Web conferencing system, network monitoring device and telephone control device

Abstract

To allow a participant in a web conference to easily make a call through means other than the web conference.SOLUTION: A call destination telephone number acquisition unit 622 acquires one or more telephone numbers of a call destination, and a caller telephone number acquisition unit 623 acquires one or more telephone numbers of a caller. A call destination calling unit 624 makes a call to the acquired one or more telephone numbers of the call destination and maintains the connection only with a telephone terminal that has made a response. When there is a response from the call destination, a call control unit 625 makes a call using the acquired one or more telephone numbers of the caller and maintains the connection only with a telephone terminal that has made a response. A connection control unit connects a telephone line between the telephone terminal of the call destination and the telephone terminal of the caller with which the connection is maintained.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a Web conference system that uses communication terminals such as PCs (Personal Computers) to hold conferences over the Internet, and to devices used in the system. [Background technology]

[0002] Web conferencing, in which participants in different locations hold a conference via the Internet using communication terminals such as PCs and tablet PCs, is widely used. Web conferencing is a system in which audio from a microphone built into or connected to a communication terminal and video from a camera are transmitted to a conference server via the Internet, and participants share this information using their own communication terminals, thereby holding a real-time conference. As disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 described below, various improvements have been made to web conferencing to make it easier for a variety of users to use.

[0003] When holding a web conference, the person who convenes the conference sends a meeting notification specifying the date and time in advance to the participants, for example by email, and the conference body is formed on that date and time, and the conference can be held. During the web conference, a so-called conference app can be used to view a list of the members and participants who have been invited, and members who have not yet joined (prospective participants) can be individually called from within the web conference. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-282596 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As mentioned above, if a member (scheduled participant) is not yet participating in a web conference when the conference start time arrives, they can be individually called via the conference app. However, there are many cases where members who are not participating in the web conference do not respond when called via the same method, i.e., the web conference. For this reason, some callers use alternative methods such as phone or email, but finding a phone number or email address is cumbersome, and if the meeting organizer calls them, it disrupts the start and progress of the meeting.

[0006] For this reason, the convener may ask other participants to make calls on their behalf, but in many cases, no one other than the convener knows the non-attending members, and even if they try to find their phone number or email address, they often cannot find it because they do not know their affiliation or full name. In this case, the convener ends up giving their phone number or email address to the other participants they have asked to make calls on their behalf, which causes problems for the meeting.

[0007] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily call a participant who has been invited to a web conference but does not attend the web conference through a means other than the web conference, if the participant is also a participant of the web conference. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the web conferencing system of the invention described in claim 1 is: A web conference system comprising a network monitoring device connected to one or more information processing devices and an IP (Internet Protocol) network, a telephone control device connected to a wide area telephone network and a plurality of extension telephone terminals to form an extension telephone system, The network monitoring device an extraction means for connecting a link to a conference server on an IP network, monitoring transmission information from the information processing devices participating in the Web conference, and extracting account information of both a caller and a callee when a call request to call a non-participant is generated; a notification means for notifying the telephone control device of the account information of both the caller and the callee extracted by the extraction means; Equipped with The telephone control device a contact storage means for storing contact information for a potential contact that associates the account information with one or more telephone numbers of the contact; an acquisition means for acquiring the account information of both the caller and the callee from the network monitoring device; a callee telephone number acquisition means for referencing the contact storage means and acquiring one or more telephone numbers of the callee based on the account information of the callee acquired by the acquisition means; The contact information storage means is referenced based on the account information of the caller acquired by the acquisition means, and one or more telephone numbers of the caller are acquired. Caller's phone number Acquisition means; a calling means for making a call to each of one or more telephone terminals to which the one or more telephone numbers of the callees acquired by the acquiring means are respectively assigned; a call canceling means for, when a call is answered from one of the one or more telephone terminals that are set to make a call through said calling means, maintaining a connection with the called telephone terminal that has answered, and canceling calls to other telephone terminals; a call control means for calling one or more telephone terminals to which the one or more caller telephone numbers acquired by the caller telephone number acquisition means are respectively assigned when there is a response from one of the one or more telephone terminals to which a call is made through the call originating means; a call canceling means for, when a response is received from one of the one or more telephone terminals that have been called through said call control means, maintaining a connection with the telephone terminal that has responded and canceling calls to other telephone terminals; a connection control means for connecting a call line between the telephone terminal of the called party who has responded and the telephone terminal of the calling party who has responded, thereby enabling a call to be made; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0009] According to the Web conferencing system of the invention described in claim 1, an extraction means of a network monitoring device monitors transmitted information from information processing devices participating in a Web conference, and when a call request from a non-participant is detected, account information of the caller and the callee is extracted. The extracted account information is notified to a telephone control device by a notification means. A contact storage means of the telephone control device stores contact information that associates account information of potential callees with one or more telephone numbers of the callees. An acquisition means acquires account information of both the caller and the callee from the network monitoring device. A callee telephone number acquisition means references the contact storage means based on the callee's account information and acquires one or more telephone numbers of the callee. Caller's phone number The number obtaining means refers to the contact storage means based on the account information of the caller, and obtains one or more telephone numbers of the caller.

[0010] The calling means of the telephone control device makes a call to each of one or more telephone terminals having one or more callee telephone numbers. When one of the one or more telephone terminals answers, the call canceling means maintains the connection with the called telephone terminal that answered, and cancels the call to the other telephone terminals. When one of the one or more telephone terminals that are set to make a call answers, the call control means calls each of one or more telephone terminals having one or more caller telephone numbers. When one of the one or more telephone terminals answers, the call canceling means maintains the connection with the calling telephone terminal that answered, and cancels the call to the other telephone terminals. Thereafter, the connection control means connects a call line between the called telephone terminal that answered and the calling telephone terminal that answered, enabling communication. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this invention, when a non-participant is called in a Web conference, a call line can be connected between the called telephone terminal and the calling telephone terminal to make a call. This allows a call line different from the route through which the Web conference is being held to be connected easily and reliably, and encourages participation in the Web conference by calling using a telephone terminal. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a Web conference system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a UTM device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a telephone control device according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in an employee contact DB (Data Base) of the telephone control device. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of data stored in a telephone directory DB (Data Base) of the telephone control device. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing performed in the Web conference system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a sequence diagram continuing from FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the system and device according to the present invention will be described. In the embodiments described below, a Web conferencing system according to the present invention will be described using an example in which the system is configured in, for example, a company office. The Web conferencing system is configured using a network monitoring device and a telephone control device according to the present invention.

[0014] [Web conferencing system configuration example] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a Web conferencing system according to an embodiment. In Figure 1, a wide area network 7 shown in the center includes an external telephone network 71 and an IP (Internet Protocol) network 72. The external telephone network 71 includes a public switched telephone network, a mobile phone network, etc., and primarily provides voice communication services. The IP network 72 refers to a computer network interconnected using Internet Protocol Suite technology, and is equivalent to the so-called "Internet."

