Electronic conference management device, electronic conference recording system, electronic conference playback system, electronic conference management method and program

Abstract

To enable contents of a conference to be easily confirmed in a highly convenient mode.SOLUTION: In an electronic conference management device, a group channel corresponding to only a portion of participants of an electronic conference can be set in addition to an overall channel. Conference data showing contents of an electronic conference (a general conference) in the overall channel and conference data showing contents of an electronic conference (a group conference) in the group channel are individually recorded in a recording device. Transmitting individually the conference data of the overall channel and the conference data of the group channel to a reproduction device enables them to be reproduced individually.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 21

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic conference management device, an electronic conference recording system, an electronic conference playback system, an electronic conference management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic conferences (Web conferences), where multiple people can hold a conference using multiple terminal devices without meeting in the same room, are widely used. In any conference, not just electronic conferences, there may be occasions when only some of the participants want to talk (such as private conversations). In response to this, the provision of channels that allow only some of the participants to have a conversation is being considered. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-229902 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On the other hand, there is also a demand for the reproduction (playback) of the contents of electronic conferences. Although it is possible to reproduce the entire electronic conference by recording the entire conference, it is not very convenient for those who wish to reproduce it, as they may not need to reproduce the entire electronic conference.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic conference management device, an electronic conference recording system, an electronic conference playback system, an electronic conference management method, and a program that contribute to improving the convenience of checking the contents of an electronic conference. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electronic conference management device of the present invention is an electronic conference management device used for holding an electronic conference between a plurality of people using a plurality of terminal devices connected to each other via a network, and includes a channel setting unit that sets a first channel for a first group of people that can include all of the plurality of people and a second channel for a second group of people that includes only a portion of the plurality of people, a recording control unit that individually records first conference data indicating the content of the first electronic conference in the first channel and second conference data indicating the content of the second electronic conference in the second channel in a recording device, and a playback transmission control unit that can individually transmit the first conference data and the second conference data to a playback device so that the content of the first electronic conference or the content of the second electronic conference can be played back by the playback device, and the playback device is any of the plurality of terminal devices or has a configuration different from any of the plurality of terminal devices (first configuration).

[0007] In the electronic conference management device according to the first configuration, the electronic conference management device may further include an authentication information setting unit that sets first authentication information associated with the first channel and second authentication information associated with the second channel, and the playback transmission control unit may be configured to transmit the first conference data to the playback device in response to receiving a first transmission request signal including the first authentication information from the playback device after the first electronic conference and the second electronic conference are ended, or to transmit the second conference data to the playback device in response to receiving a second transmission request signal including the second authentication information from the playback device (second configuration).

[0008] In the electronic conference management device of the above-mentioned first or second configuration, the device may further include a personal voice data acquisition unit that acquires multiple personal voice data for the multiple people by acquiring personal voice data individually representing the speech content of the multiple people for each person, and the playback transmission control unit may be configured (third configuration) to selectively transmit any of the multiple personal voice data to the playback device.

[0009] In the electronic conference management device of any of the above first to third configurations, the first conference data includes first audio data representing the speech content of the first group of people on the first channel, and the second conference data includes second audio data representing the speech content of the second group of people on the second channel, and the electronic conference management device may be configured (fourth configuration) to further include a sound adjustment unit that adjusts the playback volume or playback sound quality when the first audio data or the second audio data is played back on the playback device.

[0010] In the electronic conference management device of the above-mentioned fourth configuration, the sound adjustment unit may be configured to be capable of individually adjusting the playback volume of the speech content of the first group of people when the first audio data is played back, or may be configured to be capable of individually adjusting the playback volume of the speech content of the second group of people when the second audio data is played back (fifth configuration).

[0011] In the electronic conference management device according to any one of the first to fifth configurations, the first conference data may include first audio data representing the content of speech of the first group of people on the first channel, first image data, and first additional data for the first electronic conference, the first image data being image data of a conference image displayed on each terminal device assigned to the first group of people in the first electronic conference, and the playback transmission control unit may be configured to transmit the first conference data to the playback device in response to a request from the playback device so that the first additional data can be displayed on a display screen of the playback device when the first audio data and the first image data are played back on the playback device (sixth configuration).

[0012] In the electronic conference management device according to any one of the first to sixth configurations, the second conference data may include second audio data representing the content of speech of the second group of people on the second channel, second image data, and second additional data for the second electronic conference, the second image data being image data of a conference image displayed on each terminal device assigned to the second group of people in the second electronic conference, and the playback transmission control unit may be configured to transmit the second conference data to the playback device in response to a request from the playback device so that the second additional data can be displayed on a display screen of the playback device when the second audio data and the second image data are played back on the playback device (seventh configuration).

[0013] In the electronic conference management device according to any of the first to seventh configurations above, the second electronic conference is held during part of the period during which the first electronic conference is held, and the first group of people is formed by all of the plurality of people during a period during which the second electronic conference is not held, and the first group of people is formed by excluding the second group of people from the plurality of people during the period during which the second electronic conference is held (eighth configuration).

[0014] An electronic conference recording system according to the present invention has a ninth configuration including an electronic conference management device according to any one of the first to eighth configurations, the recording device, and the plurality of terminal devices.

[0015] The electronic conference playback system of the present invention is configured (tenth configuration) including an electronic conference management device related to any of the first to eighth configurations above, the recording device, and the playback device capable of playing back the first conference data or the second conference data by receiving the first conference data or the second conference data.

[0016] An electronic conference management method according to the present invention is an electronic conference management method used for holding an electronic conference among a plurality of people using a plurality of terminal devices connected to each other via a network, the method comprising: a channel setting step of setting a first channel for a first group of people capable of including all of the plurality of people, and a second channel for a second group of people including only a portion of the plurality of people; a recording control step of individually recording in a recording device first conference data indicating the contents of the first electronic conference in the first channel and second conference data indicating the contents of the second electronic conference in the second channel; and a playback transmission control step of individually transmitting the first conference data and the second conference data to a playback device so that the contents of the first electronic conference or the contents of the second electronic conference can be played back by the playback device, the playback device being any of the plurality of terminal devices or being a configuration different from any of the plurality of terminal devices (eleventh configuration).

[0017] A program according to the present invention has a configuration (twelfth configuration) for causing a processor to realize the electronic conference management method according to the eleventh configuration. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electronic conference management device, an electronic conference recording system, an electronic conference playback system, an electronic conference management method, and a program that contribute to improving the convenience of checking the contents of an electronic conference. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a conference system (electronic conference system) according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a server device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing how audio signals are output from each terminal device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the contents of participant information according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a server control unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a relationship between a general conference period and a group conference period according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how conference data is recorded during a normal period (a period when a group conference is not being held) according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how conference data is recorded during a group conference according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 2A illustrates an outline of audio data of conference data of an entire channel, and FIG. 2B illustrates an outline of audio data of conference data of a group channel, according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating the structures of conference data of an entire channel and conference data of a group channel according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a relationship between a general conference period and a plurality of group conference periods according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the relationship between a general conference period and a plurality of group conference periods according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing how conference data of a plurality of group channels is recorded in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a relationship between a server device and a playback device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of recording conference data according to a first example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 1 is a flowchart of a group conference start process according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] 11 is a flowchart of a group conference ending process according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 relates to a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing the flow of setting an overall channel and a group channel, and recording each conference data. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of transmitting each conference data to a playback device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 23] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a method for generating personal voice data according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a state in which a personal voice data recording area is provided in a recording device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 25] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a transmission and reproduction operation of personal voice data according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, examples of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each of the drawings, the same parts are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions of the same parts are omitted as a rule. In this specification, for the sake of simplicity, a symbol or a code referring to information, a signal, a physical quantity, a member, etc. may be written, and the name of the information, signal, physical quantity, member, etc. corresponding to the symbol or code may be omitted or abbreviated. For example, the personal voice data acquisition unit referred to by "170" described later (see FIG. 8) may be written as the personal voice data acquisition unit 170 or may be abbreviated to the acquisition unit 170, but they all refer to the same thing.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the system SYS according to this embodiment. The system SYS can be used for various purposes, but in this embodiment, it is assumed that the system SYS is used for holding a conference (conversation) between multiple people PS. In this case, the system SYS functions as a conference system (electronic conference system), and hereinafter, the system SYS is referred to as the conference system SYS. The conference in this embodiment is an electronic conference, and in this embodiment, the conference and the electronic conference refer to the same thing. In an electronic conference, a conversation between multiple people PS is realized through the transmission and reception of signals (including at least audio signals) between multiple terminal devices, without the multiple people PS meeting together. An electronic conference is also generally referred to as a Web conference. Each person PS corresponds to a participant in the electronic conference.

[0022] The conference system SYS comprises, as its components, a plurality of terminal devices 10, a server device 30, and a recording device 50. The server device 30 is an example of an electronic conference management device. Each of the terminal devices 10 is assigned to one of the plurality of persons PS. Each of the terminal devices 10 and the server device 30 is connected to a network 70 including the Internet. In other words, the plurality of terminal devices 10 and the server device 30 are connected to each other through the network 70. Each of the plurality of terminal devices 10 and the server device 30 is capable of two-way communication with any device connected to the network 70.

[0023] Each terminal device 10 is an electronic device such as a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. The multiple terminal devices 10 incorporated in the conference system SYS may be the same type of electronic device, or may be different types of electronic devices. However, in the following, it is considered that the multiple terminal devices 10 have the same configuration.

[0024] 2 shows the internal configuration of one terminal device 10. The terminal device 10 includes a communication processing unit 11, a memory unit 12, a terminal control unit 13, a display screen 14, an operation unit 15, a camera 16, a microphone 17, and a speaker 18. In describing the internal configuration of the terminal device 10, a terminal device 10 that has been focused on will be referred to as a focused terminal device 10, as necessary. Also, a person PS who is a user of the focused terminal device 10 may be referred to as a focused person PS. The focused terminal device 10 is a terminal device 10 that has been assigned to the focused person PS (corresponding to the focused person PS) in the conference system SYS. Each terminal device 10 incorporated in the conference system SYS can become a focused terminal device 10.

