JP2017011495A - Information processing system, information processing apparatus, and information processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To appropriately manage connection between terminals if the number of terminals increases, or if imbalance increases between the number of terminals requesting communication start and the number of terminals responding to an incoming call.SOLUTION: An information processing device manages identification information on a plurality of communication terminals classified into a first group and identification information on a plurality of communication terminals classified into a second group, identifies identification information on the responding communication terminals classified into the second group in response to a communication start request by the communication terminals classified into the first group, and deletes the identified identification information. If the identification information is not classified into classification corresponding to the classification of a communication terminal having requested communication start, the information processing device adds identification information on the communication terminal having requested the communication start to the classification of the communication terminal having requested the communication start, and when the communication terminals classified into the second group becomes able to respond to the communication start request, the information processing device identifies them as identification information capable of responding, and then deletes the identified identification information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system.

  A call center in which a video conference system is used is known. For example, a management device that manages an operator terminal that can receive a call selects a terminal to be connected in response to a request to start communication from a videophone (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this method, the operator performs an operation for receiving an incoming call on the operator terminal selected by the management apparatus, so that the management apparatus opens a video and audio communication channel between the operator terminal and the videophone. .

  However, in a video conference system used in a call center or the like, if the number of communication terminals requesting the start of communication is not balanced with the number of communication terminals responding to an incoming call, the communication start is started. There is a waiting time on the requesting side, and a waiting time (free time) occurs on the side responding to the incoming call. In this case, when the connection between the communication terminals is managed based on the queue on one side, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to manage the connection between the communication terminals when waiting occurs on the other side. .

  This problem applies not only to a video conference system but also to an information processing system having a communication terminal on the side that responds to an incoming call (operator) and a communication terminal on the side that requests the start of communication (guest). This problem increases as either one or both communication terminals increase or the imbalance increases.

  Therefore, even if the number of communication terminals increases or the imbalance between the number of communication terminals requesting communication start and the number of communication terminals responding to incoming calls increases, the present invention increases the number of communication terminals. The purpose is to appropriately manage connections between communication terminals.

An information processing system according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes:
First management means for managing identification information of a plurality of communication terminals classified into a first group in a predetermined plurality of sections;
Second management means for managing identification information of a plurality of communication terminals classified into a second group in the predetermined plurality of sections;
Information updating means for updating information managed by the first management means or the second management means,
The information updating means
When a communication terminal classified into the first group requests to start communication,
When one or more pieces of identification information are managed in a section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that has requested the start of communication in the second management means, any one of the one or more pieces of identification information is Identifying the identification information of the communication terminal that responds to the request to start communication and deleting the identified identification information,
If the identification information is not managed in the category corresponding to the category of the communication terminal that requested the start of communication in the second management unit, the communication that requested the start of communication in the first management unit Add the identification information of the communication terminal that requested the start of the communication to the terminal classification,
When the communication terminal classified into the second group becomes ready to respond to a request to start communication,
In the case where one or more pieces of identification information are managed in a section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that is in the responsive state in the first management means, any one of the one or more pieces of identification information Is identified as the identification information of the communication terminal that requested the start of the communication, then the identified identification information is deleted,
When the identification information is not managed in the category corresponding to the category of the communication terminal that is in the response enabled state in the first management means, the response is enabled in the second management means. The identification information of the communication terminal that is ready to respond is added to the classification of the communication terminal.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if the number of communication terminals increases or the number of communication terminals on the side requesting the start of communication and the number of communication terminals on the side responding to incoming calls Even if the imbalance becomes large, the connection between the communication terminals can be appropriately managed.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the terminal which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the control apparatus, management apparatus, storage service, and relay apparatus which concern on one Embodiment. It is each functional block diagram of the terminal which concerns on one Embodiment, a control apparatus, and a management apparatus. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a standby terminal management table. It is the sequence diagram which showed the process in which a terminal transmits status information. It is the sequence diagram which showed the process in which a terminal transmits the start request | requirement of communication. It is a figure which shows an example of a start request reception screen. It is the flowchart which showed the process (the 1) which manages the queue of the terminal 10 which waits for the start of communication. It is the flowchart which showed the process (the 2) which manages the queue of the terminal 10 which waits for the start of communication. It is the sequence diagram which showed the process which establishes a session. It is a figure which shows an example of a start request reception screen.

Next, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated, referring drawings based on the following Examples. Examples described below are merely examples, and embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the following examples.
In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, the same reference numerals are used for those having the same function, and repeated explanation is omitted.

<Overall configuration of communication system>
First, the overall configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, the communication terminal will be described simply as “terminal”.

  The communication system 1 according to an embodiment is constructed by a plurality of terminals (10aa, 10bb, 10cc, 10dd, 10ee, 10ff), the relay device 30, and the management system 5. The management system 5 includes a control device 50, a management device 60, and a storage service 70. Hereinafter, among a plurality of terminals (10aa, 10bb, 10cc, 10dd, 10ee, 10ff) and the like, an arbitrary terminal is represented as “terminal 10”. The terminal 10, the relay device 30, the control device 50, the management device 60, and the storage service 70 are connected so as to be communicable with other terminals and devices via the communication network 2. The communication network 2 may include a LAN (Local Area Network), the Internet, a mobile phone network, a dedicated line, or the like.

