JP2010086163A - Information processor, program, and communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information processor for deciding the propriety of customization for converting the attribute data of an avatar on the basis of communicating situations or setting information of the avatar or the like. <P>SOLUTION: An information processor is provided with: a request information reception part 111 which is connected through a network to a plurality of terminals and receives an avatar conversion request transmitted from the terminals; an avatar conversion control part 131 for deciding the propriety of the conversion of the attribute data of the target avatar related to the avatar conversion request; a content management part 112 for managing the attribute data of the avatar; an avatar conversion part 113 for, when it is decided that the conversion of the attribute data of the target avatar is possible by the avatar conversion control part, converting the attribute data of the target avatar; and a response transmission part 115 for transmitting the target avatar whose attribute data have been converted by the avatar conversion part to the terminals. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a program, and a communication system that control an avatar in a virtual space.

  In recent years, communication forms for performing communication in virtual spaces such as online games and metaverses are increasing. In the virtual space, you can operate a character programmed to be active as a user's alternation called avatar to get a sense of the user moving in the virtual space, and between users via the avatar Communication such as chat and voice communication can also be performed. In addition, a communication system has been realized that can change its own avatar according to the user's preference and can increase the degree of emotional transfer into the virtual space (for example, Patent Document 1).

  As an example of utilizing virtual space for business, a telework system such as a virtual office has been devised. A system that displays attendee avatars on a screen as if participating in a conference held in the same space from different places using a network has been put into practical use (for example, Patent Document 2).

  FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram related to a communication system 10 that performs communication in a virtual space. The communication system 10 includes a communication server 11 that provides a virtual space, a computer network 12, and a plurality of communication terminals 13a.

  The communication system 10 is a virtual space such as a conference room constructed by the communication server 11, for example, via its own avatar (hereinafter referred to as a self-avatar) that can be operated using a communication terminal 13 a having a communication function such as a personal computer. In this system, users can communicate with each other.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the functional configuration of a conventional communication server 11 having a function for converting attribute data of its own avatar. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication server 11 receives request information (request for content that the communication terminal user wants to browse, control instruction information of the own avatar) transmitted from the communication terminal 13 by the request information receiving unit 21. . Necessary data (text, image, etc.) in the received request information is obtained from the content management unit 22 and transmitted to the content determination unit 24. Here, when changing the own avatar attribute data, the own avatar conversion unit 23 changes the attribute data of the own avatar, and transmits the changed own avatar attribute data to the content determination unit 24. In this manner, data requested by the user (data such as text and data not related to other avatars and changed avatar data) are prepared in the content determination unit 24 and sent from the response transmission unit 25 to the communication terminal 13 via the network 12. Sent.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the own avatar conversion unit 23. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the conversion target avatar and conversion instruction information receiving unit 31 converts avatar ID (communication terminal user ID) from instruction information (avatar conversion data) indicating which avatar the user wants to convert. Is transmitted to the conversion target avatar information acquisition unit 32, and the conversion target avatar information acquisition unit 32 acquires attribute data (image, etc.) of the avatar from the content management unit 22 based on the received information, and the data is converted into the avatar. The data is transmitted to the conversion execution unit 34. On the other hand, the avatar conversion information storage unit 33 receives the conversion instruction information of the attribute data of the avatar among the user instruction information and transmits data such as an image corresponding to the conversion item to the avatar conversion execution unit 34.
Here, request information by the user will be described.

  4 and 5 show an example of avatar conversion data transmitted when the user customizes attribute data of the own avatar. The avatar conversion data necessary for customizing the own avatar is a communication terminal user ID, a conversion target avatar ID, and conversion information. The communication terminal user ID is an ID for recognizing a user who uses the communication terminal, and the conversion target avatar ID is an ID for recognizing an avatar operable by the user. The communication terminal user who is a user can set the communication terminal user ID and the avatar ID of the own avatar to be different, but here, the communication terminal user and the own avatar of the communication terminal user are set. The avatar ID is the same. It is also possible for one user to manage a plurality of avatars.

  As the conversion information of the avatar attribute data, eight items of expression, body shape, hairstyle, clothes, character conversion, appearance music, lighting, and smell are set, and examples of options for each item are shown in FIG. When a conversion instruction is issued as shown in FIG. 4 for the conversion information set in this way, the user's own avatar has a smiling face, fat body shape, long hair, long dress, dress, no character conversion, Appearance music is changed to nursery rhymes, lighting is red, smell is hot springs, and so on.

Subsequently, the avatar conversion execution unit 34 creates a conversion avatar in which the instruction information of the user is reflected on the data transmitted from the conversion target avatar information acquisition unit 32 and the avatar conversion information storage unit 33 using means such as an image configuration. To do. The attribute data of the converted avatar is transmitted from the avatar information transmitting unit 35 to the content determining unit 24 and finally transmitted to the communication terminal 13, the video is a display of the communication terminal, and the appearance music is a sound output device such as a speaker or headphones. The odor will be output in the aroma pot. Further, the attribute data of the conversion avatar is stored in the avatar information storage unit 36, and is transmitted to the communication terminal 13 based on the avatar information stored in the avatar information storage unit 36 unless a new avatar conversion instruction is issued by the user. Will be.
JP 2002-259318 A JP 2002-360936 A

  However, converting avatar attribute data so that it becomes a virtual space imaged by the user has a large processing load on the communication server and increases the communication load of the network. There is a problem of lowering. In addition, even when the user is communicating in a virtual space, such as chat and conversation, if the user wants to be close to the virtual space imagined by the user, the avatar's attribute data will be overly converted and communication will be insufficient. There is a problem of falling. Also, in a conference or the like in a telework system, the same avatar may be used for a plurality of attendees, and the image between the other user and the avatar operated by the other user (hereinafter referred to as another avatar) is not so much. In addition to being indistinguishable, there is a problem of poor communication.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to customize the avatar attribute data based on the communication status or the avatar setting information. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication server that determines whether customization for converting data is possible.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, a request information receiving unit that is connected to a plurality of terminals via a network and receives an avatar conversion request transmitted from the terminal, and an avatar conversion request When the avatar conversion control unit that determines whether or not the attribute data of the target avatar can be converted, the content management unit that manages the attribute data of the avatar, and the avatar conversion control unit determine that the attribute data of the target avatar can be converted There is provided an information processing apparatus comprising: an avatar conversion unit that converts attribute data of a target avatar; and a response transmission unit that transmits the target avatar whose attribute data is converted by the avatar conversion unit to a terminal.

