Virtual office providing device, virtual office providing method, and program

Abstract

A virtual office providing device and the like are provided that can assist users in managing their working hours more easily. [Solution] A virtual office providing device 20 that provides a virtual office 70 including multiple areas includes a communication unit 21 that communicates with terminal devices 40, an acquisition unit 221 that acquires from a first user 100a a position change instruction to change the area where an icon indicating the first user's 100a's position in the virtual office 70 is displayed, a display control unit 222 that changes the area where the first user's 100a's icon is displayed and displays it on each of one or more terminal devices 40, and a management unit 223 that manages whether the area where the first user's 100a's icon is displayed is a first area. The fact that the area where the first user's 100a's icon is displayed is the first area indicates that the first user 100a is not at work.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a virtual office providing device, a virtual office providing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, an increasing number of companies are introducing teleworking. Teleworking is a work style in which employees can work from a location of their choice, such as their own home, away from the actual office. Teleworking allows employees to work from anywhere.

[0003] A virtual office is a tool that supports communication between teleworking employees. A virtual office is an office that is virtually built on the Internet and can be accessed by employees from their actual workplace.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a virtual office that helps multiple users who share the virtual office to recognize each other's situations. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-103906 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As mentioned above, with the spread of telework, it has become possible to work from anywhere.

[0007] In addition, it is generally known that it is relatively easy to introduce a work style that does not require specific hours, such as a flextime system, in telework compared to a regular work style.

[0008] A possible work style that does not require specific hours is one that allows employees to take time off work temporarily during working hours. In this case, from the perspective of attendance management, the time that an employee takes time off work must be managed as outside of working hours.

[0009] However, the virtual office disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it is not possible to manage the working hours of users.

[0010] The present disclosure aims to provide a virtual office providing device and the like that can assist users in managing their working hours more easily. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] One aspect of a virtual office providing device according to the present disclosure is a virtual office providing device that provides a virtual office including a plurality of areas, the plurality of areas including a first area, the virtual office providing device comprising: a communication unit that communicates with one or more terminal devices used by one or more users; an acquisition unit that acquires, from a first user of the one or more users, a position change instruction to change an area where an icon indicating the first user's position in the virtual office is displayed; a display control unit that changes the area where the first user's icon is displayed based on the position change instruction acquired by the acquisition unit and displays the area on each of the one or more terminal devices; and a management unit that manages whether the area where the first user's icon is displayed is the first area, and the fact that the area where the first user's icon is displayed is the first area indicates that the first user is not at work. When the area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is changed from an area other than the first area to the first area, or when the area is changed from the first area to an area other than the first area, the management unit outputs a signal to an external tool to switch the attendance status of the first user.

[0012] Furthermore, one aspect of a virtual office providing method according to the present disclosure is a virtual office providing method executed by a virtual office providing device that provides a virtual office including a plurality of areas to one or more terminal devices, the plurality of areas including a first area, the method including: an acquisition step of acquiring, from a first user of one or more users, a position change instruction to change an area where an icon indicating the first user's position in the virtual office is displayed; a display control step of changing the area where the first user's icon is displayed based on the position change instruction acquired in the acquisition step and displaying the area on each of the one or more terminal devices; and a management step of managing whether the area where the first user's icon is displayed is the first area, wherein the fact that the area where the first user's icon is displayed is the first area indicates that the first user is not at work. In the management step, if the area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is changed from an area other than the first area to the first area, or if it is changed from the first area to an area other than the first area, a signal for switching the attendance status of the first user is output to an external tool.

[0013] The present disclosure can be realized not only as the virtual office providing method, but also as a program for causing a computer to execute the virtual office providing method, and further as a computer-readable recording medium storing the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The virtual office providing device, virtual office providing method, and program according to the present disclosure can assist users in managing their working hours more easily. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a virtual office system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the virtual office system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of map information according to the embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of user information according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image of a virtual office according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of attendance information according to the embodiment. [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the virtual office system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B is a sequence diagram illustrating another operation of the virtual office system according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing attendance status according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another example of an image of a virtual office according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] (Embodiment) Below, embodiments of a virtual office providing device, a virtual office providing method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a preferred specific example of the present disclosure. The numerical values, components, component placement and connection configurations, steps, and step order shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components constituting a preferred embodiment.

[0017] It should be noted that the drawings are schematic diagrams and are not necessarily strict illustrations. In addition, in the drawings, substantially the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0018] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in this disclosure do not refer to the number or order of components, etc., but are used for the purpose of avoiding confusion and distinguishing between components, etc. of the same type.

[0019] [overview] First, an overview of a virtual office system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a virtual office system 10 according to an embodiment.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the virtual office system 10 includes a virtual office providing device 20, a time attendance management device 30, and a plurality of terminal devices 40.

[0021] The virtual office providing device 20 and the attendance management device 30 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a wide area communication network 50 such as the Internet. The virtual office providing device 20 and each of the plurality of terminal devices 40 are also connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a wide area communication network 50 such as the Internet. The attendance management device 30 and each of the plurality of terminal devices 40 are also connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a wide area communication network 50 such as the Internet. The terminal device 40a used by the first user 100a communicates with the virtual office providing device 20 and the attendance management device 30 via the wide area communication network 50. The terminal devices 40b to 40d used by the other users 100b to 100d also communicate with the virtual office providing device 20 and the attendance management device 30 in a similar manner.

[0022] The virtual office providing device 20 generates a virtual office and displays the generated virtual office on each of the multiple terminal devices 40. The attendance management device 30 manages the attendance status and working hours of each of the multiple users 100. The attendance status is information indicating whether the user 100 is at work or outside of work hours. The attendance management device 30 counts the working hours of the user 100 when the user 100 is at work, and stops counting the working hours of the user 100 when the user 100 is outside of work hours.

[0023] That is, the same virtual office generated by the virtual office providing device 20 is displayed on multiple terminal devices 40 (terminal devices 40a to 40d). Multiple users 100 can visually share each other's situations by checking the virtual office displayed on the terminal devices 40 they use.

[0024] In this way, the virtual office system 10 is a system that can support communication between a plurality of users 100 in remote locations via a virtual office (virtual space).