  In one embodiment, the terminal 10 can use an interpretation service provided by the management system 5 side. For example, terminals (10aa, 10bb, 10ee) are used by guests. On the other hand, terminals (10 cc, 10 dd, 10 ff) are used by interpreters. Communication between the terminals (10aa, 10bb, 10ee) and the terminals (10cc, 10dd, 10ff) is performed by transmitting and receiving content data, thereby enabling a call between the guest and the interpreter. In the communication system 1 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the guest side terminals (10aa, 10bb) have the same hardware configuration as the terminals (10cc, 10dd) in consideration of operability. The main body is accommodated in the cabinet.

  The storage service 70 manages information for accessing the management device 60. This information is, for example, a GUI (graphical user interface) display file for accessing the management apparatus 60. This file may be described by, for example, HTML (HyperText Markup Language). Further, this file is updated by accessing the storage service 70 from a PC (Personal Computer) or the like and uploading a new file from the PC side to the storage service side. The storage service 70 causes the terminal 10 to access the management device 60 by transmitting the above file to the terminal 10.

  The management device 60 manages the queue (queue) of the terminal 10 waiting for the start of communication. The management device 60 manages the connection between the terminals 10 based on the queue. The control device 50 performs control for establishing a session for transmitting content data between the terminals 10. Each terminal 10 transmits content data to other terminals 10 participating in the same session. In one embodiment, the session is realized by the relay device 30 relaying content data including image data and sound data between the plurality of terminals 10.

In the present embodiment, assuming a video conference system as an example of a communication system, a video conference management system as an example of a communication management system, and a video conference terminal as an example of a communication terminal, a communication system 1, a management system 5, and The terminal 10 will be described. That is, the terminal 10 and the management system 5 are applied not only to the video conference system but also to other communication systems. For example, the communication system 1 is a telephone system, and the terminal 10 is an IP (Internet Protocol) telephone, an Internet telephone, a PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC (Personal Computer), a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, and the like. Also good. In the embodiment, “video conference” is used interchangeably with “video conference”.
Further, hereinafter, a description will be given regarding making a call using a terminal (intermediate concept) such as a video conference terminal (subordinate concept). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if communication can be performed as a broader concept including a call. Good.

<Hardware Configuration of Embodiment>
FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal 10 according to an embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the terminal 10 according to the embodiment includes a program used for driving the CPU 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 and an IPL (Initial Program Loader) for controlling the operation of the entire terminal 10. A stored ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 is provided. Further, the terminal 10 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 used as a work area of the CPU 101, a flash memory 104 that stores various data such as various terminal programs, image data, and audio data of the terminal 10, and control of the CPU 101. Accordingly, an SSD (Solid State Drive) 105 that controls reading or writing of various data with respect to the flash memory 104 is provided. Furthermore, the terminal 10 is a media I / F 107 that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 106 such as a flash memory or an IC card (Integrated Circuit Card), and an operation button that is operated when selecting a destination. 108 is provided. Further, the terminal 10 includes a power switch 109 for switching on / off the power of the terminal 10 and a network I / F (Interface) 111 for data transmission using the communication network 2.

  The terminal 10 also includes a built-in camera 112 that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 101 to obtain image data, an image sensor I / F 113 that controls driving of the camera 112, a built-in microphone 114 that inputs sound, and sound. Is provided. The built-in speaker 115 is provided. Further, the terminal 10 includes a sound input / output I / F 116 that processes input / output of audio signals between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101, and a display that transmits image data to the external display 120 according to the control of the CPU 101. I / F 117 is provided. Further, the terminal 10 includes an external device connection I / F 118 for connecting various external devices, an alarm lamp 119 for notifying abnormality of various functions of the terminal 10, and the above-described components as shown in FIG. A bus line 110 such as an address bus or a data bus for electrical connection is provided.

  The display 120 is a display unit configured by liquid crystal or organic EL (Organic Electroluminescence) that displays an image of a subject, an operation, and the like. The display 120 is connected to the display I / F 117 by a cable 120c. The cable 120c may be an analog RGB (VGA) signal cable, a component video cable, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or DVI (Digital Video). Interactive) signal cable may be used.

  The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state image sensor that converts light into electric charges and digitizes a subject image (video). As the solid-state image sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is used. Etc. are used.

  External devices such as an external camera, an external microphone, and an external speaker are electrically connected to the external device connection I / F 118 by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like inserted into the connection port 1132 of the housing 1100. Can be connected to. When an external camera is connected, the external camera is driven in preference to the built-in camera 112 under the control of the CPU 101. Similarly, when an external microphone is connected or when an external speaker is connected, each of the external microphones and the built-in speaker 115 is given priority over the internal microphone 114 and the internal speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101. An external speaker is driven.

  The recording medium 106 is detachable from the terminal 10. Further, as long as it is a non-volatile memory that reads or writes data according to the control of the CPU 101, not only the flash memory 104 but also an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like may be used.

  FIG. 3 is a hardware configuration diagram of the control device 50 according to the embodiment. The control device 50 includes a CPU 501 that controls the operation of the entire control device 50, a ROM 502 that stores programs used to drive the CPU 501 such as an IPL, and a RAM 503 that is used as a work area for the CPU 501. The control device 50 further includes an HD 504 that stores various data such as a program for the control device 50, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 505 that controls reading or writing of various data to the HD 504 according to the control of the CPU 501, a flash memory, and the like. A media drive 507 for controlling reading or writing (storage) of data to the recording medium 506 is provided. Further, the control device 50 includes a display 508 for displaying various information such as a cursor, menu, window, character, or image, a network I / F 509 for data communication using the communication network 2, characters, numerical values, and various instructions. Etc., a keyboard 511 having a plurality of keys for inputting such as is provided. Furthermore, the control device 50 selects various types of instructions for execution and selection of various instructions, selection of a processing target, movement of a cursor, etc., and various types of CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) 513 as an example of a removable recording medium. A CD-ROM drive 514 for controlling reading or writing of data, and a bus line 510 such as an address bus and a data bus for electrically connecting the above-described components as shown in FIG. Yes.