  According to such a configuration, the processing load of the communication server and the communication load of the network accompanying the conversion of the attribute data representing the avatar can be reduced. Can be eliminated. Moreover, since it is possible to prevent the avatar from being over-customized so as to become a virtual space imaged by the user, smooth communication can be achieved.

The avatar conversion control unit may include a communication status acquisition unit that determines whether or not the terminal user is communicating, and the communication status acquisition unit may determine whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted.
Further, the communication status acquisition unit may determine whether or not the terminal user is communicating based on a port number included in the communication packet transmitted by the terminal user.

  The avatar conversion control unit includes at least one of a server load monitoring unit that determines server load information and a network load monitoring unit that determines network load information, and determines whether or not the attribute data representing the target avatar can be converted. May be.

  Further, the attribute data of the avatar may include conversion permission information and status information of the terminal user, and whether or not the target avatar can be converted may be determined based on the conversion permission information or the position information.

Moreover, you may further provide the avatar information storage part which memorize | stores the attribute data of the object avatar, and the attribute data converted by the avatar conversion part.
The target avatar may be another avatar.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a request information receiving process for receiving an avatar conversion request transmitted from a terminal connected to a plurality of terminals via a network, and communication Based on the signal load status, the avatar conversion control process for determining whether or not the attribute data of the target avatar related to the avatar conversion request can be converted, the content management process for managing the attribute data of the avatar, and the avatar conversion control process If it is determined that the attribute data can be converted, an avatar conversion process for converting the attribute data of the target avatar and a response transmission process for transmitting the target avatar whose attribute data is converted by the avatar conversion process to the terminal are sent to the computer. A program to be executed is provided.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication system in which a plurality of terminals are connected via a network, and any one of the plurality of terminals is an avatar conversion request. The other one of the plurality of terminals transmits a request information receiving unit that receives the transmitted avatar conversion request, and attribute data of the target avatar related to the avatar conversion request based on the load status of the communication signal. If the avatar conversion control unit that determines whether conversion is possible, the content management unit that manages the attribute data of the avatar, and the avatar conversion control unit determine that the attribute data of the target avatar can be converted, the attribute data of the target avatar is The avatar conversion unit to be converted and the target avatar whose attribute data has been converted by the avatar conversion unit are transmitted to the terminal that requested the avatar conversion. Communication system comprising a Nsu transmitting section, is provided.

  The communication system is a video conference system, and the attribute of the target avatar may be converted in response to an avatar conversion request in accordance with an operation of only a given terminal user participating in the video conference system.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus, a program, and a communication system that determine whether or not avatar attribute data can be converted based on a communication status or avatar setting information. Can do.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

Further, the “best mode for carrying out the invention” will be described according to the following item order.
1st Embodiment (1-1) Other avatar conversion function (1-2) Communication server provided with other avatar conversion function (1-3) Conversion instruction information of other avatar (1-4) Avatar information storage unit (1) -5) Avatar conversion control unit (1-6) Configuration of avatar conversion control unit according to first embodiment (1-7) Processing of communication server according to first embodiment Second embodiment (2-1) ) Configuration of the avatar conversion control unit according to the second embodiment (2-2) Processing of the communication server according to the second embodiment Third embodiment (3-1) Avatar conversion control according to the third embodiment Configuration of Unit (3-2) Processing of Communication Server According to Third Embodiment

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment according to the present invention provides a control unit that uses a conversion function of a conventional avatar in a communication system for a conversion function of another avatar and determines whether or not conversion of attribute data of the avatar can be performed based on a communication signal. It is the communication system characterized by this.

(1-1) Other Avatar Conversion Function In the conventional communication system, there is a function that converts the attribute data of the own avatar, but there is no function that converts the attribute data of the other avatar. It was. However, in a conference or the like in a telework system, a plurality of attendees may attend the same virtual space. At that time, it is assumed that the avatars for which the participating users have not customized their own avatars are the same avatars given in the initial stage. It is done. Therefore, in a virtual space where the number of participating users such as conferences in a telework system is limited, it is convenient for performance of business to be able to customize other avatars. For this reason, this embodiment has a function of converting attribute data of other avatars in order to make the other avatars suitable for the virtual space imaged by the user, and determines whether or not conversion is possible in attribute data conversion of the own avatar and other avatars. A communication system having an avatar conversion control unit is provided. It should be noted that customization of other avatars may be applied only for the purpose of performing business.

(1-2) Communication Server Having Other Avatar Conversion Function Hereinafter, a communication server having a function of converting attribute data of another avatar will be described.
FIG. 6 is an overall configuration diagram of the communication system Sys including a functional configuration of the communication server 101 having a function of converting attribute data of other avatars. A communication system Sys that performs communication in a virtual space includes a communication server 101, a network 102, and a communication terminal 103, and is the same as the conventional one. The communication terminal 103 only needs to have a communication function such as a personal computer, a mobile phone, and a game machine.

