Information processing device and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus and program configured to allow a participant to know the progress of an agenda currently in progress prior to another agenda scheduled to be participated by the participant, the participant being schedule to participate in part of the agendas of a meeting and not participating in the agenda currently in progress.SOLUTION: In a meeting system configured by connecting an organizer terminal device, an information processing server, and participant terminal devices of a plurality of participants over a network, such as the Internet, the information processing server receives registration of information on a meeting including plural agendas, information on participants who participate in each of the plural agendas, information on a scheduled start time and a scheduled end time of each of the plural agendas, and information on a document used for each of the plural agendas, receives start and end of each of the plural agendas, and notifies participants of a progress status while an agenda of the plural agendas is in progress, the progress status being based on a display state of a document scheduled to be used in the agenda, the participants being scheduled to participate in agendas subsequent to the agenda currently in progress.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a network conference support device that proceeds with a conference based on an agenda list that chronologically associates, for each agenda item, the presenter, the materials to be presented by the presenter in the presentation, and the progress status including attendance at the conference and progress on the agenda items, and switches the granting of presenter privileges to a specified conference terminal according to the progress of the conference, and automatically manages the progress of each agenda item within the conference by switching the materials to be presented by the presenter according to the progress of the conference.

[0003] Patent document 2 discloses a medical conference support device that sets patient test data and meeting agendas, and when displaying a list of patient information that will be the meeting agenda, displays the preparation status or conclusion status of meeting materials related to the agenda as an icon.

[0004] Patent document 3 discloses an information processing device that changes the agenda during a meeting each time an agenda change operation is performed, such as pressing the next agenda button or the previous agenda button, and when this agenda change is accepted, sends agenda start information to users participating in the changed agenda, indicating that the agenda they are participating in will begin. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-279535 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-186651 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-032097 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] There are meetings that consist of multiple agenda items and multiple participants participate remotely via a network. Not all participants are necessarily involved in all agenda items. In such cases, participants attend the meeting only during the time for the agenda items that they are involved in. However, depending on the agenda item, progress may not proceed as planned, and unless participants attend the meeting during the time for agenda items other than the one they are involved in, they will not be able to check the progress of the agenda items.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a program and an information processing device that enable a participant who is scheduled to participate in some agenda items of a meeting but is not participating in the agenda item currently in progress to grasp the progress status of the agenda item currently in progress that is being held before the agenda item that the participant is scheduled to participate in. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The program according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises: On the computer, A step of accepting registration of information on a conference consisting of a plurality of agenda items, information on participants attending each of the plurality of agenda items, information on scheduled start times and scheduled end times for each of the plurality of agenda items, and information on materials to be used for each of the plurality of agenda items; accepting the start and end of the plurality of agenda items; a step of notifying participants who are scheduled to attend the next or subsequent agenda items of a progress status based on a display state of materials to be used in a certain agenda item among the plurality of agenda items while the certain agenda item is in progress; Execute the following.

[0009] A second aspect of the present invention provides a program according to the first aspect, wherein the progress status is information about a material displayed in the currently ongoing agenda.

[0010] A third aspect of the present invention provides a program according to the second aspect, wherein the progress status is information indicating the ratio of the number of pages of materials displayed on the currently ongoing agenda to the total number of pages.

[0011] A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a program according to the second aspect, wherein the progress status is information indicating the number of pages of materials to be displayed in the current agenda.

[0012] A fifth aspect of the program of the present invention is a program of the first aspect, in which, in the step of notifying the progress status, if the state of the materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda satisfies a predetermined condition, participants who are scheduled to attend the agenda items following the currently ongoing agenda item are notified that the current agenda item is about to end as the progress status.

[0013] A sixth aspect of the program of the present invention is a fifth aspect of the program, wherein the preset condition is that the progress of the display of materials displayed on the currently ongoing agenda reaches a preset target value.

[0014] A seventh aspect of the program of the present invention is a program of the sixth aspect, wherein the progress is expressed as the ratio of the number of displayed pages to the total number of pages of the material displayed in the currently ongoing agenda, the ratio of the number of remaining pages not displayed to the total number of pages of the material displayed in the currently ongoing agenda, or the number of remaining pages not displayed to the total number of pages of the material displayed in the currently ongoing agenda.

[0015] A program according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the program according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the step of notifying the progress status notifies only participants who are scheduled to attend the next agenda item after the currently ongoing agenda item.

[0016] A program according to a ninth aspect of the present invention comprises: On the computer, A step of accepting registration of information on a conference consisting of a plurality of agenda items, information on participants attending each of the plurality of agenda items, and information on the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of each of the plurality of agenda items; accepting the start and end of the plurality of agenda items; When the completion of a certain agenda item among the plurality of agenda items is received, notifying participants who are scheduled to attend the agenda items following the one that has been completed of the progress of the conference based on the difference between the scheduled completion time of the certain agenda item and the actual completion time of the certain agenda item; Execute the following.

[0017] A tenth aspect of the program of the present invention is the program of the ninth aspect, in which, in the step of notifying the progress of the conference, if a completed agenda item ends before the scheduled end time of that agenda item, the program notifies the progress of the conference that the entire conference has been brought forward by the time difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time.

[0018] An eleventh aspect of the program of the present invention is a program of the ninth aspect, in which, in the step of notifying the progress of the conference, if a completed agenda item ends before its scheduled end time, a new scheduled start time corrected by the difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time is notified as the progress of the conference.

[0019] A twelfth aspect of the program of the present invention is a program of the ninth aspect, in which, in the step of notifying the progress of the conference, if a completed agenda item ends after the scheduled end time of that agenda item, the program notifies the progress of the conference that the entire conference is delayed by the time difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time.

[0020] A thirteenth aspect of the program of the present invention is a program of the ninth aspect, in which, in the step of notifying the progress of the conference, if a completed agenda item ends later than the scheduled end time of the agenda item, a new scheduled start time corrected by the difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time is notified as the progress of the conference.

[0021] An information processing device according to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention comprises: a processor; The processor: Accepting registration of information on a meeting consisting of a plurality of agenda items, information on participants attending each of the plurality of agenda items, information on the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of each of the plurality of agenda items, and information on materials to be used for each of the plurality of agenda items; Accept the start and end of the plurality of agenda items; When a certain agenda item among the plurality of agenda items is in progress, the progress status based on the display state of materials to be used in the certain agenda item is notified to participants who are scheduled to attend the agenda items following the currently ongoing agenda item.

