Information providing method and information management system

Abstract

This information providing method includes: acquiring, from each of the first terminal device of a first user and the second terminal device of a second user, partner information to be used for online communication, a use time corresponding to the communication, and a user ID; and outputting, to the first terminal device of the first user, assistance data indicating that communication between the first user and the second user was little when the duration of online communication of the first user and the second user as determined by the acquired partner information, use time, and user ID is less than a predetermined value, and when the first user is the superior of the second user.

Description

Information provision method and information management system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information providing method and an information management system.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for quantitatively grasping the communication status of members in a free address office.

[0003] JP 2010-117875 A International Publication No. 2019 / 155629 JP 2007-94850 A

[0004] The present disclosure provides an information providing method and the like that can assist in understanding that communication between users is low.

[0005] An information providing method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an information providing method in an information management system that manages the status of a workplace where multiple users communicate online, the information providing method comprising: acquiring, from a first terminal device of a first user among the multiple users, first destination information used for a first online communication, a first use time corresponding to the first communication, and a first user ID of the first user, from the first terminal device; acquiring, from a second terminal device of a second user among the multiple users, second destination information used for a second online communication, a second use time corresponding to the second communication, and a second user ID of the second user, from the second terminal device; When a first time period corresponding to the communication overlaps with a second time period corresponding to the second communication, and the first communication and the second communication are between the first user and the second user, it is determined that the first user and the second user have been communicating online, and when the time during which the first user and the second user have been communicating online in a certain unit of common working time is less than a predetermined value and the first user is the boss of the second user, assistance data indicating that there has been little communication between the first user and the second user is output to the first terminal device of the first user.

[0006] The information providing method and the like of the present disclosure can assist in understanding that there is little communication between users.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication network of a communication management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal owner management master. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an employee information master. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an organization information master. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship definition master. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a validity period management master. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a log information master. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calculation result master. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an aggregation period management master. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a judgment result master. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calculation result master showing a calculation result for each employee ID (partner). FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a judgment result master showing a judgment result for each employee ID (partner). FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a terminal log information master. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a recording operation of the terminal log information master. FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of an update operation of the log information master. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a calculation operation of communication time. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen for assistance data. FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a calculation process for communication time. FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a determination process regarding communication time.

[0008] (Knowledge that led to the present disclosure) In recent years, improving productivity in the work environment has become an issue. It is said that the key to improving productivity is communication between members in the workplace. It is said that fostering mutual understanding and trust between members increases individual growth and motivation.

[0009] Patent Document 1 (JP 2010-117875 A) discloses a technology that acquires sensor data on face-to-face communication between members working in a free address office, quantitatively analyzes the actual state of communication, and uses the results to determine the free address seating policy of the organization to which the members belong.

[0010] Patent Document 1 aims to take advantage of the advantage of free address offices, such as the ability to make effective use of space, while at the same time reducing the drawback of free address offices, where members may be spatially dispersed and knowledge sharing and communication between members may be insufficient. Patent Document 1 uses an infrared sensor to detect face-to-face contact between members as a sensor for detecting communication between members within an organization.

[0011] Patent Document 2 (WO 2019 / 155629) relates to a communication evaluation system including a mobile information terminal carried by a person belonging to an organization, a sensor installed in a specific space within the organization that detects signals from the mobile information terminal, and a server that acquires location information of the mobile information terminal from the sensor via a network. The server, based on pre-stored person information and information from the sensor, determines whether communication has been established between two people belonging to the organization based on either a first condition that the distance between the two people is 2 meters or less and this condition continues for 10 seconds or more, or a second condition that the distance between the two people is 2 meters or more for 60 seconds or less and 6 meters or more for 30 seconds or less, and the distance between the two people is 2 meters or less before and after that condition. Patent Document 2 discloses a mobile information terminal attached to the target person. The mobile information terminal has a function to emit an identification signal that identifies itself, such as a wireless transmitter such as a wireless IC tag. The mobile information terminal may be an information and communication device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet.

[0012] Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-94850) relates to a communication analysis device and method, in which a communication processing unit determines that a communication opportunity (closeness between all users) has occurred between users who share a place and time, regardless of the length of the shared time, and determines that communication has occurred (closeness between users for a specified duration or longer) if the shared time is equal to or greater than a specified threshold, analyzes the extent to which the communication opportunity has been utilized to generate communication, and displays the analysis results.

[0013] However, in Patent Document 1, if it is determined that communication between members is insufficient due to spatial dispersion in a free-address office, the method merely suggests measures such as having all members sit at the same table or having all members sit in a limited area of ​​the office. In other words, it merely encourages improvements in seating arrangements. Furthermore, since Patent Document 1 uses the face-to-face contact history or degree of cooperation of team members as a criterion, even if some team members have little face-to-face contact history or a low degree of cooperation, the method has the problem that communication between members is evaluated as sufficient if the team as a whole has a lot of face-to-face contact history and a high degree of cooperation.

[0014] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, for example, if each of the four members A to D has met with another member, a value of 1 is set, and if there has been no meeting, a value of 0 is set, and the meeting history and cooperation level of the members are managed on a team basis. In this case, Patent Document 1 does not take into account the amount of time each member has met, so even a brief exchange of greetings is evaluated as having occurred. Therefore, Patent Document 1 has the problem that even when no substantial communication has been established between members, the meeting history and cooperation level are evaluated as being high.

[0015] Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, whether communication has been established between two people belonging to the organization is determined based on the distance and time between the two people. However, in Patent Document 2, whether communication has been established between the two people is determined only at a time interval of, for example, about 10 seconds. In other words, in Patent Document 2, even if communication has been established, the established communication is not evaluated. Therefore, Patent Document 2 has a problem in that it is not possible to determine whether communication is actually established or not, even if it is evaluated as having been established.

[0016] Furthermore, in Patent Document 3, if there is a shared time between users who share a location and time, it is determined that a communication opportunity (proximity between all users) has occurred, and if the shared time is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that communication has occurred (proximity between users for a predetermined duration or longer). While the analysis results of how much a communication opportunity is utilized to generate communication are displayed, this merely indicates the occurrence of communication. In other words, Patent Document 3 does not evaluate the occurrence of communication even if it has occurred. Therefore, like Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3 has the problem that it is not possible to determine whether communication is actually occurring or not, even if it is evaluated as having occurred.

[0017] Therefore, the invention disclosed herein has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to foster mutual understanding and trust among members and improve productivity in the working environment by not only determining whether or not communication has been established between members in the workplace, but also evaluating the communication that has been established and notifying the person who should receive the evaluation.

[0018] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, 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.

[0019] 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.