[0025] The communication processing unit 11 performs two-way communication with the other device through the network 70. In the attention terminal device 10, two-way communication includes a transmission operation of outputting any information to the network 70 and transmitting the information to the other device, and a reception operation of receiving any information output by the other device to the network 70. The other device for the attention terminal device 10 is the server device 30 or a terminal device 10 other than the attention terminal device 10. The communication processing unit 11 in the attention terminal device 10 can perform two-way communication with each terminal device 10 other than the attention terminal device 10 via the network 70 and the server device 30. The communication processing unit 11 in the attention terminal device 10 may be capable of realizing two-way communication with each terminal device 10 other than the attention terminal device 10 without going through the server device 30. In this way, communication between the attention terminal device 10 and the other device is performed using the communication processing unit 11, but the description of the communication processing unit 11 may be omitted in the following description.

[0026] The storage unit 12 is composed of a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or a combination thereof, and stores various programs and data. The programs stored in the non-volatile memory in the storage unit 12 include a terminal program PG1.

[0027] The terminal control unit 13 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc., which are arithmetic processing devices, and comprehensively controls the operation of each part within the terminal device 10, and realizes various functions by executing programs stored in the memory unit 12 in the arithmetic processing device within the terminal control unit 13.

[0028] The display screen 14 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel or an organic electroluminescence panel, etc., and displays any image (in other words, a video) under the control of the terminal control unit 13. The person of interest PS can visually recognize the display contents on the display screen 14 of the terminal device of interest 10. In the following description, the display on a certain terminal device 10 means the display on the display screen 14 provided on that terminal device 10.

[0029] The operation unit 15 receives various operations from an operator. The operator of the target terminal device 10 is the target person PS. When the terminal device 10 is provided with a touch panel, the display screen 14 and the operation unit 15 may be configured by the touch panel.

[0030] The camera 16 captures images within its own field of view and outputs image signals (image data) representing the captured images. The field of view of the camera 16 of the target terminal device 10 may include the entire body or a part of the target person PS.

[0031] The microphone 17 converts its surrounding sounds into an audio signal and outputs it. In the conference system SYS, the main purpose of the microphone 17 in the target terminal device 10 is to pick up the speech content of the target person PS. Therefore, the microphone 17 in the target terminal device 10 picks up the speech content of the target person PS, converts the picked up sound into an audio signal, and outputs it.

[0032] The speaker 18 outputs the audio signal input thereto as sound (as sound waves) under the control of the terminal control unit 13. The person of interest PS can hear the output sound of the speaker 18 of the terminal device 10 of interest. In the following description, the output of sound or audio from a certain terminal device 10 means the output of sound or audio from the speaker 18 provided in that terminal device 10.

[0033] 3 shows the internal configuration of the server device 30. The server device 30 includes a communication processing unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a server control unit 33. The server device SV may be configured with one or more computer devices. The conference system SYS may be configured using so-called cloud computing.

[0034] The communication processing unit 31 performs two-way communication with the other device through the network 70. In the server device 30, two-way communication includes a transmission operation of outputting any information to the network 70 and transmitting the information to the other device, and a reception operation of receiving any information output by the other device to the network 70. The other device for the server device 30 is any device connected to the network 70. Each of the multiple terminal devices 10 corresponds to a other device for the server device 30. In this way, communication between the server device 30 and the other device is performed using the communication processing unit 31, but the description of the communication processing unit 31 may be omitted in the following description.

[0035] The storage unit 32 is composed of a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or a combination thereof, and stores and keeps track of various programs and data. The programs stored in the non-volatile memory in the storage unit 32 include a server program PG2.

[0036] The server control unit 33 is composed of a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc., which are arithmetic processing devices, and controls the overall operation of each part within the server device 30, and realizes various functions by executing programs stored in the memory unit 32 in the arithmetic processing device within the server control unit 33.

[0037] The recording device 50 (see FIG. 1) is composed of a non-volatile recording medium and is connected to the server device 30. The recording device 50 records any data and information under the control of the server device 30. In addition, the server device 30 can read any data and information recorded in the recording device 50.

[0038] The conference system SYS can execute a voice transmission process in an electronic conference. In the voice transmission process, the speech content of an arbitrary person PS is output as a voice from a terminal device 10 assigned to another person PS. In the voice transmission process when the target person PS speaks, the speech content of the target person PS is picked up by the microphone 17 of the target terminal device 10 and converted into a voice signal, and the voice signal representing the speech content of the target person PS is transmitted from the target terminal device 10 to each of the other terminal devices 10 through the network 70 and the server device 30. Then, in each of the terminal devices 10 other than the target terminal device 10, the voice signal representing the speech content of the target person PS is output as a voice from the speaker 18.

[0039] The conference system SYS can execute a conference image display process in an electronic conference. The conference image here is an image shared among all the terminal devices 10 constituting the conference system SYS, and in the conference image display process, in principle, the conference image is displayed on the display screen 14 of each terminal device 10. The conference image is, for example, a presentation material (explanation summary, graph, table, still image, video). The server control unit 33 can set any image displayed on the display screen 14 of the attention terminal device 10 as the conference image according to the operation contents of the operation unit 15 of the attention terminal device 10 (assuming a situation in which the attention person PS is granted control authority). In this case, an image signal of the conference image is transmitted from the server device 30 to each terminal device 10 other than the attention terminal device 10. In each terminal device 10 other than the attention terminal device 10, the terminal control unit 13 displays the conference image on the display screen 14 based on the received image signal. Alternatively, the server control unit 33 may set a preregistered image as the conference image. In this case, an image signal of the conference image is transmitted from the server device 30 to each terminal device 10, and the terminal control unit 13 of each terminal device 10 displays the conference image on the display screen 14 based on the received image signal. The conference image may include an image captured by the camera 16 of any of the terminal devices 10.

[0040] 4, for the sake of concreteness of explanation, it is assumed that the plurality of terminal devices 10 are n terminal devices 10, and among the n terminal devices 10, the first to nth terminal devices 10 are referred to as terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n]. Also, the person PS to which the terminal device 10[i] is assigned is referred to as person PS[i]. n represents any integer equal to or greater than 4. However, "n=3" may also be acceptable. i represents any natural number equal to or less than n. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the communication processing unit 11, memory unit 12, terminal control unit 13, display screen 14, operation unit 15, camera 16, microphone 17, and speaker 18 in terminal device 10[i] may be referred to as the communication processing unit 11[i], memory unit 12[i], terminal control unit 13[i], display screen 14[i], operation unit 15[i], camera 16[i], microphone 17[i], and speaker 18[i], respectively.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, during the period of an electronic conference, an audio signal output from the terminal device 10[i] to the network 70 is referred to as an audio signal AS[i]. The audio signal AS[i] is transmitted to the server device 30 through the network 70 and is received by the server device 30. The audio signal AS[i] may be transmitted to a terminal device 10 other than the terminal device 10[i] without passing through the server device 30. The terminal device 10[i] generates the audio signal AS[i] by performing a predetermined audio signal processing on the output audio signal of the microphone 17[i]. Since the microphone 17[i] picks up the speech of the person PS[i], the audio signal AS[i] includes an audio signal representing the speech of the person PS[i]. Each terminal device 10 is provided with an echo canceller. Due to the function of the echo canceller, the signal component of the output sound of the speaker 18[i] is removed or sufficiently reduced in the audio signal AS[i].

[0042] 7 shows participant information 510 relating to an electronic conference. The participant information 510 includes personal identification information, terminal identification information, and participation location information for each of the persons PS[1] to PS[n]. In the conference system SYS, a unique personal identification number is assigned to each of the persons PS[1] to PS[n] who are participants in the electronic conference. The personal identification number of person PS[i] is referred to by the symbol "ID_PS[i]".

[0043] The terminal identification information associated with the person PS[i] is referred to by the symbol "ID_TM[i]". The terminal identification information ID_TM[i] is the identification information of the terminal device 10 used by the person PS[i] in the electronic conference. Here, since it is assumed that the electronic conference is held with the terminal device 10[i] assigned to the person PS[i], the terminal identification information ID_TM[i] represents unique identification information assigned to the terminal device 10[i]. However, an electronic conference may be held with multiple people PS sharing one terminal device 10, in which case a common terminal identification information is associated with the multiple people PS.

[0044] The attendance location information associated with the person PS[i] indicates the location where the person PS[i] was located during the period when the electronic conference was held (corresponding to the general conference period described later; see FIG. 9). The attendance location information may be created by the person PS[i] inputting the location where he or she is located into the operation unit 15[i], or the attendance location information may be created using a Global Positioning System (GPS). Note that the attendance location information does not have to be included in the participant information 510.

[0045] 8 shows a functional block diagram of the server control unit 33. The server control unit 33 includes a participant information acquisition unit 110, a conference period setting unit 120, a channel setting unit 130, a conference data generation unit 140, a recording control unit 150, an authentication information setting unit 160, a personal voice data acquisition unit 170, an authentication processing unit 210, a transmission control unit 220 for reproduction, and a sound adjustment unit 230 as a plurality of functional blocks. Among these functional blocks, the functional blocks referenced by the reference numerals 110 to 170 function effectively mainly during the period during which the electronic conference is held, and the functional blocks referenced by the reference numerals 210 to 230 function effectively mainly at the stage of reproducing the contents of the electronic conference after the electronic conference is ended. Note that the server control unit 33 is not necessarily provided with all of the functional blocks referenced by the reference numerals 110 to 170 and 210 to 230.

[0046] The participant information acquisition unit 110 creates and acquires the above-mentioned participant information 510 (see FIG. 7). The participant information acquisition unit 110 generates and acquires the participant information 510 before the electronic conference is held (at time t S0 The participant information 510 may be created and acquired in advance (before the start of the electronic conference; see FIG. 9 ), or may be created and acquired at the start of the electronic conference (at time t S0 9) or thereafter, the participant information 510 may be generated and obtained.