[0022] An information processing device according to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention comprises: a processor; The processor: Accepting registration of information on a conference consisting of a plurality of agenda items, information on participants attending each of the plurality of agenda items, and information on the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of each of the plurality of agenda items; Accept the start and end of the plurality of agenda items; When the completion of a certain agenda item among the plurality of agenda items is accepted, the progress of the conference based on the difference between the scheduled completion time of the agenda item and the actual completion time is notified to participants who are scheduled to attend the agenda items following the one that has been completed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to the program of the first aspect of the present invention, a participant who is scheduled to attend some of the agenda items of a meeting but is not participating in the agenda item currently in progress can grasp the progress of the agenda item currently in progress that is taking place before the agenda item that he or she is scheduled to attend.

[0024] According to the program of the second aspect of the present invention, participants who are not participating in the currently ongoing agenda can understand the progress status according to the materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda.

[0025] According to the program of the third aspect of the present invention, participants who are not participating in the currently ongoing agenda item can grasp the progress status based on the proportion of materials that have been displayed in the currently ongoing agenda item.

[0026] According to the program of the fourth aspect of the present invention, participants who are not participating in the currently ongoing agenda can grasp the progress status based on the amount of materials that have not yet been displayed in the currently ongoing agenda.

[0027] According to the program of the fifth aspect of the present invention, participants who are not participating in a currently ongoing agenda item can know that the next agenda item will soon begin before the current agenda item ends.

[0028] According to the program of the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to notify participants who are not participating in the currently ongoing agenda that the next agenda will soon begin, depending on the progress of the display of materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda.

[0029] According to the program of the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to notify participants who are not participating in the currently ongoing agenda that the next agenda will soon begin, depending on the progress of the number of pages of materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda.

[0030] According to the program of the eighth aspect of the present invention, a participant who is scheduled to attend the next agenda item after the currently ongoing agenda item can grasp the progress status of the currently ongoing agenda item.

[0031] According to the program of the ninth aspect of the present invention, a participant who is scheduled to participate in some of the agenda items of a meeting but is not participating in the agenda item currently in progress, and who is scheduled to participate in the next or subsequent agenda items, can grasp the progress of the agenda items currently in progress that are taking place before the agenda item that he or she is scheduled to participate in.

[0032] According to the program of the tenth aspect of the present invention, participants who are scheduled to attend the next agenda item and thereafter can understand that the entire conference is progressing quickly.

[0033] According to the program of the 11th aspect of the present invention, participants who are scheduled to attend the next or subsequent agenda items can know the scheduled start time of the agenda items they are scheduled to attend if the meeting proceeds in its current state.

[0034] According to the program of the twelfth aspect of the present invention, participants who are scheduled to attend the next agenda item and thereafter can understand that the entire conference is running behind schedule.

[0035] According to the program of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, participants who are scheduled to attend the next or subsequent agenda items can know the scheduled start time of the agenda items they are scheduled to attend if the meeting proceeds in its current state.

[0036] According to the information processing device of the 14th aspect of the present invention, a participant who is scheduled to attend some of the agenda items of a meeting but is not participating in the agenda item currently in progress can grasp the progress of the agenda item currently in progress that is taking place before the agenda item that he or she is scheduled to attend.

[0037] According to the information processing device of the 15th aspect of the present invention, a participant who is scheduled to participate in some of the agenda items of a meeting but is not participating in the agenda item currently in progress, and who is scheduled to participate in the next or subsequent agenda items, can grasp the progress of the agenda item currently in progress that is being held before the agenda item that he or she is scheduled to participate in. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0038] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a conference system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an information processing server according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of an information processing server according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations when registering conference information in the information processing server in the first and second embodiments. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of registered conference information in the first and second embodiments. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations performed when a conference is in progress in the information processing server in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations performed when a conference is in progress in the information processing server in the second embodiment. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations when registering conference information in the information processing server in the third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of registered conference information in the third embodiment. [Figure 10] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations performed when a conference is in progress in the information processing server in the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] [First embodiment] A conference system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiment is intended to illustrate an information processing server 200 as an example of an information processing device and program according to the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention to the following embodiment.

[0040] Fig. 1 is an overall conceptual diagram showing an example of a conference system 10. As shown in Fig. 1, the conference system 10 includes a host terminal device 100, an information processing server 200, and participant terminal devices 300A-300G owned by multiple participants AG, which are connected to each other via a network such as the Internet 400. Note that in the following description, the multiple participant terminal devices 300A-300G may be devices of different types, but because they have the same basic configuration required to participate in a conference, they will be simply referred to as participant terminal device 300 unless otherwise distinguished.

[0041] The conference system 10 of this embodiment is a system for remotely executing a conference consisting of multiple agenda items using multiple information processing devices, such as participant terminal devices 300, connected via the Internet 400. In the following description, a "conference" refers to multiple participants simultaneously connecting to the information processing server 200 using their respective participant terminal devices 300 for a scheduled period of time and bidirectionally exchanging audio and image data online. A "conference" consists of multiple agenda items, and participants are determined for each agenda item. Note that there may be some overlap in participants between agenda items.

[0042] The organizer terminal device 100 is owned or operated by the organizer who is hosting the conference, and may be a portable terminal device such as a tablet computer or smartphone, a notebook personal computer, or a desktop personal computer. The organizer runs application software installed on the organizer terminal device 100, operates the user interface of the organizer terminal device 100, and registers conference information in the information processing server 200. The conference information, which will be described later, includes information on the date and time of the conference, agenda items, participants for each agenda item, scheduled start and end times for each agenda item, and materials for each agenda item.

[0043] Furthermore, the organizer terminal device 100 executes the above application software to connect to the information processing server 200 and output information provided by the information processing server 200 during the conference. The organizer terminal device 100 also has a microphone, which collects voices uttered by the organizer during the conference and generates audio data. The organizer terminal device 100 also has a camera, which captures images of the organizer during the conference and generates video data. The organizer terminal device 100 transmits the generated audio data and video data to the information processing server 200.

[0044] The information processing server 200 accepts connections from the organizer terminal device 100 and the participant terminal device 300, and collects audio data and video data from each of the organizer terminal device 100 and the participant terminal device 300. Furthermore, the information processing server 200 transmits the collected audio data and video data to the organizer terminal device 100 and the participant terminal device 300, thereby holding the conference.