[0020] (Embodiment) [Configuration] First, the configuration of a communication management system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a communication network of a communication management system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication management system according to an embodiment.

[0021] The communication management system 10 is a system that can manage the online communication time of multiple users belonging to the same company. The online communication time is, for example, the total time spent online chatting based on keyboard keystrokes and online voice conversations. In other words, the users are workers. The communication management system 10 includes multiple terminal devices 30, an information management server 40, and a data processing server 50. FIGS. 1 and 2 also illustrate a communication network 60, which includes a mobile communication network, the Internet, and the like.

[0022] In the present embodiment, the information management server 40 and the data processing server 50 are described as being separate servers, but one server may execute the information processing performed by the information management server 40 and the information processing performed by the data processing server 50. The information management server 40 and the data processing server 50 are examples of an information management system, and the information management system may be realized by a single server or by multiple servers.

[0023] The terminal device 30 is an information terminal owned by a user and used by the user for online communication. The terminal device 30 is, for example, a personal computer, but may also be a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The terminal device 30 is, for example, an information terminal loaned to a user by a company. Specifically, the terminal device 30 includes a display unit 31, a communication unit 32, a control unit 33, and a management unit 34.

[0024] The display unit 31 is a display that displays images. The display unit 31 is realized by a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The display unit 31 includes a touch panel. The display unit 31 can receive user operations via the touch panel.

[0025] The communication unit 32 includes a first communication circuit that supports short-range wireless communication and receives a beacon signal emitted by a beacon transmitter. The first communication circuit is a communication circuit that performs short-range wireless communication in accordance with a communication standard such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The communication unit 32 also includes a second communication circuit that enables the terminal device 30 to communicate with the information management server 40 via the communication network 60. When the terminal device 30 is a portable information terminal, the second communication circuit communicates with the information management server 40 via the communication network 60 by wireless communication.

[0026] The control unit 33 stores log information related to the user's use of the terminal device 30 in the management unit 34. The control unit 33 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The functions of the control unit 33 are realized by the microcomputer or the like constituting the control unit 33 executing a computer program stored in the management unit 34. In other words, the functions of the control unit 33 are realized, for example, by hardware executing software.

[0027] The management unit 34 is a storage device that stores the computer programs executed by the control unit 33, log information, etc. The computer programs executed by the control unit 33 include application programs for online communication. The management unit 34 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0028] The information management server 40 manages information for calculating communication time between users. The information management server 40 includes a communication unit 41, a control unit 42, and a management unit 43.

[0029] The communication unit 41 is a communication module (communication circuit) that enables the information management server 40 to communicate with the multiple terminal devices 30 and the data processing server 50. The communication performed by the communication unit 41 is, for example, wired communication, but may also be wireless communication. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard used for the communication. Note that, although FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate that the communication unit 41 communicates with the multiple terminal devices 30 via the communication network 60 and with the data processing server 50 without via the communication network 60, it may also communicate with the data processing server 50 via the communication network 60.

[0030] The control unit 42 performs information processing to manage various information for calculating communication time between users. The control unit 42 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The functions of the control unit 42 are realized, for example, by the microcomputer or processor constituting the control unit 42 executing a computer program stored in the management unit 43.

[0031] The management unit 43 is a storage device that stores computer programs executed by the control unit 42, etc. The management unit 43 is realized by, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), but may also be realized by a semiconductor memory, etc. More specifically, the management unit 43 includes a terminal management unit 44, an organization information management unit 45, a log information management unit 46, a calculation result management unit 47, and a judgment result management unit 48. The information stored in the terminal management unit 44, the organization information management unit 45, the log information management unit 46, the calculation result management unit 47, and the judgment result management unit 48 will be described later.

[0032] The data processing server 50 performs information processing for calculating the communication time of the user. The data processing server 50 includes a communication unit 51, a control unit 52, and a storage unit 53.

[0033] The communication unit 51 is a communication module (communication circuit) that enables the data processing server 50 to communicate with the multiple terminal devices 30 and the information management server 40. The communication performed by the communication unit 41 is, for example, wired communication, but may also be wireless communication. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard used for the communication.

[0034] The control unit 52 performs information processing to calculate the communication time between users. The control unit 52 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor. The control unit 42 includes, as functional components, a calculation unit 54 and a determination unit 55. The functions of the calculation unit 54 and the determination unit 55 are realized, for example, by the microcomputer or processor constituting the control unit 52 executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 53.

[0035] The storage unit 53 is a storage device that stores information necessary for the information processing, computer programs executed by the control unit 52, etc. The storage unit 53 is realized by, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), but may also be realized by a semiconductor memory or the like.

[0036] [Information Stored in the Terminal Management Unit] Next, the information managed by the management unit 43 of the information management server 40, in other words, the information stored in the management unit 43, will be described. A terminal owner management master is stored in the terminal management unit 44 of the management unit 43. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the terminal owner management master.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3 , the terminal owner management master associates a terminal ID, an employee ID, and a validity period ID. The terminal ID is the ID of the terminal device 30, and the employee ID is the ID of the user (i.e., employee) who owns the terminal device 30. The terminal owner management master is information indicating which user owns a terminal device 30 having a certain terminal ID during a period indicated by the validity period ID. For example, if user A owns terminal device A during a first period and user B owns terminal device A during a second period different from the first period, the first period and the second period are distinguished by the validity period ID. The period indicated by the validity period ID can be identified using the validity period management master (described below).

[0038] [Information Stored in the Organization Information Management Unit] The organizational information management unit 45 of the management unit 43 stores an employee information master, an organizational information master, a relationship definition master, and a validity period management master. First, the employee information master will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the employee information master.

[0039] 4, the employee information master associates an employee ID, an employee name, and a validity period ID. The employee information master is information indicating which user was assigned an employee ID during the period indicated by the validity period ID.

[0040] Next, the organizational information master will be described with reference to Fig. 5, which shows an example of the organizational information master.

[0041] 5, the organizational information master associates an employee ID, a relationship ID, a counterpart employee ID, and a validity period ID. The organizational information master is information indicating the relationship between an employee ID and an employee ID (contender) during the period indicated by the validity period ID. For example, the organizational information master indicates that for the user with employee ID 00001 during the period indicated by validity period ID 00001, employee ID 00100 (contender) has the relationship indicated by relationship ID 001 (the user is a first-order superior).

[0042] The relationship indicated by the relationship ID can be identified by the relationship definition master. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship definition master.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 6 , the relationship definition master defines relationships indicated by relationship IDs. Relationships include, for example, primary superiors, secondary superiors, colleagues working on the same project, and colleagues working in the same organization. If a user belongs to Section B in Department A, the user's primary superior is the section chief of Section B, his secondary superior is the department manager of Department A, and colleagues working in the same organization are employees working in Section B in Department A other than the department manager and department manager. Colleagues working on the same project refer to employees working on the same project (in other words, the theme), including those in other departments and sections.