[0047] The conference period setting unit 120 sets the period during which an electronic conference is held. There are two types of electronic conferences: one type (first electronic conference) is a general conference, and the other type (second electronic conference) is a group conference. Not only in electronic conferences, but in conferences with many people, there may be occasions when conversation (so-called private conversations) is desired among only some of the participants. An electronic conference with only some of the participants corresponds to a group conference. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the period during which an electronic conference is held includes a general conference period during which a general conference is held, and a group conference period during which a group conference is held.

[0048] time t S0 , t E0 respectively represent the start time and end time of the general meeting period. S0 After time t E0 At time t S1 , t E1 represent the start time and end time of the group conference period, respectively. S1 After time t E1 At time t S1 is time t S0 is later than time t E1 is time t E0 t . In other words, group conferences are held during part of the general conference period. Therefore, the group conference period is included in the general conference period. For convenience, the period during which group conferences are not held (non-group conference period) within the general conference period is called the normal period. In FIG. 9, the time t S0 From time t S1 Period until time t E1 From time t E0 The periods up to and including the general conference period correspond to the normal period. The conference period setting unit 120 sets the general conference period and the group conference period. The normal period is also determined by this setting. For example, if person PS[1] wishes to hold a group conference with person PS[2] as the only communication partner, person PS[1] can input a predetermined operation to the operation unit 15[1] to hold a group conference including only persons PS[1] and PS[2].

[0049] The channel setting unit 130 sets an overall channel, which is a channel for a general conference, and a group channel, which is a channel for a group conference. The conference data generating unit 140 generates conference data indicating the contents of the electronic conference for each channel. The recording control unit 150 performs recording control on the recording device 50, and causes the recording device 50 to record arbitrary data and information at a desired timing. As a characteristic operation, the recording control unit 150 causes the recording device 50 to record the conference data of the overall channel and the conference data of the group channel separately. Note that the conference data of the overall channel is, in other words, conference data of the overall conference, and the conference data of the group channel is, in other words, conference data of the group conference. The conference data of the overall channel is data indicating the contents of the electronic conference in the overall channel (i.e., the overall conference), and the conference data of the group channel is data indicating the contents of the electronic conference in the group channel (i.e., the group conference). The contents of the electronic conference in the overall channel (i.e., the overall conference) include the contents of speech of each member of the overall channel, and the contents of the electronic conference in the group channel (i.e., the group conference) include the contents of speech of each member of the group channel.

[0050] The contents recorded in the recording device 50 during the normal period will be described with reference to Fig. 10. During the normal period, all of the persons PS[1] to PS[n] become participants in the general conference. That is, during the normal period, all of the persons PS[1] to PS[n] become members of the overall channel, and conference data including the speech contents of each member of the overall channel is generated as conference data for the overall channel. The recording control unit 150 sets a recording area 51 for the overall channel in the recording device 50, and records the conference data for the overall channel during the normal period in the recording area 51.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 11, the recording content in the recording device 50 during the group meeting holding period will be described. In the example of FIG. 11, persons PS[h + 1] to PS[n] are the participants in the group meeting. That is, during the group meeting holding period according to the example of FIG. 11, persons PS[h + 1] to PS[n] are included in the members constituting the group channel, and persons PS[1] to PS[h] are not included in the members constituting the group channel. The members constituting the group channel are a part of PS[1] to PS[n], and h is an integer satisfying "h + 1 < n". During the group meeting holding period according to the example of FIG. 11, the members constituting the overall channel are only persons PS[1] to PS[h].

[0052] Therefore, it can also be expressed as follows. The channel setting unit 130 sets a first channel (overall channel) for a first group of persons among PS[1] to PS[n] and a second channel (group channel) for a second group of persons among PS[1] to PS[n]. The first group of persons may include all of PS[1] to PS[n], while the second group of persons includes only a part of PS[1] to PS[n]. That is, the second group of persons is constituted by a part of PS[1] to PS[n] (persons PS[h + 1] to PS[n] in the example of FIG. 11). A group meeting is held during a part of the overall meeting holding period. During the non - holding period (normal period) of the group meeting within the overall meeting holding period, the above - mentioned first group of persons is constituted by all of PS[1] to PS[n] (that is, all of PS[1] to PS[n] are included in the members constituting the overall channel). On the other hand, during the group meeting holding period, the members constituting the overall channel temporarily decrease. That is, during the group meeting holding period, the first group of persons is constituted by excluding the second group of persons (persons PS[h + 1] to PS[n] in the example of FIG. 11) from PS[1] to PS[n].

[0053] During the group conference period, conference data including the speech content of each member of the overall channel (persons PS[1] to PS[h] in the example of FIG. 11) is generated as conference data for the overall channel. In the example of FIG. 11, the conference data for the overall channel during the group conference period of FIG. 9 does not include the speech content of persons PS[h+1] to PS[n]. The conference data for the overall channel during the group conference period is also recorded in the recording area 51 for the overall channel. Therefore, at the end of the general conference period of FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. 12(a), at time t S0 and t S1 The conference data showing the contents of the electronic conference of all channels during the normal period between the time t S1 and t E1 The conference data showing the contents of the electronic conference of the entire channel during the group conference period between the time t E1 and t E0 The conference data indicating the contents of the electronic conference of the entire channel during the normal period between the first and second channels (conference data including the speech contents of persons PS[1] to PS[n]) is recorded in the recording area 51 as the conference data of the entire channel.

[0054] During the group conference period, conference data including the speech content of each member of the group channel (persons PS[h+1] to PS[n] in the example of FIG. 11) is generated as the conference data of the group channel. The conference data of the group channel during the group conference period of FIG. 9 does not include the speech content of persons PS[1] to PS[h]. The recording control unit 150 sets a recording area 52 for the group channel in the recording device 50, and records the conference data of the group channel during the group conference period in the recording area 52. As shown in FIG. 12(b), the conference data recorded in the recording area 52 is generated from time t S1 and t E1The conference data indicates the contents of the electronic conference on the group channel during the group conference period between the two groups (conference data including the speech contents of persons PS[h+1] to PS[n] and not including the speech contents of persons PS[1] to PS[h]).

[0055] Recording area 52 is a different recording area from recording area 51. Recording device 50 may be configured with a plurality of physically separated recording media, and recording area 51 may be set on a different recording medium from recording area 52. Alternatively, recording areas 51 and 52 may be set within a single recording medium by virtually dividing the entire recording area of ​​the single recording medium included in recording device 50. In addition, a method of adding and recording identification data such as an identification flag is also possible, in which case the necessary filtering process is performed using the identification data during playback.

[0056] 13 shows the structure of the conference data of the entire channel and the structure of the conference data of the group channel. The conference data of the entire channel includes audio data AD_W, image data VD_W, and additional data DD_W. The conference data of the group channel includes audio data AD_G, image data VD_G, and additional data DD_G.

[0057] The voice data AD_W is data showing the voice contents in the electronic conference of the overall channel, and represents the speech contents of each member of the overall channel. The voice data AD_W is generated based on the voice signals transmitted to the server device 30 from the terminal devices 10 assigned to each member of the overall channel. That is, to be more specific, with respect to the examples of FIG. 9 and FIG. 11, at time t S0 and t S1 The composite signal of the speech signals AS[1] to AS[n] at time t S1 and t E1 The composite signal of the speech signals AS[1] to AS[h] at time t E1 and t E0 The audio data obtained by combining the synthesized signal of the audio signals AS[1] to AS[n] between the audio signals AS[1] to AS[n] in time series corresponds to the audio data AD_W.

[0058] The image data VD_W is image data of the conference image displayed on each display screen 14 of the terminal device 10 assigned to each member of the overall channel. Since the conference image is shared not only with each terminal device 10 but also with the server device 30, the server device 30 can obtain image data of the conference image at any time. To be more specific about the examples of FIG. 9 and FIG. 11, at time t S0 and t S1 The conference image displayed on each display screen 14 of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] during the time t S1 and t E1 The conference image displayed on each display screen 14 of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[h] during the time t E1 and t E0 The image data VD_W corresponds to the image data of a moving image obtained by combining the conference images displayed on the display screens 14 of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] during the conference and the conference images in chronological order.

[0059] The additional data DD_W includes general meeting participant information indicating who each member of the overall channel is and from where each member of the overall channel is participating in the general meeting, and the general meeting participant information is obtained from the participant information 510 in FIG. 7. The participant information 510 itself may be included in the general meeting participant information. The additional data DD_W also includes general meeting date and time information indicating the date and time of the general meeting period. In the examples of FIG. 9 and FIG. 11, the general meeting date and time information is time t S0 and t E0 Further, the additional data DD_W may include material data associated with the general meeting. This material data may be stored, for example, before the electronic conference is held (time t S0 9). However, after the start of the electronic conference on the entire channel (before the time t S0The additional data DD_W may also include material data uploaded to the server device 30 by any of the members of the overall channel using the corresponding terminal device 10[i] (later). When the uploaded material data is image data, the image represented by the material data may be displayed on each display screen 14 of the terminal device 10 of each member of the overall channel as a type of conference image.

[0060] The voice data AD_G is data showing the voice contents in the electronic conference of the group channel, and represents the contents of speech of each member of the group channel. The voice data AD_G is generated based on the voice signals transmitted to the server device 30 from the terminal devices 10 assigned to each member of the group channel. That is, to be more specific, with respect to the examples of Figs. 9 and 11, the voice data AD_G is generated based on the voice signals transmitted from the terminal devices 10 assigned to each member of the group channel at time t S1 and t E1 The signal corresponds to a composite signal of the audio signals AS[h+1] to AS[n] between the first and second inputs.

[0061] The image data VD_G is image data of a conference image displayed on each display screen 14 of the terminal device 10 assigned to each member of the group channel. To be more specific about the examples of FIGS. 9 and 11, the image data VD_G is S1 and t E1 The image data are the image data of the conference images displayed on the display screens 14 of the terminal devices 10[h+1] to 10[n] during the conference.