[0045] The participant terminal device 300 is carried or operated by a participant participating in a conference, and may be a portable terminal device such as a tablet computer or a smartphone, a notebook personal computer, or a desktop personal computer. Participants connect to the information processing server 200 by running application software installed on the participant terminal device 300, and output information provided by the information processing server 200 during the conference. The participant terminal device 300 also has a microphone, which collects voices uttered by the organizer during the conference and generates audio data. The participant terminal device 300 also has a camera, which captures images of participants during the conference and generates video data. The participant terminal device 300 transmits the generated audio data and video data to the information processing server 200.

[0046] Next, the information processing server 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processing server 200, and Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the information processing server 200. As shown in Fig. 2, the information processing server 200 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a storage device 203, and a communication interface 204, each of which is connected to a control bus 205.

[0047] The CPU 201 is a control microprocessor, and controls the operation of each unit of the information processing server 200 based on a control program stored in the storage device 203 .

[0048] The memory 202 temporarily stores audio data and video data received from the host terminal device 100 and each participant terminal device 300, temporarily stores composites of these data, and temporarily stores images and videos of materials to be shared and displayed. The memory 202 also temporarily stores the progress status of the agenda acquired by the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215, which will be described later.

[0049] The storage device 203 is configured with a hard disk drive (abbreviated as HDD) or a solid state drive (abbreviated as SSD), and stores a control program for controlling each unit of the information processing server 200. In the present embodiment, the control program is installed in the storage device 203, but this is not limiting. The control program according to the present embodiment may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable storage medium. For example, the control program according to the present embodiment may be provided in a form recorded on an optical disc such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, or in a form recorded on a semiconductor memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a memory card. The control program according to the present embodiment may also be acquired from an external device via a communication line connected to the communication interface 204. Conference information, which will be described later, is also stored in the storage device 203.

[0050] The communication interface 204 controls communication to communicate with the host terminal device 100 and participant terminal devices 300 connected via the Internet.

[0051] In addition, as shown in Figure 3, the information processing server 200 performs the functions of a conference information registration unit 211, a conference information storage unit 212, a conference participation notification unit 213, a conference holding control unit 214, and a progress status acquisition notification unit 215 by executing a control program stored in the storage device 203.

[0052] Prior to the conference, the conference information registration unit 211 acquires conference information transmitted from the organizer terminal device 100 and registers it in the conference information accumulation unit 212. Specifically, the conference information registration unit 211 acquires from the organizer terminal device 100 the date and time of the conference, multiple agenda items constituting the conference, information on participants attending each of the multiple agenda items, the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of each of the multiple agenda items, and information on materials to be used for each of the multiple agenda items. The acquired information is registered in the conference information accumulation unit 212.

[0053] The conference information storage unit 212 stores information such as the date and time of the conference, multiple agenda items, participants for each agenda item, and the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of each agenda item, which are acquired by the conference information registration unit 211 from the organizer terminal device 100. In addition, connection information issued to participate in the conference, which will be described later, is also stored in association with these items.

[0054] When conference information is registered in the conference information storage unit 212 by the conference information registration unit 211, the conference participation notification unit 213 generates connection information for participating in this conference and notifies each participant of the connection information. The connection information is identification information such as a URL, a numeric sequence, or a character string that uniquely identifies the location where the conference is being held, and is stored in the conference information storage unit 212 in association with the conference information. In this embodiment, a conference includes multiple agenda items, but one piece of connection information is issued for the entire conference, and each participant uses the connection information to join the conference at the scheduled start time of the agenda item that they plan to attend.

[0055] The conference participation notification unit 213 notifies the participants participating in the conference of connection information for participating in the conference. At this time, the conference participation notification unit 213 notifies each participant of information regarding which agenda items each participant is invited to participate in the conference, as well as the scheduled start and end times of each agenda item, along with the connection information, in accordance with the conference information stored in the conference information storage unit 212. In this embodiment, notification to each participant means notification in a manner that can be confirmed by each participant. For example, notification is sent to each participant terminal 300A-300F, each participant's email address, SMS contact information, etc. Notification may be sent in any manner that can be confirmed by the participants.

[0056] When the conference start time arrives, the conference opening control unit 214 accepts connections from the organizer terminal device 100 and the participant terminal devices 300 and starts the conference based on the conference information stored in the conference information storage unit 212. The conference opening control unit 214 acquires and collects audio data and video data from the organizer terminal device 100 and each participant terminal device 300. The collected audio data and video data are combined and sent to the organizer terminal device 100 and each participant terminal device 300 as conference audio data and video data, and can be viewed on the organizer terminal device 100 and each participant terminal device 300.

[0057] In addition, based on instructions sent from the organizer terminal device 100, the conference holding control unit 214 plays back the materials stored in the conference information storage unit 212, that is, sends them as image data to the organizer terminal device 100 and each participant terminal device 300, thereby displaying them in a shared manner.

[0058] The progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 acquires the progress status of a certain agenda item among multiple agenda items while that agenda item is in progress during a conference, and notifies the acquired progress status to participants participating in the conference who are affected by the current progress status. The progress status of each agenda item is acquired based on the display information of materials scheduled to be used in the currently ongoing agenda item, which is shared and displayed by the conference holding control unit 214. The progress status is information related to the materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda item. Specifically, the progress status is information indicating the ratio of the number of pages of the materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda item to the total number of pages, which is shared and displayed, or information indicating the number of pages of the materials scheduled to be displayed in the currently ongoing agenda item. The progress status of these agenda items is also notified to the next and subsequent participants in the agenda item, or only to the participants in the next agenda item.

[0059] Furthermore, the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 receives input of the end of an agenda item from the organizer terminal device 100 while the conference is in progress, and notifies the participants of the next and subsequent agenda items of the time difference from the scheduled end time of the agenda item. The notification content may be based on the time difference from the scheduled end time of the agenda item, and if the conference ends earlier than the scheduled time, it may notify that the conference is moving forward, or it may notify the participants of the scheduled start time of the agenda item that is newly calculated based on the difference between the actual end time of the agenda item and the scheduled end time of the agenda item. Conversely, if the conference ends later than the scheduled time, it may notify the participants of the next and subsequent agenda items that the conference is running late, or it may notify the participants of the scheduled start time of the agenda item that is newly calculated based on the difference between the actual end time of the agenda item and the scheduled end time of the agenda item.

[0060] Next, the operation of the conference system 10 in this embodiment when registering conference information will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation when registering conference information in the information processing server 200.