[0044] The relationship definition master may be defined in any way as long as it defines the relationship for which the communication state is to be grasped using the communication management system 10 .

[0045] Next, the validity period management master will be described. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the validity period management master. As shown in Fig. 7, in the validity period management master, the validity period ID, the start date of the period indicated by the validity period ID, and the end date of the period indicated by the validity period ID are associated with each other. In this way, the validity period management master is information indicating the period indicated by the validity period ID.

[0046] [Information Stored in the Log Information Management Unit] A log information master is stored in the log information management unit 46 of the management unit 43. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the log information master. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the log information master associates a terminal ID, time information, a keyboard keystroke flag (e.g., 1: keystroke, 0: no keystroke), a voice conversation flag (e.g., 1: voice conversation in progress, 0: not voice conversation in progress), and communication partner information (terminal ID). The log information master is information indicating that the user of the terminal device 30 was engaged in an online chat or online voice conversation with another user indicated by the partner information at the time indicated by the time information. Note that the partner information includes at least two terminal IDs: the ID of the terminal device 30 itself and the terminal ID of the communication partner. If there are two or more communication partners, the partner information includes three or more terminal IDs. The partner information is sufficient as long as it includes at least the terminal ID of the communication partner.

[0047] [Information Stored in the Calculation Result Management Unit] The calculation result management unit 47 of the management unit 43 stores a calculation result master and an aggregation period management master. First, the calculation result master will be described. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the calculation result master.

[0048] 9, the calculation result master associates employee IDs, relationship IDs, online voice conversation times, online chat times, and aggregation period IDs. The calculation result master is information indicating the communication time (online voice conversation time and online chat time) of a user corresponding to an employee ID with another user (partner) indicated by a relationship ID during a period indicated by the aggregation period ID. For example, the calculation result master indicates that during a period indicated by aggregation period ID 000001, the online voice conversation time of a user with employee ID 00001 with a user (primary superior) who has a relationship indicated by relationship ID 001 is 600 minutes.

[0049] Next, the aggregation period management master will be described. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the aggregation period management master. As shown in Fig. 10, in the aggregation period management master, an aggregation period ID, a start date of the period indicated by the aggregation period ID, and an end date of the period indicated by the aggregation period ID are associated with each other. In this way, the aggregation period management master is information indicating the period indicated by the aggregation period ID.

[0050] [Information Stored in the Judgment Result Management Unit] A judgment result master is stored in the judgment result management unit 48 of the management unit 43. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the judgment result master.

[0051] 11, the determination result master associates an employee ID, a relationship ID, the determination result of online voice conversation time, the determination result of online chat time, and an aggregation period ID. The determination result master is information corresponding to the calculation result master, and if the communication time in the calculation result master (i.e., online voice conversation time or online chat time) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the determination result is 1, and if the communication time in the calculation result master is less than the predetermined value, the determination result is 0.

[0052] In the calculation result master of FIG. 9 , the communication time for each employee ID is tallied for each relationship ID, and the judgment result master of FIG. 11 shows the judgment result when the communication time tallied for each relationship ID is compared with a predetermined value. Here, in the calculation result master, the communication time for each employee ID may be tallied for each employee ID (partner) (i.e., for each individual), and the judgment result master may show the judgment result when the communication time tallied for each employee ID (partner) is compared with a predetermined value. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a calculation result master showing the calculation result for each employee ID (partner), and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a judgment result master showing the judgment result for each employee ID (partner).

[0053] [Information Stored in Terminal Device] Next, a description will be given of information stored in the management unit 34 of the terminal device 30. A terminal log information master is stored in the management unit 34 of the terminal device 30. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the terminal log information master.

[0054] 14, the terminal log information master associates the terminal ID of the terminal device 30 itself, time information, a keyboard keystroke flag (e.g., 1: keystroke, 0: no keystroke), a voice conversation flag (e.g., 1: voice conversation in progress, 0: not voice conversation in progress), the number of windows of an application for online communication, and the title of the active window. The terminal log information master is information indicating a log when a user of the terminal device 30 is running an application program for online communication (hereinafter also simply referred to as an application). The terminal ID in the terminal log information master is an example of a user ID, and specifically, is an ID that indirectly indicates a user.

[0055] The log information master stored in the log information management unit 46 is information that integrates the terminal log information masters of a plurality of terminal devices 30 .

[0056] [Example of Recording Operation of Terminal Log Information Master] Here, an example of the recording operation of the terminal log information master will be described with reference to Fig. 15 in addition to Fig. 14. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the recording operation of the terminal log information master.

[0057] First, the specifications of the above-mentioned online communication application, which are the premise for the operation described with reference to FIG. 15, will be described.

[0058] When the control unit 33 of the terminal device 30 executes the above-described online communication application, a chat window is first displayed on the display unit 31. When a voice conversation icon is selected from the chat window, a voice conversation window is also displayed on the display unit 31. In both the chat window and the voice conversation window, the name of the communication partner (corresponding to Matsushita Jiro in FIG. 14 ) is displayed as the window title.

[0059] In this way, the above-mentioned online communication application is an application that is based on chat but also allows voice conversation. Note that in this embodiment, voice conversation refers to a communication method that uses at least a voice call made by a user, and includes a video call that uses both voice and images. Furthermore, a voice conversation can be conducted between three or more people.

[0060] When a chat window starts to be displayed, a window containing a predetermined character string, such as the name of the app, appears at least temporarily, and the number of windows increases. By detecting this behavior, the control unit 33 can determine that an online chat is possible. Furthermore, when the window containing the predetermined character string disappears and the number of windows decreases, the control unit 33 can determine that the online communication app has been terminated.

[0061] Furthermore, when a chat window is open and an icon for a voice conversation is selected, a window for the voice conversation is displayed on the display unit 31. At this time, a window containing a predetermined character string, such as the name of an app, also appears at least temporarily, and the number of windows increases. By detecting this behavior, the control unit 33 can identify that an online voice conversation has started. Furthermore, the control unit 33 can determine that the voice conversation has ended when the window containing the predetermined character string disappears and the number of windows decreases.

[0062] Based on the above assumptions, an example of the recording operation of the terminal log information master will be described below in Fig. 15. Note that although multiple terminal devices 30 for multiple users working in the workplace each perform the operation shown in Fig. 15, the following description will be given for one terminal device 30.

