Abstract:
A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a communication device, instruct the processor to perform processes that includes performing a first receiving that receives a start request from a partner communication device, the start request including identification information and first user information and requesting that a remote conference be started, acquiring, based on the identification information, second user information stored in a storage portion, performing a first determining that determines whether the first user information and the second user information differ from one another, performing a first outputting that outputs a first command in response to determining that the first user information and the second user information differ from one another, and performing a second outputting that outputs a second command in response to determining that the first user information and the second user information do not differ from one another.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2012-165399 filed Jul. 26, 2012 and 2013-132045 filed on Jun. 24, 2013, the content of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that allows a communication device to make a request to another communication device for participation in a remote conference, and the communication device. 
         [0003]    Systems that enable discussions among users in separate locations by transmitting and receiving video and audio among a plurality of communication devices have become widespread. Remote conferencing systems and the like are examples of these sorts of systems. Remote conferences include, for example, Web conferences, video conferences, video telephone calls, and the like. For example, a remote conferencing system is known in which an image of a user of another communication device who requests participation in a remote conference is displayed on the communication device that has received the request. The user of the communication device that has received the request can check the image of the user of the other communication device and can determine whether or not to permit participation in the remote conference that was requested by the user of the other communication device. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    In the known remote conferencing system that is described above, in a case where the image of the user of the other communication device has been changed, the changed image is displayed on the communication device that has received the request. In this case, an image that is different from the previous image is displayed on the communication device as the image of the user of the other communication device. Therefore, the user of the communication device that received the request may mistakenly believe that the request was received from a user who is different from the user of the other communication device. In this sort of case, the user who received the request may not grant permission to participate in the remote conference that was requested by the user of the other communication device, even in a case where permission to participate in the remote conference should be granted. 
         [0005]    Embodiments of the broad principles derived herein provide a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that enables a communication device to make it possible for the user to appropriately determine whether or not to grant permission to participate in a remote conference, even in a case where an image of another user of another communication device has been changed, and the communication device. 
         [0006]    Embodiments provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a communication device, instruct the processor to perform a process including performing a first receiving that receives a start request from a partner communication device. The partner communication device is another communication device. The start request includes identification information and first user information and requests that a remote conference be started. The identification information identifies a user of the partner communication device. The first user information is user information that pertains to the user identified by the identification information. The computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform a process including acquiring, based on the identification information, second user information stored in a storage portion. The second user information is user information that pertains to the user identified by the identification information included in the start request. The computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform a process including performing a first determining that determines, based on a comparison of the first user information and the second user information, whether the first user information and the second user information differ from one another. The computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform a process including performing a first outputting that outputs a first command in response to determining, in the first determining, that the first user information and the second user information differ from one another. The first command is a command to provide notification of the first user information and the second user information. The computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform a process including performing a second outputting that outputs a second command in response to determining, in the first determining, that the first user information and the second user information do not differ from one another. The second command is a command to provide notification of one of the first user information and the second user information. 
         [0007]    Embodiments also provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a communication device, instruct the processor to perform a process including receiving a start request from a server. The start request includes identification information and first user information and requests that a remote conference be started. The identification information identifies a user of a partner communication device. The first user information is user information that pertains to the user identified by the identification information. The computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform a process including determining, based on the identification information included in the start request, whether second user information is stored in a storage portion of the communication device. The second user information is user information that pertains to the user identified by the identification information. The computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform a process including acquiring the second user information from the storage portion in response to determining that the second user information is stored in the storage portion. The computer-readable instructions further instruct the processor to perform a process including outputting a display command to a display portion of the communication device in response to determining that the second user information is stored in the storage portion. The display command is a command to display the first user information and the second user information. 