[0061] In step S401 of Fig. 4, the conference information registration unit 211 of the information processing server 200 accepts registration of conference information from the organizer terminal device 100. The conference information is acquired by receiving an email from the organizer terminal device 100 and analyzing the content of the email. Alternatively, the organizer may execute application software for the conference system in the organizer terminal device 100 to connect to the information processing server 200, and the organizer may input and register the required conference information. Alternatively, the organizer may connect to the information processing server 200 on a web browser from the organizer terminal device 100 and input the conference information to acquire the conference information.

[0062] The conference information acquired by the conference information registration unit 211 includes the date and time of the conference, multiple agenda items, information on participants attending each of the multiple agenda items, information on the scheduled start and end times for each of the multiple agenda items, and information on materials used for each of the multiple agenda items. The participant information for each agenda item includes destination information required for conference invitations and notifications, such as participants' names, email addresses, and SMS contact information. In other words, in this embodiment, one "conference" is made up of multiple agenda items. In this embodiment, one "agenda" refers to each component part of the conference. Each agenda item is assigned to a predetermined number of participants, and refers to a time segment that makes up the conference, during which participants generally do not enter or exit while the agenda item is in progress. The scheduled start and end times for each agenda item may be calculated by acquiring the time required for each agenda item from the organizer terminal device 100. The information on materials for each agenda item may be the materials actually used in the conference, or information on the number of pages of the materials used.

[0063] In step S402, the conference information registration unit 211 of the information processing server 200 registers the conference information acquired in step S401 by saving it in the conference information accumulation unit 212.

[0064] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of registered conference information. Conference information 500 includes the conference date and time "September 1, 2021, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM," and participants AG and their email addresses. Four agenda items are also registered: "Agenda 1," "Agenda 2," "Agenda 3," and "Agenda 4." Agenda 1 is scheduled to start at "1:00 PM" and end at "1:50 PM." Agenda 2 is scheduled to start at "1:50 PM" and end at "2:40 PM." Agenda 3 is scheduled to start at "2:40 PM" and end at "4:10 PM," while Agenda 4 is scheduled to start at "4:10 PM" and end at "5:00 PM."

[0065] Furthermore, the number of pages in the materials for Agenda 1 is registered as 10, the number of pages in the materials for Agenda 2 as 15, the number of pages in the materials for Agenda 3 as 20, and the number of pages in the materials for Agenda 4 as 8. Furthermore, participants A, B, and C are registered as participants for Agenda 1, participants B, C, and D for Agenda 2, participants C, E, and F for Agenda 3, and participants F and G for Agenda 4.

[0066] In step S403, the conference attendance notification unit 213 of the information processing server 200 determines whether the registered conference includes multiple agenda items. If the conference includes multiple agenda items, the process proceeds to step S404; if the conference includes only one agenda item, the process proceeds to step S405.

[0067] In step S404, the conference participation notification unit 213 notifies the participants of an invitation to the conference for each agenda item, and then ends the conference registration process. The invitation to the conference includes the date and time of the conference itself, the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of the agenda item to which the participant is invited, and connection information to the conference. The invitation notification to the participants may be sent to the participant terminal device 300 possessed by each participant, or may be sent to the email address or SMS contact information of each participant stored in the conference information storage unit 212.

[0068] If it is determined in step S403 that there is only one agenda item, the process proceeds to step S405, where an invitation to the conference is sent to all participants, and the conference registration process ends. The invitation to the conference includes the date and time of the conference itself and connection information to the conference.

[0069] When each participant receives an invitation to a conference, they decide whether or not they can attend and notify the organizer of their decision. Alternatively, they may send their decision to the information processing server 200, which may then reassign the participants to each agenda item depending on their decision.

[0070] Next, the operation of the conference system 10 in this embodiment when a conference is in progress will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation of the information processing server 200 when a conference is in progress.

[0071] In step S601, when the date and time of the conference stored in the conference information storage unit 212 arrives, the conference opening control unit 214 of the information processing server 200 accepts connections from the organizer terminal device 100 and the participant terminal devices 300 and starts the conference. Specifically, the conference opening control unit 214 acquires and collects audio data and video data from the organizer terminal device 100 and each participant terminal device 300. The collected audio data and video data are combined and transmitted to the organizer terminal device 100 and each participant terminal device 300 as conference audio data and video data, and the combined data can be viewed on the organizer terminal device 100 and each participant terminal device 300.

[0072] In step S602, the conference holding control unit 214 of the information processing server 200 starts the agenda stored in the conference information storage unit 212, and adds materials for the agenda currently in progress to the video data and displays them in a shared manner in response to an instruction from the organizer terminal device 100. The start of the agenda may be accepted by detecting the start of display of materials for the agenda, or may be accepted by the organizer operating the organizer terminal device 100 to manually enter an instruction to determine the start of the agenda.

[0073] In step S603, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 of the information processing server 200 acquires the progress status of the agenda. The progress status of the agenda is acquired from the display status of the materials for the agenda that are being shared and displayed. Specifically, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 acquires information indicating the ratio of the number of pages of the materials displayed for the currently ongoing agenda to the total number of pages, and information indicating the number of pages of the materials that are scheduled to be displayed for the currently ongoing agenda.

[0074] In step S604, the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 determines whether the entire conference has ended based on the progress status of the agenda acquired in step S603 above. If it determines that the entire conference has ended, the conference is terminated, and if it determines that the conference is still ongoing, the process proceeds to step S605. In step S605, the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 determines whether the ongoing agenda has ended based on the progress status of the agenda acquired in step S603 above. If it determines that the agenda has ended, the process proceeds to step S606, and if it determines that the agenda has not yet ended, the process proceeds to step S607.

[0075] If it is determined in step S605 that the agenda item has ended, in step S606 the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 notifies the participants that the agenda item has ended, and the process returns to step S602 to start the next agenda item. The notification that the agenda item has ended is sent to all participants participating in the next agenda item and subsequent agenda items. For example, if participants are registered for each agenda item as shown in Figure 5 and the agenda item that has just ended is "Agenda 1," participant BG, who is a participant in the next agenda item, Agenda 2, and subsequent agenda items, is notified that Agenda 1 has ended.

[0076] Alternatively, the notification of the end of the agenda item may be sent to participants who will only participate in the next agenda item. For example, if participants are registered for each agenda item as shown in Figure 5 and the agenda item that has just ended is "Agenda 1," only participant BD, who is a participant in the next agenda item, will be notified that Agenda 1 has ended.

[0077] Note that the above notification may not be sent to participants who are participating in the current agenda item and will also participate in the next agenda item. Specifically, participants B and C will not be notified of the end of agenda item 1 because they will be participating in agenda items 1 and 2 consecutively. Participant D, who will not participate in agenda item 1 but will participate in agenda item 2, will be notified of the end of agenda item 1.