[0063] The control unit 33 determines whether the voice conversation window is active when at least the chat window is displayed (S11). When the control unit 33 determines that the voice conversation window is active (Yes in S11), it records terminal log information in the terminal log information master, which associates the keyboard keystroke flag, the voice conversation flag "1 (voice conversation in progress)," the number of windows of the online communication app, and the title of the active window (i.e., the voice conversation window) (S12). Recording is performed, for example, every second. The time information added to the record can be considered to indicate the time when the terminal device 30 was used for online communication purposes, and more specifically, it can be said to indicate the time corresponding to the start or end time of online communication.

[0064] If the control unit 33 determines that the voice conversation window is not active (No in S11), it determines whether the chat window is active (S13). If the control unit 33 determines that the chat window is active (Yes in S13), it records terminal log information in the terminal log information master, which associates the keyboard keystroke flag, the voice conversation flag "0 (not in voice conversation)," the number of windows of the online communication app, and the title of the active window (i.e., the chat window) (S14). Recording is performed, for example, every second. The time information added in the record can be considered to indicate the time when the terminal device 30 was used for online communication, and more specifically, it can be said to indicate the time corresponding to the start or end time of online communication.

[0065] When the control unit 33 determines that the chat window is not active (No in S13), the control unit 33 does not record the terminal log information.

[0066] As described above, the terminal device 30 can record the terminal log information master by utilizing the features of the specifications of the online communication application.

[0067] Because the terminal log information master records a keyboard keystroke flag when the chat window is active, the time information in the terminal log information master (the time of use of the terminal device 30) can be said to include the time when a keyboard keystroke by the user was detected while the chat window was active. Also, the time information in the terminal log information master (the time of use of the terminal device 30) can be said to include the time when two windows for voice conversation, separate from the chat window, were opened (the time when the number of windows changed from 1 to 2).

[0068] The method for recording the terminal log information master in the terminal device 30 is not limited to the above method. For example, the control unit 33 may determine whether a chat or a voice conversation is in progress by making an inquiry to an online communication app, and may also obtain information about the communication partner from the online communication app.

[0069] The control unit 33 may also determine whether online communication is in progress by detecting specific character strings such as "connecting" or "disconnecting" that appear in the window title while an application for online communication is running.

[0070] [Example of Log Information Master Update Operation] Next, an example of the log information master update operation will be described. Fig. 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the log information master update operation. Note that although each of a plurality of terminal devices 30 for a plurality of users working in a workplace performs the same operation as the terminal device 30 shown in Fig. 16, the following description will be given for one terminal device 30.

[0071] The control unit 33 of the terminal device 30 transmits the latest terminal log information master to the information management server 40 using the communication unit 32 at regular intervals, such as every predetermined number of days or every week (S15).

[0072] The communication unit 41 of the information management server 40 receives the terminal log information master. The control unit 42 converts the title of the active window (personal name) in the received terminal log information master into the terminal ID of the terminal device 30 owned by the person (S16). This conversion is possible by referencing the terminal owner management master and the employee information master.

[0073] Next, the control unit 42 generates destination information by pairing the terminal ID obtained in step S16 with the terminal ID of the terminal device 30 that sent the terminal log information master received in step S15 (S17).

[0074] The control unit 42 updates the log information master by reflecting the number of windows and the title of the active window in the terminal log information master received in step S15, which have been replaced with the destination information generated in step S17, in the log information master stored in the log information management unit 46 (S18).

[0075] In this way, the terminal device 30 periodically transmits the terminal log information master to the information management server 40. The information management server 40 can update the log information master based on the received terminal log information master.

[0076] [Operation of Calculating Communication Time] Next, an example of an operation of calculating communication time will be described. Fig. 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation of calculating communication time.

[0077] When the calculation unit 54 of the data processing server 50 detects that the tallying time has arrived (S21), it transmits tallying period information to the information management server 40 using the communication unit 51 (S22). The tallying time is, for example, a time that occurs weekly, monthly, or every predetermined number of days such as 28 days, and the tallying period indicated by the tallying period information is the most recent week, the most recent month, or a period of the most recent predetermined number of days. The tallying period refers to a certain common unit of labor period.

[0078] The communication unit 41 of the information management server 40 receives the aggregation period information. The control unit 42 assigns an aggregation period ID to the start date and end date of the period indicated by the aggregation period information and adds them to the aggregation period management master, thereby updating the aggregation period management master (S23). The control unit 42 also sends the master information to the data processing server 50 using the communication unit 41 (S24). The master information includes a terminal owner management master, a log information master, an employee information master, an organization information master, a relationship definition master, and a validity period management master.

[0079] The communication unit 51 of the data processing server 50 receives the master information. The calculation unit 54 uses the validity period management master included in the received master information to extract data within the validity period (in other words, data that is currently valid) from the master information (S25). Based on the extracted data, the calculation unit 54 calculates the communication time for each relationship ID for each of multiple employee IDs (S26). Specifically, the calculation unit 54 calculates the online chat time and online voice conversation time of a user assigned a certain employee ID with other users, and calculates the sum of the online chat time and online voice conversation time as the communication time with the other users. Details of the method for calculating the communication time will be described later.

[0080] The calculation unit 54 transmits calculation result information indicating the calculated communication time to the information management server 40 using the communication unit 51 (S27). The calculation result information is, for example, information corresponding to the part of the calculation result master that has a common aggregation period ID.

[0081] The communication unit 41 of the information management server 40 receives the calculation result information. The control unit 42 assigns the aggregation period ID assigned to the aggregation period information in step S23 to the received calculation result information and adds it to the calculation result master, thereby updating the calculation result master (S28).

[0082] The determination unit 55 of the data processing server 50 determines whether the communication time for each relationship ID for each of the multiple employee IDs is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (S29). The predetermined value is managed, for example, in the information management server 40, and the determination unit 55 can obtain the predetermined value by making an inquiry to the information management server 40 immediately before making the determination in step S29. The predetermined value may be stored in the storage unit 53 in advance.

[0083] The determination unit 55 transmits determination result information indicating the determination result in step S29 to the information management server 40 using the communication unit 51 (S30). The determination result information is, for example, information corresponding to the part of the determination result master that has a common aggregation period ID.

[0084] The communication unit 41 of the information management server 40 receives the judgment result information. The control unit 42 assigns the tally ID assigned to the tally period information in step S23 to the received judgment result information and adds it to the judgment result master, thereby updating the judgment result master (S31).

[0085] The control unit 42 also determines whether there is a user whose communication time is less than a predetermined value (S32). Specifically, the control unit 42 determines whether there is an employee ID in which "0" is written in the judgment result column of the judgment result information in the data in the judgment result master to which the latest aggregation period ID is assigned.

