a that communication has been established between user A and user B in step S900, the control unit 303 sends message 1101 to the first terminal 101a. When the first terminal 101a receives message 1101, the control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a displays message 1101 on the display unit 203a. For example, message 1101 indicates a notification that "We will contact user B with a high level of urgency." This allows the server device 102 to make the first user 111a aware that the communication information 112 has been received.

[0098] Figure 12 shows an example of the screen displayed on the display unit 203a following Figure 11, and an example of the screen displayed on the display unit 203b, for the processing of steps S901 to S902 performed by the server device 102 illustrated in Figure 9.

[0099] In step S901, if the control unit 303 sends an audio signal to the second terminal 101b via telephone indicating that it has received the contact request, it sends message 1201 to the second terminal 101b. The control unit 205 of the second terminal 101b displays message 1201 on the display unit 203b. For example, message 1201 is a notification that "User A has called you with a high level of urgency. Please check your phone." This allows the server device 102 to make the second user 111b aware that the first user 111a has requested contact from the second user 111b. Furthermore, if the control unit 303 sends an audio signal to the second terminal 101b via telephone indicating that it has received the contact request in step S901, the control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a displays message 1202 on the display unit 203a. For example, message 1202 is a notification that "Connecting you to User B via telephone. Please check your phone." In other words, the control unit 303 performs a process to present information indicating the communication tool to the first user 111a. Then, the control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a displays the information indicating the communication tool on the display unit 203 of the first terminal 101a. As a result, the server device 102 can make the first user 111a aware that an outgoing signal is being sent to the second terminal 101b using the telephone.

[0100] In step S902, if the control unit 303 determines that it cannot establish contact between user A and user B, the control unit 303 terminates the call to the second terminal 101b using the telephone. The control unit 303 then notifies the first terminal 101a that it has terminated the call to the second terminal 101b using the telephone. The control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a displays a message 1203 indicating that it terminated the call because contact could not be established.

[0101] Figure 13 shows an example of a screen following Figure 12 displayed on display unit 203a, and an example of a screen following Figure 12 displayed on display unit 203b.

[0102] In step S904 illustrated in Figure 9, if the control unit 303 sends a message indicating that it has received a contact request using chat, it sends message 1301 to the second terminal 101b. When the second terminal 101b receives message 1301, the control unit 205 of the second terminal 101b displays message 1301 on the display unit 203b. Message 1301 indicates a notification that "User A has called with a high level of urgency. Please call User A." In other words, if the second user 111b has not contacted the first user 111a using the first communication tool, the control unit 303 uses the second communication tool to prompt the second user 111b to contact the first user 111a using the first communication tool. This allows the server device 102 to prompt the second user 111b to contact the first user 111a.

[0103] The control unit 303 may also emphasize message 1301 by changing its display mode. For example, the control unit 303 may make message 1301 blink. Alternatively, the control unit 303 may add an icon to message 1301 to indicate that it is an emergency contact. Alternatively, if the screen illustrated in Figure 13 is not displayed on the display unit 203 of the second terminal 101b, the control unit 303 may display message 1301 on the display unit 203 of the second terminal 101b via push notification or the like.

[0104] Figure 14 shows an example of the screen following Figure 13 displayed on the display unit 203a and an example of the screen following Figure 13 displayed on the display unit 203b, for step S906 illustrated in Figure 9. In step S907, the control unit 303 notifies the first terminal 101a that a call request signal has been sent from the second terminal 101b by sending message 1401 to the first terminal 101a. For example, message 1401 indicates a notification that "We will connect you to user B by phone. Please check your phone." This allows the server device 102 to make the first user 111a aware that the second user 111b is requesting a call.

[0105] Figures 15 and 16 are sequence diagrams showing a second example of the operation of the information processing system 100.

[0106] The processes in steps S1500 to S1505 illustrated in Figure 15 are the same as those in steps S800 to S805 illustrated in Figure 8, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0107] In this example, assume that in the user information database 311, status information indicating that the user is not busy is associated with the user identification information indicating "User B". In that case, in step S1506, the control unit 303 retrieves the status information indicating that the user is not busy, which is associated with the user identification information indicating "User B", from the user information database 311 (step S604 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0108] In step S1507, the control unit 303 determines the telephone to be the first communication tool based on the urgency determined in step S1505 and the status information acquired in step S1506 (step S605 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0109] Figure 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the information processing system 100 following Figure 15. The processing of steps S1600 to S1601 is the same as the processing of steps S900 to S901 illustrated in Figure 9, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0110] Assume that in step S1601, the control unit 303 transmits an audio signal indicating the content of the call to the second terminal 101b using the telephone, and then in step S1602, the operation unit 202 of the second terminal 101b receives a call initiation operation using the telephone. In that case, in step S1603, the control unit 205 of the second terminal 101b transmits a call request signal to the server device 102. The processing in steps S1603 to S1607 is the same as the processing in steps S906 to S910 illustrated in Figure 9, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0111] Figures 17 and 18 are sequence diagrams showing a third example of the operation of the information processing system 100. Figure 19 shows an example of the screen displayed on the display unit 203a of the first terminal 101a and an example of the screen displayed on the display unit 203b of the second terminal 101b for the third example.