[0025] Now, consider a situation in which the first user 100a takes a break from work. Taking a break means temporarily leaving work during working hours. In other words, while the first user 100a takes a break from work, the first user 100a is managed as being outside of working hours. For example, the first user 100a takes a break from work to pick up or drop off a child or to go to the hospital. In such a situation, in order to manage the working hours of the first user 100a, it is necessary to manage whether the first user 100a is working or not. Furthermore, while the first user 100a takes a break from work, it is desirable that the other users 100b to 100d can confirm that the first user 100a is not working.

[0026] The virtual office providing device 20 according to the embodiment can determine whether the user 100 is at work or not based on information input by the user 100 to the terminal device 40, and output the result of this determination to the attendance management device 30. The attendance management device 30 manages the attendance of the user 100 based on the result of this determination obtained from the virtual office providing device 20.

[0027] In this way, the virtual office system 10 is a system that can help the user 100 manage his or her working hours more easily.

[0028] [composition] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of the virtual office system 10 according to the embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the virtual office system 10 according to the embodiment.

[0029] The virtual office system 10 is a system that supports communication between remote users via a virtual space (virtual office). The virtual office system 10 allows multiple users 100 to visually share information by displaying various information in the virtual space shared by the users 100 on the terminal devices 40 used by each user 100. Furthermore, the virtual office system 10 can manage the working hours of the multiple users 100. The virtual office system 10 includes a virtual office providing device 20, an attendance management device 30, and multiple terminal devices 40.

[0030] The virtual office providing device 20 is a server device that performs information processing to allow a virtual office to be shared by a plurality of users 100. The virtual office providing device 20 is realized by, for example, a cloud server.

[0031] The communication unit 21 is a communication circuit (communication module) that enables the virtual office providing device 20 to communicate with the attendance management device 30 and multiple terminal devices 40 via a wide area communication network 50 such as the Internet. The communication unit 21 communicates with one or more terminal devices 40 used by one or more users 100. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard used by the communication unit 21.

[0032] The information processing unit 22 executes information processing for managing the area in the virtual office where the icons of the multiple users 100 are displayed. The information processing unit 22 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The functions of the information processing unit 22 are realized, for example, by hardware such as a microcomputer or processor constituting the information processing unit 22 executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 23.

[0033] The acquisition unit 221 acquires a position change instruction from the user 100. For example, the acquisition unit 221 acquires a position change instruction from a first user 100a among the one or more users 100 to change the area in which an icon indicating the position of the first user 100a in the virtual office is displayed.

[0034] The display control unit 222 constructs a virtual office based on the map information 61 and the user information 62 stored in the storage unit 23. In other words, the display control unit 222 generates an image of the virtual office based on the map information 61 and the user information 62, and causes the image to be shared among multiple terminal devices 40. Furthermore, based on the position change instruction acquired by the acquisition unit 221, the display control unit 222 changes the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed, and causes the area to be displayed on each of the one or more terminal devices.

[0035] The management unit 223 manages whether the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is the first area. Furthermore, when the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is a predetermined area, the management unit 223 may output a signal including information indicating that the first user 100a is not working to an external tool. The predetermined area is an area that has been assigned an attribute indicating that the user 100 whose icon is displayed is absent from work. The external tool is, for example, the attendance management device 30 that records the working hours of each user 100. When the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is a predetermined area, the management unit 223 may output a signal to the attendance management device 30 to stop recording the working hours of the first user 100a.

[0036] The storage unit 23 is a storage device that stores various types of information required for the operation of the virtual office providing device 20. The storage unit 23 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0037] The information stored in the storage unit 23 includes map information 61 and user information 62.

[0038] The map information 61 is information for constructing a virtual office. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the map information 61 according to the embodiment.

[0039] 3, the map information 61 is a collection of area data. The area data includes information indicating the name of the area, information indicating the coordinates of the area, and information indicating whether predetermined management is required when a user icon is displayed in the area.

[0040] "Area name" is information indicating the name of the area displayed on the image of the virtual office. For example, "Area name" is "Office 1," "Conference Room 1," or "Open Area."

[0041] "Area coordinates" are coordinates that indicate the range of an area in the virtual office image. For example, "area coordinates" are defined in an XY coordinate system with the upper left corner of the virtual office image as the origin, with the upper left corner of the rectangular area as the origin, and are expressed as (X coordinate of origin, Y coordinate of origin, area width, area height). The method of setting coordinates is merely an example and is not limited to this format.

[0042] "Management Necessity" is attribute information that indicates whether a user should be subject to predetermined management when the user's icon is displayed in an area. Predetermined management means managing the user outside of working hours. When "Management Necessity" is "Needed," it means that the user in that area should be managed outside of working hours, while when "Management Necessity" is "No," it means that the user in that area should be managed as during working hours.

[0043] The area data is created and updated by an administrative user, who is one of the multiple users 100 who use the virtual office system 10 and who has been given the authority to update the map information 61.

[0044] The map information 61 in this embodiment is a database for managing map information showing the space of the virtual office together with information indicating whether or not each location where the icon of user 100 is displayed needs to be managed when user 100 is not at work.

[0045] For example, in the map information 61 shown in FIG. 3, ten areas are set in the virtual office. The "Office 1" area occupies coordinates (0, 15, 20, 10) in the virtual office, and it is set that users 100 who are in the "Office 1" area do not need to be managed as outside of working hours. Here, when user 100 is in a certain area, it means that the icon of user 100 is displayed in that area. Furthermore, the "hollow area" area occupies coordinates (60, 10, 10, 20) in the virtual office, and it is set that users 100 who are in the "hollow area" need to be managed as outside of working hours.

[0046] Note that the names, locations, types, and numbers of areas given here are merely examples. The administrative user can arbitrarily set the names, locations, types, and numbers of areas. The administrative user can set multiple areas of the same type. In other words, multiple "hollow areas" may be set in one virtual office. The administrative user can update the map information 61 at any time.

[0047] The user information 62 is information for displaying an icon of the user 100 on the virtual office. The user information 62 is updated as appropriate based on information acquired from each of the multiple users 100. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the user information 62 according to the embodiment.

[0048] 4, the user information 62 is a collection of information about each of a plurality of users. The user information 62 is a database that manages the user ID, user name, and area where the icon of the user 100 is displayed for each user who uses the virtual office, in association with each other.

[0049] The “user ID” is a number assigned by the virtual office providing device 20 to identify the user 100 .

[0050] "User name" is information indicating the name of the icon of the user 100 displayed on the image of the virtual office. The "user name" is displayed, for example, near the icon of the user 100 on the image of the virtual office.

[0051] "Display area" is the name of the area where the icon of the user 100 is displayed.

