JPH0955763A - Communication status display method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] To easily grasp the overall communication state when synchronous / asynchronous communication is performed by an electronic mail and a conversation tool. A client 12 and a daemon 14 are installed in computers 10 and 20. At the request of the user, the daemon 14 activates each tool of the client 12. The user uses the e-mail tool 12-1 for asynchronous communication and the conversation tool 12-2 for synchronous communication. The synchronous / asynchronous communication data is stored in the data server 34 together with the related information. The conversation state display tool 12-3 is the data server 34.
Based on the management table accumulated in, the time sequence of communication and the derivative relation are displayed visually.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to communication suitable for communication support for carrying out a communication conference or a collaborative work by using a personal computer (PC) or a workstation (WS) via a computer network by using an electronic communication tool. The present invention relates to a status display method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as text-based communication tools used on PCs and WSs, there are electronic mails and conversation tools, but only closed communication is supported within each tool.
In the past, some tools were used together for convenience according to the communication phase and usage, but this allows the user to manually search the data saved for each tool. , It was necessary to grasp the mutual relations by reading the contents, and to manually refer to and cite the data using an editor etc., which hindered the communication flow.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to store a relation of data, which has been individually stored and managed by each communication tool in the past, by associating the data by an intentional operation such as devising a file name. Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication status display method that solves the drawback that there is no choice but to read and judge the content.

[0004]

According to the present invention, a conversation tool is used in a system for communicating in both synchronous / asynchronous modes using an electronic mail tool and a conversation tool under an integrated interface. Accumulated by storing a subject, creation date, creator, etc. with a unique data identifier for the log generated by the synchronous communication of the above, and the message generated by the asynchronous communication when using the e-mail tool. It is characterized by displaying a temporal order and derivation relationship between the obtained data.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a system configuration to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, 10 and 20 are computers on the user side, and 30 is a server system. The computer 10 includes a client 12 and a daemon 14.
Will be installed. Here, the client 12 includes an electronic mail tool 12-1, a conversation tool 12-2, and a conversation state display tool 12-3. This client,
The configuration of the daemon is exactly the same in the computer 20. The server system 30 includes a conversation tool server 32 and a data server 34, and the data server 34
Is composed of a conversation log storage unit (log file) 34-1 and a management table storage unit (stored data management table, management table derived therefrom) 34-2.

Here, regarding the computer 10, the daemon 14 activates each tool of the client 12 in response to a user request. As a result, the user of the computer 10 uses the electronic mail tool 12-1 to perform asynchronous communication and also the conversation tool 12
-2 can be used for synchronous communication with the user of the computer 20, for example. When using a conversation tool, a conversation of a large number of people can be used by accessing the conversation tool server 32 of the server system 30.

All the synchronous / asynchronous communications are accumulated in the conversation log storage unit 34-1 of the data server 34, and at the same time, the related information of the log is registered and managed in the management table storage unit 34-2. For example, when the user of the computer 10 sees the conversation state, the daemon 14 activates the conversation state display tool 12-3 in response to the user's request, thereby using the conversation state display tool 12-3.
Based on the management table stored in the management table storage unit 34-2 of the data server 34, the log relations can be visually displayed.

FIG. 10 shows an example of conversation state display according to the present invention. Here, communication using a conversation tool is expressed in units of sessions, and communication using electronic mail is expressed in units of messages. FIG. 10 schematically shows how these temporal orders and derivation relationships are visually displayed.

The case where an electronic mail tool (hereinafter simply referred to as an electronic tool) and a conversation tool are used in the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

<Using E-mail> FIG. 2 shows the flow of processing when using e-mail. Compose 210: As in the case of writing an ordinary e-mail, the sender, the recipient, the subject, and the content of the message are input to compose the message to be transmitted. At this time, the subject required for classifying the subsequent messages can be added later, so it is not necessary to specify the subject. Send 220: Send the created message to the other user. Registration 230: When the message is transmitted, the management table registration sequence is executed as shown in FIG. First, search the header of the email (step 51
0), source, destination, date and time, subject,
A unique identifier (ID) is given to each accumulated data (step 520). Next, if the subject is given, it is checked whether or not it already exists (step 530), and it is registered in the group having the same subject among other given accumulated data (step 54).
0) If a subject has not been given, give a temporary temporary subject (tmp) for convenience when the system manages (step 550). These data are registered in the accumulated data management table in the data server, with the participants of the sender and receiver of the message as participants. FIG. 8 shows an example of the contents of the accumulated data management table. Receive 240: The data registered in the accumulated data management table in the data server is displayed by the conversation state display tool.
As shown in FIG. 9, through the table summarizing the mutual relations of the accumulated data across the management table, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the objects are classified by subject and displayed in a tree structure. FIG. 10 corresponds to the case where the message is an electronic mail.