[0015] A LAN system is formed by connecting a plurality of PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... to a UTM (Unified Threat Management) device 3 connected to an IP network 72 via a LAN (Local Area Network) 2. The UTM device 3 efficiently and comprehensively protects the LAN system formed within a company from threats such as computer viruses and hacking, and is also called a unified threat management device. In this embodiment, the UTM device 3 functions as a network monitoring device.

[0016] Each of PC1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... can access web pages stored on a web server provided on the IP network 72 via the UTM device 3, and can send / receive e-mails via the IP network 72. Also, each of PC1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... can access a conference server provided on the IP network 72 via the UTM device 3 to set up a web conference or participate in a set up web conference. In other words, each of PC1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... is an information processing device equipped with communication functions.

[0017] A telephone control device 6, which is connected to an external telephone network 71 and an IP network 72, is connected to multiple internal telephone terminals (hereinafter referred to as internal telephones) 4(1), 4(2), 4(3), ... via an internal telephone network 5, to form a business phone system. The telephone control device 6 controls connections between internal and external lines and connections within the internal lines. In other words, the telephone control device 6 is connected to multiple internal telephones 4(1), 4(2), 4(3), ..., and performs so-called call control, such as connecting, disconnecting, and transferring communications between internal and external lines and within the internal lines. The telephone control device 6 is also connected to the IP network 72 because it enables the use of IP telephone services using VoIP technology through the IP network 72.

[0018] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the UTM device 3 and the telephone control device 6 are connected via a LAN 2, and can send and receive data between them. This enables the UTM device 3 to provide necessary information to the telephone control device 6. As will be described later, the necessary information is the account information of the caller and the called party when a non-participant is called when PC1(1), PC1(2), PC1(3), etc. under the control of the UTM device 3 are participating in a Web conference. Note that, although the UTM device 3 and the telephone control device 6 are connected via the LAN 2 in FIG. 1, it is of course also possible to connect the UTM device 3 and the telephone control device 6 directly.

[0019] Each of PC1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... and extension telephones 4(1), 4(2), 4(3), ... is installed on a desk in a company office. As shown in FIG. 1, for example, PC1(1) and extension telephone 4(1) are assumed to be for Mr. A, who is located on Mr. A's desk in the sales department on the first floor. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, PC1(2) and extension telephone 4(2) are assumed to be for Mr. B, who is located on Mr. B's desk in the development department on the second floor, and PC1(3) and extension telephone 4(3) are assumed to be for Mr. C, who is located on Mr. C's desk in the planning department on the third floor. That is, in this embodiment, PC1(1) and extension telephone 4(1), PC1(2) and extension telephone 4(2), and PC1(3) and extension telephone 4(3) are located in the same company but in different locations, such as on different floors, where face-to-face conversation is not possible.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, wide area network 7 is connected to PC 9(1) and fixed telephone terminal 10(1) via router 8(1), and to mobile phone terminal 11(1) via base station BS. Similarly, wide area network 7 is connected to PC 9(2) and fixed telephone terminal 10(2) via router 8(2), and to mobile phone terminal 11(2) via base station BS. In Figure 1, base station BS is shown as a representative of the many base stations of the mobile phone network installed in various locations to prevent the creation of areas where communication is unavailable.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, PC9(1) and fixed telephone terminal 10(1) are installed and used at Mr. A's home, and mobile phone terminal 11(1) is owned by Mr. A in the sales department. As described above, Mr. A in the sales department also uses PC1(1) and extension telephone 4(1) in the company office where the Web conferencing system of this embodiment is installed. Furthermore, PC9(2) and fixed telephone terminal 10(2) are installed at the home of Mr. B in the development department, and mobile phone terminal 11(2) is owned by Mr. B. As described above, Mr. B in the development department also uses PC1(2) and extension telephone 4(2) in the company office where the Web conferencing system of this embodiment is installed.

[0022] In the network system shown in FIG. 1, a user can set up a web conference by accessing a predetermined conference server on IP network 72 using a predetermined conference app via PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), 9(1), and 9(2). Of course, a user can also participate in a web conference that they set up via PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), 9(1), and 9(2). Furthermore, if a user is invited (requested to participate) in a web conference set up on the conference server, they can participate in the web conference via PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), 9(1), and 9(2). Being invited to a web conference means, for example, that the user has been notified of the web conference's URL (Uniform Resource Locator), conference ID, and password via email and is now able to use these to participate in the web conference.

[0023] Therefore, when participating in a set up Web conference, PCs 1(1), 1(2), and 1(3) will access the conference server on IP network 72 via LAN 2 and UTM device 3. Also, PC 9(1) will access the conference server on IP network 72 via router 8(1), and PC 9(2) will access the conference server on IP network 72 via router 8(2).

[0024] In addition, in the Web conference system of this embodiment, a work management device 12 is connected to LAN2. The work management device 12 manages information about employees' daily arrival times, departure times, departure times, return times, destinations of trips, business trip start and end times, and business trip destinations. Specifically, the work management device 12 manages, for each employee ID, the employee ID and the time of reading, which are read by holding an employee ID card (IC card) over a card reader (not shown) connected to LAN2, as the daily arrival times, departure times, departure times, and return times. The work management device 12 also manages information about destinations of trips, business trip start and end times, and business trip destinations, which are input via PC1(1), PC1(2), PC1(3), etc. and provided via LAN2. The information managed by the work management device 12 allows the employee's general location, such as whether they are at the office, away from home, on a business trip, or at home, to be determined.

[0025] In the web conferencing system configured as shown in Figure 1, for example, suppose that Person A from the Sales Department sets up and holds a web conference with Person B from the Development Department and Person C from the Planning Department as participants. In this case, suppose that Person B from the Development Department is the only person who has not joined the web conference, even when the scheduled date and time for the web conference has passed. Generally, Person A from the Sales Department, who set up the web conference, can use a specific conference app from PC1(1) to access the conference server on IP network 72 via LAN2 and UTM device 3, and call Person B through Person C from the Development Department's PC1(2). However, if Person B from the Development Department is not using PC1(2) or is not at his or her desk, calling Person B via the same route as the route for the web conference is meaningless.

[0026] Therefore, in the Web conference system of this embodiment, as described above, the UTM device 3 functions as a network monitoring device. The UTM device 3 monitors transmission information when subordinate PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... are participating in a Web conference, and when a call request to call a non-participant is sent, it extracts the account information of the caller and the account information of the callee. The UTM device 3 notifies the telephone control device 6 of this extracted account information. The account information is authentication information for using a Web conference service provided via a specified conference server and is identification information for identifying the user. In this embodiment, the account information is assumed to be an email address. This allows the telephone control device 6 to know who is calling whom during a Web conference.

[0027] Based on the account information from the UTM device 3, the telephone control device 6 references the contact information it holds and identifies the telephone number of the callee and the telephone number of the caller. The telephone control device 6 first makes a call to the callee's telephone terminal using the callee's telephone number, and also calls the callee via telephone communication. When the callee responds to the call through the telephone terminal, the telephone control device 6 calls the caller's telephone terminal using the caller's telephone number. Assume that the caller responds to this call through the telephone terminal. In this case, the telephone control device 6 connects a call line between the callee's telephone terminal and the caller's telephone terminal, allowing the caller to invite the callee to participate in the Web conference via voice communication.