[0062] The additional data DD_G includes group conference participant information indicating who each member of the group channel is and from where each member of the group channel is participating in the group conference, and the group conference participant information is obtained from the participant information 510 in Fig. 7. The participant information 510 itself may be included in the group conference participant information. The additional data DD_G also includes group conference date and time information indicating the date and time of the group conference period. In the example of Fig. 9, the group conference date and time information is obtained from the time t S1 and t E1Further, the additional data DD_G may include material data associated with the group conference. For example, after the start of the electronic conference on the group channel (time t S1 Later), material data uploaded to the server device 30 by any member of the group channel using the corresponding terminal device 10[i] may be included in the additional data DD_G. When the uploaded material data is image data, the image represented by the material data may be displayed as a type of conference image on each display screen 14 of the terminal device 10 of each member of the group channel.

[0063] The conference data of the entire channel may include both the additional data DD_W and the additional data DD_G as additional data. The conference data of the group channel may include both the additional data DD_W and the additional data DD_G as additional data. The recording method of the voice data and image data in the conference data may be a method of dividing the data into units of a predetermined time (e.g., 10 seconds) and compressing and recording the data for each unit. In this case, the additional data may be added for each unit, or the additional data may be added collectively to the voice data and image data for the entire time. Regardless of which recording method is adopted, a timestamp indicating the date and time of data generation or acquisition is added to each recorded data.

[0064] In FIG. 9, attention is focused on one group conference set during one general conference period, but as shown in FIG. 14 or FIG. 15, multiple group conference periods may be set during one general conference period. In the example of FIG. 14, during one general conference period, the first group conference is started, and the second group conference is started after the first group conference ends. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 14, during one general conference period, the first group conference period, which is the period during which the first group conference is held, and the second group conference period, which is the period during which the second group conference is held, exist without overlapping each other. In the example of FIG. 15, during one general conference period, the first group conference is started, the second group conference is started before the end of the first group conference, and then the second group conference ends after the first group conference ends. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 15, during one general conference period, the first group conference period, which is the period during which the first group conference is held, and the second group conference period, which is the period during which the second group conference is held, exist in a partially overlapping manner. Figures 9, 14 and 15 are merely examples of methods for setting group conference periods; three or more group conference periods may be set during one general conference period, and the relationships between the start times and end times of multiple group conference periods may vary.

[0065] When a plurality of group conferences are held, a plurality of group channels corresponding to the plurality of group conferences are set up. Then, a recording area for each group channel is set in the recording device 50, and the conference data of each group channel is recorded in the recording device 50.

[0066] 16, when a first group channel including only persons PS[1] and PS[2] as constituent members is set, and a second group channel including only persons PS[3] to PS[5] as constituent members is set, a recording area 52a for the first group channel and a recording area 52b for the second group channel are separately set in the recording device 50. Then, the conference data of the first group channel indicating the contents of the group conference of the first group channel is recorded in the recording area 52a, while the conference data of the second group channel indicating the contents of the group conference of the second group channel is recorded in the recording area 52b.

[0067] 8 again, the authentication information setting unit 160 sets, for each channel, authentication information required for playing back the conference data recorded in the recording device 50. The personal voice data acquisition unit 170 will be described later. The authentication processing unit 210 executes authentication processing for playing back the conference data recorded in the recording device 50. The playback transmission control unit 220 transmits the conference data in the recording device 50 after the authentication processing to a playback device that is to play back the conference data. The sound adjustment unit 230 adjusts the playback volume or playback sound quality when the conference data is played back on the playback device.

[0068] FIG. 17 shows the relationship between the server device 30 and the playback device 10R. The server device 30 and the playback device 10R are connected to a network 70 and are capable of two-way communication via the network 70. The playback device 10R may be any one of the terminal devices 10[1]-10[n], or may be different from any one of the terminal devices 10[1]-10[n]. However, even if the playback device 10R is different from each terminal device 10, the playback device 10R has the same configuration as each terminal device 10 and has at least the function of playing back audio data and image data.

[0069] In response to a request from the playback device 10R, the playback transmission control unit 220 can transmit conference data of the entire channel to the playback device 10R so that the content of the entire conference can be played back on the playback device 10R, and separately, in response to another request from the playback device 10R, the playback transmission control unit 220 can transmit conference data of the group channel to the playback device 10R so that the content of the group conference can be played back on the playback device 10R.

[0070] In the following, specific operation examples, application techniques, modified techniques, etc., related to the conference system SYS will be described in several examples. The matters described above in this embodiment are applied to each of the following examples unless otherwise specified and unless there is a contradiction. In the cases where there are matters in each example that contradict the matters described above, the description in each example may take precedence. Furthermore, unless there is a contradiction, matters described in any of the following examples can also be applied to any of the other examples (i.e., any two or more of the multiple examples can also be combined).

[0071] <<First Example>> A first embodiment will be described. Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of the conference system SYS related to recording of conference data. Figs. 19 and 20 are flowcharts of the group conference start process and the group conference end process shown in Fig. 18, respectively. The flow of the operation related to recording of conference data will be described with reference to Figs. 18 to 20.

[0072] Assume that the conference system SYS is in an initial state in which no electronic conference is being held. In the initial state, the process of step S11 is executed first. In step S11, the conference period setting unit 120 checks whether the start condition of the general conference is met. The start condition of the general conference may be any condition previously determined in the conference system SYS. For example, when a predetermined conference start operation is input to the operation unit 15 of a specific terminal device 10 among the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n], a start trigger signal is transmitted from the specific terminal device 10 to the server device 30, and the start trigger signal is received by the server device 30, thereby establishing the start condition of the general conference. Alternatively, the start condition of the general conference may be established when the current time reaches a predetermined start setting time. If the start condition of the general conference is not established (N in step S11), the process of step S11 is repeated. If the start condition of the general conference is established (Y in step S11), the process proceeds from step S11 to step S12, and the processes of steps S12 to S15 are executed.

[0073] In step S12, the channel setting unit 130 sets the entire channel. In step S13, the recording control unit 150 sets a recording area 51 for the entire channel in the recording device 50, and then in step S14 starts recording the conference data of the entire channel in the recording area 51. Recording starts here for the audio data AD_W and image data VD_W of the conference data of the entire channel, and recording of the audio data AD_W and image data VD_W continues until step S21, which will be described later. The timing of recording the additional data DD_W in the recording area 51 is arbitrary, but for example, the additional data DD_W may be recorded in the recording area 51 at the stage of step S14 or S21. In step S15, 1 is assigned to the variable x managed by the server control unit 33, and then the process proceeds to step S16.

[0074] In step S16, the conference period setting unit 120 checks whether the end condition of the general conference is met. The end condition of the general conference may be any condition previously determined by the conference system SYS. For example, when a specific conference end operation is input to the operation unit 15 of a specific terminal device 10 among the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n], an end trigger signal is transmitted from the specific terminal device 10 to the server device 30, and the end trigger signal is received by the server device 30, thereby establishing the end condition of the general conference. Alternatively, the end condition of the general conference may be established when the current time reaches a previously determined end time. If the end condition of the general conference is not met (N in step S16), the process proceeds from step S16 to step S17, whereas if the end condition of the general conference is met (Y in step S16), the process proceeds from step S16 to step S21.

[0075] In step S17, the conference period setting unit 120 checks whether the start condition of the xth group conference is satisfied. The xth group conference refers to the xth group conference that can be held during the general conference period. The start condition of the xth group conference may be any condition previously determined by the conference system SYS. For example, the conference period setting unit 120 checks whether the start condition of the xth group conference is satisfied based on a signal transmitted from one or more terminal devices 10 to the server device 30 and received by the server device 30 in response to an input operation (an operation requesting or instructing the start of the xth group conference) on the operation unit 15 of one or more terminal devices 10. More specifically, for example, when a group conference start request signal is exchanged between the terminal devices 10[1] and 10[2] via the server device 30 based on an input operation on the operation units 15[1] and 15[2] by the persons PS[1] and PS[2], the start condition of the xth group conference is satisfied, and in this case, the members of the xth group channel are the persons PS[1] and PS[2].

[0076] If the start condition of the xth group conference is met in step S17 (Y in step S17), the process proceeds from step S17 to step S18, but if the start condition of the xth group conference is not met (N in step S17), the process proceeds from step S17 to step S19.

[0077] In step S18, the server control unit 33 executes a group conference start process. In the group conference start process, the processes of steps S31 to S35 in FIG. 19 are executed in sequence. In the group conference start process, first, in step S31, the value of variable x is substituted for variable y managed by the server control unit 33. In the following step S32, the channel setting unit 130 sets the yth group channel, and further, in step S33, the recording control unit 150 sets the recording area 52 for the yth group channel. The recording area 52 for the yth group channel set here is a type of the recording area 52 shown in FIG. 11, and corresponds to the recording area 52a in FIG. 16 if "y=1", and corresponds to the recording area 52b in FIG. 16 if "y=2".

[0078] When the recording area 52 for the y-th group channel is set, in step S34, the recording control unit 150 starts recording the conference data of the y-th group channel in the recording area 52 for the y-th group channel. Here, recording starts for the audio data AD_G and image data VD_G of the conference data of the y-th group channel. The timing for recording the additional data DD_G in the recording area 52 is arbitrary, but the additional data DD_G may be recorded in the recording area 52, for example, at the stage of step S34 or at the stage when recording of the conference data of the y-th group channel is ended. In step S35, 1 is added to the variable x. When the processing of steps S31 to S35 is completed, the group conference start processing ends, and thereafter, the processing proceeds to step S19 in FIG. 18.

[0079] In step S19, the conference period setting unit 120 checks whether the end condition of any of the ongoing group conferences is met. For example, if only the first group conference is being held as a group conference, in step S19, only the end condition of the first group conference is checked, whereas if the first and second group conferences are being held as group conferences, in step S19, the end conditions of the first group conference and the second group conference are checked. The end condition of the jth group conference may be any condition (j is any natural number) previously determined by the conference system SYS. For example, when the members of the jth group channel corresponding to the jth group conference are persons PS[1] and PS[2], the conference period setting unit 120 checks whether the termination condition for the jth group conference is met based on a signal transmitted from terminal device 10[1] or 10[2] to server device 30 and received by server device 30 in response to an input operation (an operation requesting or instructing the termination of the jth group conference) on operation unit 15[1] or 15[2].

[0080] When step S19 is reached, if there is one or more ongoing group conferences and the termination condition of any of the ongoing group conferences is met (Y in step S19), proceed to step S20; otherwise (N in step S19), return to step S16.