  The communication server 101 having the function of converting the attribute data of the other avatar is provided with an avatar conversion unit 113 instead of the own avatar conversion unit 23 (FIG. 2) of the communication server 11 that converts the attribute data of the own avatar. Not only can you specify other avatars, but you can change their appearance.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the communication server 101 receives request information (a request for content that the communication terminal user wants to browse, control instruction information of the own avatar and other avatars) transmitted from the communication terminal 103 by the user. Receive at. Necessary data (text, image, etc.) in the received request information is obtained from the content management unit 112 and transmitted to the content determination unit 114. Here, when changing the attribute data of the own avatar and the other avatar, the avatar conversion unit 113 changes the attribute data of the avatar, and transmits the changed attribute data to the content determination unit 114. In this way, the data requested by the user is prepared in the content determination unit 114 and transmitted from the response transmission unit 115 to the communication terminal 103 via the network 102.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the avatar conversion unit 113. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the conversion target avatar and conversion instruction information receiving unit 121 converts avatar ID (communication terminal user ID) from instruction information (avatar conversion data) indicating which avatar the user wants to convert. Is transmitted to the conversion target avatar information acquisition unit 122, and the conversion target avatar information acquisition unit 122 acquires attribute data (image, etc.) of the avatar from the content management unit 112 based on the received information, and the data is transmitted to the avatar. The data is transmitted to the conversion execution unit 124. On the other hand, the avatar conversion information storage unit 123 receives the conversion instruction information of the avatar attribute data in the user instruction information, and transmits data such as an image corresponding to the conversion item to the avatar conversion execution unit 124.

  Subsequently, the avatar conversion execution unit 124 creates a conversion avatar in which the attribute data is converted from the data transmitted from the conversion target avatar information acquisition unit 122 and the avatar conversion information storage unit 123 using means such as an image configuration. The attribute data of the converted avatar is transmitted from the avatar information transmitting unit 125 to the content determining unit 114 and finally transmitted to the communication terminal 103, the video is a display of the communication terminal, and the appearance music is a sound output device such as a speaker or headphones. The odor will be output in the aroma pot. Further, the attribute data of the conversion avatar is stored in the avatar information storage unit 126 and is transmitted to the communication terminal 103 based on the avatar information stored in the avatar information storage unit 126 unless a new avatar conversion instruction is issued. become.

  The avatar information storage unit 126 is not necessarily required for the implementation of the present technology, but expects an effect of reducing the load on the communication server by reducing duplicate processing such as repeating the same conversion processing meaninglessly. Can do. The function of the avatar information storage unit 126 will be described later.

(1-3) Conversion Instruction Information of Other Avatars Hereinafter, conversion instructions of other avatars will be described.
FIG. 8 shows conversion instruction information of other avatars by the user, and shows an example of avatar conversion data transmitted when the user customizes the other avatars. The communication terminal user ID is an ID for recognizing a user who uses the communication terminal, and the conversion target avatar ID is an ID for recognizing another avatar to be customized to be close to the virtual space imaged by the user. .

  The other avatar to be converted is selected by, for example, the user clicking on the avatar that the user wants to convert in the video displayed on the display of the communication terminal or the like, or selecting from the list of logged-in users. The conversion target avatar ID can be automatically obtained.

  For example, FIG. 8 shows another avatar whose conversion target avatar ID is 98765 when a user whose communication terminal user ID is 01234 finds a plurality of other avatars indicated by the same video in the virtual space. A conversion instruction is given so that the conversion information becomes such. According to the conversion information, the other avatar whose conversion target avatar ID is 98765 has a smiling face, a thin body shape, an all-back hairstyle, a suit for clothes, no character conversion, classical music for music, blue light, smell Will be transformed like a flower, making it possible to distinguish it from multiple other avatars.

  In addition, although the communication terminal user ID and the conversion target avatar ID are specifically expressed by five-digit numbers, the present invention is not limited to this expression. The items of conversion information, the data configuration and options of each conversion item are examples, and needless to say, are not limited to those shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 5, etc., and are necessary between the communication server and the user, and between each functional block. Any configuration may be used as long as it can exchange various data. If the own avatar ID is set as the conversion target avatar ID in FIG. 8, the own avatar can be converted as usual.

(1-4) Avatar Information Storage Unit FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating the avatar information storage unit 126.
In FIG. 9A, information (avatar attribute data) obtained by converting an avatar is managed by each avatar ID for each user. The avatar information storage unit 126 stores the avatar information after conversion for the avatar converted from the attribute data corresponding to the avatar ID including the own avatar, and the default setting for the avatar that does not convert the attribute data. Avatar information is stored. That is, the avatar information storage unit 126 stores attribute data of all avatars operated by users who participate in the virtual space for each communication terminal user. Specifically, it is assumed that the user whose communication terminal user ID is 01234 has converted his own avatar whose avatar ID is 01234 into avatar information A. Further, the avatar ID 98765 is converted to avatar information A1, and the avatar ID 13579 is converted to avatar information A2. On the other hand, the user whose communication terminal user ID is 98765 has converted the avatar information B1 for the avatar ID 01234, the own avatar for the avatar ID 98765 into the avatar information B, and the avatar ID 13579 into the avatar information B2. One avatar existing in the virtual space is stored as corresponding to each image of the communication terminal users participating in the virtual space. Thus, if the avatar information of other avatars including the own avatar is managed for each user, the image of the other avatar encountered in the virtual space is always stored so as to match the user's image. It is easy to maintain a virtual space.

  In FIG. 9B, only the avatar information of the own avatar changed by the user is stored, and the attribute data of one avatar becomes information common to all users participating in the virtual space. In other words, no matter how the user converts other avatars, when they encounter another avatar again in the virtual space, they must appear in the other avatars that have been converted based on the attribute data converted by the user operating the other avatar. become. Thus, the other avatar maintains a user-preferred image for operating the other avatar. In addition, when only the information of each own avatar shown in FIG. 9B is stored, it may be stored in the content management unit.

(1-5) Avatar Conversion Control Unit As described above, conventionally, the own avatar is converted so as to become a virtual space imaged by the user. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in a virtual space where the number of participating users is limited, the conversion of avatars operated by other users may be performed only within the user's operation range so as not to hinder the performance of business. it can. However, the conversion of avatar attribute data has a large processing load on the communication server and may increase the communication load on the network. Therefore, in this embodiment, in addition to the avatar conversion unit (the own avatar and other avatar conversion function) shown in FIG. 6, a communication system including a communication server provided with an avatar conversion control unit that determines whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted. Provide Sys.