<Using a Conversation Tool> FIG. 3 shows the flow of processing when a call is accepted. Calling 310: A caller is determined and a call is made. At this time, it is not necessary to specify the subject necessary for later classification of the log, because it can be added later. Call 320; The response establishes the connection of the other party. Registration 330: When the connection is established, the management table registration sequence is executed as shown in FIG.
First, a file for saving the log is opened (step 610). Next, the participants of the conversation, the date and time, and the subject are acquired, and a unique identifier (ID) is given to each accumulated data for the opened file (step 620). Next, it is checked whether or not the subject is given (step 630). If the subject is given, the subject is registered in a group having the same subject among other existing accumulated data (step 64).
0) If the subject is not given, give a temporary temporary subject (tmp) for convenience when the system manages (step 650). In this way, these data are registered in the accumulated data management table (FIG. 8) in the data server. At this time, the conversation state display tool is also activated by the daemon, and the conversation state display tool displays the state of the conversation, for example, as a midway session in FIG. Conversation 340; During the conversation, the input messages are sequentially written in the open log file. Further, the status display corresponding to the conversation changes depending on the file size and the duration of the conversation. End 350; The conversation is ended by an explicit operation of the participant. Registration 360: When the conversation ends, the management table registration sequence as shown in FIG. 7 is executed. That is, the log file is closed (step 710) and the conversation participant, date and time, and subject are acquired (step 72).
0), considering that the subject has been changed during the conversation, refer to the subject and the registration management table again (730), and register in the group having the same subject among other existing accumulated data. (Step 740). At this time, the state of the conversation that has ended is shown in FIG.
In the end session of, the length of the conversation (file size, conversation time) is visually displayed by the size of the icon, for example.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a flow of processing when the call is refused or timed out. Calling 410; A caller is determined and a call is made. At this time, it is not necessary to specify the subject necessary for later classification of logs, since it can be added later. Call 420; In this case, the connection by the conversation tool cannot be established due to response rejection or timeout. Switching 430: Message transmission using electronic mail is automatically switched, and the processing of FIG. 2 described above is performed.

[0014]

The present invention provides a communication tool which can be used in both synchronous and asynchronous modes under an integrated interface. Therefore, the user can communicate without being restricted by the attribute of the tool. In addition, since the data identifier, date and time, participants, subjects, etc. of the log in synchronous communication and the message in asynchronous communication are saved, which topic each data belongs to, It is possible to automatically determine the relationship of each data, it is possible to easily grasp the overall state of communication, and create new communication and other opportunities.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system configuration example to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an example of a processing flow when communication is performed in an asynchronous mode using electronic mail according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an example of a processing flow when communication is established in a synchronous mode using a conversation tool.

FIG. 4 is an example of a processing flow when communication in a synchronous mode using a conversation tool is not established.

FIG. 5 is a table registration sequence in communication in an asynchronous mode using electronic mail.

FIG. 6 is a table registration sequence at the start of a conversation in communication in a synchronous mode using a conversation mail.

FIG. 7 is a table registration sequence at the end of a conversation in communication in a synchronous mode using a conversation tool.

FIG. 8 is an example of a stored data management table.

FIG. 9 is an image diagram of creating a management table from a stored data management table.

FIG. 10 is an example of a conversation state display according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 20 User's computer 12 Client 12-1 E-mail tool 12-2 Conversation tool 12-3 Conversation state display tool 14 Daemon 30 Server system 32 Conversation tool server 34 Data server 34-1 Conversation log storage unit 34-2 Management table Storage section

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A method of displaying a communication status of an electronic mail tool and a conversation tool using text, comprising subject information, creation date / time information, creator information and each log of the conversation tool which constitute each message of the electronic mail tool. Subject information, creation date and time information, creator information is saved, a unique identifier is given to each message and each log, subject information of each message and each log,
A communication status display method characterized by displaying a temporal order and derivation relationship among individual logs or messages based on creation date / time information, creator information, and a unique identifier.