[0081] In step S20, the server control unit 33 executes a group conference end process. In the group conference end process, the processes of steps S51 to S54 in FIG. 20 are executed in sequence. In the group conference end process, first, in step S51, the group channel number of the end condition that has been satisfied is substituted for variable z managed by the server control unit 33. That is, when the end condition of the jth group conference is satisfied in step S19, and the process reaches step S20, the value of j is substituted for variable z. Thereafter, in step S52, the recording control unit 150 ends the recording of the conference data of the zth group channel in the recording device 50 (recording area 52). That is, for example, when the first group conference is focused on (that is, when "y=z=1" is considered), the recording of the audio data AD_G and image data VD_G of the first group channel that was started in step S34 in FIG. 19 in the recording device 50 (recording area 52) is ended in step S52. The same applies to the second group conference, etc.

[0082] After that, in step S53, the authentication information setting unit 160 sets authentication information PW_G[z], which is authentication information associated with the conference data of the z-th group channel. The authentication information PW_G[z] is issued to each terminal device 10 corresponding to the z-th group channel. That is, for example, if the members of the z-th group channel are persons PS[1] and PS[2], the authentication information setting unit 160 transmits the authentication information PW_G[z] to the terminal devices 10[1] and 10[2] corresponding to the persons PS[1] and PS[2]. In response to this, the authentication information PW_G[z] is displayed on the display screens 14[1] and 14[2], and is stored in the storage units 12[1] and 12[2] as necessary. In step S54 following step S53, the authentication information setting unit 160 stores the set authentication information PW_G[z] in an authentication information storage area (not shown) in the recording device 50 in association with the conference data of the z-th group channel. The authentication information setting unit 160 may set information automatically generated using random numbers, etc., as the authentication information PW_G[z], or one of the members of the zth group channel may determine the authentication information PW_G[z] by operating the operation unit 15.

[0083] When the processing of steps S51 to S54 is completed, the group conference ending processing ends, and thereafter, the process returns to step S16 in FIG.

[0084] The operation after moving from step S16 to step S21 will be described. In step S21, the recording control unit 150 ends the recording of the conference data of all channels in the recording device 50 (recording area 51). That is, the recording of the audio data AD_W and image data VD_W of all channels, which was started in step S14, in the recording device 50 (recording area 51) is ended in step S21.

[0085] After that, in step S22, the authentication information setting unit 160 sets authentication information PW_W, which is authentication information associated with the conference data of the entire channel. The authentication information PW_W is issued to all terminal devices 10 corresponding to each member of the entire channel. That is, the authentication information setting unit 160 transmits the authentication information PW_W to each of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] corresponding to the persons PS[1] to PS[n]. In response to this, the authentication information PW_W is displayed on each of the display screens 14[1] to 14[n], and is stored in the storage units 12[1] to 12[n] as necessary. In step S23 following step S22, the authentication information setting unit 160 stores the set authentication information PW_W in an authentication information storage area (not shown) in the recording device 50 in association with the conference data of the entire channel. The authentication information setting unit 160 may set information automatically generated by using random numbers or the like as the authentication information PW_W, or any of the members of the entire channel may determine the authentication information PW_W by operating the operation unit 15. When the process of step S23 ends, a series of operations related to recording of the conference data ends.

[0086] It is assumed that a restriction is imposed on the transition to step S21 so that the condition for ending the general conference is not met while one or more group conferences are being held.

[0087] FIG. 21 is a conceptual diagram of the flow of recording of conference data in case α. In case α, first and second group conference periods that do not overlap with each other are set during one general conference period. Case α corresponds to the case shown in FIG. 16. In case α, as time progresses, at time t S0 , t S1 , t E1 , t S2 , t E2 , t E0 The flow of recording the conference data in case α will be described with reference to Fig. 21 (also see Figs. 18 to 20 as necessary).

[0088] time t S0 When the general conference period starts at time t, recording of the conference data of the general channel in the recording area 51 starts (step S14). After that, when the start condition of the first group conference is met based on an input operation to the operation unit 15 by at least one of the persons PS[1] and PS[2] (Y in step S17 for the first time), a first group channel including only the persons PS[1] and PS[2] as members is set (step S32 for the first time), and recording of the conference data of the first group channel in the recording area 52a starts at time t S1 (first step S34). After that, when the end condition of the first group conference is satisfied based on an input operation to the operation unit 15 by at least one of the persons PS[1] and PS[2] (Y in the first step S19), at time t E1 Then, recording of the conference data for the first group channel ends (first step S52), and authentication information PW_G[1] for the first group channel is set and issued (first step S53).

[0089] Thereafter, when the start condition of the second group conference is satisfied based on an input operation to the operation unit 15 by at least one of the persons PS[3] to PS[5] (Y in step S17 for the second time), a second group channel including only the persons PS[3] to PS[5] as members is set (step S32 for the second time), and recording of the conference data of the second group channel in the recording area 52b is started at time t S2(Step S34 for the second time). After that, when the end condition of the second group conference is established based on the input operation to the operation unit 15 by at least one of the persons PS[3] to PS[5] (Y in Step S19 for the second time), at the time t E2 Then, recording of the conference data for the second group channel is completed (second step S52), and authentication information PW_G[2] for the second group channel is set and issued (second step S53).

[0090] After that, when the end condition of the general meeting is met (Y in step S16), at time t E0 At time t S0 and t S1 time, time t E1 and t S2 Interval and time t E2 and t E0 Between them are people PS[1] to PS[n], but at time t S1 and t E1 Between them are people PS[3] to PS[n], and at time t S2 and t E2 In between are people PS[1], PS[2] and PS[6] to PS[n] (in case α, “n≧6” is assumed).

[0091] Next, the flow of operations related to the playback of conference data after the recording of the conference data of the entire channel and the conference data of the first and second group channels in case α is completed will be described. As described above, the playback device 10R (see FIG. 17) can be any one of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n], or can be different from any one of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n], but here it is considered that the playback device 10R is any one of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n].

[0092] The flow of the transmission and playback operation of the conference data of the entire channel will be described with reference to Fig. 22(a). When the user of the playback device 10R inputs a transmission request operation to request the transmission of the conference data of the entire channel together with authentication information PW_W to the operation unit 15 of the playback device 10R, the terminal control unit 13 of the playback device 10R transmits a transmission request signal 610, which is a signal requesting the transmission of the conference data of the entire channel and includes the authentication information PW_W, to the server device 30. The user of the playback device 10R is assumed to be any one of the members of the entire channel (i.e., any one of the persons PS[1] to PS[n]).

[0093] When the server device 30 receives a transmission request signal 610 after the recording of the conference data of the entire channel and the conference data of the first and second group channels according to case α is completed, the authentication processing unit 210 (see FIG. 8) compares the authentication information PW_W included in the transmission request signal 610 with the authentication information PW_W stored in the authentication information storage area (see step S23 in FIG. 18) and corresponding to the conference data of the entire channel, and if the two pieces of authentication information match each other, outputs a comparison OK signal 612 for the transmission request signal 610 to the reproduction transmission control unit 220. Although different from the situation shown in FIG. 22(a), if the authentication information included in the transmission request signal 610 differs from the authentication information PW_W, the comparison OK signal 612 is not output.

[0094] When the reproduction transmission control unit 220 receives the verification OK signal 612 in response to the transmission request signal 610, it transmits the conference data of the entire channel to the reproduction device 10R. When the reproduction device 10R receives the conference data of the entire channel, it reproduces the conference data of the entire channel in response to the input of a reproduction request operation to the operation unit 15 of the reproduction device 10R or regardless of the input of a reproduction request operation. In the reproduction of the conference data of the entire channel, the sound represented by the audio data AD_W is output from the speaker 18 of the reproduction device 10R, and in synchronization with this, the image represented by the image data VD_W is displayed on the display screen 14 of the reproduction device 10R. That is, the state of the entire conference is reproduced on the reproduction device 10R. In addition, in the reproduction of the conference data of the entire channel, the additional data DD_W is displayed on the display screen 14 of the reproduction device 10R. By looking at the additional data DD_W, the user of the reproduction device 10R can recognize additional information related to the entire conference (such as the information of participants in the entire conference and date and time information).

[0095] With reference to Fig. 22(b), the flow of the transmission and playback operation of the conference data of the first group channel will be described. When the user of the playback device 10R inputs a transmission request operation to request transmission of the conference data of the first group channel together with authentication information PW_G[1] to the operation unit 15 of the playback device 10R, the terminal control unit 13 of the playback device 10R transmits a transmission request signal 620, which is a signal requesting transmission of the conference data of the first group channel and includes the authentication information PW_G[1], to the server device 30. The user of the playback device 10R is assumed to be one of the members of the first group channel (i.e., person PS[1] or PS[2]; see Fig. 21).

[0096] When the server device 30 receives a transmission request signal 620 after the recording of the conference data of the entire channel and the conference data of the first and second group channels according to case α is completed, the authentication processing unit 210 (see FIG. 8) compares the authentication information PW_G[1] included in the transmission request signal 620 with the authentication information PW_G[1] stored in the authentication information storage area (see step S23 in FIG. 18) and corresponding to the conference data of the first group channel, and if the two pieces of authentication information match each other, outputs a comparison OK signal 622 for the transmission request signal 620 to the reproduction transmission control unit 220. Although different from the situation shown in FIG. 22(b), if the authentication information included in the transmission request signal 620 differs from the authentication information PW_G[1], the comparison OK signal 622 is not output.