[0086] If it is determined that there is no user whose communication time is less than the predetermined value, the process of step S33 is not performed. On the other hand, if the control unit 42 determines that there is a user whose communication time is less than the predetermined value, the control unit 42 transmits assistance data to the terminal device 30 of the user's boss using the communication unit 41 to present the user's communication time to the user's boss (S33). Note that the control unit 42 can identify the employee ID of the user's boss by comparing an employee ID with "0" written in the determination result column of the determination result information with the organization information master, and can identify the terminal device 30 of the boss by comparing the identified employee ID of the boss with the terminal owner management master.

[0087] The support data is information for presenting, for example, the progress of communication time between a user corresponding to an employee ID for which "0" is entered in the determination result field of the determination result information and other users, where the other users include at least one of the user's superior and the user's colleague. The progress of communication time can be identified by comparing the employee ID for which "0" is entered in the determination result field of the determination result information with the calculation result master (calculation result master in FIG. 12) for each employee ID (other party).

[0088] The communication unit 32 of the terminal device 30 receives the assistance data. The control unit 33 displays the received assistance data on the display unit 31 (S34). Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the assistance data. Note that it is not essential that the assistance data show the change in communication time, and the assistance data may be data that can help the user's superior understand that the communication time of the user was short. There are no particular limitations on the specific form of the assistance data.

[0089] Alternatively, the assistance data may be transmitted not to the superior's terminal device 30 but to another terminal device other than the terminal device 30 that the superior can use, and the other terminal device may display the assistance data. The other terminal device 30 may be, for example, a stationary personal computer that does not have the function of receiving beacon signals.

[0090] In this way, when the amount of time that the user and another user communicate during a certain common work period is less than a predetermined value, the information management server 40 outputs assistance data indicating that the user and another user communicated less to the terminal device 30 of the user's superior. The user's superior may be the user's primary superior or secondary superior. The other user may be the user's primary superior or secondary superior, or a colleague working on a related job with the user. The colleague working on a related job may be a colleague who belongs to the same organization or a colleague working on the same project.

[0091] The terminal device 30 acquires assistance data indicating that the user had little communication with other users from the information management server 40, and displays the acquired assistance data on the display unit 31. In this way, the information management server 40 and the terminal device 30 can assist the user's superior in understanding that the user had little communication with other users.

[0092] [Communication Time Calculation Processing] The communication time calculation processing in step S26 will be described in detail below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0093] The calculation unit 54 of the data processing server 50 selects one unselected employee ID from the employee IDs in the employee information master (S26a). The calculation unit 54 compares the selected employee ID with the organization information master to extract employee IDs (partners) that are related to the selected employee ID (S26b).

[0094] Next, the calculation unit 54 compares the selected employee ID, the extracted employee ID (other party), and the terminal owner management master to extract the terminal ID (hereinafter also referred to as the first terminal ID) corresponding to the employee ID and the terminal ID (hereinafter also referred to as the second terminal ID) corresponding to the employee ID (other party) (S26c).

[0095] Here, if a first time period corresponding to a first communication carried out using a terminal device 30 having a first terminal ID overlaps with a second time period corresponding to a second communication carried out using a terminal device 30 having a second terminal ID, and the first communication and the second communication are between a first user who possesses a terminal device 30 having the first terminal ID and a second user who possesses a terminal device 30 having the second terminal ID, it can be determined that the first user and the second user were communicating online.

[0096] Therefore, the calculation unit 54 compares the first terminal ID, the second terminal ID, and the log information master to calculate the online chat time and the online voice conversation time, and calculates the sum of these as the communication time (S26d).

[0097] In calculating the online voice conversation time, the calculation unit 54 first identifies a first time period in the log information master where the terminal ID is the first terminal ID, the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID are entered in the destination information, and the voice conversation flag is set to 1. The first time period can be said to be a time period during which the first user is having an online voice conversation with the second user from the perspective of the first user.

[0098] Similarly, the calculation unit 54 identifies a second time period in the log information master where the terminal ID is the second terminal ID, the destination information includes the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID, and the voice conversation flag is set to 1. The second time period can be said to be a time period in which the second user is having a voice conversation with the first user from the second user's perspective.

[0099] Then, the calculation unit 54 calculates the period in which the first time slot and the second time slot overlap as the online voice conversation time between the first user and the second user.

[0100] In addition, in calculating the online chat time, a keyboard keystroke flag is used to exclude from the online chat time the time during which the online chat window is active but no keyboard keystrokes are being made.

[0101] For example, the calculation unit 54 identifies a row in the log information master where the terminal ID is the first terminal ID, the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID are entered in the destination information, the voice conversation flag is "0", and the keyboard keystroke flag is "1", and identifies the period where the voice conversation flag is "0" from a predetermined period immediately before and after the identified row as the first time period. The first time period can be said to be a time period during which the first user is chatting online with the second user from the first user's perspective.

[0102] Similarly, the calculation unit 54 identifies a row in the log information master where the terminal ID is the second terminal ID, the destination information includes the first terminal ID and the second terminal ID, the voice conversation flag is "0", and the keyboard keystroke flag is "1", and identifies the period where the voice conversation flag is "0" from a predetermined period immediately before and after the identified row as the second time period. The second time period can be said to be a time period during which the second user is chatting online with the first user from the second user's perspective.

[0103] Then, the calculation unit 54 calculates the period in which the first time slot and the second time slot overlap as the online chat time between the first user and the second user.

[0104] In calculating the online chat time, the calculation unit 54 may identify the first time period and the second time period by summing up the period during which the voice conversation flag is "0" that is a predetermined period immediately before the identified line, or may calculate the first time period and the second time period by summing up the period during which the voice conversation flag is "0" that is a predetermined period immediately after the identified line. In this way, the calculated time period during which the online chat (communication) takes place may be any time period obtained by adding an additional time to either or both of the real time of the online chat (i.e., the time during which the voice conversation flag is "0" and the keyboard keystroke flag is "1") before and after the real time.

[0105] In step S26d, the communication time is calculated for all employee IDs (partners) extracted in step S26b, and is tallied for each relationship ID.

[0106] Next, the calculation unit 54 determines whether selection of all employee IDs has been completed (S26e). If the calculation unit 54 determines that selection of all employee IDs has not been completed (No in S26e), the calculation unit 54 returns to step S26a and selects one unselected employee ID from the employee IDs in the employee information master (S26a). On the other hand, if the calculation unit 54 determines that selection of all employee IDs has been completed (Yes in S26e), the calculation process ends.

[0107] It is not essential that the communication time be tallied for each relationship ID in step S26d, and the communication time may be calculated for each communication partner (see FIG. 12).