[0078] Upon receiving the notification that the agenda item has ended, the participant for the next agenda item operates the participant terminal device 300 to connect to the information processing server 200 and begin participating in the conference that started on time or whose start time has been advanced. If the notification is also sent to participants who will be participating in the agenda items after the next agenda item, the participants for the agenda items after the next agenda item can be informed of the overall progress of the conference.

[0079] If it is determined in step S605 that the agenda item has not yet been completed, then in step S607 the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 determines whether the scheduled end time of the currently ongoing agenda item has passed. If it is determined that the scheduled end time has passed, the process proceeds to step S608. In step S608, the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 notifies the participants of the progress status of the currently ongoing agenda item. The notification recipients are all participants who plan to attend the agenda items following the currently ongoing agenda item. For example, if participants are registered for each agenda item as shown in FIG. 5 and the currently ongoing agenda item is "agenda 1," the progress status of agenda item 1 is notified to participant BG, who is a participant in the next agenda item, agenda item 2, and subsequent agenda items.

[0080] Alternatively, the notification recipients may be limited to only the participants who are scheduled to attend the next agenda item after the currently ongoing agenda item. For example, if participants are registered for each agenda item as shown in Figure 5 and the currently ongoing agenda item is "Agenda 1," the progress status of Agenda 1 will be notified to participant BD, who is a participant in the next agenda item, Agenda 2.

[0081] Note that the above notification may not be sent to participants who are participating in the current agenda item and will also participate in the next agenda item. For example, if the current agenda item is "Agenda 1," participants B and C will not be notified of the progress of Agenda 1 because they will be participating in Agenda 1 and Agenda 2 consecutively. Participant D, who is not participating in Agenda 1 but will be participating in Agenda 2, will be notified of the progress of Agenda 1.

[0082] The progress status notified at this time is information based on the display status of the materials used in the agenda, acquired in step S603 above. For example, the progress status is the percentage of the display area that has been displayed to date relative to the entire materials used in the agenda. Specifically, it is information indicating the percentage of the number of pages of the materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda relative to the total number of pages. More specifically, if the total number of pages in the materials for agenda 1 is 10 and the page currently being shared and displayed is page 8, the progress status notified is that the agenda is "80% complete." Alternatively, the display amount of the materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda may be acquired from a means of indicating the display status, such as a scroll bar, and notified as the progress status.

[0083] Alternatively, the notified progress status may be information about the remaining amount of materials used in the agenda. Specifically, it is information indicating the number of pages of materials that are scheduled to be displayed in the agenda item currently in progress. More specifically, if the total number of pages in the materials for agenda item 1 is 10 and the page currently being shared and displayed is page 8, information that "2 pages remaining" is notified as the progress status of agenda item 1. Alternatively, the notified progress status may be information about the amount of materials that have already been displayed. Specifically, it is information that indicates the number of pages of materials that have already been displayed in the agenda item currently in progress. If the total number of pages in the materials for agenda item 1 is 10 and the page currently being shared and displayed is page 8, information such as "8 of 10 pages have been displayed" may be notified as the progress status of agenda item 1.

[0084] In step S609, the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 notifies the participants of the next agenda item or all participants of the next agenda item and subsequent agenda items of the expected start time of each agenda item calculated from the acquired progress status. Then, the process returns to step S603, and steps S603 to S609 are executed again.

[0085] If it is determined in step S607 that the end time of the agenda item has not been exceeded, the process returns to step S603, and steps S603 to S609 are executed again. Note that in the above description, notifications of the end of the agenda item and the progress status of the agenda item to the participants may be sent to the email addresses or SMS contacts of the participants, or may be sent directly to the participant terminal device 300 possessed by each participant.

[0086] In the above description, the progress status acquisition / notification unit 215 determines whether the agenda item has been completed in step S605. However, it may also be configured to determine whether the currently ongoing agenda item is nearing completion based on whether a preset condition is met. For example, when the state of the material displayed in the currently ongoing agenda item satisfies a preset condition, participants who plan to attend the agenda item following the currently ongoing agenda item may be notified that the current agenda item is nearing completion as a progress status. Specifically, when the progress of the material displayed in the currently ongoing agenda item reaches a preset target value, the fact that the current agenda item is nearing completion is notified as a progress status.

[0087] The preset target value is, for example, the ratio of the number of pages displayed or the number of pages not yet displayed to the total number of pages of the displayed material. Specifically, when the display state of the material reaches a preset ratio of the currently displayed pages to the total number of pages, for example, when the number of displayed pages is 80% or more of the total number of pages, a notification is issued indicating that the current agenda item is nearing completion. Alternatively, when the number of remaining undisplayed pages is 20% or less of the total number of pages, a notification is issued indicating that the current agenda item is nearing completion. Note that the number of displayed pages being 80% or more of the total number of pages or the number of remaining undisplayed pages being 20% ​​or less of the total number of pages is merely an example and is not limited to these numerical values. If the number of displayed pages is at least 50% or more of the total number of pages or the number of remaining undisplayed pages is 50% or less of the total number of pages, the progress is considered to be more than halfway. A target value of 50% or more of the total number of pages for the number of displayed pages and a target value of 50% or less of the total number of pages for the number of remaining pages may be set.

[0088] Alternatively, the target value may be a predetermined number of remaining undisplayed pages. Specifically, when the display state of the material reaches a predetermined number of remaining pages, for example, when the number of remaining pages becomes 5 pages, a notification is given that the current agenda is nearing completion as a progress status. Note that these target values ​​are merely examples, and a notification that the current agenda is nearing completion may be given when a predetermined target value of another conceivable form is reached.

[0089] Furthermore, as described above, in addition to notifying participants that the current agenda item is nearing completion when the state of the displayed material satisfies a preset condition, participants may also be notified of the progress of the agenda item when the preset condition is met. For example, participants may be notified of the progress of the agenda item a preset time before the scheduled end time of the agenda item, such as a few minutes before the scheduled end time of the agenda item. Furthermore, participants may be notified of the progress of the agenda item when the display state of the material satisfies a preset condition. Specifically, participants may be notified of the progress of the agenda item when the display state of the material satisfies a preset condition. Specifically, participants may be notified of the progress of the agenda item when the currently displayed pages of the material reach a preset ratio of the total number of pages or when a preset number of remaining pages is reached.