[0097] When the reproduction transmission control unit 220 receives the verification OK signal 622 in response to the transmission request signal 620, it transmits the conference data of the first group channel to the reproduction device 10R. When the reproduction device 10R receives the conference data of the first group channel, it reproduces the conference data of the first group channel in response to input of a reproduction request operation to the operation unit 15 of the reproduction device 10R, or regardless of whether or not a reproduction request operation is input. In reproducing the conference data of the first group channel, the sound represented by the audio data AD_G is output from the speaker 18 of the reproduction device 10R, and in synchronization with this, the image represented by the image data VD_G is displayed on the display screen 14 of the reproduction device 10R. However, the audio data AD_G and image data VD_G here are the audio data AD_G and image data VD_G in the conference data of the first group channel. Therefore, the state of the first group conference is reproduced on the reproduction device 10R. Furthermore, when the conference data of the first group channel is played back, the additional data DD_G in the conference data of the first group channel is displayed on the display screen 14 of the playback device 10R. By looking at this additional data DD_G, the user of the playback device 10R can recognize additional information related to the first group conference (group conference participant information, date and time information, etc.). Although the operations related to the playback of the conference data of the group channel have been described with a focus on the first group channel, the same applies when playing back conference data of other group channels.

[0098] In this way, the conference system SYS can record conference data for each channel and can play back the conference data for each channel, which allows conference participants to easily and conveniently check the contents of the conference at any time after the conference ends.

[0099] At this time, authentication information is issued for each channel, and the conference data is provided to the playback device 10R after being authenticated for each channel. This provides a high level of security. In particular, when a highly confidential group conference is held, it is important to prevent the contents of the group conference from being leaked to others. In this embodiment, authentication information is set independently for each group channel, so that the above-mentioned situation can be reliably avoided.

[0100] Furthermore, when the conference data is reproduced by the reproduction device 10R, the additional data (DD_W or DD_G) is displayed, so that it is possible to check the status of the conference in detail, including the additional information.

[0101] <<Second Example>> A second embodiment will be described below. In the second embodiment, the personal voice data acquisition unit 170 in Fig. 8 and the operation using the same will be described.

[0102] The personal voice data acquisition unit 170 acquires, for each person, personal voice data that individually represents the contents of speech of the persons PS[1] to PS[n] during the general conference. The personal voice data for the person PS[i] is particularly referred to as personal voice data AD[i] (i is any natural number equal to or less than n). The personal voice data acquisition unit 170 obtains the personal voice data AD[1] to AD[n]. The personal voice data AD[i] represents the contents of speech of the person PS[i] during the general conference.

[0103] The personal voice data acquisition unit 170 acquires personal voice data AD[i] based on the voice signal AS[i] (see FIG. 6) during the general conference period. During the general conference period, there are a mixture of a section in which the person PS[i] is speaking (hereinafter, referred to as a speech section) and a section in which the person PS[i] is silent (hereinafter, referred to as a silence section). The silence section is also called a silent section. The acquisition unit 170 detects the speech section of the person PS[i] based on the intensity and spectrum of the voice signal AS[i]. Since a method for detecting a speech section based on a voice signal is well known, a description of the detection method is omitted. During the general conference period, the acquisition unit 170 includes the voice signal AS[i] during the speech section of the person PS[i] in the personal voice data AD[i], and does not include the voice signal AS[i] during the silence section of the person PS[i] in the personal voice data AD[i]. However, some of the voice signal AS[i] during the silence period of person PS[i] may be included in the personal voice data AD[i]. In any case, the voice signal AS[i] during most of the silence period of person PS[i] (part of the silence period of person PS[i]) is not included in the personal voice data AD[i].

[0104] An example is shown in FIG. 23. For convenience, the example in FIG. 23 is referred to as case β. As time progresses, at time t S0 , t A1 , t A2 , t A3 , t A4 , t A5 , t A6 , t E0 In case β, at time t S0 and t E0 During the general meeting period, at time t A1 and t A2 Between the period 641 and time t A3 and t A4 Between the period 642 and time t A5 and t A6Only the period 643 between the speech periods 641 and 642 is detected as the speech section of the person PS[1]. In this case, the personal voice data acquisition unit 170 can acquire, as personal voice data AD[1], a voice signal obtained by combining, in time series, the voice signal AS[1]_a which is the voice signal AS[1] in the speech period 641, the voice signal AS[1]_b which is the voice signal AS[1] in the speech period 642, and the voice signal AS[1]_c which is the voice signal AS[1] in the speech period 643. The personal voice data AD[2], etc. are acquired in a similar manner.

[0105] The personal voice data acquisition unit 170 creates and acquires the personal voice data AD[1] to AD[n] during the general conference period or without delay after the general conference period ends. The recording control unit 150 records the created personal voice data AD[1] to AD[n] in the personal voice data recording area 53 in the storage device 50 (see FIG. 24). Thereafter, the reproduction transmission control unit 220 can execute a selective transmission process for selectively transmitting any one of the personal voice data AD[1] to AD[n] to the reproduction device 10R. The reproduction device 10R reproduces the received personal voice data (i.e., the voice represented by the received personal voice data is output from the speaker 18).

[0106] This makes it possible to meet the need to focus on checking only the comments of a certain person in an electronic conference, for example, and is therefore highly convenient.

[0107] In the selective transmission process, in response to receiving a predetermined transmission request signal from the playback device 10R, any one of the personal voice data AD[1] to AD[n] is selectively transmitted to the playback device 10R. At this time, the above-mentioned authentication information may be used to control whether or not to transmit. This will be specifically explained using case α in FIG. 21 and case β in FIG. 23 as examples. Now, let us assume that, of the speech sections 641 to 643 shown in FIG. 23, only the speech section 641 is in a state where the first group conference is being held at time t S1 and t E1 The period between the two (see Figure 21) is included in the above.

[0108] The flow of the transmission and playback operation of personal voice data AD[1] will be described with reference to Fig. 25(a) and (b). When the user of the playback device 10R inputs a transmission request operation to request the transmission of personal voice data AD[1] together with authentication information PW_W to the operation unit 15 of the playback device 10R, as shown in Fig. 25(a), the terminal control unit 13 of the playback device 10R transmits a transmission request signal 660, which is a signal requesting the transmission of the personal voice data AD[1] and includes the authentication information PW_W, to the server device 30. The user of the playback device 10R is assumed to be any of the members of the entire channel (i.e., any of the persons PS[1] to PS[n]).

[0109] When the server device 30 receives the transmission request signal 660, the authentication processing unit 210 (see FIG. 8) compares the authentication information PW_W included in the transmission request signal 660 with each piece of authentication information stored in the authentication information storage area (see step S23 in FIG. 18). Here, since the authentication information included in the transmission request signal 660 matches each piece of authentication information PW_W stored in the authentication information storage area, a comparison OK signal 662 is output from the authentication processing unit 210 to the reproduction transmission control unit 220.

[0110] When the reproduction transmission control unit 220 receives the verification OK signal 662, it transmits only the personal voice data AD[1] related to the entire channel to the reproduction device 10R. That is, it transmits the personal voice data AD[1]' including only the voice signals AS[1]_b and AS[1]_c of FIG. 23 to the reproduction device 10R. This is because the reproduction authority for the electronic conference of the first group channel is not given to the authentication information PW_W. When the reproduction device 10R receives the personal voice data AD[1]', it reproduces the personal voice data AD[1]' in response to the input of a reproduction request operation to the operation unit 15 of the reproduction device 10R, or regardless of the presence or absence of the input of a reproduction request operation. In the reproduction of the personal voice data AD[1]', the voice represented by the personal voice data AD[1]' is output from the speaker 18 of the reproduction device 10R. At this time, since the image data VD_W has also been received by the playback device 10R, an image represented by the image data VD_W is displayed on the display screen 14 of the playback device 10R in synchronization with the playback of the personal audio data AD[1]'.

[0111] On the other hand, when the user of the playback device 10R inputs a transmission request operation to request the transmission of personal voice data AD[1] together with authentication information PW_G[1] to the operation unit 15 of the playback device 10R, as shown in Fig. 25(b), the terminal control unit 13 of the playback device 10R transmits a transmission request signal 670, which is a signal requesting the transmission of the personal voice data AD[1] and includes the authentication information PW_G[1], to the server device 30. The user of the playback device 10R is assumed to be one of the members of the first group channel in the example of case a (i.e., person PS[1] or PS[2]; see Fig. 21).

[0112] When the server device 30 receives the transmission request signal 670, the authentication processing unit 210 (see FIG. 8) compares the authentication information PW_G[1] included in the transmission request signal 670 with each piece of authentication information stored in the authentication information storage area (see step S23 in FIG. 18). Here, since the authentication information included in the transmission request signal 670 matches each piece of authentication information PW_G[1] stored in the authentication information storage area, a comparison OK signal 672 is output from the authentication processing unit 210 to the reproduction transmission control unit 220.

[0113] Upon receiving the verification OK signal 672, the reproduction transmission control unit 220 transmits the entire personal voice data AD[1] to the reproduction device 10R. That is, the reproduction transmission control unit 220 transmits the personal voice data AD[1] including the voice signals AS[1]_a, AS[1]_b, and AS[1]_c of FIG. 23 to the reproduction device 10R. Upon receiving the personal voice data AD[1], the reproduction device 10R reproduces the personal voice data AD[1] in response to input of a reproduction request operation to the operation unit 15 of the reproduction device 10R, or regardless of whether or not a reproduction request operation is input. In reproducing the personal voice data AD[1], the voice represented by the personal voice data AD[1] is output from the speaker 18 of the reproduction device 10R. At this time, since the image data VD_W and the image data VD_G for the first group channel are also received by the playback device 10R, an image represented by the image data VD_W or VD_G is displayed on the display screen 14 of the playback device 10R in synchronization with the playback of the personal audio data AD[1]. The same applies to the other group channels.

[0114] If the authentication information included in the transmission request signal 660 is different from any of the authentication information PW_W, PW_G[1], and PW_G[2], a verification OK signal is not output, and none of the personal voice data is transmitted to the playback device 10R. The same applies to the transmission request signal 670. Although the flow of the transmission and playback operation of the personal voice data AD[1] has been described, the transmission and playback operation of the personal voice data AD[2], etc. is also performed in the same flow as described above. Note that it is also possible to request the transmission of two or more personal voice data in one transmission request signal, in which case two or more personal voice data are transmitted from the server device 30 to the playback device 10R.