[0052] For example, in the user information 62 shown in Fig. 4, the user 100 with the user ID "001" has the user name "Mr. A" and an icon is displayed in the "Office 1" area. Also, for example, in the user information 62 shown in Fig. 4, the user 100 with the user ID "002" has the user name "Mr. B" and an icon is displayed in the "hollow area".

[0053] Each of the users 100 can change the information indicating the area in which their own icon is displayed in the user information 62. Furthermore, each of the users 100 can change their own username in the user information 62.

[0054] The display control unit 222 generates an image of the virtual office based on the map information 61 and the user information 62 stored in the storage unit 23. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image of a virtual office 70 according to the embodiment.

[0055] 5, the virtual office 70 is divided into areas based on the map information 61. Furthermore, based on the user information 62, an icon of the user 100 is displayed in the corresponding area.

[0056] In the virtual office 70 shown in FIG. 5, the "Conference Room 1" area is an area where the icons of users 100 in a meeting are displayed. For example, "Mr. C" who is in a meeting is at work. The "Out of Office" area is an area where the icons of users 100 who are on a business trip or making outside calls are displayed. For example, "Mr. H" who is making outside calls is at work. The "Out of Office Area" area is an area where the icons of users 100 who are out of work are displayed. For example, "Mr. B" who is out of work is outside of working hours.

[0057] The attendance management device 30 is a server device that performs information processing for managing the working hours of each of the multiple users 100. The attendance management device 30 manages the working hours of each of the multiple users 100 by managing whether each of the multiple users 100 is at work or outside of working hours (off-duty). The attendance management device 30 also causes each of the one or more terminal devices 40 to display whether the user 100 using each of the one or more terminal devices 40 is treated as being at work by the attendance management device 30. The attendance management device 30 is realized, for example, by a cloud server. Specifically, the attendance management device 30 includes a communication unit 31, an information processing unit 32, a memory unit 33, and a timing unit 34.

[0058] The communication unit 31 is a communication circuit (communication module) that enables the attendance management device 30 to communicate with the virtual office providing device 20 and multiple terminal devices 40 via a wide area communication network 50 such as the Internet. The communication standard of the communication performed by the communication unit 31 is not particularly limited.

[0059] The information processing unit 32 executes information processing for managing the working hours of each user 100. The information processing unit 32 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor or the like. The functions of the information processing unit 32 are realized, for example, by hardware such as a microcomputer or processor constituting the information processing unit 32 executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 33.

[0060] The storage unit 33 is a storage device that stores various information necessary for the operation of the attendance management device 30. The storage unit 33 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0061] The information stored in the storage unit 33 includes attendance information 63. The attendance information 63 is information for managing the attendance status of the user 100. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the attendance information 63 according to the embodiment.

[0062] In the attendance information 63 shown in FIG. 6, "user ID", "user name" and "attendance status" are managed in association with each other.

[0063] The "user ID" is a number assigned by the attendance management device 30 to identify the user 100. The "user name" is information indicating the name of the user 100. The "user ID" and "user name" in the attendance information 63 may be the same as the "user ID" and "user name" in the user information 62.

[0064] "Work status" is information indicating whether the work status of the user 100 is "on duty" or "off duty." A user 100 whose icon is displayed on the image of the virtual office 70 is within working hours.

[0065] For example, the attendance information 63 shown in FIG. 6 indicates that the user with the user ID "001" and the user name "Mr. A" is "at work."

[0066] The timekeeping unit 34 is a timer that measures time. The timekeeping unit 34 can hold the current time. For example, the timekeeping unit 34 holds the current time by acquiring the current time through communication with an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server.

[0067] The terminal device 40 is an information terminal device used by the user 100. The terminal device 40 is realized, for example, by a personal computer. The terminal device 40 may also be realized by a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like. The user 100 of the terminal device 40 is a user of the virtual office system 10, and is, for example, someone who works in a common virtual office or someone who visits the virtual office. The user 100 can communicate with other users of the virtual office using the terminal device 40. Specifically, the terminal device 40 includes a communication unit 41, an information processing unit 42, a memory unit 43, an operation reception unit 44, and a display unit 45.

[0068] The communication unit 41 is a communication circuit (communication module) that enables the terminal device 40 to communicate with the virtual office providing device 20 and the attendance management device 30 via a wide area communication network 50 such as the Internet. The communication standard used by the communication unit 41 for communication is not particularly limited.

[0069] The information processing unit 42 executes information processing to display an image of the virtual office 70 acquired from the display control unit 222 on the display unit 45. The information processing unit 42 also executes information processing to output a position change instruction input by the user 100 using the operation acceptance unit 44 to the virtual office providing device 20. The information processing unit 42 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The functions of the information processing unit 42 are realized, for example, by hardware such as a microcomputer or processor constituting the information processing unit 42 executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 43. The information processing unit 42 specifically includes an acquisition unit 421, a control unit 422, and an output unit 423.

[0070] The acquisition unit 421 acquires an image of the virtual office 70 from the virtual office providing device 20 .

[0071] The control unit 422 displays an image of the virtual office 70 on the display unit 45 .

[0072] The output unit 423 outputs the location change instruction input by the user 100 to the virtual office providing device 20 .

[0073] The storage unit 43 is a storage device that stores computer programs and the like executed by the information processing unit 42. The computer programs stored in the storage unit 43 include dedicated application programs that enable the terminal device 40 to access the virtual office providing device 20. The storage unit 43 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory.

[0074] The operation reception unit 44 receives operations from the user 100. The operation reception unit 44 is realized by, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, or the like, but may also be realized by a touch panel.

[0075] The display unit 45 displays various images. The images displayed on the display unit 45 include an image showing a virtual office and an image showing the attendance status of the user 100. The display unit 45 is realized by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel.

[0076] [Building a virtual office] The procedure for generating the image of the virtual office 70 will now be described.

[0077] First, the administrative user creates map information 61. The administrative user sets the location and name of the area in the virtual office 70. In this way, the virtual office 70 is constructed.

[0078] The display control unit 222 creates a map image of the virtual office 70 based on the map information 61. The created map image of the virtual office 70 may be transmitted in advance to the terminal device 40 using the communication unit 21 and stored in the memory unit 43 of the terminal device 40. Alternatively, the map information 61 may be stored in the memory unit 43 of the terminal device 40, and the information processing unit 42 may generate the map image of the virtual office 70 based on the map information 61.