         [0008]    Embodiments further provide a communication device that includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores computer-readable instructions. The computer-readable instructions cause the processor to perform a process including receiving a start request from a partner communication device. The start request includes identification information and first user information and requests that a remote conference be started. The identification information identifies a user of the partner communication device. The first user information is user information that pertains to the user identified by the identification information. The computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to perform a process including acquiring, based on the identification information, second user information that is stored in a storage portion of the communication device. The second user information is user information that pertains to the user identified by the identification information included in the start request. The computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to perform a process including determining, based on a comparison of the first user information and the second user information, whether the first user information and the second user information differ from one another. The computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to perform a process including outputting a first command to a display portion of the communication device in response to determining that the first user information and the second user information differ from one another. The first command is a command to display the first user information and the second user information. The computer-readable instructions further cause the processor to perform a process including outputting a second command to the display portion in response to determining that the first user information and the second user information do not differ from one another. The second command is a command to display one of the first user information and the second user information. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    Embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a figure that shows an overview a communication system and an electrical configuration of a communication device; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a figure that shows an example of a table; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a figure that shows a first example of a display image; 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a figure that shows a second example of a display image; 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  is a figure that shows a third example of a display image; 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a flowchart of main processing; and 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart of start request processing that is performed by the main processing in  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    A communication system  1  will be explained with reference to  FIG. 1 . The communication system  1  includes a server  11  and communication devices  12 ,  13 ,  14  (hereinafter also collectively referred to as the communication devices  15 ). The server  11  and the communication device  15  are connected such that the server  11  and the communication device  15  can communicate with one another through a network  20  by using a specified protocol, such as the Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) or the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), for example. In a case where the communication device  15  is connected to the server  11 , connection information that indicates that the communication device  15  is connected to the server  11  is stored in a storage portion of at least one of the server  11  and the communication device  15 . The connection information may include, for example, user identification information (a user ID), a password, identification information (a session ID) that the server  11  assigns to the connection, and the like. The connection information makes it possible for a sustained connection between the communication device  15  and the server  11  to be established. A series of communications that are performed through the sustained connection is hereinafter referred to as a session. 
         [0018]    In a case where a session is being conducted between the server  11  and the communication devices  12 ,  13 ,  14 , the server  11  transmits to the communication devices  13 ,  14 , at regular intervals, information that indicates that the communication device  12  is conducting the session with the server  11 . Information that indicates that the communication devices  13 ,  14  are conducting the session with the server  11  is also transmitted in the same manner. Therefore, based on the information, the users of the communication devices  12 ,  13 ,  14  can know which of the communication devices  12 ,  13 ,  14  are maintaining the session with the server  11 . The processing that is performed by the communication devices  12 ,  13 ,  14  may be processing that is performed by an application that is known as a presence client, for example. With the communication system  1 , a remote conference can be conducted in which it is possible for a discussion to be carried out among the users of the communication devices  15  by the transmitting and receiving of video and audio among a plurality of the communication devices  15 , through the server  11 . At the time when the remote conference starts, each of the communication devices  15  transmits to the server  11  a conference connection request that requests a connection to a conference room. The conference connection request includes a user ID that identifies the user who is using the communication device  15  and a conference ID that specifies the conference room. The conference connection request is made by communication in accordance with a specified protocol, such as HTTP or the like, for example. The conference ID may be a specific Uniform Resource Locator (URL), for example. After the server  11  has received the conference connection request from the communication device  15 , media data such as video data, audio data, and the like are transmitted and received between the server  11  and the communication device  15 . Specifically, media data that have been acquired by a camera and a microphone that is connected to the communication device  15  are transmitted to the server  11  together with the user ID and the conference ID. The media data that the server  11  has received from the communication device  15  are transmitted to the other communication devices  15  that are connected to the conference room that is indicated by the same conference ID. In other words, the plurality of the communication devices  15  that are connected to the conference room that is indicated by the same conference ID conduct the remote conference by transmitting and receiving the media data through the server  11 . The remote conference is started in a case where one of the communication devices  15  has received a start request from another one of the communication devices  15  and the start request has been accepted. The start request is a request to start the remote conference. A specific example of the communication device  15  may be a known personal computer (PC). The configuration of the communication system  1  can be modified. For example, the communication system  1  includes only the communication devices  15 . Each one of the communication devices  15  may perform direct communication with another one of communication devices  15 . 