[0115] In addition, in the case where no group conference description period is set during the general conference period, or in the case where all of the speech sections of person PS[1] belong to the non-holding period of the group conference (i.e., the normal period in Figure 9), in response to receiving a transmission request signal 660 (see Figure 25(a)) from the playback device 10R, personal voice data AD[1] including the voice signals AS[1]_a, AS[1]_b and AS[1]_c in Figure 23 is transmitted to the playback device 10R, and the personal voice data AD[1] is played back by the playback device 10R.

[0116] <<Third Example>> A third embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, the individual voice data AD[i] may be a voice signal having a length corresponding to the duration of the general conference. In this case, the individual voice data AD[i] is the voice signal AS[i] during the general conference. In relation to this, the recording control unit 150 may record the voice signals AS[1] to AS[n] in the recording device 50 individually.

[0117] <<Fourth Example>> A fourth embodiment will be described. In the fourth embodiment, the function of the sound adjustment unit 230 in FIG. 8 will be described. The sound adjustment unit 230 can execute a sound adjustment process to adjust the playback volume or playback sound quality in the playback device 10R when the conference data of all channels is played back on the playback device 10R. The sound adjustment process may be executed for each channel of the electronic conference. That is, in the example of case α in FIG. 21, the sound adjustment unit 230 may be able to individually adjust the playback volume or playback sound quality when the conference data of all channels is played back, the playback volume or playback sound quality when the conference data of the first group channel is played back, and the playback volume or playback sound quality when the conference data of the second group channel is played back.

[0118] The sound adjustment process according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the example of FIG. 22(a). In the example of FIG. 22(a), when the reproduction transmission control unit 220 receives a verification OK signal 612 in response to a transmission request signal 610, the reproduction transmission control unit 220 transmits the conference data of the entire channel to the reproduction device 10R, but prior to this transmission, the sound adjustment unit 230 reads the audio data AD_W of the entire channel from the recording device 50 and performs sound adjustment processing on the read audio data AD_W. After that, the audio data AD_W after the sound adjustment processing is transmitted to the reproduction device 10R as a part of the conference data of the entire channel. Therefore, the reproduction device 10R reproduces the audio data AD_W after the sound adjustment processing (output from the speaker 18).

[0119] Regarding the audio data AD_W, the method and contents of the adjustment of the playback volume or the playback sound quality in the sound adjustment process are arbitrary. For example, when the audio data AD_W after the sound adjustment process is played back on the playback device 10R, the sound adjustment process is executed on the audio data AD_W so that the average level or maximum level of the playback volume from the speaker 18 becomes a predetermined appropriate level. This adjusts the playback volume when the audio data AD_W (first audio data representing the speech content of each member of the entire channel) is played back on the playback device 10R. Also, for example, the sound adjustment unit 230 can execute, as one of the sound adjustment processes, a compression process for compressing the audio data AD_W so that the data amount per unit time of the audio data AD_W after the sound adjustment process is a predetermined amount or less. The playback sound quality is adjusted by adjusting the compression rate in this compression process. However, the adjustment of the playback sound quality is arbitrary, such as emphasizing the low frequency range or the high frequency range of the audio data AD_W.

[0120] The sound adjustment process according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the example of FIG. 22(b). In the example of FIG. 22(b), when the reproduction transmission control unit 220 receives a verification OK signal 622 in response to the transmission request signal 620, the reproduction transmission control unit 220 transmits the conference data of the first group channel to the reproduction device 10R, but prior to this transmission, the sound adjustment unit 230 reads out the audio data AD_G of the first group channel from the recording device 50 and performs sound adjustment processing on the read audio data AD_G. After that, the audio data AD_G after the sound adjustment processing is transmitted to the reproduction device 10R as a part of the conference data of the first group channel. Therefore, the reproduction device 10R reproduces the audio data AD_G after the sound adjustment processing (output from the speaker 18).

[0121] Regarding the audio data AD_G, the method and contents of the adjustment of the playback volume or the playback sound quality in the sound adjustment process are arbitrary. For example, the sound adjustment process is performed on the audio data AD_G so that the average level or maximum level of the playback volume from the speaker 18 becomes a predetermined appropriate level when the audio data AD_G after the sound adjustment process is played back on the playback device 10R. This adjusts the playback volume when the audio data AD_G (second audio data representing the speech content of each member of the first group channel) is played back on the playback device 10R. Also, for example, the sound adjustment unit 230 can execute, as one of the sound adjustment processes, a compression process for compressing the audio data AD_G so that the data amount per unit time of the audio data AD_G after the sound adjustment process is a predetermined amount or less. The playback sound quality is adjusted by adjusting the compression rate in this compression process. However, the adjustment of the playback sound quality is arbitrary, such as emphasizing the low frequency range or the high frequency range of the audio data AD_G.

[0122] The above-mentioned sound adjustment process makes it possible to play back the contents of a conference in a way that makes them easier to hear for each channel.

[0123] <<Fifth Example>> A fifth embodiment will be described. In the fifth embodiment, an applied technology relating to the sound adjustment process shown in the fourth embodiment will be described.

[0124] Consider the example of case α in FIG. 21. In case α, the audio data AD_G of the first group channel is recorded during the first group conference (i.e., from time t S1 and t E1 Since the signal strength of the output audio signal AS[1] of the terminal device 10[1] may be relatively large while the signal strength of the output audio signal AS[2] of the terminal device 10[2] may be relatively small, depending on the sound pickup condition of the microphone 17 during the electronic conference. In such a case, if a signal obtained by simply combining the audio signals AS[1] and AS[2] is transmitted to the playback device 10R and played back, it may be difficult to hear the speech of the person PS[2] compared to the speech of the person PS[1]. In order to avoid such a situation, the sound adjustment unit 230 according to the fifth embodiment adjusts the playback volume of the speech of the persons PS[1] and PS[2] for each person when the audio data AD_G of the first group channel is played back on the playback device 10R in the sound adjustment process.

[0125] The sound adjustment process according to the fifth embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to case α in FIG. 21. Here, the audio data AD_G of the i-th group channel will be referred to by the symbol “AD_G[i]”. In case α, at time t S1 and t E1 The audio signals AS[1] and AS[2] between them are included in the audio data AD_G[1] and recorded in the recording area 52a.

[0126] In the example of FIG. 22(b), when the reproduction transmission control unit 220 receives a verification OK signal 622 in response to the transmission request signal 620, it transmits the conference data of the first group channel to the reproduction device 10R. However, prior to this transmission, the sound adjustment unit 230 reads out the audio data AD_G[1] of the first group channel from the recording device 50 and performs sound adjustment processing on the read audio data AD_G[1]. For clarity of explanation, the audio data AD_G[1] before the sound adjustment processing is referred to as "AD_G[1]_BF", and the audio data AD_G[1] after the sound adjustment processing is referred to as "AD_G[1]_AFT". Note that at time t S1 and t E1 In between, there are one or more speech sections of person PS[1] and one or more speech sections of person PS[2].

[0127] The sound adjustment unit 230 S1 and t E1 The statistical value of the signal strength of the speech signal AS[1] during the speech section of the person PS[1] between time t S1 and t E1 The signal strength statistics of the audio signal AS[2] during the speech section of the person PS[2] between the first and second groups are derived, and a volume adjustment process is performed on the audio data AD_G[1]_BF to match the two statistical values ​​as a sound adjustment process, thereby generating the audio data AD_G[1]_AFT. The above statistical value may be an average value or a maximum value. In the example of FIG. 22(b), the conference data of the first group channel including the audio data AD_G[1]_AFT is transmitted to the playback device 10R and played back by the playback device 10R. Therefore, the playback device 10R plays back the audio data AD_G[1] (i.e., AD_G[1]_AFT) after the sound adjustment process. At this time, the playback volume of the speech content of the person PS[1] and the playback volume of the speech content of the person PS[2] are roughly the same, making it easier to hear. In the sound adjustment process for the audio data AD_G[1], the playback volume of the speech content of the persons PS[1] and PS[2] can be adjusted individually (i.e., for each person) through individual adjustment of the signal strength of the audio signals AS[1] and AS[2] read from the recording device 50. The playback volume can also be adjusted for the audio data AD_G of the second group channel in a similar manner.

[0128] The playback volume of the audio data AD_W of all channels can be adjusted in the same manner. S0 and t E0 The sound adjustment process for the audio data AD_W will be described assuming that no group conference was held (i.e., no group channel was set) during the time t S0 and t E0 The audio signals AS[1] to AS[n] between the two are included in the audio data AD_W and recorded in the recording area 51.

[0129] In the example of FIG. 22(a), when the reproduction transmission control section 220 receives a verification OK signal 612 in response to a transmission request signal 610, it transmits the conference data of all channels to the reproduction device 10R, but prior to this transmission, the sound adjustment section 230 reads out the audio data AD_W of all channels from the recording device 50 and performs sound adjustment processing on the read audio data AD_W. For clarity of explanation, the audio data AD_W before the sound adjustment processing is referred to as "AD_W_BF", and the audio data AD_W after the sound adjustment processing is referred to as "AD_W_AFT". Note that at time t S0 and t E0 It is assumed that there are one or more speech periods for each of the persons PS[1] to PS[n].

[0130] The sound adjustment unit 230 S0 and t E0 The statistical value of the signal strength of the speech signal AS[1] during the speech section of the person PS[1] between time t S0 and t E0 The statistical value of the signal strength of the speech signal AS[2] during the speech section of the person PS[2] between time t S0 and t E0 The statistical values ​​of the signal strength of the speech signal AS[n] during the speech section of the person PS[n] between the time t and the time t are derived, and the volume adjustment process to make the total of n statistical values ​​coincide with each other is performed as the sound adjustment process at time t S0 and t E0This is applied to the voice data AD_W_BF between time t S0 and t E0 The statistic value may be an average value or a maximum value. In the example of FIG. 22(a), S0 and t E0 The conference data of all channels including the audio data AD_W_AFT between the persons PS[1] and PS[n] is transmitted to the playback device 10R and played back by the playback device 10R. Therefore, the playback device 10R plays back the audio data AD_W (i.e., AD_W_AFT) after the sound adjustment process. At this time, the playback volume of the speech content of the persons PS[1] to PS[n] is roughly the same between the persons PS[1] to PS[n], making it easier to hear. In the sound adjustment process for the audio data AD_W, the playback volume of the speech content of the persons PS[1] to PS[n] can be adjusted individually (i.e., for each person) by individually adjusting the signal strength of the audio signals AS[1] to AS[n] read out from the recording device 50.