[0090] [Second embodiment] Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the operation of the conference system 10 in the second embodiment during conference progress will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations during conference progress in the information processing server 200 in the second embodiment. Comparing the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the difference is that in the first embodiment, the progress status of an agenda item is determined based on the display status of the agenda item materials, whereas in the second embodiment, the completion of an agenda item and the progress status are determined by manual input. In addition, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the notification destinations for notifying the completion of an agenda item and the progress status are limited. However, the configuration of the second embodiment is otherwise the same as the first embodiment, and therefore the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components.

[0091] In step S701, as in the first embodiment, when the date and time of the conference stored in the conference information storage unit 212 arrives, the conference holding control unit 214 of the information processing server 200 accepts connections from the organizer terminal device 100 and the participant terminal device 300 and starts the conference.

[0092] In step S702, the conference control unit 214 of the information processing server 200 starts the agenda stored in the conference information storage unit 212.

[0093] In step S703, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 of the information processing server 200 accepts the start and end of an agenda item. The start and end of an agenda item are performed by a manual input operation, either by the organizer operating the organizer terminal device 100 or by a participant operating the participant terminal device 300. Specifically, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 displays an agenda start / end notification button on the display screen of the organizer terminal device 100 or the participant terminal device 300, and the organizer or participant instructs the start or end of an agenda item by selecting the agenda start / end notification button.

[0094] In step S704, the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 of the information processing server 200 determines whether the currently ongoing agenda item has ended. When an instruction to end the agenda item is received from the organizer or a participant, or when the start of the next agenda item is received, it is determined that the end of the agenda item has been accepted. If it is determined that the agenda item has not ended, the process returns to step S703, and the process of accepting the end of the agenda item is performed again. If it is determined in step S704 that the end of a certain agenda item has been accepted, the process proceeds to step S705.

[0095] In step S705, the conference holding control unit 214 determines whether all agenda items have been covered, and if it determines that all agenda items have been covered, it ends the conference, and if it determines that there are still agenda items remaining, it proceeds to step S706.

[0096] In step S706, the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 notifies the participants of the next agenda that the agenda item has ended. For example, if participants are registered for each agenda item as shown in Figure 5 and the currently completed agenda item is "Agenda 1," the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 notifies participant B-D, who is a participant of the next agenda item, Agenda 2, that Agenda 1 has ended. Note that because participants B and C will be participating in Agenda 1 and Agenda 2 consecutively, it is not necessary to notify participants who will be participating in the subsequent agenda items that the agenda item has ended.

[0097] In step S707, the progress status acquisition and notification unit 215 estimates the progress of the conference based on the difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time of the completed agenda item. For example, if the scheduled end time of "Agenda 1" was 1:50 PM but the actual end time was 1:45 PM, the conference progress is estimated to be 5 minutes early. Conversely, if the scheduled end time of "Agenda 1" was 1:50 PM but the actual end time was 1:55 PM, the conference progress is estimated to be 5 minutes late.

[0098] In step S708, the progress status acquisition / notification unit 215 determines whether the conference is progressing ahead of schedule. That is, it determines whether the agenda item has been completed before the scheduled end time. If it is determined that the conference is progressing ahead of schedule, the process proceeds to step S709, and if it is determined that the conference is progressing behind schedule, the process proceeds to step S710.

[0099] In step S709, the progress status acquisition / notification unit 215 notifies the participants of the agenda items following the one that has just finished that the entire conference has been brought forward by the time difference between the scheduled end time of the agenda item and the actual end time, as the progress status of the conference. For example, if the agenda item that has just finished is "Agenda 1" and it is estimated in step S707 that the conference is running five minutes ahead, participants C and EG, who are scheduled to attend agenda items from "Agenda 3" onwards, are notified that the entire conference has been brought forward by five minutes. Note that participant C does not need to send this notification because he will also be attending the next agenda item, Agenda 2.

[0100] In step S711, the progress status acquisition / notification unit 215 notifies the participants of the agenda items following the one that just ended of the new scheduled start time, which is adjusted based on the difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time of the agenda item, as the progress of the conference. For example, if the just-ended agenda item is "Agenda 1" and it is estimated in step S707 that the conference is running five minutes ahead of schedule, participants C and EG, who plan to attend agenda items from "Agenda 3" onward, are notified of the new scheduled start time of "Agenda 3," which is "2:35 PM." It is also possible to notify participants C and EG of the new start times of subsequent agenda items, for example, that "Agenda 4" is scheduled to start at "4:05 PM." Participant C may not need to send this notification because he or she will also be attending the next agenda item, Agenda 2. After completing the processing of step S711, the process returns to step S703.

[0101] On the other hand, the processing of step S710 is performed when the completed agenda item ends after the scheduled end time of that agenda item. In step S710, the progress status acquisition / notification unit 215 notifies the planned participants of the agenda items following the one that has just ended that the entire conference is delayed by the time difference between the scheduled end time of the agenda item and the actual end time, as the progress status of the conference. For example, if the agenda item that has just ended is "Agenda 1" and it is estimated in step S707 that the conference is five minutes late, participants C and EG, who are scheduled to attend agenda items from "Agenda 3" onwards, are notified that the entire conference is five minutes late. Note that participant C does not need to send this notification because he will also be attending the next agenda item, Agenda 2.

[0102] After completing the process of step S710, the process proceeds to step S711. In step S711, the progress status acquisition / notification unit 215 notifies the participants of the agenda items following the one that has just ended of the new scheduled start time, which is adjusted based on the difference between the scheduled end time of the agenda item and the actual end time, as the progress status of the conference. For example, if the just-ended agenda item is "Agenda 1" and the conference is estimated to be five minutes late in step S707, participants C and EG, who plan to attend the agenda items following "Agenda 3," are notified of the new scheduled start time of "Agenda 3," which is "2:45 PM." It is also possible to notify participants C and EG of the new start times of subsequent agenda items, for example, that "Agenda 4" is scheduled to start at "4:15 PM." Since participant C will also be attending the next agenda item, Agenda 2, he or she may not need to send this notification. After completing the process of step S711, the process returns to step S702.

[0103] [Third embodiment] Next, with reference to Figures 8 and 9, the operation of the conference system 10 in the third embodiment when registering conference information will be described. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations when registering conference information in the information processing server 200. Comparing the first embodiment with the third embodiment, the first embodiment includes multiple agenda items in one conference, whereas the third embodiment differs in that multiple conferences held consecutively are grouped into one conference. Since the other configurations of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components. Note that the grouped conferences in the third embodiment correspond to the conferences in the first embodiment, and the conferences in the third embodiment correspond to the agenda items in the first embodiment.