[0108] In this way, the calculation unit 54 can calculate the communication time by determining that the first user and the second user were communicating online when the first time period corresponding to the first communication and the second time period corresponding to the second communication overlap and the first communication and the second communication are between the first user and the second user.

[0109] [Determination Process Regarding Communication Time] The determination process regarding communication time in step S29 will be described in detail below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0110] The determination unit 55 of the data processing server 50 selects one unselected employee ID from the employee IDs in the employee information master (S29a). The determination unit 55 compares the communication time for each relationship ID calculated in step S26 with a predetermined value to determine whether the communication time is short (i.e., less than the predetermined value) (S29b). This determination is made for all relationship IDs.

[0111] The predetermined value is not particularly limited. For example, the predetermined value may be determined based on the total time spent communicating between the user corresponding to the selected employee ID and other users during the most recent aggregation period (i.e., the previous month). In this case, the longer the total time spent communicating during the most recent aggregation period, the larger the predetermined value.

[0112] Furthermore, the predetermined value used to determine the communication time between the first user corresponding to the selected employee ID and the second user may be determined based on the average communication time between the first user and multiple third users excluding the second user during the same aggregation period. In this case, the longer the average communication time, the larger the predetermined value. Alternatively, the predetermined value may be a fixed value.

[0113] Next, the determination unit 55 determines whether selection of all employee IDs has been completed (S29c). If the determination unit 55 determines that selection of all employee IDs has not been completed (No in S29c), the process returns to step S29a and selects one unselected employee ID from the employee IDs in the employee information master (S29a). On the other hand, if the determination unit 55 determines that selection of all employee IDs has been completed (Yes in S29c), the determination process ends.

[0114] In this way, the determination unit 55 can determine whether the amount of time that the first user and the second user communicated during the aggregation period (in other words, a unit of a certain common working period) is less than a predetermined value.

[0115] In addition, in step S26, if the communication time is not tallied for each relationship ID but is calculated for each communication partner, the determination is also made for each communication partner (see FIG. 13).

[0116] [Modification] In the above embodiment, the communication time is described as the sum of the online chat time and the online voice conversation time. However, if the online communication app only supports chat, only the online chat time may be calculated as the communication time. Furthermore, if the online communication app only supports voice conversation, only the voice conversation time may be calculated as the communication time.

[0117] In the above embodiment, when the time spent communicating between the user and another user is less than a predetermined value, assistance data indicating that the user's communication with the other user is low is output to the terminal device 30 of the user's boss. However, when the time spent communicating between the user and another user is more than a predetermined value, assistance data indicating that the user's communication with the other user is high may be output to the terminal device 30 of the user's boss. Furthermore, for example, the boss may be able to set what requirements must be met before the boss wants to receive assistance data.

[0118] [Effects, etc.] Hereinafter, examples of inventions obtained from the disclosure of this specification will be described, and effects, etc. obtained from the exemplified inventions will be explained.

[0119] Invention 1 is an information providing method in an information management system that manages the status of a workplace where multiple users communicate online, the method comprising: acquiring, on a first terminal device of a first user among the multiple users, first destination information to be used for a first online communication, a first use time corresponding to the first communication, and a first user ID of the first user, from the first terminal device; acquiring, on a second terminal device of a second user among the multiple users, second destination information to be used for a second online communication, a second use time corresponding to the second communication, and a second user ID of the second user, from the second terminal device; and if a first time period corresponding to a certain communication overlaps with a second time period corresponding to a second communication, and the first communication and the second communication are between the first user and the second user, it is determined that the first user and the second user have been communicating online; and if the time during which the first user and the second user have been communicating online in a certain unit of common working time is less than a predetermined value and the first user is the boss of the second user, support data indicating that there has been little communication between the first user and the second user is output to the first terminal device of the first user.

[0120] In this information providing method, not only is it determined whether communication between a first user and a second user has been established, but the established communication is also evaluated. That is, if the amount of time the first user and the second user communicate within a common predetermined work period of at least one day is less than a predetermined value, even if communication has been established, the communication is evaluated as insufficient from the perspective of improving productivity in the work environment. The information providing method notifies such evaluation results to a person who needs to know the evaluation results from the perspective of improving productivity in the work environment. That is, in the information processing method, when the first user is the boss of the second user, assistance data indicating that the first user and the second user had little communication is output to the first terminal device of the first user.

[0121] As a result, the information processing method not only determines whether or not communication has been established between members in the workplace, but also evaluates the communication that has been established and notifies the person who should receive the evaluation, thereby helping to identify when communication between members is lacking, fostering mutual understanding and trust between members, and improving productivity in the working environment.

[0122] Furthermore, the information providing method according to the first aspect of the present invention can assist in understanding that communication between users is limited by outputting assistance data to the first terminal device of the first user.

[0123] A second aspect of the present invention is the information providing method of the first aspect, wherein the assistance data is output to a third terminal device other than the first terminal device of the first user and usable by the first user.

[0124] Such an information providing method can assist in understanding that communication between users is limited by outputting assistance data to the third terminal device of the first user.

[0125] Invention 3 is an information provision method according to Invention 1 or 2, in which the first time period corresponding to the first communication is a time period obtained by adding a first additional time to either or both of the first real time and the first real time of the first communication.

[0126] In this information providing method, the first time period can be identified by adding the first additional time to the first actual time.

[0127] Invention 4 is an information providing method according to any one of Inventions 1 to 3, in which the second time period corresponding to the second communication is a time period obtained by adding a second additional time to either or both of the time periods before and after the second real time of the second communication.

[0128] In this information providing method, the second time zone can be identified by adding the second additional time to the second actual time.

[0129] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the information providing method of any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to the total amount of time that the first user and the second user communicated during the previous month.

[0130] Such a method of providing information can help users understand that there is less communication between users than in the previous month.

[0131] Invention 6 is an information provision method according to any one of Inventions 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to the average time that the first user communicates with other users who are subordinates of the first user other than the second user.

[0132] Such an information providing method can help understand that communication between a first user and a second user is less than communication between the first user and other users.

[0133] Invention 7 is the information providing method of any one of Inventions 1 to 7, wherein the certain common unit of working hours includes a week.

[0134] Such a method of providing information can help understand that communication between users is low on a weekly basis.

[0135] Invention 8 is the information providing method of any one of Inventions 1 to 7, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a month.

[0136] Such a method of providing information can help understand that there is little communication between users on a monthly basis.

[0137] A ninth aspect of the present invention is the information providing method of any one of the first to seventh aspects of the present invention, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a unit of a predetermined number of days.

[0138] Such an information providing method can help users understand that there is little communication between users over a predetermined number of days.