         [0019]    An electrical configuration of the communication device  15  will be explained. The communication device  15  includes a CPU  31  that performs control of the communication device  15 . The CPU  31  is electrically connected to a ROM  32 , a RAM  33 , an HDD  34 , a communications interface (I/F)  35 , and an external interface (I/F)  36 . A display portion  37 , a speaker  38 , a microphone  39 , a drive unit  40 , and an operation portion  41  that are installed in the communication device  15  are also electrically connected to the CPU  31  in the same manner. The display portion  37  may be a display itself, e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), or may include a display itself and some interface hardware and/or software between the display itself and an application program. The ROM  32  stores a boot program, a BIOS, and the like. The RAM  33  stores a timer, a counter, and temporary data. The HDD  34  stores programs for causing the CPU  31  to perform main processing (refer to  FIG. 6 ) and start request processing (refer to  FIG. 7 ). The HDD  34  also stores a table  341  (described below; refer to  FIG. 2 ). The communications I/F  35  may perform communication with the server  11  and another communication device  15  through the network  20 . A camera  361  may be connected to the external I/F  36 . The drive unit  40  may read information that is stored in a storage medium  401 . For example, when the communication device  15  is set up, a program that is stored in the storage medium  401  may be read by the drive unit  40  and stored in the HDD  34 . The communication device  15  may receive a program from the server  11  or another server through the network  20  and store the program in the HDD  34 . In that case, the program may be stored in a storage medium such as an HDD or the like that is included in a server that is connected to the communication device  15  through the network  20 . The operation portion  41  may accept an input from the user. The operation portion  41  may be a keyboard, for example. The operation portion  41  may be a mouse that is connected to an external I/F. In a case where the communication device  15  is a tablet-type terminal or a smart phone, the operation portion  41  may be a touch panel that is superposed on the display portion  37 . 
         [0020]    The table  341  will be explained with reference to  FIG. 2 . Information (hereinafter referred to as the user information) that pertains to another user who is using the other communication device  15  is stored in the table  341  in association with the user IDs. The user information may include, for example, a nickname, a self-introduction, the user&#39;s department, a user image, an update date and time, and a number of conferences. These user information items are merely examples. The user information may include one or more of the items. The user information may also include items other than the items listed above. The user ID is identification information that identifies the other user. The nickname is a different name for the other user. The self-introduction includes information that indicates the background or personal history of the other user. The user&#39;s department includes information that indicates the other user&#39;s affiliation. The user image is an image that shows the other user. The update date and time indicates the date and time of the most recent update to one of the user information items (one of the nickname, the self-introduction, the user&#39;s department, and the user image). The update date and time in the table  341  is information that is included in advance in the user information that is received from the server  11 . The number of conferences is the number of times that the communication device  15  has participated in a remote conference with the other communication device  15  that is used by the other user. 
         [0021]    In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the user always uses a specific communication device  15 . The user ID may be associated with the identification information that identifies the communication device  15 , and the user ID may also be used as the identification information that identifies the communication device  15 . The identification information that identifies the communication device  15  may be transmitted from the communication device  15  to the server  11  in advance, and may be stored in the storage portion of the server  11 . 