[0079] Next, the administrative user creates a list of users 100 who use the virtual office system 10. This list is used as the user information 62.

[0080] Finally, each user 100 selects an area in which his or her icon will be displayed when starting to use the virtual office system 10. Information indicating the area selected by the user 100 is transmitted to the virtual office providing device 20, and the display control unit 222 updates the user information 62 based on that information.

[0081] The display control unit 222 generates an image of the virtual office 70 by superimposing an icon of the user 100 on the map image of the virtual office 70 based on the updated user information 62 .

[0082] Each user 100 can register in advance the position (i.e., initial position) where their icon will be displayed when they start using the virtual office system 10. For example, the user 100 can register their own seat in the virtual office 70. This eliminates the need for the user 100 to select the position where their icon will be displayed when they start using the virtual office system 10.

[0083] [Operation] The operation of the virtual office system 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 7A and 7B. Figure 7A is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the virtual office system 10 according to the embodiment. Figure 7B is a sequence diagram illustrating another operation of the virtual office system 10 according to the embodiment.

[0084] The following describes the operation of the virtual office system 10 when a first user 100a using the terminal device 40a attempts to change the area in which icons are displayed in the virtual office. The user name of the first user 100a is "Mr. A."

[0085] In the virtual office 70 shown in FIG. 5, the icon for "Mr. A" is displayed in the "Office 1" area.

[0086] [Basic operation] First, we will explain the basic operation of the virtual office system 10 according to the embodiment. When a first user 100a inputs an instruction to change the position where an icon is displayed, the virtual office system 10 changes the position where the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in the image of the virtual office based on the instruction, and the image of the virtual office after the change can be shared with multiple users 100.

[0087] Specifically, the operation when the first user 100a changes the area where the icon is displayed from the "Office 1" area to an area other than the hollow area will be described. For example, when the first user 100a starts a conference, the first user 100a changes the area where the icon of the first user 100a is displayed to the "Conference Room 1" area. The operation in such a situation will be described below.

[0088] First, terminal device 40a accepts input of a position change instruction from an area other than the center-out area to an area other than the center-out area (S101). Specifically, acquisition unit 421 acquires the position change instruction input by first user 100a using operation acceptance unit 44. The position change instruction is an instruction for user 100 to change the area in which his / her own icon is displayed in virtual office 70. The position change instruction includes information indicating the area in which user 100's icon will be displayed after the change.

[0089] Here, first user 100a inputs a position change instruction to the area of ​​"Conference Room 1." For example, first user 100a inputs a position change instruction by right-clicking and selecting the area of ​​"Conference Room 1" using the mouse (operation receiving unit 44) in the image of virtual office 70 displayed on display unit 45 of terminal device 40a.

[0090] Next, the output unit 423 of the terminal device 40a uses the communication unit 41 to transmit a location change instruction to the virtual office providing device 20 (S102). The location change instruction transmitted by the terminal device 40a is received by the virtual office providing device 20 via the wide area communication network 50.

[0091] The acquisition unit 221 of the virtual office providing device 20 acquires a position change instruction from the first user 100a (S103). The position change instruction includes information indicating the area of ​​"Conference Room 1." The display control unit 222 updates the user information 62 stored in the storage unit 23 based on the position change instruction acquired by the acquisition unit 221. The display control unit 222 updates the "display area" associated with "Mr. A," who is the first user 100a, in the user information 62 from "Office 1" to "Conference Room 1."

[0092] Here, the management unit 223 checks whether or not the area included in the position change instruction needs to be managed by referring to the map information 61. Here, the management need for "Conference Room 1" is "No," so the management unit 223 does not manage the first user 100a as outside of working hours.

[0093] The display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 changes the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed based on the acquired position change instruction (S104). Specifically, the display control unit 222 updates the image of the virtual office 70 based on the map information 61 and the updated user information 62.

[0094] Next, the display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 transmits the virtual office display screen to the terminal device 40a using the communication unit 21 (S105). The virtual office display screen transmitted by the virtual office providing device 20 is received by the terminal device 40a. The virtual office display screen is a screen including an image of the updated virtual office 70.

[0095] Upon receiving the virtual office display screen, the control unit 422 of the terminal device 40a causes the display unit 45 to display an image of the virtual office 70 (S106). The first user 100a can confirm that his or her own icon is displayed in the "Conference Room 1" area in the virtual office 70 displayed on the display unit 45.

[0096] Simultaneously with the processing of step S105, the display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 uses the communication unit 21 to transmit the virtual office display screen to terminal devices 40 other than terminal device 40a (for example, terminal devices 40b, 40c, and 40d) (S107). The virtual office display screen transmitted by the virtual office providing device 20 is received by terminal devices 40b, 40c, and 40d.

[0097] Upon receiving the virtual office display screen, the terminal device 40 displays an image of the virtual office 70 (S108). The other users 100b, 100c, and 100d can see that the first user 100a is in a meeting by checking that the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in the "Conference Room 1" area in the virtual office 70 displayed on the display unit 45.

[0098] In this way, the virtual office system 10 can share with a plurality of users 100 an image of the virtual office 70 updated based on a position change instruction, thereby supporting communication between the users 100.

[0099] [Behavior when moving to the center area] Next, we will explain the operation when the first user 100a changes the area where the icon is displayed from the "Office 1" area to the hollow area. For example, when the first user 100a wants to temporarily stop working to pick up or drop off their child during working hours, they change the area where the icon of the first user 100a is displayed to the "hollow area."

[0100] Here, the virtual office system 10 can temporarily suspend the calculation of the working hours of the first user 100a while the first user 100a is absent. The operation of such a virtual office system 10 will be described below.

[0101] First, the terminal device 40a receives an input of a position change instruction from an area other than the hollow area to the hollow area (S201). Specifically, the acquisition unit 421 receives the position change instruction input by the first user 100a using the operation reception unit 44. Here, the first user 100a inputs the position change instruction to the "hollow area." For example, the first user 100a inputs the position change instruction by right-clicking and selecting the "hollow area" area with the mouse (operation reception unit 44) in the image of the virtual office 70 displayed on the display unit 45 of the terminal device 40a.

[0102] Next, the output unit 423 of the terminal device 40a uses the communication unit 41 to transmit a location change instruction to the virtual office providing device 20 (S202). The location change instruction transmitted by the terminal device 40a is received by the virtual office providing device 20 via the wide area communication network 50.