Then, next, the communication server provided with the avatar conversion control unit according to the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a communication server provided with an avatar conversion control unit. As shown in FIG. 10, the avatar conversion control unit 131 is provided between the request information receiving unit 111 and the content management unit 112 in the communication server 101.

  The avatar conversion control unit 131 receives instruction information related to avatar conversion from the request information (corresponding to the avatar conversion request) transmitted from the communication terminal 103 by the user via the request information receiving unit 111, analyzes the request information, and so on. The communication status is monitored to determine whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted.

  The avatar conversion control unit 131 in the first embodiment determines whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted based on whether the chat or conversation session is valid.

(1-6) Configuration of Avatar Conversion Control Unit According to First Embodiment FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the avatar conversion control unit 131 according to the first embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the avatar conversion control unit 131 includes a conversion target avatar identification unit 133, a communication status acquisition unit 135, an avatar conversion determination unit 137, and an avatar conversion availability information transmission unit 139.

  The avatar conversion control unit 131 analyzes the instruction information related to the avatar conversion transmitted by the user, transmits the target avatar signal from the conversion target avatar identification unit 133, and transmits the communication signal from the communication status acquisition unit 135. The avatar conversion determination unit 137 that has received the target avatar signal and the communication signal transmits a conversion enable / disable signal to the avatar conversion enable / disable information transmission unit 139.

  The target avatar signal transmitted from the conversion target avatar identification unit 133 is a signal for identifying whether the avatar that the user wants to convert is the own avatar or another avatar. The communication signal transmitted from the communication status acquisition unit 135 is a signal for identifying whether or not the avatar to be converted by the user is in communication such as chat or conversation.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the conversion target avatar identification unit 133.
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the request information acquisition unit 141 refers to request information transmitted by a communication terminal user who is a user, and acquires a communication terminal user ID and a conversion target avatar ID. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the communication terminal user ID matches the own avatar ID of the communication terminal user. Next, the avatar ID verification unit 143 compares the communication terminal user ID and the conversion target avatar ID to determine whether or not they match. If the communication terminal user ID and the conversion target avatar ID match, the conversion target is the own avatar. If the communication terminal user ID and the conversion target avatar ID do not match, it is determined that the conversion target is another avatar. . The determination result is received by the target avatar signal transmission unit 145, and the target avatar signal transmission unit 145 transmits the target avatar signal to the avatar conversion determination unit 137. The target avatar signal is, for example, 0 when the conversion target is the own avatar, and 1 when the conversion target is the other avatar, but is not limited to this, and the conversion target is the own avatar or the other avatar. Any configuration may be used as long as it can be determined.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the communication status acquisition unit 135.
The communication status acquisition unit 135 investigates whether or not the terminal user, that is, the user operating the conversion target avatar is in communication such as chat or conversation by referring to the port number included in the header of the communication packet. To do. Whether or not the user operating the conversion target avatar is in communication can be investigated by a method other than referring to the port number, but here, the communication status is determined based on the port number.

  As illustrated in FIG. 13, the port number acquisition unit 151 acquires the port number included in the communication packet of the conversion target avatar, and transmits it to the port number reference unit 153. The port number reference unit 153 checks the acquired port number against the port number database 155 to determine whether the application is used for communication. The port number database 155 stores port numbers of applications used for communication, such as a chat program. If the acquired port number matches the port number database 155, it is determined that communication is in progress. If the acquired port number does not match, it is determined that communication is not in progress. The determination result is received by the communication signal transmission unit 157 and transmitted from the communication signal transmission unit 157 to the avatar conversion determination unit 137 as a communication signal. For example, the communication signal is 0 if the conversion target avatar is not in communication, and 1 if the conversion avatar is in communication. However, the communication signal is not limited to this. It may be configured.

  In this way, based on the target avatar signal and the communication signal transmitted from the conversion target avatar identification unit 133 and the communication status acquisition unit 135, the avatar conversion determination unit 137 determines whether or not the attribute data of the conversion symmetric avatar can be converted. Is transmitted to the avatar conversion availability information transmission unit 139 as a conversion availability signal. The conversion enable / disable signal is, for example, 0 if conversion of attribute data of the conversion symmetric avatar is permitted, and 1 if conversion of attribute data is not permitted, but is not limited thereto.

FIG. 14 is a table for determining the conversion availability signal of the conversion symmetric avatar.
As shown in FIG. 14, when the terminal user who operates the conversion symmetric avatar is not communicating (communication signal is 0), the avatar attribute data can be converted (the conversion enable / disable signal is 0). Yes, when the terminal user who operates the conversion symmetric avatar is in communication (communication signal is 1), it is impossible to convert the attribute data of the avatar (exchange enable / disable signal is 1). Here, whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted is determined based on the communication signal. However, the determination method is not limited to this method. You may set that conversion of attribute data is possible.

  When the conversion of the avatar attribute data is permitted from the avatar conversion availability information transmission unit 139 based on the conversion availability signal determined in this way, the request information of the communication terminal user is sent to the avatar conversion unit 113 in FIG. Is transmitted, and avatar attribute data conversion processing is executed. On the other hand, when the conversion of the attribute data of the avatar is not permitted, as shown in FIG. 10, a signal that cannot be avatar converted is transmitted from the avatar conversion control unit 131 to the response transmission unit 115, and finally, the communication terminal 103 It is notified that avatar conversion is impossible.

  As described above, the communication server 101 according to the first embodiment includes the avatar conversion control unit 131 that determines whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted based on the communication status of the communication terminal user who operates the avatar. Thus, whether or not the avatar attribute data can be converted can be determined based on whether or not the conversion target avatar is in communication. For this reason, since the load of the communication server and the network due to the conversion of the attribute data of the avatar can be reduced, it is possible to prevent the real-time property of communication and the deterioration of the sound quality. In addition, since the conversion of avatar attribute data is more than necessary, it is possible to avoid a situation where communication is insufficient. The above operations and effects are effective not only when the attribute data of the own avatar is converted, but also when the attribute data of other avatars that are possible in this embodiment are converted.