         [0022]    The user information for the user of each one of the communication devices  15  may be edited by the user who uses that communication device  15 . At Step S 11  in the main processing ( FIG. 6 ), which will be described below, the edited user information is transmitted from the communication device  15  to the server  11  together with the user ID (hereinafter also referred to as the communication device  15  user ID) of the user of the communication device  15 . The server  11  stores the received user information in a storage portion (not shown in the drawings) of the server  11 , in association with the user ID. When the user information is received, the server  11 , using a clock function that is provided by the operating system (OS) of the server  11 , acquires the time, then stores that time as the update date and time in the storage portion of the server  11 , in association with the user ID. The server  11  may receive, from the communication device  12 , for example, the start request that is the request to start the remote conference. The user ID (hereinafter also referred to as the communication device  12  user ID) of the user of the communication device  12 , the conference ID of the remote conference, and the user ID (hereinafter also referred to as the communication device  13  user ID) of the user of the communication device  13 , which is the destination for the transmission, may be included in the start request that has been received from the communication device  12 , along with flag information. The flag information indicates whether or not inclusion in a display image of the user information before the change (editing) is permitted. Based on the communication device  12  user ID that is included in the start request that was received, the server  11  may acquire from the storage portion of the server  11  the user information that corresponds to the communication device  12  user ID. The server  11  may incorporate into the start request the communication device  12  user ID, the conference ID, the user information that corresponds to the communication device  12  user ID, and the flag information, then may transmit the start request to the communication device  13 . 
         [0023]    The user information may be stored in the HDD  34  of the communication device  15 . The communication device  15  may create the start request that includes the communication device  15  user ID, the conference ID, the user information that is stored in the HDD  34 , and the user ID (hereinafter also referred to as the other communication device  15  user ID) of the user of the other communication device  15 , and may transmit the start request to the other communication device  15  through the server  11 . 
         [0024]    In a case where the CPU  31  has received the start request from the other communication device  15  through the server  11 , the CPU  31  then displays, on the display portion  37  (refer to  FIG. 1 ), a display image (for example, one of display images  371  to  373  (described below; refer to  FIGS. 3 to 5 )) that includes at least one of the user information items that are included in the start request. In a state in which a session is already being conducted with the server  11 , the display image is displayed in a case where a start request is received through the server  11  from the other communication device  15 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  shows a first example (the display image  371 ) of the display image that is displayed on the display portion  37 . The display image  371  includes a user image  3711 , text  3712 , and selection buttons  3713 . The user image  3711  is the user image (taro.jpg or the like) that is included in the user information. The text  3712  provides notification that indicates that a request to participate in a video conference has been received. The text  3712  includes the nickname “TARO” that is included in the user information. The selection buttons  3713  are buttons that enable the user to select whether or not to start a remote conference in response to the start request from the other communication device  15 . The selection buttons  3713  include an Accept button and a Refuse button. The user image that is included in the user information may be image data itself. The user image included in the user information may be address information for image data that are stored in the storage portion of the server  11 . 
         [0026]    By checking the user image  3711  and the nickname that are included in the display image  371 , the user of the communication device  15  who is looking at the display image  371  determines whether or not to accept the start request to participate in a remote conference that uses the conference room and that has been requested by the other user who is using the other communication device  15 . In a case where the user accepts the start request to participate in the remote conference, the user may select the Accept button of the selection buttons  3713 . In that case, by transmitting to the server  11  a conference connection request that includes the conference ID and the communication device  15  user ID, the communication device  15  starts the remote conference that uses the conference room that corresponds to the conference ID. The communication device  15  transmits to the server  11  video data that have been captured by the camera  361  that is connected to the communication device  15  and audio data that have been collected by the microphone  39 . From the server  11 , the communication device  15  receives video data and audio data that have been transmitted from the other communication device  15 . In contrast, in a case where the user refuses the start request for the remote conference that uses the conference room and that has been requested by the other user, the user may select the Refuse button of the selection buttons  3713 . In that case, the communication device  15  does not transmit the conference connection request to the server  11 . 
         [0027]    As described above, the user can recognize the other user by checking the user information (the user image  3711  and the nickname) that is included in the display image  371 . Therefore, the user can determine appropriately whether or not to accept the start request to participate in the remote conference that uses the conference room and that was requested by the other user. 