[0139] Invention 10 is an information providing method according to any one of Inventions 1 to 9, wherein the first use time corresponding to the first communication includes, if the first communication is a chat, the time when a keyboard stroke by the first user is detected while the first chat window is active.

[0140] This information providing method identifies the time during which chatting took place by taking into consideration whether or not a key was pressed on the keyboard, and can help users understand that chatting took place for a short period of time.

[0141] Invention 11 is the information providing method of Invention 10, wherein the first use time corresponding to the first communication includes, if the first communication is a voice conversation, the time when a second window of the voice conversation, separate from the first window, was opened.

[0142] Such an information providing method can assist in understanding that the time spent in voice conversation is short, instead of or in addition to the time spent in chat.

[0143] A twelfth aspect of the present invention is an information providing method in an information management system for managing the status of a workplace where a plurality of users communicate online, the method comprising: acquiring, on a first terminal device of a first user among the plurality of users, first destination information to be used for a first online communication, a first use time corresponding to the first communication, and a first user ID of the first user, from the first terminal device; acquiring, on a second terminal device of a second user among the plurality of users, second destination information to be used for a second online communication, a second use time corresponding to the second communication, and a second user ID of the second user, from the second terminal device; This information providing method determines that the first user and the second user have been communicating online if the time period overlaps with a second time period corresponding to the second communication and the first communication and the second communication are between the first user and the second user, and outputs support data indicating that there has been little communication between the first user and the second user to a third terminal device of the first user's supervisor if the time period during which the first user and the second user have been communicating online in a certain unit of common working time is less than a predetermined value and the first user is a colleague of the second user who performs related work.

[0144] In this information providing method, not only is it determined whether communication between a first user and a second user has been established, but the established communication is also evaluated. That is, if the amount of time the first user and the second user communicate within a common predetermined work period of at least one day is less than a predetermined value, even if communication has been established, the communication is evaluated as insufficient from the perspective of improving productivity in the work environment. The information providing method notifies such evaluation results to a person who needs to know the evaluation results from the perspective of improving productivity in the work environment. That is, in the information processing method, if the first user is a colleague of the second user who performs a related job, assistance data indicating that the first user and the second user had little communication is output to a third terminal device of the first user's supervisor.

[0145] As a result, the information processing method not only determines whether or not communication has been established between members in the workplace, but also evaluates the communication that has been established and notifies the person who should receive the evaluation, thereby helping to identify when communication between members is lacking, fostering mutual understanding and trust between members, and improving productivity in the working environment.

[0146] Furthermore, the information providing method of the twelfth aspect of the present invention can assist in understanding that communication between users is limited by outputting assistance data to the third terminal device of the first user's superior.

[0147] Invention 13 is the information providing method of invention 12, wherein if the first user is a colleague of the second user who is doing a related job, the first user is a colleague of the second user in the same organization as the second user.

[0148] Such an information providing method can help understand that there is little communication between users who belong to the same organization.

[0149] Invention 14 is the information providing method of invention 12, including the step of, when the first user is a colleague of the second user who is engaged in a related business, the first user being a colleague who is working on the same project as the second user.

[0150] Such an information providing method can help understand that there is little communication between users who are working on the same project.

[0151] A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the information providing method of any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to the total amount of time that the first user and the second user communicated during the previous month.

[0152] Such a method of providing information can help users understand that there is less communication between users than in the previous month.

[0153] A sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the information providing method of any one of the twelfth to fourteenth aspects, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to an average time period during which the first user communicates with other users who are colleagues other than the second user.

[0154] Such an information providing method can help understand that communication between a first user and a second user is less than communication between the first user and other users.

[0155] A seventeenth aspect of the present invention is the information providing method of any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, wherein the certain common unit of working hours includes a week.

[0156] Such a method of providing information can help understand that communication between users is low on a weekly basis.

[0157] An eighteenth aspect of the present invention is the information providing method of any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects of the present invention, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a month.

[0158] Such a method of providing information can help understand that there is little communication between users on a monthly basis.

[0159] A nineteenth aspect of the present invention is the information providing method of any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects of the present invention, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a unit of a predetermined number of days.

[0160] Such an information providing method can help users understand that there is little communication between users over a predetermined number of days.

[0161] Invention 20 is an information providing method according to any one of Inventions 12 to 19, wherein the first use time corresponding to the first communication includes, if the first communication is a chat, the time when a keyboard stroke by the first user is detected while the first chat window is active.

[0162] This information providing method identifies the time during which chatting took place by taking into consideration whether or not a key was pressed on the keyboard, and can help users understand that chatting took place for a short period of time.

[0163] Invention 21 is the information providing method of Invention 20, wherein the first use time corresponding to the first communication includes, if the first communication is a voice conversation, the time when a second window of the voice conversation, different from the first window, was opened.

[0164] Such an information providing method can assist in understanding that the time spent in voice conversation is short, instead of or in addition to the time spent in chat.

[0165] Invention 22 is an information management system that manages the status of a workplace in which multiple users communicate online, and the information management system acquires, from a first terminal device of a first user among the multiple users, first destination information used for a first online communication, a first use time corresponding to the first communication, and a first user ID of the first user from the first terminal device; acquires, from a second terminal device, second destination information used for a second online communication, a second use time corresponding to the second communication, and a second user ID of the second user from the second terminal device; and determines that the first user and the second user have been communicating online if a first time period corresponding to the first communication and a second time period corresponding to the second communication overlap and the first communication and the second communication are between the first user and the second user; and outputs support data indicating that there has been little communication between the first user and the second user to the first terminal device of the first user if the time period during which the first user and the second user have been communicating online in a certain common unit of working time is less than a predetermined value and the first user is the boss of the second user.

[0166] Such an information management system can assist in understanding that communication between users is limited by outputting assistance data to the first terminal device of the first user.

[0167] Invention 23 is a terminal device 30 in the information management system of Invention 22, which acquires assistance data indicating that there was little communication between the first user and the second user from the information management system and displays the assistance data on a display.

[0168] By displaying the assistance data, such a terminal device 30 can help users understand that there is little communication between users.

[0169] Invention 24 is an information management system for managing the status of a workplace where a plurality of users communicate online, the system acquiring, from a first terminal device of a first user among the plurality of users, first destination information used for a first online communication, a first use time corresponding to the first communication, and a first user ID of the first user from the first terminal device, acquiring, from a second terminal device, second destination information used for a second online communication of a second user among the plurality of users, a second use time corresponding to the second communication, and a second user ID of the second user from the second terminal device, acquiring, from a first terminal device, a first time period corresponding to the first communication and a second time period corresponding to the first communication. This information management system determines that the first user and the second user were communicating online when a first communication overlaps with a second time period corresponding to the first communication and the second communication is between the first user and the second user, and outputs support data indicating that there was little communication between the first user and the second user to a third terminal device of the first user's supervisor when the time during which the first user and the second user were communicating online in a certain unit of common working time is less than a predetermined value and the first user is a colleague of the second user who performs related work.