  Each function described above is realized by a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like (not shown) constituting the communication server. Specifically, each function described above includes a dedicated control device or a processor (CPU) that executes a program, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that stores programs and data executed by the processor, and a ROM (Read). It is realized by hardware resources including a storage device such as an only memory (HDD) and a hard disk drive (HDD). Note that the configuration described here is described for each function, and the physical configuration of the hardware to be realized is clearly separated for each function and does not need to be prepared independently. Next, the operation of the communication server 101 according to the first embodiment will be described.

(1-7) Processing of Communication Server According to First Embodiment FIG. 15 shows a flow of avatar conversion availability determination processing according to the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 15, in order for the user to approach the virtual space imaged by the user from the communication terminal 103, the avatar conversion by the communication server 101 is started by determining the avatar for converting the attribute data (S160). The conversion target avatar ID and the communication terminal user ID are acquired from the user instruction information (S161). The acquired conversion target avatar ID is compared with the communication terminal user ID to determine whether the conversion target avatar is the user's own avatar or another avatar (S162), and the result is transmitted (S163). On the other hand, the communication status of the conversion symmetric avatar is acquired from the port number included in the communication packet (S164). It is determined from the acquired port number whether the conversion target avatar is communicating (S165), and the result is transmitted as a communication signal (S166). Based on the communication signal, it is determined whether or not the conversion target avatar is communicating (S167). If the conversion target avatar is not communicating, the conversion enable / disable signal of the conversion target avatar is set to be convertible (0 in FIG. 14). (S168) If the conversion target avatar is in communication, the conversion enable / disable signal of the conversion symmetric avatar is set to be unconvertible (1 in FIG. 14) (S169). A conversion enable / disable signal is transmitted (S170), and the present process is terminated (S171). Thereby, the user can know whether or not the attribute data of the avatar such as the appearance after the conversion of the conversion target avatar can be converted by the conversion enable / disable signal.

  Note that the execution order of S161 to S163 and S164 to S166 may be executed first instead of the order shown in FIG. 15, and S161 to S163 and S164 to S166 may be executed in parallel at the same time. Also good.

  Due to the above-described flow of avatar conversion control, the avatar attribute data cannot be converted while the conversion target avatar is communicating. For this reason, since the load of the communication server and the network due to the conversion of the attribute data of the avatar can be reduced, it is possible to prevent the real-time property of communication and the deterioration of the sound quality.

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment according to the present invention is a communication system characterized by including a control unit that determines whether or not conversion of attribute data of the own avatar and other avatars is possible based on server load information or network load information.

In a situation where a plurality of users use one server at the same time, processing such as converting avatar attribute data has a large processing load on the communication server and may increase the communication load on the network. When such processing is performed, there is a risk that not only the real-time property and sound quality of communication in the virtual space are deteriorated, but also in the worst case, the function of the communication server is stopped. Therefore, it is important to monitor the server load information and the network load information and determine whether or not the avatar attribute data can be converted according to the server load information or the network load information. Note that the configurations of the communication system Sys and the communication server 101 according to the present embodiment are the same as those illustrated in FIG. 10 and described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

(2-1) Configuration of Avatar Conversion Control Unit According to Second Embodiment FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an avatar conversion control unit 131 according to the second embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the avatar conversion control unit 131 includes a server load monitoring unit 201, a network (NW) load monitoring unit 203, an avatar conversion determination unit 205, and an avatar conversion availability information transmission unit 207.

  The server load signal based on the server load information from the server load monitoring unit 201 and the network load signal based on the network load information from the network load monitoring unit 203 are transmitted to the avatar conversion determining unit 205, and the avatar conversion determining unit 205 The conversion enable / disable signal is transmitted to the avatar conversion enable / disable information transmitting unit 207. Based on the conversion enable / disable signal transmitted from the avatar conversion enable / disable information transmission unit 207, whether or not the avatar attribute data can be converted is determined.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the server load monitoring unit 201. It is assumed that the server load monitoring unit 201 acquires load average (CPU average load) which is server statistical information as server load information.

  The server load monitoring unit 201 includes a server load information acquisition unit 211, a server statistical information recording unit 213, a server load determination unit 215, and a server load signal transmission unit 217. The server load information acquisition unit 211 inquires of the server statistical information recording unit 213 storing server statistical information such as load average or memory usage, and acquires the load average. The server statistical information recording unit 213 exists on the server in the form of a data file in the server. Although the storage location differs depending on the OS, when the OS is Linux, it is stored in “/ proc / cpuinfo”, so this may be referred to. The acquired load average is transmitted to the server load determination unit 215, and compared with a predetermined threshold, if it is smaller than the threshold, it is determined that the server load is small, and if it is larger than the threshold, it is determined that the server load is large. . For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the server load signal is 0 when the server load is small, and 1 when the server load is large, but is not limited thereto.

  The threshold value is generally set to the number of CPUs used in the server. For example, if there are four CPUs mounted on the server, the threshold is set to 4, and if the load average is less than 4, the server load is small, and if it is 4 or more, it is determined that the server load is large. Using the number of CPUs used by the server for setting the load average threshold is an example, and other criteria may be used.

Further, although load average is used as the statistical information of the server, information such as memory usage may be used instead of load average. Furthermore, determination may be made using a plurality of statistical information such as a combination of server load information and memory usage.
The server load signal determined in this way is transmitted from the server load signal transmission unit 217 to the avatar conversion determination unit 205.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the network load monitoring unit 203. It is assumed that the network load monitoring unit 203 uses a packet loss rate as network load information.