[0028] In general, the caller and the callee often have access to multiple telephone terminals assigned with different telephone numbers, such as a company extension, their own mobile phone, and a home landline. With the spread of so-called remote work, some people work from home, and the telephone control device 6 cannot grasp the location of either the caller or the callee. In particular, the location of the person being called cannot be grasped because they are not participating in the web conference. For this reason, if there are multiple available telephone terminals with different telephone numbers for both the callee and the caller, the telephone control device 6 will make the call using those multiple telephone numbers. After this, the connection with the telephone terminal that answered is maintained, and calls to other telephone terminals are canceled. This ensures that the caller and the callee can reliably converse via voice call.

[0029] Furthermore, by using management information in the work management device 12, it is possible to know whether a person is at work or not, or whether a person is out or on a business trip even if they are at work. In this case, it is possible to narrow down the number of callees and callers. That is, if a person is at work and not out or on a business trip, calls are made to an extension phone and a mobile phone terminal, and if a person is at work but out or on a business trip, calls are made to a mobile phone terminal. Furthermore, if a person is not at work, it is possible to narrow down the number of callees, such as calling a mobile phone terminal and a home landline. Furthermore, if the telephone number of a person's out-of-work or business trip destination is registered in the work management device 12, it is also possible to make calls to the person's out-of-work or business trip destination.

[0030] Below, we will explain the configuration and operation of the UTM device 3 and telephone control device 6 that make up the Web conferencing system of this embodiment. Note that each of the extension telephones 4(1), 4(2), and 4(3) has the configuration of a typical business phone, so explanations of their configuration examples will be omitted. Furthermore, unless it is necessary to distinguish between them, the extension telephones 4(1), 4(2), and 4(3) will be collectively referred to as extension telephone 4. Similarly, since PC1(1), 1(2), 1(3), 9(1), and 9(2) can be used with so-called commercially available devices, explanations of their configuration examples will be omitted, and they will be collectively referred to as PC1 and PC9, except when it is necessary to distinguish between them.

[0031] Furthermore, as fixed telephone terminals 10(1) and 10(2) can be commercially available, explanations of their configuration examples will be omitted, and unless otherwise required, they will be referred to collectively as fixed telephone 10. Similarly, as mobile telephone terminals 11(1) and 11(2) can be commercially available, explanations of their configuration examples will be omitted, and unless otherwise required, they will be referred to collectively as mobile telephone terminal 11.

[0032] [Configuration example of UTM device 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the UTM device 3 according to an embodiment. As described above, the UTM device 3 functions as a network monitoring device in a Web conference system. The connection end 301T of the UTM device 3 constitutes the connection end to the IP network 72. The communication I / F 301 converts data transmitted to the UTM device via the IP network 72 into data in a format that can be processed by the device and imports the data. The communication I / F 301 also converts data to be transmitted from the device into data in a transmission format and transmits the data to the intended recipient via the IP network 72. Therefore, communication with a server device or the like connected to the IP network 72 is performed via the connection end 301T and the communication I / F 301.

[0033] The control unit 302, although not shown, is a microprocessor configured by connecting a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and non-volatile memory via a bus, and realizes the function of controlling each unit of the UTM device 3. The storage device 303 is a device unit consisting of a recording medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) and its driver, and records, reads, modifies, and deletes various data from the recording medium. In addition to storing and retaining necessary data and programs, the storage device 303 is also used as a working area for temporarily storing intermediate data generated in various processes. The clock circuit 304 can provide the current date, current day of the week, and current time, and can also realize a timer function for measuring a specified time range.

[0034] The connection end 305T constitutes a connection end to LAN2. The LAN I / F (interface) 305 converts data sent from a subordinate terminal device to itself via LAN2 into data in a format that can be processed by itself and imports the data. The LAN I / F 305 also converts data to be sent from itself to a subordinate terminal device into data in a format for transmission, and transmits the data to the target terminal device via LAN2. Therefore, communication with a subordinate terminal device connected to LAN2 is performed via the connection end 305T and the LAN I / F 305.

[0035] 2, security function unit 310 is made up of P2P countermeasure unit 311, HP access control unit 312, antivirus unit 313, email countermeasure unit 314, IPS / IDS unit 315, and firewall unit 316. P2P countermeasure unit 311 implements the function of prohibiting P2P connections with parties that do not implement security measures or with malicious parties. Note that "P2P" stands for "Peer to Peer," meaning that equal parties communicate directly with each other over the Internet. The function of P2P countermeasure unit 311 implements functions such as preventing one-to-one file exchanges, such as image files, with problematic parties, and preventing virus infection from the other party.

[0036] The HP (Home Page) access control unit 312, for example, realizes a function of prohibiting access to homepages that fall into a desired category by selecting the desired homepage category in advance. For example, it is possible to filter URLs to inappropriate sites such as gambling sites, adult sites, and drug-related sites. The antivirus unit 313 verifies the response of web pages (virus checks). Specifically, the antivirus unit 313 realizes a function of monitoring communications when browsing web pages and verifying (checking) whether images to be viewed or files to be downloaded contain viruses.

[0037] The mail countermeasure unit 314 implements a function to block received e-mails containing unwanted advertisements or viruses. The IPS / IDS unit 315 implements a function to prevent inappropriate intrusions and notify users of such inappropriate intrusions. Here, IPS stands for Intrusion Prevention System, and IDS stands for Intrusion Detection System. The IPS / IDS unit 315 can defend against attacks by so-called malware such as worms and Trojan horses. The firewall unit 316 determines whether to supply data to LAN2 based on the data communication status, the software used, etc., and implements a function to protect the system from attacks and unauthorized access from external networks.

[0038] In FIG. 2, the account extraction unit 321 and the account notification unit 322 constitute the conference call monitoring unit 320. The account extraction unit 321 monitors transmission information sent to the IP network 72 from subordinate PCs 1(1), 1(2), 1(3), ... connected via LAN 2. By analyzing the contents of the transmission information, the account extraction unit 321 can determine what information is being transmitted, such as a request to view a web page, a request to join a web conference, or information sent to the web conference. Therefore, when the account extraction unit 321 detects a call request to call a non-participant from information sent from PC 1 participating in a web conference, it extracts the account information of the caller and the account information of the callee included in the call request. The account extraction unit 321 provides the extracted account information of the caller and the account information of the callee to the account notification unit in a manner that makes them distinguishable from each other.

[0039] The account notification unit 322 forms notification information for notifying the telephone control device of the caller's account information and the callee's account information from the account extraction unit 321. In this case, address information indicating the location of the telephone control device itself on LAN 2 is stored in an address DB (Data Base) (not shown) created in the storage device 303, and is used by referring to this information. The account notification unit 322 sends the formed notification information to LAN 2 via LAN I / F 305 and connection terminal 305T, and transmits (notifies) it to the telephone control device 6.