[0112] In step S1702, the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a receives an operation to input a message that includes the keyword "User B" but does not include the keyword "Urgent". For example, the message may be the string "I would like to ask User B about the minutes of the meeting Y-1 the other day".

[0113] In step S1703, the control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a transmits the contact information 112 indicating the content of the contact in step S1702 to the server device 102. The processing in steps S1703 to S1704 is the same as the processing in steps S803 to S804 illustrated in Figure 8, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0114] In step S1705, the control unit 303 determines that the urgency is "low" because the contact information 112 does not contain the keyword "urgent" (step S602 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0115] Furthermore, in this example, assume that in the user information database 311, status information indicating that the user is not busy is associated with the user identification information indicating "User B". In that case, in step S1706, the control unit 303 obtains the status information indicating that the user is not busy, which is associated with the user identification information indicating "User B", from the user information database 311 (step S604 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0116] In step S1707, the control unit 303 determines chat to be the first communication tool based on the urgency determined in step S1705 and the status information acquired in step S1706 (step S605 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0117] Figure 18 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the information processing system 100 following Figure 17.

[0118] In step S1800, the control unit 303 notifies the first terminal 101a that it will send message 1902 to user B (step S606 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0119] In step S1801, the control unit 303 sends a message 1903 indicating the content of the communication using chat (step S607 as illustrated in Figure 6).

[0120] Figure 19 shows examples of the screens displayed on the display unit 203a and the screens displayed on the display unit 203b for the process of step S1702 illustrated in Figure 17 and the process of steps S1800 to S1801 illustrated in Figure 18.

[0121] In step S1702 illustrated in Figure 17, if the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a receives an operation to input message 1901 indicating the content of the message, "I would like to ask user B about the minutes of the recent meeting Y-1," the control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a displays message 1901 on the display unit 203a. The difference between message 1901 and message 1001 is that message 1901 does not include the keyword "urgent."

[0122] In step S1800 illustrated in Figure 18, when the control unit 303 notifies the first terminal 101a that it has established communication between user A and user B, the control unit 303 sends message 1902 to the first terminal 101a. The control unit 205 of the first terminal 101a displays message 1902 on the display unit 203a. For example, message 1902 indicates a notification that "A message will be sent to user B." This allows the server device 102 to make the first user 111a aware that the communication content will be notified to the second user 111b.

[0123] In step S1801 illustrated in Figure 18, if the control unit 303 sends a message indicating the content of the communication using chat, the control unit 303 sends message 1903 to the second terminal 101b. The control unit 205 of the second terminal 101b displays message 1903 on the display unit 203b. Message 1901 indicates a notification that "User A has contacted User B to ask about the minutes of the meeting from the other day." This allows the server device 102 to prompt the second user 111b to contact the first user 111a.

[0124] Based on the above, the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment allows the server device 102 to determine an appropriate communication tool according to the urgency of the contact from the first user 111a and the status of the contact, the second user 111b. As a result, the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment can contribute to smooth communication between the user making the contact and the user making the contact.

[0125] (First torture) As a first modification of the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment, the server device 102 may determine the first and second communication tools according to the frequency of use of the communication tools by the second user 111b. For example, the user information database 311 stores user identification information that identifies the user using the terminal 101, linked to the usage history of the communication tools on the terminal 101. The control unit 303 then determines the first communication tool based on the urgency level and the usage history of the communication tools. Specifically, if the urgency level is "high", the control unit 303 determines the most frequently used communication tool as the first communication tool based on the usage history of the communication tools linked to the user identification information of the second user 111b.

[0126] For example, suppose user B uses email most frequently. In this case, if the control unit 303 determines that user B is a contact and that the urgency is "high", it will determine email to be the first communication tool. The control unit 303 then uses email to notify user B of the message content. As a result, the information processing system 100 according to this modified example can help user B respond more quickly than if the message content were notified to user B by telephone.

[0127] Based on the above, the information processing system 100 in this modified version determines the communication tool according to the frequency of use of the communication tool by the contact user. As a result, the information processing system 100 in this modified version can contribute to smooth communication between the contact user and the contact user.