  Since the relay device 30, the management device 60, and the storage service 70 have the same hardware configuration as the control device 50, the description thereof is omitted.

  Each program for the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the control device 50, the management device 60, and the storage service 70 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium in a file that can be installed or executed. May be distributed. Examples of the recording medium include CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), Blu-ray Disc, and the like. Further, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM in which each program is stored, and the HD 504 in which these programs are stored can be provided as a program product (Japan or overseas).

<Functional Configuration of Embodiment>
Next, the functional configuration of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, “application” will be abbreviated as “application”.

<Functional configuration of terminal>
The terminal 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 11, a reception unit 12, a communication control unit 13, a display control unit 17, and a storage / reading unit 19. Each of these units is a function realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 2 being operated by a command from the CPU 101 according to a terminal program developed from the flash memory 104 onto the RAM 103, or It is a means to function. The terminal (10aa, 10bb, 10ee) is installed with a guest application, which is an application for realizing a service provided to the guest side requesting interpretation in the interpretation service, as a terminal program. The terminal (10cc, 10dd, 10ff) is installed with an interpreter application, which is an application for realizing a service for the interpreter in the interpreter service, as a terminal program. That is, the function of the terminal 10 (10aa, 10bb, 10ee) is realized by the CPU 101 executing the guest application, and the function of the terminal 10 (10cc, 10dd, 10ff) is realized by the CPU 101 executing the interpreter application. .

  In addition, the terminal 10 includes a storage unit 1000 constructed by the RAM 103 and the flash memory 104. Further, a recording medium 1010 constructed by the recording medium 106 is inserted into the terminal 10, and various data are read or written by the storage / reading unit 19.

(Functional configuration of terminal)
Next, each functional configuration of the terminal 10 will be described in detail. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the terminal 10, a relationship between main components for realizing each functional configuration of the terminal 10 among the respective components illustrated in FIG. 2 will also be described. .

  The transmission / reception unit 11 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 101 and a network I / F 111, and transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from other terminals, devices, or systems via the communication network 2.

  The accepting unit 12 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 101 and accepts various inputs such as an operation of the operation button 108 by the user or a press of the power switch 109 by the user.

  The communication control unit 13 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 and the camera 112 and the image sensor I / F 113, images a subject, and outputs image data obtained by the imaging. Further, the communication control unit 13 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 and a voice input / output I / F 116, and after the user's voice is converted into a voice signal by the microphone 114, sound data related to the voice signal is input. . Further, the communication control unit 13 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 and a voice input / output I / F 116, and outputs a voice signal related to the sound data to the speaker and causes the speaker 115 to output a voice.

  The display control unit 17 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 and the display I / F 117 and performs control for transmitting received image data to the display 120.

  The storage / reading unit 19 is executed by an instruction from the CPU 101 and the SSD 105, or realized by an instruction from the CPU 101, and stores various data in the storage unit 1000 or the recording medium 1010, or stores in the storage unit 1000 or the recording medium 1010. A process for reading out various data is performed. The storage unit 1000 stores a terminal ID (Identification) for identifying the terminal 10, a password, and the like. Note that at least one of the terminal ID and the password may be recorded on the recording medium 1010 and read by the storage / reading unit 19. The recording medium 1010 in this case is an IC card (Integrated circuit card) such as a SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module Card). The user of the terminal 10 can receive the provision of communication service from the administrator of the management system 5 by purchasing the recording medium 1010.

  Further, the storage unit 1000 overwrites and stores image data and sound data received when a call with the destination terminal is made. Among these, an image is displayed on the display 120 by the image data before being overwritten, and sound is output from the speaker 115 by the sound data before being overwritten.

  Note that the terminal ID of the present embodiment indicates an example of identification information such as a language, characters, symbols, or various signs used to uniquely identify the terminal 10. Further, the terminal ID may be identification information in which at least two of the language, characters, symbols, and various signs are combined. Further, instead of the terminal ID, a user ID for identifying the user of the terminal 10 may be used. In this case, the terminal identification information includes not only the terminal ID but also the user ID.

<Functional configuration of control device>
The control device 50 includes a transmission / reception unit 51, a session control unit 58, and a storage / reading unit 59. Each of these units is a function realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 3 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 501 according to the program for the control device 50 expanded from the HD 504 onto the RAM 503, or Means. In addition, the control device 50 has a storage unit 5000 constructed by the HD 504.

(Each functional configuration of the control device)
Next, each functional configuration of the control device 50 will be described in detail. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the control device 50, among the components illustrated in FIG. 3, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration of the control device 50 is also described. explain.

  The transmission / reception unit 51 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 501 and a network I / F 509, and transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from each terminal, device, or system via the communication network 2.

  The session control unit 58 is realized by a command from the CPU 501 and controls a session for transmitting content data between the terminals 10. The above control includes control for establishing a session, control for causing the terminal 10 to participate in the established session, control for disconnecting the session, and the like.

  The storage / reading unit 59 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 501 and the HDD 505, or realized by an instruction from the CPU 501, and stores various data in the storage unit 5000 or reads various data stored in the storage unit 5000. Do.

<Functional configuration of management device>
The management device 60 includes a transmission / reception unit 61, a management unit 63, and a storage / reading unit 69. Each of these units is a function or means realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 3 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 501 in accordance with a management device program expanded from the HD 504 onto the RAM 503. It is. Further, the management device 60 has a storage unit 6000 constructed by the HD 504. In the storage unit 6000, each DB configured by each table is constructed.