[0040] In this way, when a subordinate PC 1 is participating in a Web conference, the conference call monitor 320 of the UTM device 3 monitors information sent from the PC 1 participating in the Web conference. When a call request is sent from the PC 1 participating in the Web conference, the conference call monitor 320 realizes the function of extracting account information of both the caller and the callee included in the call request and notifying the telephone control device 6 of this information.

[0041] [Configuration example of telephone control device 6] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the telephone control device 6 according to an embodiment. The connection terminal 601T constitutes a connection terminal to the external telephone network 71. The communication I / F 601 is a part that processes communication through the external telephone network 71. That is, the communication I / F 601 converts signals addressed to the device itself, transmitted via the external telephone network 71, into signals in a format that can be processed by the device itself, and then receives the converted signals. The communication I / F 601 also converts signals to be transmitted from the device itself to a destination in a format suitable for transmission, and sends the converted signals to the external telephone network 71 to transmit them to the destination. Therefore, communication through the external telephone network 71 is carried out via the connection terminal 601T and the communication I / F 601.

[0042] The control unit 602 is a microprocessor equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, non-volatile memory, etc. (not shown), and controls each unit of the telephone control device 6. The storage device 603 is a device unit consisting of a recording medium such as an SSD and its driver, and records, modifies, deletes, and reads various data. In addition to storing and holding necessary data and programs, the storage device 603 is also used as a work area for temporarily storing intermediate data generated in various processes. The clock circuit 604 can provide the current date, current day of the week, and current time, and can also realize a timer function for measuring a specified time range.

[0043] The employee contact DB 605 stores and holds information about the contact information of employees of the company in which the Web conferencing system of this embodiment is configured. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of data stored in the employee contact DB 605 of the telephone control device 6. As shown in FIG. 4, the employee contact DB 605 stores and holds the names, furigana readings of the names, departments, employee IDs, email addresses, company telephone numbers, extension numbers, mobile phone numbers, and home telephone numbers of people who belong to the company (employees of the company). The departments are information that indicates which department an employee belongs to, such as the sales department, planning department, or development department, and in practice, it is possible to manage detailed departments, such as XX Headquarters XX Department △△ Section. The employee ID is employee identification information that can uniquely identify each employee.

[0044] The email address, company phone number, extension number, mobile phone number, and home phone number indicate the email address and phone number that can be used to contact the employee. For example, employee "Aoyama Ichiro" belongs to the "Sales Department" and has an employee ID of "2010003," and the employee's email address, company phone number, extension number, mobile phone number, and home phone number can be identified. As can be seen in Figure 4, by referencing the employee contact DB 605 based on the email address, it is possible to identify not only the name but also the employee ID, company phone number, extension number, mobile phone number, and home phone number.

[0045] By referring to the management information of the work management device 12 based on the employee ID, it is possible to determine the approximate location of the employee, such as whether they are at the office, out of the office, on a business trip, or at home. The company telephone number is usually the main telephone number for the company, but there may be telephone numbers assigned to each department, in which case the telephone numbers assigned to each department are recorded. The example of data stored in the employee contact DB 605 described with reference to FIG. 4 is merely an example, and it is of course possible to manage various other information, such as addresses and the actual companies to which employees belong, such as parent companies and subsidiaries.

[0046] The telephone directory DB 606 stores and holds information about contact information of people who are frequently called by users of the business phone system shown in FIG. 1 through the extension telephones 4(1), 4(2), 4(3), .... FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the telephone directory DB of the telephone control device. As shown in FIG. 5, the telephone directory DB 606 contains the extension number of the extension telephone 4 used to register the telephone directory data, and the name of the registrant, who is the employee who registered the telephone directory data. This information is used to manage who is registering and using the data. In other words, the registered data in the telephone directory DB 606 is basically used by the registrant through the extension telephone 4 that registered it.

[0047] Furthermore, the telephone directory DB 606 stores and holds the name of the other party, the reading of the name of the other party, the company name, the department to which the other party belongs, the email address, the company telephone number, the extension number, the mobile phone number, and other information. The company name is the name of the company to which the other party belongs, and the department is the name of the department to which the other party belongs. The email address, the company telephone number, the extension number, and the mobile phone number are email addresses and telephone numbers that can be used when contacting the other party.

[0048] For example, "Taro Suzuki," a frequent caller, belongs to the "Sales Department" of "△△△ Corporation," and the caller's email address, company telephone number, extension number, and mobile phone number can be identified. As can be seen from FIG. 5, by referring to the telephone directory DB 606 based on the email address, not only the name but also the company telephone number, extension number, and mobile phone number can be identified. Note that the example of data stored in the telephone directory DB 606 described with reference to FIG. 5 is merely an example, and it is of course possible to manage various information, such as the address of the company to which the caller belongs. Furthermore, while the telephone directory DB 606 basically stores and holds information about callers who make external calls, it is also possible to register and use callers who make internal calls.

[0049] The connection terminal 608T constitutes a connection terminal to the internal telephone network 5. The connection I / F (Interface) 608 enables communication between the telephone control device 6 and each of the internal telephones 4 accommodated in the telephone control device 6 through the internal telephone network 5. Therefore, signals from the internal telephones 4 are converted into signals in a format that can be processed by the telephone control device 6 and then taken in by the connection I / F 608. Furthermore, signals from the telephone control device 6 to the internal telephones 4 are converted into signals in a format for transmission by the connection I / F 608 and then sent to the internal telephones 4. Therefore, communication through the internal telephone network 5 is carried out through the connection terminal 608T and the connection I / F 608.

[0050] The connection terminal 609T constitutes a connection terminal to the LAN2. The LANI / F (Interface) 609 enables communication between the telephone control device 6 and the UTM device 3 via the LAN2. Therefore, signals from the telephone control device 6 to the UTM device 3 are converted by the LANI / F 609 into signals in a format for transmission and transmitted to the UTM device 3. Furthermore, signals from the UTM device 3 are converted by the LANI / F 609 into signals in a format that can be processed by the device itself and then taken in. Therefore, communication via the LAN2 is carried out via the connection terminal 609T and the LANI / F 609.

[0051] Under the control of the control unit 602, the call control unit 610 performs call control such as outgoing calls, incoming calls, answers, and disconnections for the subordinate extension telephones 4. As shown in Fig. 3, the call control unit 610 includes an outgoing call control unit 611 and an incoming call control unit 612. When the call control unit 610 receives an outgoing call (outgoing call request) from the subordinate extension telephone 4, the outgoing call control unit 611 functions to call the specified destination, and when the destination responds, the call line is connected to enable the call.

[0052] Furthermore, when the call control unit 610 receives an incoming call addressed to itself (an outgoing call notification from the other party), the incoming call control unit 612 functions to notify the subordinate extension telephone 4 of the incoming call. As a result, a ring tone is emitted at the extension telephone 4, notifying the occurrence of the incoming call. When an operation to answer the incoming call (off-hook operation) is performed at the extension telephone 4, the incoming call control unit 612 detects this, answers the call, and connects a call line to the subordinate extension telephone 4 that has been off-hook, enabling the call.