[0103] The acquisition unit 221 of the virtual office providing device 20 acquires a position change instruction from the first user 100a (S203). The position change instruction includes information indicating the area of ​​the "hollow area." The display control unit 222 updates the user information 62 stored in the storage unit 23 based on the position change instruction acquired by the acquisition unit 221. The display control unit 222 updates the "display area" associated with "Mr. A," who is the first user 100a, in the user information 62 from "office 1" to "hollow area."

[0104] The management unit 223 checks whether or not the area included in the position change instruction needs to be managed, by referring to the map information 61. Since the management need for the "hollow area" is "necessary" in the map information 61 shown in Fig. 3, the management unit 223 executes a process to manage the first user 100a as outside of working hours.

[0105] The management unit 223 of the virtual office providing device 20 uses the communication unit 21 to send the attendance switching information to the attendance management device 30 (S204). The attendance switching information sent by the virtual office providing device 20 is received by the attendance management device 30. The attendance switching information is a signal for switching the attendance status managed by the attendance management device 30. The attendance switching information includes information for identifying the user 100 whose attendance status is to be switched. In other words, the attendance switching information includes information for identifying the first user 100a. The attendance switching information may include information for switching the attendance status from "on duty" to "off duty". In other words, the attendance switching information may be a signal for stopping the recording of working hours.

[0106] When the attendance switching information is received, the information processing unit 32 of the attendance management device 30 updates the attendance information 63 of the first user 100a stored in the storage unit 33 (S205). The information processing unit 32 updates the "attendance status" associated with the first user 100a, "Mr. A," in the attendance information 63 from "on duty" to "off duty."

[0107] When the attendance information 63 is updated, the information processing unit 32 of the attendance management device 30 uses the communication unit 31 to send an attendance status display screen to the terminal device 40a (S206). The attendance status display screen sent by the attendance management device 30 is received by the terminal device 40a. The attendance status display screen is a screen for presenting to the user 100 information indicating how the attendance status of each user 100 is managed by the attendance management device 30.

[0108] When the attendance status display screen is received, the control unit 422 of the terminal device 40a causes the display unit 45 to display the attendance status display screen (S207). Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing the attendance status according to the embodiment. Fig. 8(a) is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing that the attendance status according to the embodiment is "on duty". Fig. 8(b) is a diagram showing an example of a display screen showing that the attendance status according to the embodiment is "off duty".

[0109] On the attendance status display screen 80 shown in (a) of FIG. 8, the attendance toggle 81 indicating the attendance status displays "At Desk." This indicates that the first user 100a is working. On the attendance status display screen 80 shown in (b) of FIG. 8, the attendance toggle 81 indicating the attendance status displays "Away." This indicates that the first user 100a has temporarily suspended work during working hours. As shown in FIG. 8, the attendance status display screen 80 may also display information indicating the working hours of the first user 100a.

[0110] In the processing of step S206, the attendance status display screen 80 shown in (a) of Figure 8 is changed to the attendance status display screen 80 shown in (b) of Figure 8, and in the processing of step S207, the attendance status display screen 80 shown in (b) of Figure 8 is displayed.

[0111] When the acquisition unit 221 acquires a position change instruction to change the area in which the icon of first user 100a is displayed to the "hollow area," the display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 changes the display mode of the icon of first user 100a (S208). In other words, when the icon of first user 100a is displayed in the "hollow area," the display control unit 222 changes the display mode of the icon of first user 100a to a mode different from the display mode of the icon of first user 100a when the icon of first user 100a is displayed in an area other than the "hollow area" among the multiple areas.

[0112] Changing the display mode of user 100's icon means, for example, changing the transparency of the displayed icon. For example, when first user 100a's icon is placed in the "hollow area," display control unit 222 sets the transparency of first user 100a's icon to a different transparency from the transparency of first user 100a's icon when first user 100a's icon is displayed in an area other than the "hollow area" among multiple areas.

[0113] The change in the display mode of the icon for user 100 may be a change in the saturation of the displayed icon, or a change in the brightness of the displayed icon.

[0114] In the image of virtual office 70 shown in Figure 5, the icons for "Mr. B" and "Mr. G" displayed in the "hollow area" are displayed with a higher transparency than the icons displayed in other areas.

[0115] This makes it easier for other users 100 to visually determine whether the user 100 is at work or not in the image of the virtual office 70.

[0116] The display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 changes the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in the image of the virtual office 70 (S209). Specifically, the display control unit 222 updates the image of the virtual office 70 based on the map information 61 and the updated user information 62.

[0117] Next, the display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 transmits the virtual office display screen to the terminal device 40a using the communication unit 21 (S210). The virtual office display screen transmitted by the virtual office providing device 20 is received by the terminal device 40a.

[0118] When the virtual office display screen is received, the control unit 422 of the terminal device 40a causes the display unit 45 to display an image of the virtual office 70 (S211). Fig. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the image of the virtual office 70 according to the embodiment.

[0119] Compared to the image of virtual office 70 shown in Figure 5, the image of virtual office 70 shown in Figure 9 has the icon of first user 100a moved into the "hollow area" and displayed with a high transparency.

[0120] The first user 100a can confirm that his / her own icon is displayed in the "hollow area" in the virtual office 70 displayed on the display unit 45.

[0121] Simultaneously with the processing of step S209, the display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 transmits the virtual office display screen to the terminal devices 40 other than the terminal device 40a using the communication unit 21 (S212). The virtual office display screen transmitted by the virtual office providing device 20 is received by the terminal device 40.

[0122] Upon receiving the virtual office display screen, the terminal device 40 displays an image of the virtual office 70 (S213). The other users 100b, 100c, and 100d can see that the first user 100a is outside of working hours by checking that the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in the "hollow area" in the virtual office 70 displayed on the display unit 45.

[0123] In this way, the virtual office system 10 can share with a plurality of users 100 an image of the virtual office 70 updated based on a position change instruction, thereby supporting communication between the users 100.

[0124] Furthermore, the virtual office system 10 can stop counting the working hours of a user 100 who has moved an icon into the "hollow area," thereby helping the user 100 to manage their working hours more easily.

[0125] Furthermore, the first user 100a can switch the attendance status managed by the attendance management device 30 by inputting an instruction to change the area where the icon is displayed to the "off-duty area." This prevents the first user 100a from forgetting to switch the attendance status to "off-duty" when taking a break. Therefore, such a virtual office system 10 reduces the operations that the first user 100a must perform when taking a break, and makes it easy to manage the working hours of the first user 100a.