(Standby terminal management table)
In the storage unit 6000, a standby terminal management DB 6001 configured by a standby terminal management table is constructed. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a standby terminal management table. In standby terminal management DB 6001, a standby terminal management table is prepared for each category specified by the user of terminals (10 cc, 10 dd, 10 ff) classified as terminals that can respond to a communication start request. Here, the category (in charge category) indicates a field to which the user of the terminal 10 corresponds. In FIG. 5, a standby terminal management table is prepared for “English”, “Russian”, and “Italian”.

  In the guest application field in the standby terminal management table, the terminal ID of the terminal 10 that is activating the guest application among the terminals 10 that are waiting to start communication is recorded. In the field of the interpreter application in the standby terminal management table, the terminal ID of the terminal 10 that has activated the interpreter application among the terminals 10 that are waiting to start communication is recorded. Each field of the standby terminal management table constitutes a queue (queue) of the terminal 10 waiting for the start of communication. In one embodiment, the input / output of the terminal ID to each field is performed in principle by a first-in first-out method. That is, when a terminal ID is added (enqueued) to each field, it is added to the last record in that field, and a communication terminal that responds to a communication start request from each field or a communication terminal that has requested the start of communication When the terminal ID of the specified communication terminal is taken out (dequeued), it is taken out from the first record in the field, that is, the record managed first. Records remaining after being dequeued are moved forward. Specifically, the terminal ID “01cc” added to the interpreter app field in the standby terminal management table for “English” is extracted earlier than the terminal ID “01dd” added later (FIG. 5 (A) to FIG. 5 (C)).

  Further, the user of the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, 10 ff) can specify a plurality of categories. When a plurality of divisions are designated, the terminal ID of the terminal 10 is recorded (added) in the field of the interpretation application in the standby terminal management table for the designated plurality of divisions. In this case, the input / output of the terminal ID to each field is not limited to the first-in first-out, but is taken out (dequeued) from the terminal ID of the communication terminal with a small number of sections designated by the user of the terminal (10cc, 10dd, 10ff). You may do it.

  With reference to FIG. 5A to FIG. 5D, the time transition of the standby terminal management table for each section will be described. For example, at a certain time, as shown in FIG. 5 (A), the user of the terminal 10 cc designates “English” and “Russian” categories, so that “English” and “Russian” The terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10cc is recorded in the field of the interpretation application in the standby terminal management table for the classification.

  Furthermore, at a time when a certain time has elapsed from the time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the user of the terminal 10dd designates “English” and “Italian” as “English”. , And the terminal ID “01dd” of the terminal 10dd is recorded in the field of the interpreter application in the standby terminal management table for the category “Italian”.

  Furthermore, at a time when a certain time has elapsed from that time, as shown in FIG. 5C, the user of the terminal (10aa, 10bb, 10ee) designates the category “English” and requests to start communication. I do. In this case, the terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10cc and the terminal ID “01dd” of the terminal 10dd are recorded in the field of the interpretation application in the standby terminal management table for the “English” classification. In this case, the terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10cc added first is taken out (deleted), and the terminal ID “01dd” of the remaining terminal 10dd is moved up in the head direction.

  Further, at a time when a certain time has elapsed from the time, as shown in FIG. 5D, the terminal ID “01cc” of the deleted terminal 10cc is “Russian” other than “English”. It is also recorded in the field of the interpretation application in the standby terminal management table for the classification. In this case, the terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10cc is deleted from the field of the interpreting application in the standby terminal management table for the classification “Russian”.

  The terminal ID input (recorded) in the standby terminal management table may be identification information that can identify the communication destination terminal 10. Accordingly, the terminal ID is not limited to the identification information of the terminal 10 as long as it can identify the communication destination terminal 10. For example, when the management device 60 manages the identification information of each terminal 10 in association with the user ID of the user of the terminal 10, the user ID may be used as a terminal ID that can identify the communication destination terminal 10. it can. When the management device 60 manages the identification information of each terminal 10 in association with the account of the application running on the terminal 10, the account is used as a terminal ID that can identify the communication destination terminal 10. You can also

(Each functional configuration of the management device)
The transmission / reception unit 61 is realized by a command from the CPU 501 and a network I / F 509, and transmits / receives various data (or information) to / from other terminals, devices, or systems via the communication network 2.

  The management unit 63 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 501, and manages the standby terminal management table by adding or deleting information in the standby terminal management table.

  The storage / reading unit 69 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 501 and the HDD 505, or is realized by an instruction from the CPU 501, and stores various data in the storage unit 6000 or reads various data stored in the storage unit 6000. Do.

<Process or Operation of Embodiment>
Next, processes or operations of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the control device 50, the management device 60, and the storage service 70 that configure the communication system 1 will be described in detail.

(Send status information)
First, a process of transmitting state information indicating a state in which the interpreter terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff) can respond to a communication start request to the management device 60 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram illustrating a process in which the terminal 10 transmits state information.

  When the accepting unit 12 of the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff) accepts an interpreter application activation request based on an operation input by the user (interpreter), the interpreter application is activated (step S1). Thereafter, each process in the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff) is realized by an interpreter application.