[0053] In the telephone control device 6 of this embodiment, processes such as putting a connected telephone line on hold, transferring a call, and releasing a call are performed under the control of the control unit 602 in response to requests from the subordinate extension telephones 4. In addition, the control unit 602 also controls the turning on / off of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) provided in the subordinate extension telephones 4 and the display of information on the display. Therefore, the control unit 602 receives notifications from the call control unit 610 and is aware of the connection, holding, and release states of the telephone line.

[0054] The account acquisition unit 621, the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622, the caller telephone number acquisition unit 623, the callee calling unit 624, the call control unit 625, the connection control unit 626, and the work management unit 627 constitute the conference call countermeasure unit 620. As described above, the account acquisition unit 621 realizes the function of receiving and acquiring the caller's account information and the callee's account information sent from the UTM device 3 and addressed to the telephone control device 6 via the connection terminal 609T and the LAN I / F 609. In addition, the account acquisition unit 621 supplies the acquired callee's account information to the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622, and supplies the caller's account information to the caller telephone number acquisition unit 623.

[0055] The callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 acquires the callee telephone number by referring to the employee contact DB 605 or the telephone book DB 606 using the callee's account information (email address) supplied from the account acquisition unit 621. The callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 supplies the acquired telephone number to the callee calling unit 624. In this case, when the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 acquires a telephone number by referring to the employee contact DB 605, it acquires an extension number, a mobile phone number, and a home telephone number, and supplies these to the callee calling unit 624. When the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 acquires a telephone number by referring to the telephone book DB 606, it acquires a company telephone number, an extension number, and a mobile phone number, and supplies these to the callee calling unit 624. Therefore, the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 distinguishes between the acquired telephone number of an employee and an external telephone number and supplies this to the callee calling unit 624.

[0056] It is possible to distinguish whether the callee is an employee of the company or an outsider by the so-called mail server name or provider name that follows the "@" in the callee's email address. Therefore, if the callee is an employee of the company, the employee contact DB 605 is referenced based on the callee's email address to identify the contact phone number, and if the callee is an outsider, the telephone directory DB 606 is referenced to identify the contact phone number.

[0057] The caller's phone number acquisition unit 623 references the employee contact DB 605 and acquires the caller's phone number using the caller's account information (email address) supplied from the account acquisition unit 621. The caller's phone number acquisition unit 623 supplies the acquired phone number to the call control unit 625. Since the callers are employees using PC1(1), PC1(2), PC1(3), ... under the UTM device 3, the caller's phone number acquisition unit 623 only needs to reference the employee contact DB 605. The caller's phone number acquisition unit 623 references the employee contact DB 605, acquires the extension number, mobile phone number, and home phone number, and supplies these to the call control unit 625.

[0058] The callee calling unit 624 makes a call to the callee's telephone terminal using the callee's telephone number from the callee's telephone number acquisition unit 622. When the callee makes a call using an extension number, mobile phone number, or home telephone number acquired from the employee contact DB 605, the callee calling unit 624 makes the call using each of them. When the callee makes a call using a company telephone number, extension number, or mobile phone number acquired from the telephone directory DB 606, the callee calling unit 624 makes a so-called individual call, which is made to the extension telephone of the other party, using the company telephone number and extension number. At the same time, the callee calling unit 624 also makes a call using the mobile phone number. The reason for making an individual call is to make a call as if the callee were being called directly and to allow the callee to respond.

[0059] After making the call, the callee calling unit 624 waits for a response from the callee, and if there is a response, it maintains the connection with the callee's telephone terminal that has responded, and cancels (suspends) calls to other callee telephone terminals (telephone numbers). In this case, the callee calling unit 624 instructs the call control unit 625 to call the caller. In this way, in this embodiment, the callee calling unit 624 performs the following series of processes: make calls to multiple callee telephone terminals → receive a response from the callee telephone terminal → maintain the connection with the callee telephone terminal that has responded, and cancel other calls → instruct to call the caller.

[0060] The call control unit 625 functions when it receives an instruction from the callee calling unit 624 to call the caller. The call control unit 625 uses the extension number, mobile phone number, and home phone number that the caller phone number acquisition unit 623 acquired from the employee contact DB 605 to make a call to each of them. The reason it is called a call here rather than a call is that, unlike a normal call, it is part of the process of calling someone who is not yet participating in the Web conference by phone, and is a call that notifies the caller that a response from the called telephone terminal will be accepted. Therefore, the call control unit 625 displays a message on each of the calling telephone terminals that it is trying to call that someone who is not yet participating in the Web conference is being called.

[0061] After displaying the call to the caller and the callee that indicates that a call is being made, the call control unit 625 waits for a response from the caller. If a response is received, the connection with the caller's telephone terminal that responded is maintained, and the call to the other caller's telephone terminal (telephone number) is canceled (halted). In this case, the call control unit 625 instructs the connection control unit 626 to connect a communication line between the callee's telephone terminal that responded and the caller's telephone terminal that responded. Thus, in this embodiment, the call control unit 625 performs the following series of processes: call to multiple caller telephone terminals → receive a response from the caller telephone terminal → maintain the connection with the caller's telephone terminal that responded and cancel the other calls → instruct to connect the communication line.

[0062] The connection control unit 626 connects a call line between the called telephone terminal that has responded and the caller telephone terminal that has responded in response to a connection instruction from the call control unit 625. Here, the called telephone terminal is the one that has responded from the called party and whose connection is maintained by the caller origination unit 624. The caller telephone terminal is the one that has responded from the caller and whose connection is maintained by the call control unit 625. This makes it possible to call the called party, who is not yet a participant, via a telephone communication route different from the Web conference route through which the Web conference is being held, to make a voice call and encourage them to participate in the Web conference.

[0063] As described above, the caller can call non-participants and encourage them to join the Web conference by simply performing the conventional operation of calling non-participants in the Web conference. In this case, there is no need to perform additional tasks such as looking up or entering a phone number, and the caller can encourage non-participants to join the Web conference by voice call using an automatically connected telephone line.

[0064] The work management unit 627 realizes the function of using the work management device 12 provided in the Web conferencing system of this embodiment. As described above, the callee phone number acquisition unit 622 references the employee contact DB 605 using the callee's account information (email address) to acquire the callee's phone number. In this case, the callee phone number acquisition unit 622 reads the employee ID of the referenced employee data and notifies the work management unit 627. Based on the employee ID from the callee phone number acquisition unit 622, the work management unit 627 references the employee information in the work management device 12 and determines the location of the employee.

[0065] That is, the work management unit 627 determines whether the employee to be called is at the office, out of the office, on a business trip, or not at work and at home. Based on the results of this determination, the work management unit 627 instructs the callee phone number acquisition unit 622 to narrow down the callee phone numbers. That is, if the employee to be called is at work and not out of the office or on a business trip, the work management unit 627 instructs the unit to acquire an extension number and mobile phone number, and if the employee to be called is at work but out of the office or on a business trip, the unit issues an instruction to acquire a mobile phone number. Furthermore, if the employee is not at work, the unit issues an instruction to acquire a mobile phone number and a home landline number.