[0126] [Behavior when moving from the center area] Next, we will explain the operation when the first user 100a changes the area where the icon is displayed from the "hollow area" to an area other than the hollow area. For example, when the first user 100a wants to resume a temporarily interrupted workday, the first user 100a changes the area where the icon of the first user 100a is displayed from the "hollow area" to an area other than the hollow area.

[0127] In this way, when the first user 100a finishes his / her break and resumes working, the calculation of the first user 100a's working hours that had been temporarily suspended can be resumed. The operation of this virtual office system 10 will now be described.

[0128] First, the terminal device 40a receives an input of a position change instruction from the hollow area to an area other than the hollow area (S301). Specifically, the acquisition unit 421 receives the position change instruction input by the first user 100a using the operation reception unit 44. Here, the first user 100a inputs the position change instruction to the "office area." For example, the first user 100a inputs the position change instruction by right-clicking and selecting the "office area" area with the mouse (operation reception unit 44) in the image of the virtual office 70 displayed on the display unit 45 of the terminal device 40a.

[0129] Next, the output unit 423 of the terminal device 40a uses the communication unit 41 to transmit a location change instruction to the virtual office providing device 20 (S302). The location change instruction transmitted by the terminal device 40a is received by the virtual office providing device 20 via the wide area communication network 50.

[0130] The acquisition unit 221 of the virtual office providing device 20 acquires a position change instruction from the first user 100a (S303). The position change instruction includes information indicating the "office area." The display control unit 222 updates the user information 62 stored in the storage unit 23 based on the position change instruction acquired by the acquisition unit 221. The display control unit 222 updates the "display area" associated with "Mr. A," who is the first user 100a, in the user information 62 from "hollow area" to "office 1."

[0131] At this time, the management unit 223 refers to the map information 61 to check whether the area included in the position change instruction needs to be managed. In the map information 61 shown in Fig. 3, the management need for "Office 1" is "No." Because the "display area" associated with the first user 100a has been updated from an area for which the management need is "Needed" to an area for which the management need is "No," the management unit 223 executes processing to manage the first user 100a as being during working hours.

[0132] The management unit 223 of the virtual office providing device 20 uses the communication unit 21 to send the attendance switching information to the attendance management device 30 (S304). The attendance switching information sent by the virtual office providing device 20 is received by the attendance management device 30. The attendance switching information includes information for identifying the first user 100a. The attendance switching information may also include information for switching the attendance status from "off duty" to "at work." In other words, the attendance switching information may be a signal to start recording working hours.

[0133] When the attendance switching information is received, the information processing unit 32 of the attendance management device 30 updates the attendance information 63 of the first user 100a stored in the storage unit 33 (S305). The information processing unit 32 updates the "attendance status" associated with the first user 100a, "Mr. A," in the attendance information 63 from "off duty" to "on duty."

[0134] When the attendance information 63 is updated, the information processing unit 32 of the attendance management device 30 uses the communication unit 31 to send an attendance status display screen to the terminal device 40a (S306). The attendance status display screen sent by the attendance management device 30 is received by the terminal device 40a.

[0135] When the attendance status display screen is received, the control unit 422 of the terminal device 40a causes the display unit 45 to display the attendance status display screen (S307).

[0136] In the processing of step S306, the attendance status display screen 80 shown in (b) of Figure 8 is changed to the attendance status display screen 80 shown in (a) of Figure 8, and in the processing of step S307, the attendance status display screen 80 shown in (a) of Figure 8 is displayed.

[0137] When the acquisition unit 221 acquires a position change instruction to change the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed from the "hollow area" to the "office 1" area, the display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 changes the display mode of the icon of the first user 100a (S308). For example, the display control unit 222 changes the display mode of the icon of the first user 100a, which was displayed with a high transparency in the "hollow area," back to its original state. In other words, the display control unit 222 changes the transparency of the icon of the first user 100a to the same transparency as the transparency of the icon when it is displayed in an area other than the "hollow area" among the multiple areas.

[0138] The display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 changes the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in the image of the virtual office 70 (S309). Specifically, the display control unit 222 updates the image of the virtual office 70 based on the map information 61 and the updated user information 62.

[0139] Next, the display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 transmits the virtual office display screen to the terminal device 40a using the communication unit 21 (S310). The virtual office display screen transmitted by the virtual office providing device 20 is received by the terminal device 40a.

[0140] Upon receiving the virtual office display screen, the control unit 422 of the terminal device 40a causes the display unit 45 to display an image of the virtual office 70 (S311). The first user 100a can confirm that his or her own icon is displayed in the "Office 1" area in the virtual office 70 displayed on the display unit 45.

[0141] Simultaneously with the processing of step S309, the display control unit 222 of the virtual office providing device 20 transmits the virtual office display screen to the terminal devices 40 other than the terminal device 40a using the communication unit 21 (S312). The virtual office display screen transmitted by the virtual office providing device 20 is received by the terminal device 40.

[0142] Upon receiving the virtual office display screen, the terminal device 40 displays an image of the virtual office 70 (S313). The other users 100b, 100c, and 100d can see that the first user 100a is at work by checking that the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in the "Office 1" area in the virtual office 70 displayed on the display unit 45.

[0143] In this way, the virtual office system 10 can share with a plurality of users 100 an image of the virtual office 70 updated based on a position change instruction, thereby supporting communication between the users 100.

[0144] Furthermore, the virtual office system 10 can start counting the working hours of a user 100 who moves an icon from the "hollow area" to an area other than the "hollow area," thereby helping to more easily manage the working hours of the user 100.

[0145] Furthermore, the first user 100a can switch the attendance status managed by the attendance management device 30 by inputting an instruction to change the area where the icon is displayed from the "off-center area" to an area other than the "off-center area." This prevents the first user 100a from forgetting to switch the attendance status to "on duty" when he or she finishes his or her off-center time off and resumes work. Therefore, such a virtual office system 10 reduces the operations to be performed by the first user 100a when he or she finishes his or her off-center time off, and makes it easy to manage the working hours of the first user 100a.

[0146] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the external tool to which the virtual office providing device 20 sends attendance switching information is the attendance management device 30, but the virtual office providing device 20 may send attendance switching information to an external tool other than the attendance management device 30. In other words, the management unit 223 of the virtual office providing device 20 may output a signal to the external tool to switch the attendance status of the first user 100a when the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is changed from an area other than the first area to the first area, or when it is changed from the first area to an area other than the first area.