  When the interpreter application is activated, the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits a login request to the management device 60 (step S2). This login request includes the terminal ID of the login request source terminal (10cc, 10dd, or 10ff), the application ID of the interpreter application running on the terminal (10cc, 10dd, or 10ff), and authentication information. May be. The authentication information may include a password corresponding to the terminal ID, an application account, a password corresponding to this account, and the like. In response to this, when the management device 60 successfully authenticates the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff), the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff) connects to the management device 60. Similarly, the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits a login request to the control device 50 (step S3). In response to this, when the control device 50 succeeds in authentication of the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff), the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff) connects to the control device 50. By performing the above-described login process, even if the terminal 10 does not attach a terminal ID, an application ID, or the like each time information is transmitted, the transmission destination management device 60 or the control device 50 can transmit the terminal 10 or The application running on the terminal 10 can be specified. For example, a real-time connection is used as a connection between the terminal 10 and the management device 60 or a connection between the terminal 10 and the control device 50.

Subsequently, when the user of the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff) is ready to start a call with the guest side, he / she operates the operation button 108 and inputs information indicating that standby is started. Thereby, the reception part 12 receives a standby start (step S4). Subsequently, the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits, to the management apparatus 60, state information indicating a state of “response” in “classification” in response to the communication start request (step S5). That is, the state information includes information indicating “classification” (for example, “English”, “Russian”, “Italian”) and information indicating “response possible”. There may be a plurality of pieces of information indicating “category”, and “English”, “Russian”, and the like can be designated. When a plurality of divisions are designated, the terminal ID of the terminal 10 is recorded in the field of the interpretation application in the standby terminal management table for the plurality of divisions. The terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff) transmits the state information to the management device 60 every time it enters a state where it can respond even when it has not accepted the start of standby. For example, when the accepting unit 12 accepts the end of the talk (step S6), the user of the terminal (10cc or 10dd) can start a new call, so the transmitting / receiving unit 11 automatically issues a communication start request. On the other hand, status information indicating a status of “response possible” is transmitted to the management apparatus (step S7).

  On the other hand, the user of the terminal (10cc, 10dd, or 10ff) inputs information indicating that he / she cannot respond by operating the operation button 108 when he / she cannot start talking with the guest side, such as when he / she temporarily leaves his / her seat. To do. Thereby, the reception part 12 receives that it cannot respond (step S8). In this case, the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits state information indicating a state of “response impossible” to the communication start request to the management device 60 (step S9).

  Next, a process in which the guest terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) transmits a communication start request to the management apparatus 60 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing in which the terminal 10 transmits a communication start request.

  When the reception unit 12 of the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) receives a guest application activation request based on an operation input by the user (guest), the guest application is activated (step S21). Thereafter, each process in the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) is realized by the guest application.

  When the guest application is activated, the transmission / reception unit 11 accesses the storage service 70 and requests a communication start request reception screen (step S22). In response to this, the storage service 70 publishes a communication start request acceptance screen to the requesting terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) (step S23). In the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee), the display control unit 17 performs control to output a communication start request reception screen to the display 120.

  Further, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) transmits a login request to the management device 60 in the same manner as in step S2 (step S24). However, the application ID included in the login request is the application ID of the guest application. If the management device 60 succeeds in authenticating the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) in response to the login request, the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) connects to the management device 60. Subsequently, the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits a login request to the control device 50 in the same manner as in step S3 (step S25). When the control device 50 succeeds in authenticating the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) in response to the login request, the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) connects to the control device 50.

  Subsequently, when a user of the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) requests a call with the interpreter, he / she operates the operation button 108 to input a start request from the start request reception screen. FIG. 8 shows an example of the start request reception screen. On the start request reception screen, a display indicating “language”, a display indicating “connect (Connect)”, and a display indicating “disconnect” are performed. In FIG. 8, “English”, “Russian”, “Italian”, “Chinese”, “Korean”, and “Spanish” are displayed as “language”. The user can request the interpreter to interpret in the display indicating the pressed “language” by pressing the display indicating “language” for which interpretation is desired and pressing the display indicating “connect”. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the display of “language” in which the interpreter application queue is empty may be displayed differently from the display of “language” that is not empty (indicated by hatching in FIG. 8). Good. As a result, the user can know the languages for which an interpreter can be currently requested.

  When the user operates the start request reception screen, the reception unit 12 receives an input of a start request (step S26). Subsequently, the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits information indicating a communication start request including information indicating “language” for which interpretation is desired to the management device 60 (step S27).

  On the other hand, when canceling the start request after the start request, the user of the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) operates the operation button 108 and inputs information indicating that the start request is received from the start request reception screen. Thereby, the reception part 12 receives the input of cancellation (step S28). In this case, the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits information indicating cancellation of the start request to the management device 60 (step S29).

(Queue management)
Next, a process in which the management device 60 manages the queue of the terminal 10 waiting for the start of communication will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing for managing the queue of the terminal 10 waiting for the start of communication.

  When the transmission / reception unit 61 of the management device 60 receives the status information or the start request sent from the terminal 10, the management unit 63 sets the received information in the “classification” transmitted by the interpreter application and “respondable”. It is determined whether or not the status information is indicated (step S41).

  When it is determined that the sent information is state information indicating “response possible” in “classification” (YES), the management unit 63 refers to the standby terminal management table for “classification”. Then, it is determined whether or not the guest application field is empty (step S42).

  When it is determined that the guest application field is empty (YES), the management unit 63 adds the terminal 10 that is the state information transmission source to the last record in the interpretation application field of the standby terminal management table for “classification”. Is added (enqueued) (step S43).

  When it is determined that the guest application field is not empty (NO), the management unit 63 extracts (dequeues) the terminal ID from the first record in the guest application field of the standby terminal management table for “classification”. (Step S44).