[0066] Furthermore, when the employee to be called is out of the office or on a business trip and the telephone number of the destination of the out-of-office or business trip is registered, the work management unit 627 can also acquire the telephone number of the destination and notify the callee calling unit 624. Therefore, instead of instructing the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 on the telephone number to extract, the work management unit 627 can also instruct the callee calling unit 624 on the telephone number to use. In this case, the callee calling unit 624 will make a call to the callee telephone terminal using the telephone number in accordance with the instruction from the work management unit 627.

[0067] Furthermore, the caller's phone number acquisition unit 623 acquires the caller's phone number by referring to the employee contact DB 605 using the caller's account information (email address). Therefore, the work management unit 627 can grasp the location of the calling employee and instruct the phone number to be acquired or the phone number to be used for the call, in the same way as when giving instructions to the callee phone number acquisition unit 622 and the callee sending unit 624 described above.

[0068] As described above, the telephone control device 6 of this embodiment includes a conference call countermeasure unit 620 in addition to the call control unit 610 that controls normal outgoing and incoming calls. The function of this conference call countermeasure unit 620 makes it possible to automatically call non-participants in a Web conference, connect a call line, and encourage them to participate in the Web conference. Of course, the Web conference participant who is making the call does not need to look up or enter the phone number of the non-participant. In other words, the conference call countermeasure unit 620 functions as a call control unit dedicated to Web conference calls, which enables a call to be made to a non-participant when a call is made to that non-participant.

[0069] [Summary of the processes performed in a web conferencing system] Figures 6 and 7 are sequence diagrams for explaining the processing performed in the Web conferencing system of this embodiment. The sequence diagrams in Figures 6 and 7 will be explained using the Web conferencing system configured as shown in Figure 1 as an example. Specifically, the following example will be used: Person A from the sales department sets up and holds a Web conference with Person B from the development department and Person C from the planning department as participants, but Person B from the development department is the only one who has not joined the Web conference even after the opening date and time has passed.

[0070] As shown in Figure 6, assume that a web conference is set up by person A on a specific conference server with person B from the Development Department and person C from the Planning Department as participants (step S1), and when the time and date for the conference arrives, person A and person C are already participating in the web conference. In this case, person A cannot start the conference because person B from the Development Department has not joined, so he uses his own PC1(1) to call person B from the Development Department over the web conference (step S2). Normally, if person B were using his own PC1(2), he would receive a call from person A and would notice the call, but suppose that person B has left his desk and is, for example, in a laboratory, and does not notice person A's call.

[0071] In the UTM device 3, the account extraction unit 321 of the conference call monitor 320 functions. The account extraction unit 321 extracts the account information of the caller, Person A, and the account information of the called person, Person B, from a call request to call Person B from Person A's PC1(1) (step S3). The account notification unit 322 functions and notifies the extracted account information of the caller and the called person to the telephone control device 6 via LAN 2 (step S4).

[0072] In the telephone control device 6, the conference call countermeasure unit 620 functions to call the callee, Person B in the development department, via a telephone communication route. That is, the account information (email address) of the caller (Person A) and the callee (Person B) from the UTM device 3 is acquired by the account acquisition unit 621. The account acquisition unit 621 notifies the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 of the acquired account information of the callee, and notifies the caller telephone number acquisition unit 623 of the caller's account information.

[0073] The callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 refers to the employee contact DB 605 based on the callee's (person B's) account information (email address) and acquires the extension number, mobile phone number, and home telephone number for person B (step S5). Meanwhile, the caller telephone number acquisition unit 623 refers to the employee contact DB 605 based on the caller's (person A's) account information (email address) and acquires the extension number, mobile phone number, and home telephone number for person A (step S6).

[0074] After this, the callee calling unit 624 of the conference call countermeasure unit 620 of the telephone control device 6 starts functioning. The callee calling unit 624 uses the extension number of person B acquired by the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 to make a call to the extension telephone 4(2) used by person B (step S7). Furthermore, the callee calling unit 624 uses the mobile telephone number of person B acquired by the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 to make a call to the mobile telephone terminal 11(2) carried by person B (step S8). Furthermore, the callee calling unit 624 uses the home telephone number of person B acquired by the callee telephone number acquisition unit 622 to make a call to person B's home landline telephone 10(2) (step S9).

[0075] The callee calling unit 624 of the telephone control device 6 waits for a response from the callee, and assumes that a response is sent from the mobile phone terminal 11(2) owned by person B (step S10). In this case, the callee calling unit 624 maintains the connection with the mobile phone terminal 11(2) and cancels the call to the extension phone 4(2) used by person B (step S11) and the call to the landline phone 10(2) at person B's home (step S12). Furthermore, the callee calling unit 624 instructs the call control unit 625 to call the telephone terminal used by person A, the caller. As a result, the processing of the Web conference system proceeds to the processing shown in FIG. 7.

[0076] In this case, the call control unit 625 of the conference call countermeasure unit 620 of the telephone control device 6 functions. The call control unit 625 calls the extension telephone 4(1) used by Mr. A using the extension number of Mr. A acquired by the caller telephone number acquisition unit 623 (step S13). In the call processing of step S13, a display indicating that a call processing of a non-participant is being executed is also displayed on the display of the extension telephone 4(1). Furthermore, the call control unit 625 calls the mobile telephone terminal 11(1) carried by Mr. A using the mobile telephone number of Mr. A acquired by the caller telephone number acquisition unit 623 (step S14). In the call processing of step S14, a display indicating that a call processing of a non-participant is being executed is also displayed on the display of the mobile telephone terminal 11(1). Furthermore, the call control unit 625 calls Mr. A's home landline telephone 10(1) using Mr. A's home telephone number acquired by the caller telephone number acquisition unit 623 (step S15). During the call processing in step S15, a message is also displayed on the display of Mr. A's home fixed line telephone 10(1) indicating that a call processing for non-participants is currently being executed.

[0077] The call control unit 625 of the telephone control device 6 waits for a response from the call destination, and assumes that the response is sent from the extension telephone 4(1) used by person A (step S16). In this case, the call control unit 625 maintains the connection with the extension telephone 4(1) and cancels the call to person A's mobile phone terminal 11(1) (step S17), and also cancels the call to person A's home landline telephone 10(1) (step S18). Furthermore, the call control unit 625 instructs the connection control unit 626 to connect a call line between the caller's extension telephone 4(1) of person A and the callee's mobile phone terminal 11(2) of person B.

[0078] As a result, the connection control unit 626 connects a call line between Person A's extension phone 4(1), which is still connected, and Person B's mobile phone terminal 11(2), which is still connected (step S19). As a result, the caller, Person A, and the called person, Person B, can make a voice call via the call line connected between Person A's extension phone 4(1) and Person B's mobile phone terminal 11(2) (step S20). Person A can urge Person B to join the Web conference by voice call. Person B, who was in the laboratory, returns to his desk and uses his PC1(2) to join the Web conference (step S21).