[0147] For example, the virtual office providing device 20 may transmit attendance switching information to a chat tool such as Zoom (registered trademark), Microsoft Teams (registered trademark), etc. This allows the virtual office providing device 20 to reflect information indicating whether the user 100 is at work or not in the external tool, thereby promoting close communication between the users 100.

[0148] [Variation 2] In the above embodiment, when the position change instruction received from the first user 100a is an instruction to move out of the "hollow area" or an instruction to move to the "hollow area," the virtual office providing device 20 sent attendance switching information to the attendance management device 30. Here, when the attendance management device 30 receives an instruction to switch the attendance status from the first user 100a, it may send information to the virtual office providing device 20 to change the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed.

[0149] In other words, when the first user 100a makes an input to the attendance management device 30 to switch the attendance status, the area in the virtual office 70 where the icon of the first user 100a is displayed may be changed.

[0150] For example, the first user 100a can switch between "At Seat" and "Away" by clicking with a mouse on the attendance toggle 81 on the attendance status display screen 80 displayed on the display unit 45 of the terminal device 40a. In other words, the state of the attendance status display screen 80 shown in Fig. 8(a) and the state of the attendance status display screen 80 shown in Fig. 8(b) can be switched.

[0151] In this way, when the first user 100a switches the state of the attendance status display screen 80, the terminal device 40a transmits to the attendance management device 30 an instruction to switch the attendance status (that is, attendance switching information).

[0152] Upon receiving the attendance switching information, the attendance management device 30 updates the attendance information 63 of the first user 100a stored in the memory unit 33, and transmits information to the virtual office providing device 20 to notify that the attendance status of the first user 100a has changed. Based on the position change instruction, the virtual office providing device 20 changes the area in the virtual office 70 where the icon of the first user 100a is displayed.

[0153] Specifically, when the first user 100a is about to start taking a break, he or she switches the attendance status on the attendance status display screen 80 from "At Desk" to "Away." The attendance management device 30 updates the attendance status of the first user 100a in the attendance information 63 from "At Work" to "Off Work," and transmits information to the virtual office providing device 20 notifying that the attendance status of the first user 100a has changed to "Off Work."

[0154] When the virtual office providing device 20 receives the information, it changes the area in the virtual office 70 where the icon of the first user 100a is displayed to the "hollow area" area, and causes the multiple terminal devices 40 to display it.

[0155] Specifically, when the first user 100a finishes his / her break and wishes to resume work, he / she switches the attendance status on the attendance status display screen 80 from "Away" to "At Desk." The attendance management device 30 updates the attendance status of the first user 100a in the attendance information 63 from "Off Duty" to "At Work," and transmits information to the virtual office providing device 20 notifying that the attendance status of the first user 100a has been changed to "At Work."

[0156] When the virtual office providing device 20 receives the information, it changes the area in the virtual office 70 where the icon of the first user 100a is displayed to an area other than the "hollow area" and causes the multiple terminal devices 40 to display the icon.

[0157] For example, the virtual office providing device 20 may display the icon of the first user 100a in an initial position previously registered by the first user 100a. Alternatively, for example, the virtual office providing device 20 may display a screen on the terminal device 40a for prompting the user to select an area in which to display the icon of the first user 100a, and may display the icon of the first user 100a in the area selected by the first user 100a.

[0158] As described above, when the attendance management device 30 receives an instruction to switch the attendance status from the first user 100a, it can cause the virtual office providing device 20 to change the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed.

[0159] Therefore, the first user 100a can change the area in which his / her icon is displayed in the virtual office 70 to or from the "internal absence area" by operating the attendance status display screen 80. Such a virtual office system 10 can reduce the operations to be performed by the first user 100a when starting or ending an internal absence, thereby preventing the occurrence of missed operations.

[0160] [Effects, etc.] The technologies derived from the disclosure of this specification are, for example, the following technologies. Below, the technologies derived from the disclosure of this specification will be described together with the effects and the like obtained by the technologies.

[0161] Technique 1 is a virtual office providing device 20 that provides a virtual office 70 including multiple areas, the multiple areas including a first area. The virtual office providing device 20 includes a communication unit 21 that communicates with one or more terminal devices 40 used by one or more users 100; an acquisition unit 221 that acquires a position change instruction from a first user 100a among the one or more users 100 to change the area where an icon indicating the first user's location in the virtual office 70 is displayed; a display control unit 222 that changes the area where the first user's icon is displayed based on the position change instruction acquired by the acquisition unit 221 and displays the area on each of the one or more terminal devices 40; and a management unit 223 that manages whether the area where the first user's icon is displayed is the first area. The fact that the area where the first user's icon is displayed is the first area indicates that the first user 100a is not at work. The hollow area in the above embodiment is an example of the first area.

[0162] Such a virtual office providing device 20 can identify the user 100 whose icon is displayed in the "hollow area" and can tell at a glance whether the user 100 is at work or outside of work hours, thereby helping to more easily manage the working hours of the user 100.

[0163] Technology 2 is a virtual office providing device 20 of technology 1, in which the management unit 223 outputs a signal to an external tool to switch the attendance status of the first user 100a when the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is changed from an area other than the first area to the first area, or when it is changed from the first area to an area other than the first area.

[0164] Such a virtual office providing device 20 can share information indicating whether the user 100 is at work or not with an external tool.

[0165] In order to popularize the virtual office system 10, it is important to improve compatibility with chat tools or attendance management tools that companies have traditionally used, but the virtual office providing device 20 related to technology 2 can more easily integrate with external tools.

[0166] Technology 3 is a virtual office providing device 20 of technology 2, in which the management unit 223 outputs a signal to the attendance management device 30 to stop recording the working hours of the first user 100a when the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is changed from an area other than the first area to the first area, and outputs a signal to the attendance management device 30 to start recording the working hours of the first user 100a when the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is changed from the first area to an area other than the first area.

[0167] Such a virtual office providing device 20 can assist the attendance management device 30 in managing the working hours of the user 100 by outputting information indicating whether the user 100 is at work or not to the attendance management device 30.

[0168] Technology 4 is a virtual office providing device 20 of Technology 3, in which the attendance management device 30 displays on each of one or more terminal devices 40 whether or not the user 100 using each of the one or more terminal devices 40 is treated as being at work by the attendance management device 30.