  When it is determined that the information sent from the terminal 10 in step S41 is not status information indicating “response possible” in “category” (NO), the management unit 63 determines that the sent information is It is determined whether or not it is a communication start request transmitted by the guest application (step S45).

  When it is determined that the sent information is a communication start request (YES), the management unit 63 refers to the standby terminal management table for the “language” for which interpretation is desired included in the start request, It is determined whether or not the interpreter application field is empty (step S46).

  When it is determined that the interpreter application field is empty (YES), the management unit 63 sends a communication start request to the last record in the guest app field of the standby terminal management table for the “language” for which interpretation is desired. Is added (enqueued) (step S47).

  If it is determined that the interpreter application field is not empty (NO), the management unit 63 extracts the terminal ID from the first record in the interpreter app field of the standby terminal management table for the “language” for which interpretation is desired. (Dequeue) (Step S48).

  When it is determined that the information sent from the terminal 10 is not a communication start request (NO), that is, the status information indicating that the sent information is “response impossible” or the start request is canceled. In the case of the information shown, as an exception to the first-in first-out process, the management unit 63 deletes the terminal ID of the terminal 10 that is the information transmission source from the standby terminal management table (step S49). For example, when the information sent from the terminal 10 is state information indicating a “response impossible” state, the management unit 63 uses the interpretation application field of the standby terminal management table to determine the transmission source terminal 10. Delete the terminal ID. When the information sent from the terminal 10 is information indicating cancellation of the start request, the management unit 63 deletes the terminal ID of the transmission source terminal 10 from the guest application field of the standby terminal management table.

  FIG. 10 shows processing after the terminal ID is extracted from the first record in the interpreter app field of the standby terminal management table for the “language” for which interpretation is desired in step S48 of FIG.

  The management unit 63 determines whether or not the terminal ID extracted in step S48 is included in the field of the interpretation application in the standby terminal management table for the other “language” classification (step S51). If it is determined that the extracted terminal ID is included (YES) in the field of the interpreter application in the standby terminal management table for the other “language” category, the management unit 63 selects the other “language” category. The terminal ID is taken out (dequeued) from the first record in the field of the interpretation application in the standby terminal management table (step S52). If it is determined that the extracted terminal ID is not included in the field of the interpreter application in the standby terminal management table for the other “language” category (NO), the process ends.

  In this way, the terminal ID managed in the standby terminal management table is updated based on the information sent from the terminal 10. For example, when the standby terminal management table for “English”, “Russian”, and “Italian” is empty (Empty), from the terminal 10 cc, “English” and “Russian” Status information indicating a “response possible” status is sent. As a result of the processing in step S43, the terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10cc is added to the interpretation application field of the standby terminal management table for the classifications “English” and “Russian” (see FIG. 5A).

  Subsequently, status information indicating a “response possible” status is sent from the terminal 10 dd in the category of “English” and “Italian”. As a result of the processing in step S43, the terminal ID “01dd” of the terminal 10dd is added to the last record in the interpretation application field of the standby terminal management table for the classification of “English” and “Italian” (FIG. 5B )reference).

  Subsequently, when a communication start request including information desired to be interpreted in the “English” category is sent from the terminal 10aa, the interpreter application in the standby terminal management table for the “English” category is processed in step S48. The terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10cc is extracted from the first record in the field (see FIG. 5C).

  Subsequently, in the process of step S51, the “Russian” category other than the standby terminal management table for the “English” category and the interpreter application field of the standby terminal management table for the “Italian” category are displayed. It is determined whether or not the terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10cc is included. Here, it is determined that the terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10 cc is included in the field of the interpreting application in the standby terminal management table for the category “Russian”.

  Subsequently, in the process of step S52, the terminal ID “01cc” of the terminal 10cc is extracted from the first record in the interpretation application field of the standby terminal management table for the category “Russian” (see FIG. 5D). .

(Session establishment)
Next, processing for establishing a session between the terminals 10 based on control by the control device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing processing for establishing a session.

  In step (S44, S48), when the terminal ID is extracted (dequeued) from the standby terminal management table, the management system 5 controls the dequeued terminal 10 to start communication. As this control, the transmission / reception unit 61 of the management device 60 according to the embodiment transmits the terminal ID of the destination terminal 10 to the guest-side terminal 10 in order to transmit a start request (step S61). For example, when the terminal ID in the field of the guest application is dequeued upon reception of the status information indicating the “response possible” status in “classification” (see step S44), the transmission / reception unit 61 sets the “classification”. The terminal ID of the interpreter side terminal 10 that has transmitted the status information indicating the “response possible” state is transmitted to the guest side terminal 10 identified by the dequeued terminal ID. On the other hand, when the terminal ID in the interpretation application field is dequeued upon receiving the start request (see step S48), the transmission / reception unit 61 starts the terminal ID of the dequeued interpreter terminal 10 The request is transmitted to the terminal 10 on the guest side that is the start request source.

  Upon receiving the terminal ID sent from the management apparatus 60, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the guest terminal 10 automatically transmits a communication start request including the received terminal ID as information indicating the destination to the control apparatus 50. (Step S62). The control device 50 performs control for establishing a session for transmitting content data between the start request source terminal 10 and the destination terminal 10 by a known call control method. In this case, for example, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the control device 50 sends the start request sent from the guest-side terminal 10 to the destination interpreter-side terminal 10 identified by the terminal ID included in the start request. Transmit (step S63). When receiving the communication start request sent from the control device 50, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the interpreter terminal 10 automatically transmits a response to permit the start of communication to the control device 50 (step S40). S64).