[0131] For convenience of explanation, time t S0 and t E0 The sound adjustment process for the audio data AD_W has been described on the assumption that no group conference was held during the period, but the same applies to the case where a group conference is held. However, since the audio signals of the members of the group channel are not included in the audio data AD_W during the period when a group conference is held, the audio signals of the members of the group channel are not taken into consideration in the volume adjustment process for the audio data AD_W. Therefore, for example, for case α in FIG. 21, at time t S1 and t E1 The volume adjustment process for the audio signal between time t S1 and t E1 The statistical value of the signal strength of the speech signal AS[3] during the speech section of the person PS[3] between time t S1 and t E1 The statistical value of the signal strength of the speech signal AS[4] during the speech section of the person PS[4] between time t S1 and t E1The statistical values ​​of the signal strength of the speech signal AS[n] during the speech section of the person PS[n] between the time t and the time t are derived, and the volume adjustment process to make the total of (n-2) statistical values ​​coincide with each other is performed as the sound adjustment process at time t S1 and t E1 This is applied to the voice data AD_W_BF between time t S1 and t E1 The audio data AD_W_AFT between the two is generated.

[0132] According to the sound adjustment process (volume adjustment process) of the fifth embodiment, it is possible to reproduce the speech of each person in an easy-to-listen-to manner.

[0133] The sound adjustment process according to the fourth or fifth embodiment may be performed by the playback device 10R. In this case, the sound adjustment unit 230 described above as being provided in the server device 30 may be provided in the playback device 10R, and the playback device 10R may perform sound adjustment processing on the audio data AD_W or AD_G before sound adjustment processing received from the server device 30 in the sound adjustment unit 230, and reproduce the audio data AD_W or AD_G after sound adjustment processing using the speaker 18.

[0134] <<Sixth Example>> A sixth embodiment will now be described. Under certain conditions, the conference data of a group channel may be recorded not in the recording device 50 but in the terminal devices 10 of the members of the group channel.

[0135] For example, when "x=1" in the flowchart of FIG. 18, the conference period setting unit 120 checks whether the start condition of the first group conference is satisfied in step S17, and when the start condition of the first group conference is satisfied, it further checks whether a predetermined confidentiality condition is satisfied. When the members of the first group channel are persons PS[1] and PS[2], the person PS[1] can input a confidentiality instruction to the terminal device 10[1] by operating the operation unit 15[1] as necessary, and when the confidentiality instruction is input to the terminal device 10[1], the confidentiality instruction is transmitted from the terminal device 10[1] to the server device 30. When this confidentiality instruction is transmitted to the server device 30, the confidentiality condition is satisfied. Note that when the person PS[2] inputs a confidentiality instruction to the terminal device 10[2], the confidentiality condition is also satisfied in the same manner.

[0136] When the start condition of the first group conference is satisfied, if the confidentiality condition is also satisfied, the server control unit 33 does not record the conference data of the first group channel in the recording device 50. Instead, the server control unit 33 sets the terminal device 10 of one or more members of the members of the first group channel as a transmission target terminal, and transmits the conference data of the first group channel to the transmission target terminal. If the members of the first group channel are persons PS[1] and PS[2], at least one of the terminal devices 10[1] and 10[2] is set as the transmission target terminal. The transmission of the conference data of the first group channel to the transmission target terminal may be performed in real time during the electronic conference of the first group channel, or may be performed after a certain delay. The terminal device 10 set as the transmission target terminal stores the received conference data of the first group channel in a non-volatile memory in the storage unit 12. Although the first group channel has been focused on, the same applies to other group channels.

[0137] Conference data related to confidential matters can be stored not in the recording device 50 but in the terminal device 10 of the person who belongs to the group channel, thereby improving confidentiality.

[0138] <<Seventh Example>> A seventh embodiment will now be described. In the seventh embodiment, modified techniques or supplementary matters that can be applied to the above-mentioned embodiments will be described.

[0139] During the electronic conference, the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] may be distributed in various locations. For example, some of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] may be located at the workplace of the corresponding person PS, and other parts of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] may be located at the home of the corresponding person PS. Still other parts of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] may be located in a vehicle driven by the corresponding person PS. That is, a person PS[i], which is one of the persons PS[1] to PS[n], may participate in the electronic conference from a vehicle. In this case, the position information of the vehicle driven by the person PS[i] may be included in the additional data DD_W.

[0140] When recording conference data during an electronic conference, the conference system SYS functions as an electronic conference recording system, and the electronic conference recording system is configured to include a server device 30, which is an example of an electronic conference management device, a recording device 50, and terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n].

[0141] At the stage of reproducing the conference data after the electronic conference period ends, the electronic conference reproducing system functions effectively. The electronic conference reproducing system is configured with a server device 30, which is an example of an electronic conference management device, a recording device 50, and a reproduction device 10R. If any of the terminal devices 10[1] to 10[n] is the reproduction device 10R, the electronic conference recording system and the electronic conference reproducing system will be configured with common elements.

[0142] A specific program that defines any specific process and specific operation to be realized in the server device 30, the terminal device 10, or the playback device 10R may be created, and the specific program may be executed by a processor provided in the server device 30, the terminal device 10, or the playback device 10R, thereby realizing the specific process and specific operation. The terminal program PG1 stored in the storage unit 120 in Fig. 2 or the server program PG2 stored in the storage unit 32 in Fig. 3 are examples of the specific program.

[0143] The embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways as appropriate within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims. The above embodiments are merely examples of the present invention, and the meanings of the terms of the present invention and each component are not limited to those described in the above embodiments. The specific numerical values ​​shown in the above description are merely examples, and can be changed to various numerical values ​​as a matter of course.

[0144] <<Additional Notes>> The present invention is further described below.

[0145] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic conference management device (30) used to hold an electronic conference among a plurality of persons (PS[1] to PS[n]) using a plurality of terminal devices (10[1] to 10[n]) connected to each other via a network (70), the electronic conference management device comprising: The system includes a channel setting unit (130) that sets a first channel (whole channel) for a first group of people that can include all of the plurality of people, and a second channel (group channel) for a second group of people that can include only a portion of the plurality of people, a recording control unit (150) that individually records in a recording device (50) first conference data indicating the contents of a first electronic conference (whole conference) in the first channel and second conference data indicating the contents of a second electronic conference (group conference) in the second channel, and a playback transmission control unit (220) that can individually transmit the first conference data and the second conference data to a playback device (10R) so that the contents of the first electronic conference or the contents of the second electronic conference can be played back on the playback device, and the playback device is any of the plurality of terminal devices or has a configuration different from any of the plurality of terminal devices (hereinafter referred to as configuration W1).

[0146] In the electronic conference management device of configuration W1, the device may further include an authentication information setting unit that sets first authentication information (PW_W) associated with the first channel and second authentication information (e.g., PW_G[1]) associated with the second channel, and the playback transmission control unit may be configured to transmit the first conference data to the playback device in response to receiving a first transmission request signal (610) including the first authentication information from the playback device after the first electronic conference and the second electronic conference are terminated, or to transmit the second conference data to the playback device in response to receiving a second transmission request signal (620) including the second authentication information from the playback device (hereinafter referred to as configuration W2). [Explanation of symbols]

[0147] SYS Conference System 10 Terminal Equipment 30 Server device 50 Recording Device 70 Network 110 Participant information acquisition department 120 Meeting Period Setting Division 130 Channel setting section 140 Conference Data Generation Unit 150 Recording control section 160 Authentication information setting section 170 Personal voice data acquisition unit 210 Authentication processing unit 220 Reproduction transmission control section 230 Sound adjustment section

Claims

1. An electronic conference management device that manages an electronic conference held via a plurality of terminal devices through a network, the electronic conference management device having a control unit, The control unit is If a second teleconference is held during the first teleconference, During the first electronic conference, setting a first channel for a first group of people during a period when the second electronic conference is not being held, and setting the first channel for people among the first group of people other than a second group of people who participate in the second electronic conference during a period when the second electronic conference is being held, and recording first electronic conference data on the first channel in a recording device; during a period in which the second electronic conference is held, a second channel is set for the second group of people participating in the second electronic conference, second electronic conference data in the second channel is not recorded in the recording device, and the second electronic conference data is transmitted to at least one terminal device among two or more terminal devices assigned to people belonging to the second group of people to be recorded; The first electronic conference data includes voice data representing the contents of speech of each member of the first channel and image data of a display image on a terminal device assigned to each member of the first channel, The second electronic conference data includes voice data representing the contents of speech of each member of the second channel, and image data of a display image on a terminal device assigned to each member of the second channel. Electronic meeting management device.

2. The control unit is when a confidentiality instruction for the second electronic conference data is input by a person belonging to the second person group, the second electronic conference data is not recorded in the recording device, and the second electronic conference data is transmitted to the at least one terminal device for recording. The electronic conference management device according to claim 1 .

3. The recording device is provided separately from the plurality of terminal devices. The electronic conference management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A program for managing an electronic conference conducted via a network using multiple terminal devices, When a second electronic conference is set during a period in which a first electronic conference is being held, the program causes the arithmetic processing device to execute a control process; In the control process, During the first electronic conference, setting a first channel for a first group of people during a period when the second electronic conference is not being held, and setting the first channel for people among the first group of people other than a second group of people who participate in the second electronic conference during a period when the second electronic conference is being held, and recording first electronic conference data on the first channel in a recording device; a second channel is set for the second group of people during the period in which the second electronic conference is held, the second electronic conference data in the second channel is not recorded in the recording device, and the second electronic conference data is transmitted to at least one terminal device among two or more terminal devices assigned to the people belonging to the second group of people to be recorded; The first electronic conference data includes voice data representing the contents of speech of each member of the first channel and image data of a display image on a terminal device assigned to each member of the first channel, The second electronic conference data includes voice data representing the contents of speech of each member of the second channel, and image data of a display image on a terminal device assigned to each member of the second channel. program.

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