[0170] Such an information management system can help the first user understand that there is little communication between users by outputting assistance data to the third terminal device of the first user's boss.

[0171] Invention 25 is a terminal device 30 in the information management system of Invention 24, which acquires assistance data indicating that there was little communication between the first user and the second user from the information management system and displays the assistance data on a display.

[0172] By displaying the assistance data, such a terminal device 30 can help users understand that there is little communication between users.

[0173] (Other Embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0174] For example, in the above embodiment, it has been explained that the information management system may be realized by a single server or by multiple servers. As such, the "system" in this specification may be configured by a single device or by multiple devices. When a system is configured by multiple devices, the components (especially functional components) of the system may be allocated in any way among the multiple devices.

[0175] Furthermore, the method of communication between the devices in the above-described embodiment is not particularly limited. Furthermore, a relay device (such as a broadband router, not shown) may be involved in the communication between the devices.

[0176] 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.

[0177] 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.

[0178] 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.

[0179] 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 as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0180] For example, the present disclosure may be realized as an information providing method executed by a computer such as the information management system of the above-described embodiment, or as a program (computer program product) for causing a computer to execute the information providing method. Furthermore, the present disclosure may be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0181] In addition, the invention of this disclosure also includes forms obtained by making 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.

[0182] 10 Communication management system 30 Terminal device 31 Display unit 32, 41, 51 Communication unit 33, 42, 52 Control unit 34, 43 Management unit 40 Information management server 44 Terminal management unit 45 Organization information management unit 46 Log information management unit 47 Calculation result management unit 48 Judgment result management unit 50 Data processing server 53 Storage unit 54 Calculation unit 55 Judgment unit 60 Communication network

Claims

1. An information providing method in an information management system for managing the status of communication in a workplace where multiple users communicate online, comprising: acquiring, from a first terminal device of a first user among the multiple users, first destination information used for a first online communication, a first use time corresponding to the first communication, and a first user ID of the first user; acquiring, from a second terminal device, second destination information used for a second online communication of a second user among the multiple users, a second use time corresponding to the second communication, and a second user ID of the second user; and determining that the first user and the second user have communicated online when a first time period corresponding to the first communication and a second time period corresponding to the second communication overlap and the first communication and the second communication are between the first user and the second user; An information provision method comprising: outputting support data indicating that there was little communication between the first user and the second user to the first terminal device of the first user when the amount of time that the first user and the second user spent communicating online in a certain unit of common working time is less than a predetermined value and when the first user is determined to be the second user's boss based on information indicating the relationship between the first user and the second user.

2. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the assistance data is output to a third terminal device other than the first terminal device of the first user and usable by the first user.

3. An information provision method as described in claim 1, wherein the first time period corresponding to the first communication is a time period obtained by adding a first additional time to either or both of the first real time and the first real time of the first communication.

4. An information provision method as described in claim 3, wherein the second time period corresponding to the second communication is a time period obtained by adding a second additional time to either or both of the second real time and the second real time of the second communication.

5. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to a total time during which the first user and the second user communicated in a given unit of common working time the previous time.

6. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to an average time period during which the first user communicates with other users who are subordinates of the first user other than the second user.

7. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a week.

8. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a month.

9. The information providing method according to claim 1, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a unit of a predetermined number of days.

10. An information provision method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first use time corresponding to the first communication includes, if the first communication is a chat, the time when a keyboard stroke by the first user is detected while the first chat window is active.

11. The information provision method according to claim 10, wherein the first use time corresponding to the first communication includes, if the first communication is a voice conversation, the time when a second window of the voice conversation, separate from the first window, was opened.

12. An information providing method in an information management system for managing the status of communication in a workplace where multiple users communicate online, comprising: acquiring, from a first terminal device of a first user among the multiple users, first destination information used for a first online communication, a first use time corresponding to the first communication, and a first user ID of the first user; acquiring, from a second terminal device, second destination information used for a second online communication of a second user among the multiple users, a second use time corresponding to the second communication, and a second user ID of the second user; determining that the first user and the second user have communicated online when a first time zone corresponding to the first communication and a second time zone corresponding to the second communication overlap and the first communication and the second communication are between the first user and the second user; An information provision method, comprising: outputting support data indicating that there was little communication between the first user and the second user to a third terminal device of the first user's superior when the amount of time that the first user and the second user have been communicating online in a certain unit of common working time is less than a predetermined value and when the first user is determined to be a colleague of the second user who performs related work based on information indicating the relationship between the first user and the second user.

13. The information providing method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to a total time during which the first user and the second user communicated in a given unit of common working time the previous time.

14. The information providing method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to an average time during which the first user communicates with other users who are colleagues other than the second user.

15. The information providing method according to claim 12, wherein the constant common unit of working time includes a week.

16. The information providing method according to claim 12, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a month.

17. The information providing method according to claim 12, wherein the certain common unit of working time includes a unit of a predetermined number of days.

18. An information provision method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the first use time corresponding to the first communication includes, if the first communication is a chat, the time at which a keyboard stroke by the first user is detected while the first chat window is active.

19. The information provision method according to claim 18, wherein the first use time corresponding to the first communication includes, if the first communication is a voice conversation, the time when a second window for the voice conversation opened separately from the first window.

20. An information management system for managing the status of communication in a workplace where multiple users communicate online, comprising: acquiring, from a first terminal device of a first user among the multiple users, first destination information used for a first online communication, a first use time corresponding to the first communication, and a first user ID of the first user; acquiring, from a second terminal device, second destination information used for a second online communication on a second terminal device of a second user among the multiple users, a second use time corresponding to the second communication, and a second user ID of the second user; determining that the first user and the second user have been communicating online when a first time period of the first communication overlaps with a second time period corresponding to the second communication and the first communication and the second communication are between the first user and the second user; and determining that the first user and the second user have been communicating online when the time period during which the first user and the second user have been communicating online in a certain unit of common working time is less than a predetermined value. i) when it is determined that the first user is the boss of the second user based on information indicating the relationship between the first user and the second user, assistance data indicating that there was little communication between the first user and the second user is output to the first terminal device of the first user; and ii) when it is determined that the first user is a colleague who performs a related job with the second user based on the information indicating the relationship between the first user and the second user, the assistance data is output to a third terminal device of the boss of the first user.

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