  When the transmission / reception unit 51 of the control device 50 receives a response to permit the start of communication, the session control unit 58 connects the transmission / reception unit 11 to the response sent from the destination terminal 10 and to the relay device 30. Relay device connection information to be transmitted to the start-side requesting guest-side terminal 10 (step S65). Furthermore, the session control unit 58 causes the transmission / reception unit 11 to transmit relay device connection information for connection to the relay device 30 to the terminal 10 on the destination interpreter side (step S66). Note that the relay device connection information may include the IP address, authentication information, port number, and the like of the relay device 30.

  The transmission / reception unit 11 of the guest terminal 10 and the interpreter terminal 10 transmits the relay apparatus connection information sent from the management apparatus 60 to the relay apparatus 30 (steps S67 and S68). Thereby, the terminal 10 on the guest side and the terminal 10 on the interpreter side are each connected to the relay device 30, thereby establishing a session between the terminal 10 on the guest side and the terminal 10 on the interpreter side. After the session is established, the terminal 10 on the guest side and the terminal 10 on the interpreter side transmit the image data and sound data generated in the own terminal 10 to the relay device 30. The relay device 30 transmits image data and sound data transmitted from one terminal 10 to the other terminal 10. Thereby, image data and sound data are transmitted between the terminal 10 on the guest side and the terminal 10 on the interpreter side.

  According to the communication system according to the present embodiment, queues corresponding to the guest side and the interpreter side are provided for each section of charge of the interpreter, and when the guest side requests the section of charge and requests the start of communication, The connection is controlled using the queue of the division of responsibility. Thereby, the connection between the communication terminals can be managed for each assigned division.

<Application example>
The communication system according to the present embodiment is not limited to the interpretation service, and can be applied to other than the interpretation service. For example, the case where it applies to the guidance of the inquiry destination in a company is demonstrated.

  The overall configuration, hardware configuration, and function of the communication system can be applied to those of the above-described embodiment. However, in the terminals (10aa, 10bb, 10ee), a guest application for realizing a service provided to the guest side in the inquiry service is installed as a terminal program. The terminal (10cc, 10dd, 10ff) is installed with an answer application for realizing a service for the respondent in the inquiry service as a terminal program. That is, at least a part of the functional configuration of the terminal 10 is realized by a guest application or an answer application.

  The standby terminal management table shown in FIG. 5 can be applied to the standby terminal management table. However, “product / service”, “consultation for purchase”, “failure / maintenance contract”, “used product”, “IR / financial information”, “other” are prepared as the divisions in charge.

  FIG. 6 can be applied to the process in which the terminal (10 cc, 10 dd, or 10 ff) on the respondent side transmits state information indicating a state in which the terminal can respond to the communication start request to the management device 60.

  FIG. 7 can be applied to the process in which the guest terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10cc) transmits a communication start request to the management apparatus 60. However, in step S27, when the user of the terminal (10aa, 10bb, or 10ee) requests a call with the respondent, the start button is input from the start request reception screen by operating the operation button 108. The start request acceptance screen is different.

  FIG. 12 shows an example of the start request reception screen. On the start request reception screen, display indicating “inquiry content”, display indicating “connect”, and display indicating “disconnect” are performed. In FIG. 12, “Product / Service”, “Consultation for Purchase”, “Failure / Maintenance Contract”, “Used Product”, “IR / Financial Information”, “Others” are displayed as “Inquiry Contents”. Is displayed. The user can request the respondent to make an inquiry in the display indicating the pressed “inquiry content” by pressing the display indicating the desired “inquiry content” and pressing the display indicating “connect”.

  9 to 11 can be applied to the process in which the management device 60 manages the queue of the terminal 10 waiting for the start of communication. 11 can be applied to the process of establishing a session between the terminals 10 based on the control by the control device 50.

<Supplement of embodiment>
Although the case where the management device 60 is a device different from the control device 50 has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the control device 50 may include each functional unit of the management device 60 described above.

  In the above embodiment, the guest application is installed in the terminals (10aa, 10bb, 10ee), and the interpreter application is installed in the terminals (10cc, 10dd, 10ff). The present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, the same application for interpreting service may be installed in the terminals (10aa, 10bb, 10cc, 10dd, 10ee, 10ff). In this case, the application installed in the terminal 10 is a function or receptionist by the guest application in the above embodiment based on the role selection by the user or information indicating the role recorded in the removable recording medium 1010. Selectively implement functions by application.

  In the above-described embodiment, the management system is an example of an information processing system, the guest app is an example of a first group, the interpreter app is an example of a second group, the management unit is a first management unit, It is an example of a 2nd management means and an update means. The session control unit is an example of a session control unit, the transmission / reception unit 61 is an example of a start request receiving unit and a reception unit, the management device is an example of an information processing device, and the program for the control device 50 is an information processing unit. It is an example of a program.

  Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments and modifications, each embodiment and modification is merely an example, and those skilled in the art will recognize various modifications, modifications, alternatives, substitutions, and the like. Will understand. For convenience of explanation, an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention has been described using a functional block diagram, but such an apparatus may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various variations, modifications, alternatives, substitutions, and the like are included without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication system 2 Communication network 5 Management system 10 Terminal 11 Transmission / reception part 12 Reception part 13 Communication control part 17 Display control part 19 Memory | storage / reading part 30 Relay apparatus 50 Control apparatus 51 Transmission / reception part 58 Session control part 59 Memory | storage / reading part 60 Management Device 61 Transmission / reception unit 63 Management unit 69 Storage / reading unit 70 Storage service 1000 Storage unit 5000 Storage unit 6000 Storage unit 6001 Standby terminal management DB

JP 2005-064860 A

Claims (8)

First management means for managing identification information of a plurality of communication terminals classified into a first group in a predetermined plurality of sections;
Second management means for managing identification information of a plurality of communication terminals classified into a second group in the predetermined plurality of sections;
Information updating means for updating information managed by the first management means or the second management means,
The information updating means
When a communication terminal classified into the first group requests to start communication,
When one or more pieces of identification information are managed in a section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that has requested the start of communication in the second management means, any one of the one or more pieces of identification information is Identifying the identification information of the communication terminal that responds to the request to start communication and deleting the identified identification information,
If the identification information is not managed in the category corresponding to the category of the communication terminal that requested the start of communication in the second management unit, the communication that requested the start of communication in the first management unit Add the identification information of the communication terminal that requested the start of the communication to the terminal classification,
When the communication terminal classified into the second group becomes ready to respond to a request to start communication,
In the case where one or more pieces of identification information are managed in a section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that is in the responsive state in the first management means, any one of the one or more pieces of identification information Is identified as the identification information of the communication terminal that requested the start of the communication, then the identified identification information is deleted,
When the identification information is not managed in the category corresponding to the category of the communication terminal that is in the response enabled state in the first management means, the response is enabled in the second management means. An information processing system characterized by adding identification information of a communication terminal in a state capable of responding to the classification of the communication terminal. The information updating means
When identifying the identification information of any one or more of the one or more pieces of identification information as the identification information of the communication terminal that responds to the request for starting the communication and deleting the identified identification information in the second management unit,
If the communication terminal from which the identification information has been deleted is also managed in a category other than the category corresponding to the category of the communication terminal that requested the start of communication, the identification information is deleted from the other category. The information processing system according to claim 1. The information updating means
When the communication terminal classified into the second group becomes ready to respond to a request to start communication,
In the case where identification information is not managed in any of the plurality of sections corresponding to the plurality of sections of the communication terminal that has become the responsive state in the first management means, in the second management means, The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein identification information of the communication terminal that has become a response capable state is added to a plurality of sections of the communication terminal that has become a response capable state.   When the identification information is deleted by the information updating means, in the communication terminal classification specified by the identification information, a communication terminal that has requested the start of communication, and a state that can respond to the communication start request 4. The information processing system according to claim 1, further comprising session control means for executing control for establishing a session for transmitting content data with the communication terminal. Start request accepting means for accepting a request for starting the communication;
Receiving means for receiving state information indicating a state capable of responding to the request to start communication,
The information updating unit may be configured to receive the first management unit or the second unit after the request for starting communication is received by the start request receiving unit or after the state information is received by the receiving unit. 5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein information managed by the management unit is updated.   When a plurality of pieces of identification information are managed in the plurality of first groups or the plurality of second groups, the information update unit uses the identification information managed first among the plurality of pieces of identification information. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the information processing system is deleted. First management means for managing identification information of a plurality of communication terminals classified into a first group in a predetermined plurality of sections;
Second management means for managing identification information of a plurality of communication terminals classified into a second group in the predetermined plurality of sections;
Information updating means for updating information managed by the first management means or the second management means,
The information updating means
When a communication terminal classified into the first group requests to start communication,
When one or more pieces of identification information are managed in a section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that has requested the start of communication in the second management means, any one of the one or more pieces of identification information is Identifying the identification information of the communication terminal that responds to the request to start communication and deleting the identified identification information,
If the identification information is not managed in the category corresponding to the category of the communication terminal that requested the start of communication in the second management unit, the communication that requested the start of communication in the first management unit Add the identification information of the communication terminal that requested the start of the communication to the terminal classification,
When the communication terminal classified into the second group becomes ready to respond to a request to start communication,
In the case where one or more pieces of identification information are managed in a section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that is in the responsive state in the first management means, any one of the one or more pieces of identification information Is identified as the identification information of the communication terminal that requested the start of the communication, and then the identified identification information is deleted,
When the identification information is not managed in the category corresponding to the category of the communication terminal that is in the response enabled state in the first management means, the response is enabled in the second management means. An information processing apparatus characterized by adding identification information of a communication terminal in a state capable of responding to the classification of the communication terminal. A first management step of managing identification information of a plurality of communication terminals classified into a first group in a predetermined plurality of sections;
A second management step of managing identification information of a plurality of communication terminals classified into a second group in the predetermined plurality of sections;
An information update step for updating information managed in the first management step or the second management step, and
In the information update step,
When a communication terminal classified into the first group requests to start communication,
If one or more pieces of identification information are managed in a section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that requested the start of communication in the second management step, any one of the one or more pieces of identification information is Identifying the identification information of the communication terminal that responds to the request to start communication and deleting the identified identification information,
If the identification information is not managed in the section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that requested the start of communication in the second management step, the communication requested to start the communication in the first management step. Add the identification information of the communication terminal that requested the start of the communication to the terminal classification,
When the communication terminal classified into the second group becomes ready to respond to a request to start communication,
When one or more pieces of identification information are managed in a section corresponding to the section of the communication terminal that has become ready to respond in the first management step, any one piece of the one or more pieces of identification information Is identified as the identification information of the communication terminal that requested the start of the communication, and then the identified identification information is deleted,
When the identification information is not managed in the category corresponding to the category of the communication terminal in which the response is enabled in the first management step, the response is enabled in the second management step. Add the identification information of the communication terminal that is ready to respond to the communication terminal classification,
An information processing program for causing an information processing apparatus to execute this.

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