[0079] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the Web conference system of this embodiment, when person A uses PC1(1) to call person B on the Web conference, the system automatically calls multiple telephone terminals used by person B, waits for a response, and maintains a connection with the telephone terminal that answers. When person B responds, the system automatically calls multiple telephone terminals used by person A, waits for a response, and maintains a connection with the telephone terminal that answers. In this way, a call line is connected between the called telephone terminal and the calling telephone terminal, whose connection is maintained, and participation in the Web conference can be encouraged via voice call.

[0080] In other words, without any special operations, by simply calling non-participants on the web conference as before, a call line will be connected between the caller and the called party via a telephone route that is separate from the web conference, and they will be encouraged to join the web conference via voice call. This makes it easy to create an environment where voice calls can be made as reliably as possible with non-participants in the web conference, even if they are not in an environment where they can use PC1, and encourages them to join the web conference via voice call.

[0081] [Variations] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which person A, who belongs to the same company, calls person B, but the present invention is not limited to this. Even if a non-participant in a Web conference is an outsider, as described above, it is possible to obtain the telephone numbers of one or more telephone terminals used by outsiders by using information from the telephone directory DB 606, and call the person in the same manner as when calling an internal non-participant. In other words, the non-participants in a Web conference who can be called are not limited to internal people, but can also be external people. In short, as long as the telephone number of the person can be identified using the account information used in the Web conference, the person can be called via a telephone route.

[0082] In the above-described embodiment, the account information used in a Web conference is described as an email address, but is not limited to this. The account information may be any information that can uniquely identify participants and prospective participants in a Web conference, such as names, handle names, and phone numbers that are pre-registered with the conference server that enables the Web conference to be held. In this case, information (account information) that can uniquely identify participants and prospective participants, such as names, handle names, and phone numbers, may be registered in the employee contact DB 605 or the telephone directory DB 606.

[0083] In the above-described embodiment, contact information for people within the company is identified from the employee contact DB 605, and contact information for people outside the company is identified from the telephone directory DB 606, but this is not limited to this. A data file in which contact information for participants in a web conference is registered in advance may be created and referenced. In short, any information may be used as long as contact information (one or more telephone numbers) can be identified based on account information.

[0084] Furthermore, it is of course possible for the processing of the callee calling unit 624, the call control unit 625, and the connection control unit 626 to be different from that in the above-described embodiment. For example, in the telephone control device 6, the callee calling unit 624 makes calls to multiple callee telephone terminals. The call control unit 625 receives a response from the callee telephone terminal, maintains a connection with the callee telephone terminal that has responded, cancels other calls, and makes calls to multiple caller telephone terminals. The connection control unit 626 receives a response from the caller telephone terminal, maintains a connection with the caller telephone terminal that has responded, cancels other calls, and connects a call line between the callee telephone terminal and the caller telephone terminal that have maintained the connection. Processing can be performed in this manner.

[0085] In the above-described embodiment, when an extension number is used to call a non-participant in a web conference, a so-called individual call is generated at the extension phone of that extension number, regardless of whether the extension number is internal or external. However, this is not limited to this. For example, if no telephone terminal responds for a certain period of time, calls or calls using an extension number may be changed to a group call. Group call is a function that allows multiple extension phones to be grouped by extension number and receive calls. By registering the grouping by extension number in the telephone control device 6, calls can be generated for each department or each group of desks, for example, making it possible to request a third party to call non-participants.

[0086] In the above-described embodiment, when a call is made to the calling telephone terminal, a display is displayed on the called telephone terminal indicating that a call process for a non-participant is currently in progress. However, this is not limited to this. Of course, when a call is made to the calling telephone terminal, a display may be displayed indicating that a call process for a non-participant is currently in progress.

[0087] In addition, when a call is made to the callee or the caller, there is not always a response. In this case, if there is no response after a certain number of calls, for example 10 times, the call or the call can be canceled, and if a call is made again during the web conference, the call can be repeated by telephone.

[0088] In the above-described embodiment, when there are multiple telephone numbers for both the callee and the caller, calls are made or received simultaneously using these multiple telephone numbers, but this is not limited to this. For example, the order of calls or reception, such as (1) extension telephone → (2) mobile phone terminal → home landline telephone, may be registered in advance in the telephone control device. As a result, the callee calling unit 624 may be configured to first call the extension telephone, and if there is no response after a predetermined number of calls, to call the mobile phone terminal, and if there is no response after a predetermined number of calls, to call the home landline telephone. The same applies to the call control unit 625.

[0089] In the above-described embodiment, a PC (Personal Computer) is used as a communication terminal, i.e., an information processing device with a communication function, when participating in a web conference. However, this is not limited to this. For example, various information processing devices with a communication function that can connect to an IP network, such as a tablet PC or a smartphone, can be used. In this case, the connection to the IP network can of course be made via a wireless LAN using the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) system.

[0090] [others] As can be seen from the above description of the embodiment, the functions of the extraction means and notification means of the claimed network monitoring device are realized by the account extraction unit 321 and account notification unit 322 of the UTM device 3 of the embodiment.

[0091] The functions of the contact storage means of the claimed telephone control device are realized by the employee contact DB 605 and telephone directory DB 606 of the telephone control device 6 of the embodiment, and the functions of the acquisition means of the claimed telephone control device are realized by the account acquisition unit 621 of the telephone control device 6. The functions of the called telephone number acquisition means and caller telephone number acquisition means of the claimed telephone control device are realized by the called telephone number acquisition unit 622 and caller telephone number acquisition unit 623 of the telephone control device 6 of the embodiment. 623 has been realized.

[0092] Furthermore, the functions of the calling means and calling cancellation means of the claimed telephone control device are realized by the called party calling unit 624 of the telephone control device 6 of the embodiment. Furthermore, the functions of the call control means and call cancellation means of the claimed telephone control device are realized by the call control unit 625 of the telephone control device 6 of the embodiment. Furthermore, the function of the connection control means of the claimed telephone control device is realized by the connection control unit 626 of the telephone control device 6 of the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1, 1(1), 1(2), 1(3)...PC, 2...LAN, 3...UTM device, 301T...Connection end to IP network, 301...Communication I / F, 302...Control unit, 303...Storage device, 304...Clock circuit, 305T...Connection end to LAN, 305...LAN I / F, 310...Security function unit, 320...Conference call monitoring unit, 321...Account extraction unit, 322...Account notification unit, 4, 4(1), 4(2), 4(3)...Extension telephone, 5...Extension telephone network, 6...Telephone control device, 601T...Connection end to external telephone network, 601...Communication I / F, 602...Control unit, 603...Storage device, 604...Clock circuit, 605...Employee contact DB, 606...Telephone directory DB , 608T...Connection terminal to extension telephone network, 608...Connection I / F, 609T...Connection terminal to LAN, 609...LAN I / F, 610...Call control unit, 611...Outgoing call control unit, 612...Incoming call control unit, 620...Conference call counter, 621...Account acquisition unit, 622...Called telephone number acquisition unit, 623...Caller telephone number acquisition unit, 624...Called destination calling unit, 625...Call control unit, 626...Connection control unit, 627...Employment management unit, 7...Wide area network, 71...External telephone network, 72...IP network, 8(1), 8(2)...Router, 9(1), (2)...PC, 10(1), 10(2)...Fixed telephone, 11(1), 11(2)...Mobile phone terminal