  The network load monitoring unit 203 includes a network load information acquisition unit 221, a network statistical information recording unit 223, a network load determination unit 225, and a network load signal transmission unit 227. The network load information acquisition unit 221 inquires of the network statistical information recording unit 223 in which network statistical information is recorded, and acquires the number of received packets and the number of received packets discarded. The network statistical information recording unit 223 exists on the server in the form of a data file in the server. Although the storage location differs depending on the OS, when the OS is Linux, it is stored in “/ proc / net / snmp”. The number of received packets and the number of discarded received packets acquired from the network statistical information recording unit 223 are transmitted to the network load determining unit 225, and the network load determining unit 225 receives the packet loss rate (= discarded received packets ÷ received). Calculated number of packets × 100). The packet loss rate is compared with a predetermined threshold, and if it is smaller than the threshold, it is determined that the network load is small, and if it is larger than the threshold, it is determined that the network load is large. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the network load signal is 0 when the network load is small and 1 when the network load is large. However, the network load signal is not limited to this. In the second embodiment, the network load threshold is set to 1%, but this value is an example, and other values may be used.

Further, although the packet loss rate is used as the network load information, other information may be used instead of the packet loss rate.
The network load signal determined in this way is transmitted from the network load signal transmission unit 227 to the avatar conversion determination unit 205.

  Thus, based on the server load signal and the network load signal transmitted from the server load monitoring unit 201 and the network load monitoring unit 203, the avatar conversion determination unit 205 determines whether or not the attribute data of the conversion symmetric avatar can be converted. Is transmitted to the avatar conversion availability information transmission unit 207 as a conversion availability signal. The conversion enable / disable signal is, for example, 0 if conversion of attribute data of the conversion symmetric avatar is permitted, and 1 if conversion of attribute data is not permitted, but is not limited thereto.

  Specifically, a procedure for setting the conversion enable / disable signal will be described with reference to a table for determining the conversion enable / disable signal of the attribute data of the avatar in FIG.

  When the server load signal and the network load signal are both smaller than a predetermined threshold (both the server load signal and the network load signal are 0), it is determined that the load of the communication signal is small and the conversion propriety signal is converted. Is set to 0. On the other hand, when at least one of the server load signal and the network load signal is larger than a predetermined threshold value, it is determined that the load of the communication signal is large, and the conversion availability signal is set to 1. In the second embodiment, the avatar attribute data can be converted only when the load of both the server and the network is small. However, the present invention is not limited to this determination method. For example, whether or not avatar attribute data can be converted may be determined only from the load signal of the server. The avatar attribute data may not be exchanged only when both the server load signal and the network load signal are large.

  The attribute data of the avatar is converted based on the conversion enable / disable signal determined in this manner, but the description is omitted because it is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  As described above, the communication server 101 according to the second embodiment includes the avatar conversion control unit 131 that determines whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted based on the load status of the server and the network. Thus, it is not permitted to convert the attribute data of the avatar under a situation where the load on at least one of the server and the network is large. For this reason, since it can suppress that the load to the communication server and network by conversion of the attribute data of an avatar can be suppressed, it can prevent that the real-time property and sound quality of communication fall. Next, the operation of the communication server 101 according to the second embodiment will be described.

(2-2) Processing of Communication Server According to Second Embodiment FIG. 20 shows a flow of avatar conversion availability determination processing according to the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 20, in order for the user to approach the virtual space imaged by the user from the communication terminal 103, the avatar conversion by the communication server 101 is started by determining the avatar for converting the attribute data (S230). Server load information is acquired from server statistical information or the like (S231). The server load status is determined from the acquired server load information (S232), and the result is transmitted as a server load signal (S233). On the other hand, network load information is acquired from network statistical information or the like (S234). The network load status is determined from the acquired network statistical information (S235), and the result is transmitted as a network load signal (S236). Based on the load status of the communication server and the network, it is determined whether or not the avatar attribute data can be converted (S237). If the avatar attribute data can be converted, the avatar conversion enable / disable signal is set to be convertible (0 in FIG. 19) (S238). If the avatar attribute data cannot be converted, the conversion symmetry avatar can be converted. The signal is set to be unconvertible (1 in FIG. 19) (S239). A conversion enable / disable signal is transmitted (S240), and this process is terminated (S241). As a result, the user can be informed of whether or not the attribute data of the avatar such as the appearance after conversion of the conversion target avatar can be converted by the conversion enable / disable signal.

  Note that the execution order of S231 to S233 and S234 to S236 may be executed first instead of the order shown in FIG. 20, and S231 to S233 and S234 to S236 may be executed simultaneously in parallel. Also good.

  According to the above-described flow of avatar conversion control, in this embodiment, conversion of avatar attribute data is not permitted when the load on the communication server or the network is large. For this reason, since the load of the communication server and the network based on the conversion of the attribute data of the avatar can be suppressed, it is possible to prevent the real time property of communication and the deterioration of the sound quality.

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment according to the present invention, whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted is determined by a control unit that determines whether or not the attribute data can be converted based on the information of the avatar set by the user who operates the avatar. It is a communication system characterized by providing.

  In a telework system conference, etc., multiple users may attend the same virtual space, and avatar attribute data may be actively converted to characterize the avatar operated by each participating user. . However, the conversion of the attribute data of other avatars, which is originally performed for smoothing the business, may be hindered by performing the business, for example. In addition, the class difference expressed by the avatar may become sparse, causing problems in business execution and communication. In addition, when participating users convert not only their own avatars but also other avatars, even if it is within the range expressed only on the communication terminals of other users, their own avatars may be customized without permission. There is a risk of disruption. Therefore, it is important to determine whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted based on information such as permission to convert the attribute data of the avatar by another user from the user who operates the avatar or the status of the user in the real world. . Note that the configurations of the communication system Sys and the communication server 101 according to the present embodiment are the same as those illustrated in FIG. 10 and described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

(3-1) Configuration of Avatar Conversion Control Unit According to Third Embodiment FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of an avatar conversion control unit 131 according to the third embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 21, the avatar conversion control unit 131 includes a permission information acquisition unit 301, a position information acquisition unit 303, an avatar conversion determination unit 305, and an avatar conversion availability information transmission unit 307. The avatar conversion control unit 131 and the permission information acquisition unit 301 make an inquiry for acquiring information to the content management unit 112 provided outside the avatar conversion control unit 131.