[0128] (Second variation) As a second modification of the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment, the server device 102 may notify the second user 111b of the contact content using multiple communication tools. Specifically, the control unit 303 in this modification determines whether or not to notify the second user 111b of the contact content using multiple communication tools based on information indicating the usage status of the tools, which is indicated by the status information for the second user 111b.

[0129] For example, suppose the control unit 303 has decided on chat as the first communication tool. Furthermore, suppose the status information for the second user 111b indicates that chat is not currently running, and the usage history of the communication tools linked to the second user 111b's user identification information indicates that the frequency of chat usage is below a threshold. In that case, the control unit 303 selects both chat and email as the first communication tools.

[0130] Furthermore, suppose the control unit 303 decides to use chat as the second communication tool. Also, suppose the status information for the second user 111b indicates that chat is not currently running, and the usage history of the communication tools linked to the second user 111b's user identification information indicates that the frequency of chat usage is below a threshold. In this case, the control unit 303 may select chat and email as the second communication tools. It should be noted that the above explanation, where the control unit 303 decides to use chat as both the first and second communication tools, is merely an example, and is not intended to limit the system to only selecting chat as the first and second communication tools when using multiple communication tools.

[0131] As a result, the information processing system 100 according to this modified example can contribute to establishing communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b using an appropriate communication tool, based on the second user 111b's tool usage status and tool usage history.

[0132] (Third variation) As a third modification of the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment, the contact information 112 may include information indicating the urgency level specified by the first user 111a. Specifically, when the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a receives an operation to input a message indicating the content of the contact and information indicating the urgency level, the information indicating the urgency level and the contact information 112 are transmitted to the server device 102. As a result, the information processing system 100 according to this modification can determine the communication tool according to the urgency level specified by the contacting user.

[0133] (Fourth variation) As a fourth modification of the information processing system 100 relating to this modification, the contact may be a group consisting of multiple users, including the second user 111b. For example, if communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b is not established, the control unit 303 may send the communication details to a third user belonging to the same group as the second user 111b.

[0134] For example, suppose in step S600, the server device 102 obtains attendance information for the second user 111b from the second terminal 101b. Furthermore, suppose the attendance information for the second user 111b indicates that the second user 111b is absent, and the urgency level is "high". In that case, the control unit 303 may determine a third user, who belongs to the same group as the second user 111b but is different from the determined second user 111b, as the second user 111b. The control unit 303 may then execute the processing in steps S604 to S605 for the new second user 111b.

[0135] On the other hand, suppose the attendance information for the second user 111b indicates that the second user 111b is absent, and the urgency level is "low". In that case, instead of executing the process in step S605, the control unit 303 may determine a predetermined communication tool as the first communication tool.

[0136] Furthermore, for example, if the control unit 303 cannot notify the message content using the second communication tool, it may determine a third user. The control unit 303 may then execute a process to notify the third user of the message content. For example, the third user may be a user belonging to the same group as the second user. Alternatively, the first user 111a may specify the third user using the operation unit 202 of the first terminal 101a. The first terminal 101a then transmits the message content and the identification information of the third user to the server device 102.

[0137] Based on the above, the information processing system 100 according to this modified example can cause the third user to take action in accordance with the content of the communication from the first user 111a, even when it is difficult to establish communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b. This prevents the information processing system 100 according to this modified example from failing to take action in accordance with the content of the communication from the first user 111a.

[0138] (Fifth variation) As a fifth modification of the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment, the control unit 303 may change the type of the determined first communication tool according to the type of first communication tool and the content of the communication. For example, suppose the control unit 303 has determined chat or email as the first communication tool through the processing of step S605 illustrated in Figure 6. In that case, the control unit 303 uses machine learning or the like to determine whether it is difficult to transmit the content of the communication via chat or email. If the control unit 303 determines that it is difficult to transmit the content of the communication via chat or email, it changes the first communication tool to telephone. Then, the control unit 303 sends a message to the first user 111a informing them that the content of the communication will be notified by telephone. As a result, the information processing system 100 according to this modification can notify the contact user of the content of the communication using an appropriate communication tool according to the content of the communication.

[0139] (Sixth variation) As a sixth modification of the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment, the control unit 303 may notify the second user 111b of the content of the communication via the second communication tool, without notifying the second user 111b of the content of the communication via the first communication tool. For example, if the status information of the second user 111b indicates that they are busy, the control unit 303 may notify the second user 111b of the content of the communication via the second communication tool, without notifying the second user 111b of the content of the communication via the first communication tool.

