Patent ID: 7856473
Filing Date: 2010-12-21
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A teleconference system for supporting realization of cooperative work among a plurality of conference systems, the teleconference system comprising: site systems each being installed at a plurality of sites, each site system being configured to generate a workspace of an object for managing and using cooperation units corresponding to respective conferences, and each site system comprising: a site server manager configured to manage a workspace for managing (1) a session in the site systems, (2) a file used in a conference and created as a record of the conference, (3) reference information to a resource relevant to the conference, and (4) history information of file access made by conference participants; and a shared workspace server configured to manage all the workspaces generated at all the site systems including managing the sessions, the files, the reference information and the history information, which are generated in the workspaces, wherein each site system provides a conference participant with a display of a set of workspaces to choose from when the conference participant logs into the site system, the set of workspaces are those workspaces that the conference participant is permitted to participate in based on the identification of the conference participant, one site system provides a first logged in conference participant with a display of a set of workspaces relevant to the first logged in conference participant, and provides a subsequent logged in conference participant a display of a set of common workspaces that are common to both the first logged in conference participant and the subsequent logged in conference participants and excluding other workspaces that the subsequent logged in user is permitted to participate, and a display of reference information managed in a workspace selected by the first logged in conference participant and the subsequent logged in conference participant on the condition that the first logged in conference participant and the subsequent logged in conference participant log into the one site system, wherein the subsequent logged in conference participant is permitted to select any workspace in the set of common workspaces, the shared workspace server established a session between different site systems on the condition that a plurality of conference participants log into different site systems and the plurality of conference participants selects the same workspace, the different site systems share input/output interfaces with application software by connecting electronic whiteboards of the different site systems to the shared workspace server, and as a response to a file reference request from one of the different site systems, the shared workspace server starts the application software to reference a file specified in the file reference request, and to provide the input/output interfaces with the application software to the different site systems with the session established.