[0169] Such a virtual office providing device 20 can stop recording the working hours of a user 100 who has moved an icon into the "hollow area," thereby helping to make it easier to manage the working hours of the user 100.

[0170] Technique 5 is a virtual office providing device 20 according to any one of techniques 1 to 4, in which the display control unit 222, when the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in the first area, displays the icon of the first user 100a in a different manner from the display manner of the icon of the first user 100a when the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in an area other than the first area among the multiple areas, and displays the icon on each of one or more terminal devices 40.

[0171] Such a virtual office providing apparatus 20 can improve the visibility of the image of the virtual office 70 as to whether the user 100 is at work or not.

[0172] Technology 6 is a virtual office providing device 20 of Technology 5, in which the display control unit 222, when the icon of the first user 100a is placed in the first area, sets the transparency of the icon of the first user 100a to a different transparency than the transparency of the icon of the first user 100a when the icon of the first user 100a is displayed in an area other than the first area among multiple areas, and displays the icon on each of one or more terminal devices 40.

[0173] Such a virtual office providing apparatus 20 can improve the visibility of the image of the virtual office 70 as to whether the user 100 is at work or not.

[0174] Technology 7 is a virtual office providing method executed by a virtual office providing device 20 that provides a virtual office 70 including a plurality of areas to one or more terminal devices 40, the plurality of areas including a first area, and the virtual office providing method includes an acquisition step of acquiring a position change instruction from a first user 100a of one or more users 100 to change the area in which an icon indicating the position of the first user 100a in the virtual office is displayed, a display control step of changing the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed based on the position change instruction acquired in the acquisition step and displaying it on each of the one or more terminal devices 40, and a management step of managing whether the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is the first area, and the fact that the area in which the icon of the first user 100a is displayed is the first area indicates that the first user 100a is not at work.

[0175] This method of providing a virtual office can identify users 100 whose icons are displayed in the "hollow area," thereby helping users 100 to more easily manage their working hours.

[0176] Technique 8 is a program for causing a computer to execute the virtual office providing method of technique 7.

[0177] Such a program can help users 100 manage their work hours more easily.

[0178] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0179] For example, in the above embodiment, the virtual office system is realized by multiple devices. When the virtual office system is realized by multiple devices in this way, the components (especially functional components) of the virtual office system may be distributed among the multiple devices in any manner.

[0180] Furthermore, the method of communication between the devices in the above-described embodiments is not particularly limited. Furthermore, a relay device (such as a gateway device) (not shown) may be involved in the communication between the devices.

[0181] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0182] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0183] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0184] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0185] The present disclosure may also be realized as a virtual office providing method executed by a computer such as the virtual office system (virtual office providing device) of the above-described embodiment, or as a program for causing a computer to execute the virtual office providing method (in other words, a computer program product).The present disclosure may also be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0186] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0187] The invention according to the present disclosure can be used in a virtual office system that supports teleworking. [Explanation of symbols]

[0188] 10 Virtual Office System 20 Virtual office provision equipment 21 Communications Department 22 Information Processing Department 221 Acquisition Department 222 Display control unit 223 Management Department 23 Memory section 30. Time attendance management device 31 Communications Department 32 Information Processing Department 33 Storage section 40, 40a to 40d Terminal device 41 Communications Department 42 Information Processing Department 421 Acquisition Department 422 Control Unit 423 Output Section 43 Storage section 44 Operation reception section 45 Display section 50 Wide Area Communication Network 61 Map Information 62 User Information 63 Attendance Information 70 Virtual Offices 80 Attendance status display screen 81 Attendance Toggle 100 users 100a First User 100b~100d Other users

Claims

1. A virtual office providing device that provides a virtual office including a plurality of areas, the plurality of areas includes a first area, The virtual office providing device a communication unit that communicates with one or more terminal devices used by one or more users; an acquisition unit that acquires, from a first user among the one or more users, a position change instruction to change an area in which an icon indicating the position of the first user in the virtual office is displayed; a display control unit that changes an area in which the icon of the first user is displayed based on the position change instruction acquired by the acquisition unit, and displays the changed area on each of the one or more terminal devices; a management unit that manages whether an area in which an icon of the first user is displayed is the first area, The fact that the area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is the first area indicates that the first user is not at work, The management unit outputs a signal to an external tool to switch the attendance status of the first user when the area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is changed from an area other than the first area to the first area, or when the area is changed from the first area to an area other than the first area. Virtual office provision device.

2. the external tool is a time attendance management device for recording working hours of each of the one or more users; The management unit outputs a signal to the attendance management device to stop counting the working hours of the first user when the area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is changed from an area other than the first area to the first area, and outputs a signal to the attendance management device to start counting the working hours of the first user when the area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is changed from the first area to an area other than the first area.

2. The virtual office providing device according to claim 1.

3. The attendance management device displays, on each of the one or more terminal devices, whether or not a user using each of the one or more terminal devices is treated as being at work by the attendance management device.

3. The virtual office providing device according to claim 2.

4. when the icon of the first user is displayed in the first area, the display control unit causes each of the one or more terminal devices to display the icon of the first user in a mode different from a mode of display of the icon of the first user when the icon of the first user is displayed in an area other than the first area among the plurality of areas; 4. The virtual office providing device according to claim 1.

5. when the icon of the first user is arranged in the first area, the display control unit sets a transparency of the icon of the first user to a transparency different from a transparency of the icon of the first user when the icon of the first user is displayed in an area other than the first area among the plurality of areas, and displays the icon on each of the one or more terminal devices.

5. The virtual office providing device according to claim 4.

6. A virtual office providing method executed by a virtual office providing device that provides a virtual office including a plurality of areas to one or more terminal devices, comprising: the plurality of areas includes a first area, The virtual office providing method includes: an acquiring step of acquiring, from a first user among the one or more users, a position change instruction for changing an area in which an icon indicating the position of the first user in the virtual office is displayed; a display control step of changing an area in which the icon of the first user is displayed based on the position change instruction acquired in the acquisition step, and displaying the changed area on each of the one or more terminal devices; a management step of managing whether an area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is the first area, The fact that the area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is the first area indicates that the first user is not at work, In the management step, when the area in which the icon of the first user is displayed is changed from an area other than the first area to the first area, or when the area is changed from the first area to an area other than the first area, a signal for switching the attendance status of the first user is output to an external tool. How to provide a virtual office.

7. A program for causing a computer to execute the virtual office providing method according to claim 6.

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