  The permission information acquisition unit 301 transmits a permission information request signal, and the position information acquisition unit 303 transmits a position information request signal to the content management unit 112, respectively. The permission information response signal is transmitted to the permission information acquisition unit 301 from the content management unit 112 that has received the permission information request signal, and the position information response signal is received from the content management unit 112 that has received the position information request signal. Sent to. The permission information includes whether or not the attribute data of the avatar operated by the user is permitted to be converted by another user, and the position information includes information such as a job title in the real world to which the user belongs. It is included.

  The permission information acquisition unit 301 determines from the permission information response signal whether or not it is permitted to convert the attribute data of the avatar, and transmits it to the avatar conversion determination unit 305 as a conversion permission information signal. On the other hand, the position information acquisition unit 303 acquires job information in the real world to which the user belongs from the position information response signal, and transmits it to the avatar conversion determination unit 305 as a position information signal. The avatar conversion determination unit 305 determines whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted based on the conversion permission information signal or the position information signal, and transmits it to the avatar conversion enable / disable information transmission unit 307 as a conversion enable / disable signal. The conversion enable / disable signal is, for example, 0 if conversion of attribute data of the conversion symmetric avatar is permitted, and 1 if conversion of attribute data is not permitted, but is not limited thereto.

  FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a request signal for requesting avatar information from the avatar conversion control unit 131 to the content management unit 112 and a response signal from the content management unit 112. Specifically, whether or not the attribute data of the avatar ID 86230 can be converted will be described.

  When the user determines the conversion target avatar, the conversion target avatar ID, the permission information request signal, and the position information request signal are transmitted from the avatar conversion control unit 131 to the content management unit 112. Since the avatar conversion control unit 131 does not hold permission information and position information, an initial value, for example, 32767 is stored. The content management unit 112 that has received the permission information request signal and the position information request signal searches for permission information and position information of the avatar to be converted, and transmits the result. For the permission information, the content management unit 112 sets the conversion permission information signal to 0 when the conversion of the attribute data of the avatar by another user is permitted, and sets the conversion permission information signal to 1 when the permission is not permitted. Regarding the position information, the position information signal is set to 0 for general employees, the position information signal to 1 for section managers, and the position information signal to 2 for section managers or more. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Here, the user whose avatar ID is 86230 does not permit the conversion of the avatar by another user (conversion permission information signal is 1), and is a post of the director or higher (position information signal is 2). Therefore, an avatar with an avatar ID of 86230 cannot be converted by other users. All users who participate in the virtual space are recognized as the same avatar expressed by the user who operates the avatar whose avatar ID is 86230.

  The content management unit 112 manages avatar attribute data of each user, avatar conversion permission information, status information, and the like by other users as shown in FIG. 9B.

  Specifically, the procedure for setting the conversion enable / disable signal will be described with reference to the table for determining the conversion enable / disable signal of the attribute data of the avatar in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the conversion of the attribute data of the avatar operated by the director or higher (position information signal 2) is not permitted. That is, the user has permitted the conversion of the attribute data of the own avatar by another user (the conversion permission information signal is 0), and the user's avatar is not a position higher than the general manager (position information signal 0 or 1). Conversion of avatar attribute data by is permitted, but conversion of attribute data of the own avatar by other users is not permitted (conversion permission information signal is 1), or the avatar of a user who is in a position higher than the general manager is other User is not allowed to convert avatar attribute data. For example, an avatar with an avatar ID of 01234 permits conversion of attribute data of the own avatar by another user, and the title is a section manager. Therefore, avatar attribute data can be converted by other users. On the other hand, since an avatar with an avatar ID of 98765 does not permit conversion of the own avatar by other users, conversion of avatar attribute data by other users is impossible regardless of the job title. In the third embodiment, the conversion permission information and the position information that determine the conversion permission / inhibition signal are examples, and information of other users may be used.

  As described above, the communication server 101 according to the third embodiment determines whether or not the attribute data of the avatar set by the user can be converted based on the information of the user who operates the avatar. By providing 131, it is possible to determine whether permission is permitted by being set by the user operating the avatar even in a range expressed only by the communication terminal of the other user. For this reason, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems that hinder business execution and communication. Next, the operation of the communication server 101 according to the third embodiment will be described.

(3-2) Processing of Communication Server According to Third Embodiment FIG. 24 shows a flow of avatar conversion availability processing according to the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 24, in order for the user to approach the virtual space imaged by the user from the communication terminal 103, the avatar conversion by the communication server 101 is started by determining the avatar to which the attribute data is converted (S310). A conversion target avatar ID for converting attribute data is acquired (S311). The conversion target avatar permission information is acquired from the conversion target avatar ID (S312), and the acquired information is transmitted as a conversion permission information signal (S313). On the other hand, the status information of the conversion target avatar is acquired from the conversion target avatar ID (S314), and the acquired information is transmitted as a status information signal (S315). Based on the conversion permission information signal and the position information signal, it is determined whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted (S316). If the avatar attribute data can be converted, the avatar conversion enable / disable signal is set to be convertible (0 in FIG. 23) (S317). If the avatar attribute data cannot be converted, the conversion symmetry avatar can be converted. The signal is set to be unconvertible (1 in FIG. 23) (S318). A conversion enable / disable signal is transmitted (S319), and the present process is terminated (S320). The conversion availability signal informs the user that the attribute data of the avatar such as the appearance after conversion of the avatar to be converted can be converted.

  Note that the execution order of S312 to S313 and S314 to S315 may be executed first instead of the order shown in FIG. 24, and S312 to S313 and S314 to S315 may be executed simultaneously in parallel. Also good.

  The above-described flow of avatar conversion control determines whether or not avatar conversion is possible based on information set by the user who operates the avatar. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems that impede the performance of business and communication. Will be able to maintain business performance comfortably.