[0140] For example, suppose the first communication tool associated with "very busy" as indicated by the status evaluation information is telephone, and the second communication tool is chat. In this case, suppose the status information of the second user 111b indicates that the second user 111b is attending or scheduled to attend a meeting that meets predetermined conditions. For example, predetermined conditions include important meetings such as management meetings, or meetings whose names include proper nouns such as customer names. In this case, the control unit 303 may notify the second user 111b of the contact details via chat instead of by telephone.

[0141] Furthermore, if, after the control unit 303 notifies the second user of the content of the communication via the second communication tool, communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b is not established using the second communication tool within a predetermined time, the control unit 303 may notify the second user 111b of the content of the communication via the first communication tool after the second user 111b is not busy.

[0142] Based on the above, the information processing system 100 relating to this modified version can contribute to establishing communication between the first user 111a and the second user 111b by utilizing an appropriate communication tool according to the situation of the second user 111b.

[0143] The processes performed in the above embodiments are not limited to the processing modes exemplified in each embodiment. The functional blocks described above may be implemented using either logic circuits (hardware) formed on integrated circuits, etc., or software using a CPU. The processes performed in the above embodiments may be executed on multiple computers. For example, some of the processes performed in each functional block of terminal 101 and each functional block of server device 102 may be performed on other computers, or all of the processes may be shared and executed on multiple computers.

[0144] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may be replaced with configurations substantially identical to those shown in the embodiments, configurations that produce the same effects, or configurations that can achieve the same objectives. This disclosure also includes embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0145] 100 Information processing system, 101 Terminal, 101a First terminal, 101b Second terminal, 102 Server device, 111a First user, 111b Second user, 112 Contact information, 201 Communication unit, 202 Operation unit, 203 Display unit, 203a Display unit, 203b Display unit, 204 Storage unit, 205 Control unit, 301 Acquisition unit, 302 Storage unit, 303 Control unit, 311 User information database, 312 Communication tool information, 1001 Message, 1101 Message, 1201 Message, 1202 Message, 1203 Message, 1301 Message, 1401 Message, 1901 Message, 1902 Message, 1903 Message

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires contact information indicating the content of the message to the second user entered in response to the operation of the first user, A control unit that performs a process to determine a communication tool based on the urgency of the aforementioned contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user, and to present information indicating the communication tool to the first user. Equipped with Information processing device.

2. The aforementioned decision includes a process for determining the urgency based on the content of the communication. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned decision includes a process for calculating the degree of busyness of the second user from the status information, The aforementioned communication tool is a tool linked to the aforementioned degree and the aforementioned urgency. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The control unit determines the second terminal of the second user based on the contact information obtained from the first terminal of the first user, and notifies the second user of the contact details via the communication tool and the second terminal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The aforementioned communication tool includes a first communication tool and a second communication tool. If the control unit does not receive any communication from the second user to the first user via the first communication tool, it executes a process to notify the second user of the content of the communication via the second communication tool. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. If the control unit does not receive contact from the second user to the first user via the first communication tool, it executes a process to prompt the second user to contact the first user via the first communication tool using the second communication tool. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. If the control unit determines that the communication content cannot be transmitted by the first communication tool, it executes a process to notify the second user of the communication content using a communication tool different from the first communication tool from among multiple communication tools. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

8. The aforementioned communication tool is selected from at least one of the group consisting of telephone, chat, and email. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The status information includes at least one selected from the group consisting of operational information of the terminal used by the second user, operation information relating to operations accepted by peripheral devices connected to the terminal, the second user's schedule information, the second user's attendance information, and task information indicating tasks assigned to the second user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

10. The first terminal operated by the first user, A second terminal operated by a second user, A server device capable of communicating with the first terminal and the second terminal, Includes, The server device is An acquisition unit that acquires from the first terminal contact information indicating the content of the message to the second user, which was entered in response to the operation of the first user, A control unit that performs a process to determine a communication tool based on the urgency of the aforementioned contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user, and to present information indicating the communication tool to the first user. Equipped with Information processing system.

11. Display unit and An operating unit that receives input from the first user, When the operation unit receives an operation to input the content of a message to the second user, the control unit executes a process to send the message information indicating the content of the message to the server device. Equipped with, The control unit causes the display unit to display information indicating a communication tool based on the urgency of the contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user. Terminal.

12. A step of obtaining contact information indicating the content of the message to the second user entered in response to the operation of the first user, A process for determining a communication tool based on the urgency of the aforementioned contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user, The process of presenting information indicating the communication tool to the first user, including Communication control method.

13. On the computer, A function to acquire contact information 112 indicating the content of the message to the second user entered in response to the operation of the first user, A function to determine a communication tool based on the urgency of the aforementioned contact information and status information indicating the status of the second user, A function to present information indicating the aforementioned communication tool to the first user, Make it run program.

Images