[0104] 8, the conference information registration unit 211 of the information processing server 200 acquires information on a plurality of conferences from the organizer terminal device 100. The method for acquiring the conference information is the same as in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0105] The information about multiple conferences acquired by the conference information registration unit 211 of the information processing server 200 includes the date of each conference, the scheduled start time and scheduled end time, information about the participants for each conference, and information about the materials for each conference. The information about the participants for each conference includes destination information required for inviting or notifying the conference, such as the names of the participants, email addresses, and SMS contact information. The scheduled start time and scheduled end time of each conference may be calculated by acquiring the time required for each agenda item from the organizer terminal device 100. The information about the materials for each conference may be the materials themselves that will actually be used in the conference, or information about the number of pages of the materials to be used.

[0106] In step S802, the conference information registration unit 211 determines whether the dates and times of the multiple conferences acquired in step S801 are consecutive. Consecutive conference dates and times refer to the scheduled end time of one conference being the same as the scheduled start time of another conference. If it is determined that the conference dates and times are not consecutive, the conferences are not grouped, the processing is terminated, and the conferences are held as individual conferences. On the other hand, if it is determined that the conference dates and times are consecutive, the process proceeds to step S803.

[0107] In step S803, the conference information registration unit 211 determines whether or not there is a participant who overlaps in at least two conferences among the participants of the multiple conferences acquired in step S801. If it is determined that there are no overlapping participants, the conferences are not grouped, the process is terminated, and the conferences are held as individual conferences. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is a participant who overlaps in multiple conferences, the process proceeds to step S804.

[0108] In step S804, the conference information registration unit 211 groups multiple conferences held consecutively into one conference, and registers the information of the grouped conferences by saving it in the conference information accumulation unit 212. In addition, the conference participation notification unit 213 issues one piece of connection information for the grouped conferences so that it is not necessary to connect to each conference separately.

[0109] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of registered conference information. In conference information 900, the conference date and time is "September 1, 2021, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM," and participants AG and their email addresses are registered as participants. Four conferences, "Conference 1," "Conference 2," "Conference 3," and "Conference 4," are registered as a single group. Conference 1 is registered with a scheduled start time of "1:00 PM" and a scheduled end time of "1:50 PM." Conference 2 is registered with a scheduled start time of "1:50 PM" and a scheduled end time of "2:40 PM." Conference 3 is registered with a scheduled start time of "2:40 PM" and a scheduled end time of "4:10 PM." Conference 4 is registered with a scheduled start time of "4:10 PM" and a scheduled end time of "5:00 PM."

[0110] Furthermore, the number of pages in the materials for Meeting 1 is registered as 10, the number of pages in the materials for Meeting 2 as 15, the number of pages in the materials for Meeting 3 as 20, and the number of pages in the materials for Meeting 4 as 8. Furthermore, participants A, B, and C are registered as participants in Meeting 1, participants B, C, and D in Meeting 2, participants C, E, and F in Meeting 3, and participants F and G in Meeting 4.

[0111] In step S805, the conference participation notification unit 213 notifies the participants of an invitation to the conference for each conference, and ends the conference registration process. Note that this conference invitation includes the date and time of the entire grouped conferences, the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of the conferences to which the participants are invited, and connection information for the grouped conferences.

[0112] When each participant receives an invitation to a conference, they decide whether or not they can participate and notify the organizer of their decision. Alternatively, they may send their decision to the information processing server 200, which may then reassign participants to each conference depending on their decision.

[0113] Next, the operation of the conference system 10 in the third embodiment when a grouped conference is in progress will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the operation of the information processing server 200 when a conference is in progress.

[0114] In step S1001, when the date and time of the grouped conference stored in the conference information storage unit 212 arrives, the conference holding control unit 214 of the information processing server 200 accepts connections from the organizer terminal device 100 and the participant terminal device 300 and starts the grouped conference.

[0115] In step S1002, the conference holding control unit 214 of the information processing server 200 starts the conference stored in the conference information storage unit 212, and displays materials for the conference currently in progress in a shared manner in response to an instruction from the host terminal device 100.

[0116] In step S1003, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 of the information processing server 200 acquires the progress status of the conference. The progress status of the conference is acquired from the display status of the conference materials that are being shared and displayed. Specifically, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 acquires information indicating the ratio of the number of pages of the materials displayed in the conference currently in progress to the total number of pages, and information indicating the number of pages of the materials that will be displayed in the conference currently in progress.

[0117] In step S1004, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 of the information processing server 200 determines whether all of the grouped conferences have ended based on the progress status of the conferences acquired in step S1003 above. If it is determined that all of the grouped conferences have ended, the conference is terminated, and if it is determined that the grouped conference is still ongoing, the process proceeds to step S1005. In step S1005, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 determines whether the ongoing conference has ended based on the progress status of the conference acquired in step S1003 above. If it is determined that the conference has ended, the process proceeds to step S1006, and if it is determined that the conference has not yet ended, the process proceeds to step S1007.

[0118] If it is determined in step S1005 that the conference has ended, in step S1006, progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 notifies participant terminal device 300 that the conference has ended, and returns to step S1002 to start the next conference. The notification that the conference has ended is sent to all participants who will be participating in the next conference and beyond. For example, if participants are registered for each conference as shown in Figure 9 and the conference that just ended is "Conference 1," participant BG, who is a participant in the next conference, Conference 2, and beyond, is notified that Conference 1 has ended.

[0119] Alternatively, the notification of the end of the conference may be sent to participant terminal devices 300 carried by participants who will only be participating in the next conference. For example, if participants are registered in each conference as shown in Figure 9 and the conference that just ended is "Conference 1," only participant BD, who will be participating in the next conference, is notified that Conference 1 has ended.

[0120] Note that the above notification may not be sent to participants who are currently participating in an ongoing conference and will also be participating in the next conference. Specifically, participants B and C will not be notified of the end of conference 1 because they will be participating in conference 1 and conference 2 consecutively. Participant D, who will not be participating in conference 1 but will be participating in conference 2, will be notified of the end of conference 1.

[0121] Upon receiving the notification that the conference has ended, the participant of the next conference operates the participant terminal device 300 to connect to the information processing server 200 and begin participating in the next conference of the grouped conferences, which has started on time or has started earlier. If the notification is also sent to participants who will be participating in the conferences after the next conference, the participants of the conferences after the next conference can know the progress of the entire grouped conference.