  In the third embodiment, the conversion permission information and the position information are examples for use in determining the conversion permission signal, and it is needless to say that other user information may be used. Further, the conversion enable / disable signal may be determined using information such as an employee schedule table which is in-house data. For example, during a meeting, conversion of all avatar's attribute data is not allowed, but if it is a break time, conversion of the avatar's attribute data is allowed. The settings can be changed, such as allowing

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, taking a client-server communication system as an example, the communication server executes avatar conversion processing in a concentrated manner in response to a request from the client terminal side. It is not limited to such an example. For example, the present invention can be applied to a peer-to-peer type communication system. That is, in response to a request from any terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer) connected via the network, any other terminal (information processing apparatus) may execute the avatar change process. Good.

It is a system block diagram concerning the conventional communication system. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the conventional communication server. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the conventional own avatar conversion part. This is avatar conversion data transmitted when customizing the attribute data of the own avatar. It is a figure which shows the exchange information of the avatar conversion data transmitted when customizing the attribute data of a self-avatar. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a communication system Sys according to a first embodiment. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the avatar conversion part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the conversion instruction information of the other avatar by the user according to the first embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure explaining the avatar information storage part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the communication server provided with the avatar conversion control part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the avatar conversion control part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the conversion object avatar identification part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the function structure of the communication condition acquisition part which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a table for determining the conversion permission signal of the conversion symmetrical avatar according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the avatar conversion availability determination processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the function structure of the avatar conversion control part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the functional structure of the server load monitoring part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the function structure of the network load monitoring part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a table for determining the conversion permission signal of the attribute data of the avatar according to the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the avatar conversion availability determination processing which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the function structure of the avatar conversion control part which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a request signal and a response signal in 3rd Embodiment. It is a table for determining the conversion permission signal of the attribute data of the avatar according to the third embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of the conversion availability process of the avatar which concerns on 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Communication server 102 Network 103 Communication terminal 111 Request information reception part 112 Content management part 113 Avatar conversion part 114 Content determination part 115 Response transmission part 121 Conversion object avatar and conversion instruction information reception part 122 Conversion object avatar information acquisition part 123 Avatar conversion information Storage unit 124 Avatar conversion execution unit 125 Avatar information transmission unit 126 Avatar information storage unit 131 Avatar conversion control unit 133 Conversion target avatar identification unit 135 Communication status acquisition unit 137 Avatar conversion determination unit 139 Avatar conversion availability information transmission unit 141 Request information acquisition unit 143 Avatar ID verification unit 145 Target avatar signal transmission unit 151 Port number acquisition unit 153 Port number reference unit 155 Port number database 157 Communication signal transmission unit 201 Load monitoring unit 203 network load monitoring unit 205 avatar conversion determination unit 207 avatar conversion availability information transmission unit 211 server load information acquisition unit 213 server statistical information recording unit 215 server load determination unit 217 server load signal transmission unit 221 network load information acquisition unit 223 Network statistical information recording unit 225 Network load determination unit 227 Network load signal transmission unit 301 Permission information acquisition unit 303 Position information acquisition unit 305 Avatar conversion determination unit 307 Avatar conversion availability information transmission unit

Claims (10)

A request information receiving unit which is connected to a plurality of terminals via a network and receives an avatar conversion request transmitted from the terminal;
An avatar conversion control unit that determines whether or not conversion of attribute data of the target avatar related to the avatar conversion request is possible;
A content management unit for managing avatar attribute data;
If the avatar conversion control unit determines that the attribute data of the target avatar can be converted, an avatar conversion unit that converts the attribute data of the target avatar;
A response transmission unit that transmits the target avatar whose attribute data has been converted by the avatar conversion unit to the terminal;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The avatar conversion control unit includes a communication status acquisition unit that determines whether or not the terminal user is communicating, and the communication status acquisition unit determines whether or not the attribute data of the avatar can be converted. Information processing device.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the communication status acquisition unit determines whether the terminal user is communicating based on a port number included in a communication packet transmitted by the terminal user.   The avatar conversion control unit includes at least one of a server load monitoring unit for determining server load information and a network load monitoring unit for determining network load information, and at least one of the server load monitoring unit and the network load monitoring unit. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which determines whether or not the attribute data of the target avatar can be converted.   The attribute data of the avatar includes conversion permission information and status information of the terminal user, and determines whether the conversion of the target avatar is possible based on the conversion permission information or the position information. The information processing apparatus according to item 1.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an avatar information storage unit that stores the attribute data of the target avatar and the attribute data converted by the avatar conversion unit.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target avatar is another avatar. A request information receiving process that is connected to a plurality of terminals via a network and receives an avatar conversion request transmitted from the terminal;
An avatar conversion control process for determining whether or not the attribute data of the target avatar related to the avatar conversion request is convertible based on a load state of the communication signal;
A content management process for managing avatar attribute data;
If it is determined by the avatar conversion control processing that the attribute data of the target avatar can be converted, an avatar conversion processing for converting the attribute data of the target avatar;
A response transmission process for transmitting the target avatar whose attribute data has been converted by the avatar conversion process to the terminal;
A program that causes a computer to execute. A communication system in which a plurality of terminals are connected via a network,
One of the plurality of terminals sends an avatar conversion request,
Another of the plurality of terminals is
A request information receiver for receiving the transmitted avatar conversion request;
An avatar conversion control unit that determines whether or not the attribute data of the target avatar related to the avatar conversion request is convertible based on a load state of the communication signal;
A content management unit for managing avatar attribute data;
An avatar conversion unit that converts the target avatar attribute data when the avatar conversion control unit determines that the conversion of the target avatar attribute data is possible;
A response transmission unit configured to transmit the target avatar, the attribute data of which has been converted by the avatar conversion unit, to a terminal that has requested the avatar conversion;   The said communication system is a video conference system, The attribute of the said avatar is converted with respect to the said avatar conversion request according to operation only of the given terminal user who participates in this video conference system. The communication system described.

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