Claims

1. A web conferencing system comprising a network monitoring device to which one or more information processing devices are connected and which is connected to an IP (Internet Protocol) network, a telephone control device to which a plurality of extension telephone terminals are connected to form an extension telephone system and which is connected to a wide area telephone network, The network monitoring device an extraction means for connecting a link to a conference server on an IP network, monitoring transmission information from the information processing device participating in the Web conference, and extracting account information of both a caller and a callee when a call request for calling a non-participant is generated; a notification means for notifying the telephone control device of the account information of both the caller and the callee extracted by the extraction means; Equipped with The telephone control device a contact storage means for storing contact information for a potential contact that associates the account information with one or more telephone numbers of the contact; an acquisition means for acquiring the account information of both the caller and the callee from the network monitoring device; a callee telephone number acquisition means for referencing the contact storage means and acquiring one or more telephone numbers of the callee based on the account information of the callee acquired by the acquisition means; a caller telephone number acquisition means for referencing the contact storage means and acquiring one or more telephone numbers of the caller based on the account information of the caller acquired by the acquisition means; a calling means for making a call to each of one or more telephone terminals to which the one or more telephone numbers of the callees acquired by the callee telephone number acquisition means are respectively assigned; a call canceling means for, when a call is answered from one of the one or more telephone terminals that are set to make a call through the calling means, maintaining a connection with the called telephone terminal that has answered, and canceling calls to other telephone terminals; a call control means for calling one or more telephone terminals to which the one or more caller telephone numbers acquired by the caller telephone number acquisition means are respectively assigned when a response is received from one of the one or more telephone terminals to which a call is made through the calling means; a call canceling means for, when a response is received from one of the one or more telephone terminals that have been called through the call control means, maintaining a connection with the telephone terminal that has responded to the call and canceling calls to the other telephone terminals; a connection control means for connecting a call line between the telephone terminal of the called party who has responded and the telephone terminal of the calling party who has responded, thereby enabling a call to be made; A web conference system comprising:

2. 2. The web conference system according to claim 1, a work management device that manages the account information or identification information linked to the account information and location information in association with each person who may participate in the Web conference is connected to the telephone control device, and the telephone control device is able to refer to information on the work management device; The system further includes a work management unit that refers to information indicating the location of the work management device in accordance with the account information of the call destination and issues an instruction to the call destination telephone number acquisition unit or the call destination calling unit regarding the telephone number to be used. A web conference system characterized by the above.

3. 2. The web conference system according to claim 1, a work management device that manages the account information or identification information linked to the account information and location information in association with each person who may participate in the Web conference is connected to the telephone control device, and the telephone control device is able to refer to information on the work management device; The system further includes a work management unit that refers to the information indicating the location of the work management device in accordance with the account information of the call destination and issues an instruction to the caller's telephone number acquisition unit or the call control unit regarding the telephone number to be used. A web conference system characterized by the above.

4. A network monitoring device for a web conference system is connected to a network monitoring device that is connected to one or more information processing devices and an IP (Internet Protocol) network, and a telephone control device that is connected to a wide area telephone network and that is connected to a plurality of extension telephone terminals to form an extension telephone system, The telephone control device includes a contact storage means for storing contact information for potential call destinations, which associates account information notified from the network monitoring device with one or more telephone numbers of the call destinations; an acquisition means for acquiring the account information of both the caller and the callee from the network monitoring device; a callee telephone number acquisition means for referencing the contact storage means and acquiring one or more telephone numbers of the callee based on the account information of the callee acquired by the acquisition means; a caller telephone number acquisition means for referencing the contact storage means and acquiring one or more telephone numbers of the caller based on the account information of the caller acquired by the acquisition means; and a calling means for placing a call to each of one or more telephone terminals to which each of the one or more telephone numbers of the callee acquired by the callee telephone number acquisition means is assigned. and a call canceling means for, when a call is answered from one of the one or more telephone terminals that are set to make a call through the calling means, maintaining a connection with the called telephone terminal that has answered and canceling calls to other telephone terminals; a call control means for, when a call is answered from one of the one or more telephone terminals that are set to make a call through the calling means, calling one or more telephone terminals that are assigned to one or more of the caller telephone numbers acquired by the caller telephone number acquisition means; a call canceling means for, when a call is answered from one of the one or more telephone terminals that are set to make a call through the call control means, maintaining a connection with the called telephone terminal that has answered and canceling calls to other telephone terminals; and a connection control means for connecting a call line between the called telephone terminal that has answered and the caller telephone terminal that has answered, so that a call can be made. an extraction means for connecting a link to a conference server on an IP network, monitoring transmission information from the information processing devices participating in the Web conference, and extracting the account information of both the caller and the callee when a call request for calling a non-participant is generated; a notification means for notifying the telephone control device of the account information of both the caller and the callee extracted by the extraction means; A network monitoring device comprising:

5. A telephone control device of a Web conference system is connected to a network monitoring device to which one or more information processing devices are connected and which is connected to an IP (Internet Protocol) network, and a telephone control device to which a plurality of extension telephone terminals are connected to form an extension telephone system and which is connected to a wide area telephone network, The network monitoring device is provided with an extraction means for connecting a link to a conference server on an IP network, monitoring transmission information from the information processing devices participating in a Web conference, and extracting account information of both a caller and a callee when a call request for calling a non-participant is generated, and a notification means for notifying the telephone control device of the account information of both the caller and the callee extracted by the extraction means, a contact storage means for storing contact information for a potential contact that associates the account information with one or more telephone numbers of the contact; an acquisition means for acquiring the account information of both the caller and the callee from the network monitoring device; a callee telephone number acquisition means for referencing the contact storage means and acquiring one or more telephone numbers of the callee based on the account information of the callee acquired by the acquisition means; a caller telephone number acquisition means for referencing the contact storage means and acquiring one or more telephone numbers of the caller based on the account information of the caller acquired by the acquisition means; a calling means for making a call to each of one or more telephone terminals to which the one or more telephone numbers of the callees acquired by the callee telephone number acquisition means are respectively assigned; a call canceling means for, when a call is answered from one of the one or more telephone terminals that are set to make a call through the calling means, maintaining a connection with the called telephone terminal that has answered, and canceling calls to other telephone terminals; a call control means for calling one or more telephone terminals to which the one or more caller telephone numbers acquired by the caller telephone number acquisition means are respectively assigned when a response is received from one of the one or more telephone terminals to which a call is made through the calling means; a call canceling means for, when a response is received from one of the one or more telephone terminals that have been called through the call control means, maintaining a connection with the telephone terminal that has responded to the call and canceling calls to the other telephone terminals; a connection control means for connecting a call line between the telephone terminal of the called party who has responded and the telephone terminal of the calling party who has responded, thereby enabling a call to be made; A telephone control device comprising:

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