[0122] If it is determined in step S1005 that the conference has not yet ended, then in step S1007 the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 determines whether the scheduled end time of the currently ongoing agenda has passed. If it is determined that the scheduled end time has passed, the process proceeds to step S1008. In step S1008, the progress status acquisition notifying unit 215 notifies the participants of the progress status of the currently ongoing agenda. The notification recipients are all participants who plan to attend the agenda items following the agenda item currently in progress and thereafter. For example, if participants are registered in each conference as shown in FIG. 9 and the conference currently in progress is "Conference 1," the progress status of Conference 1 is notified to participant BG, who is a participant in the next conference, Conference 2, and thereafter.

[0123] Alternatively, the progress status of the currently ongoing conference may be notified to participants who will only be participating in the next conference. For example, if participants are registered for each conference as shown in Figure 5 and the currently ongoing conference is "Conference 1," the progress status of Conference 1 is notified to participant BD, who is a participant in the next conference, Conference 2.

[0124] Note that the above notification may not be sent to participants who are currently participating in a conference and will also be participating in the next conference. For example, if the conference currently in progress is "Conference 1," participants B and C will not be notified of the progress of Conference 1 because they will be participating in Conference 1 and Conference 2 consecutively. Participant D, who is not participating in Conference 1 but will be participating in Conference 2, will be notified of the progress of Conference 1.

[0125] The progress status notified at this time is information about the materials currently being displayed, acquired in step S1003 above. For example, information indicating the ratio of the number of pages of materials displayed in the currently ongoing conference to the total number of pages is notified. Specifically, if the total number of pages of materials for Conference 1 is 10 and the page currently being shared and displayed is page 8, information indicating that the conference is "80% complete" is notified as the progress status. Alternatively, information indicating the number of pages of materials that will be displayed in the currently ongoing conference may be notified. Specifically, if the total number of pages of materials for Conference 1 is 10 and the page currently being shared and displayed is page 8, information indicating "2 pages remaining" is notified as the progress status of Conference 1.

[0126] In step S1009, the progress status acquisition / notification unit 215 notifies the participants of the next conference or all participants of the next conference and thereafter of the estimated start times of each conference calculated from the acquired progress status as needed. Then, the process returns to step S1003, and steps S1003 to S1009 are executed again.

[0127] If it is determined in step S1007 that the end time of the conference has not passed, the process returns to step S1003, and the processes of steps S1003 to S1009 are executed again.

[0128] In each of the above embodiments, the term "processor" refers to a processor in a broad sense, and includes general-purpose processors (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit, etc.) and dedicated processors (e.g., GPU: Graphics Processing Unit, ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit, FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array, programmable logic device, etc.).

[0129] Furthermore, the operations of the processor in each of the above embodiments may be performed not only by a single processor but also by multiple processors located at physically separate locations working together. Furthermore, the order of the operations of the processor is not limited to the order described in each of the above embodiments and may be changed as necessary. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 10. Conference System 100 Organizer terminal device 200 Information Processing Server 201 CPU 202 memory 203 Storage device 204 Communication Interface 205 Control Bus 211 Conference Information Registration Department 212 Conference Information Storage Unit 213 Meeting Participation Notification Department 214 Conference Control Unit 215 Progress Status Notification Section 300, 300A-300G participant terminal device 400 Internet

Claims

1. On the computer, A step of accepting registration of information on a conference consisting of a plurality of agenda items, information on participants attending each of the plurality of agenda items, information on scheduled start times and scheduled end times for each of the plurality of agenda items, and information on materials to be used for each of the plurality of agenda items; accepting the start and end of the plurality of agenda items; a step of notifying participants who are scheduled to attend the next or subsequent agenda items of a progress status based on a display state of materials to be used in a certain agenda item among the plurality of agenda items while the certain agenda item is in progress; When a notification of the end of a certain agenda item among the plurality of agenda items is received, and the ended agenda item ends before the scheduled end time of the said agenda item, or when the ended agenda item ends after the scheduled end time of the said agenda item, notifying the participants who are scheduled to attend the agenda items following the one that has ended of the ended agenda item of the new scheduled start time corrected by the difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time as the progress status of the conference; A program to execute.

2. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the progress status is information about a material currently being displayed on an agenda.

3. 3. The program according to claim 2, wherein the progress status is information indicating the ratio of the number of pages of materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda to the total number of pages.

4. 3. The program according to claim 2, wherein the progress status is information indicating the number of pages of material to be displayed in the currently ongoing agenda.

5. In the step of notifying the progress status, A program as described in claim 1, which notifies participants who are scheduled to attend the next or subsequent agenda items of the progress status that the current agenda item is about to end when the state of the materials displayed in the currently ongoing agenda item meets a predetermined condition.

6. 6. The program according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is that the progress of displaying the material currently being displayed on the agenda reaches a predetermined target value.

7. The degree of progress is The ratio of the number of pages displayed to the total number of pages of materials currently being displayed on the agenda, The ratio of the number of pages remaining to be displayed to the total number of pages of the material currently being displayed on the agenda, or The number of pages remaining that have not yet been displayed out of the total pages of materials displayed in the current agenda 7. The program according to claim 6, wherein the program is expressed as follows:

8. In the step of notifying the progress of the conference, The program of claim 1, wherein if a completed agenda item ends before its scheduled end time, the program notifies the progress of the conference that the entire conference has been brought forward by the difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time.

9. In the step of notifying the progress of the conference, The program of claim 1, wherein if a completed agenda item ends later than the scheduled end time of that agenda item, the program notifies the progress of the conference that the entire conference is delayed by the time difference between the scheduled end time and the actual end time.

10. a processor; The processor: Accepting registration of information on a meeting consisting of a plurality of agenda items, information on participants attending each of the plurality of agenda items, information on the scheduled start time and scheduled end time of each of the plurality of agenda items, and information on materials to be used for each of the plurality of agenda items; Accept the start and end of the plurality of agenda items; While a certain agenda item among the plurality of agenda items is in progress, notifying participants who are scheduled to attend the next or subsequent agenda items of the progress status based on the display status of materials to be used in the certain agenda item; When the information processing device receives notification of the end of a certain agenda item among the multiple agenda items, and the ended agenda item ends before its scheduled end time, or when the ended agenda item ends after its scheduled end time, the information processing device notifies participants who plan to attend the agenda items following the one after the ended agenda item of the new scheduled start time corrected by the difference in time between the scheduled end time and the actual end time as the progress of the conference.

Images