         [0028]    In a case where the user information for the other user who uses the other communication device  15  has been changed, for example, one of a second example (the display image  372 ; refer to  FIG. 4 ) and a third example (the display image  373 ; refer to  FIG. 5 ) of the display image may be displayed on the display portion  37 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 4  shows the second example (the display image  372 ) of the display image. The display image  372  is an example of the display image that is displayed in a case where the user image in the user information has been changed. The display image  372  differs from the display image  371  (refer to  FIG. 3 ) in that the user image  3711  (refer to  FIG. 3 ) has been changed to a user image  3721 . The text  3712  and the selection buttons  3713  are the same as in the display image  371 . The user image  3721  includes a user image  3722  before the change and a user image  3723  after the change. An arrow that points from the user image  3722  to the user image  3723  is also displayed. The user image  3721  shows that the user image in the user information for the user of the other communication device  15  has been changed from the user image  3722  to the user image  3723 . 
         [0030]    The user who looks at the display image  372  can check the user image  3723  after the change in association with the user image  3722  before the change. Therefore, even in a case where the user image for the other user has been changed, the user can confirm that the user image  3723  after the change is a user image that is associated with the other user, who is shown in the user image  3722  before the change. The user who received the start request for the remote conference that uses the conference room and that has been requested by the other user can determine appropriately whether or not to accept the start request to participate in the remote conference. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from refusing the start request for the remote conference by mistake when the user should participate in the remote conference. 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  shows the third example (the display image  373 ) of the display image. The display image  373  is an example of the display image that is displayed in a case where the nickname in the user information has been changed. The display image  373  differs from the display image  371  (refer to  FIG. 3 ) in that the text  3712  (refer to  FIG. 3 ) has been changed to a text  3732 . The user image  3711  and the selection buttons  3713  are the same as in the display image  371 . The text  3732  includes the nickname “TARO” before the change and a nickname “T.K.” after the change. An arrow that points from the nickname “TARO” to the nickname “T.K.” is also displayed. The nickname “TARO” is crossed out by two horizontal lines. The text  3732  shows that the nickname in the user information for the other user has been changed from “TARO” to “T.K.” 
         [0032]    The user who looks at the display image  373  can check the nickname “T.K.” after the change in association with the nickname “TARO” before the change. Therefore, even in a case where the nickname for the other user has been changed to “T.K.”, the user can confirm that the nickname “T.K.” after the change is a nickname that is associated with the other user, who is specified by the nickname “TARO” before the change. Thus the user can determine appropriately whether or not to accept the start request to participate in the remote conference. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from refusing the start request for the remote conference by mistake when the user should participate in the remote conference. 
         [0033]    The form of the display image may be changed. For example, in the display image  372 , it is acceptable for the user image  3722  and the user image  3723  not to be displayed on the display portion  37  at the same time. To take a specific example, it is acceptable for only the user image  3722  before the change to be included in the display image  372  at the time when the display of the display image  372  on the display portion  37  is started. The user image  3722  before the change may then be gradually changed into the user image  3723  after the change. 
         [0034]    The user information that is included in the display image may be changed. For example, it is acceptable for the user image and the nickname not to be included in the display image. At least one of the user image, the nickname, the self-introduction, the user&#39;s department, and the number of conferences may be included as the user information in the display image. Another item in the user information may be included in the display image. 
         [0035]    The main processing will be explained with reference to  FIG. 6 . In a state in which the power supply to the communication device  15  has been turned on and the communication device  15  has been connected to the network  20 , the CPU  31  starts the main processing by reading and executing a program that is stored in the HDD  34  of the communication device  15 . The main processing is not limited to the example in which the main processing is performed by the CPU  31 . The main processing may be performed by another electronic component (for example, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC)). The main processing may be performed by distributed processing by a plurality of electronic devices (that is, a plurality of CPUs). A portion of the main processing may be performed by the server  11 , which is connected to the communication device  15  through the network  20 . 
         [0036]    At Step S 1 , the CPU  31  connects to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 . For example, the CPU  31  may transmit, to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 , a connection request that includes at least one of the user ID and the password. The server  11  determines whether the user ID and the password that are included in the connection request from the communication device  15  are included in a user management table (not shown in the drawings) that is stored in the storage portion of the server  11 . In a case where the user ID and the password are included in the user management table, the server  11  stores the connection information that corresponds to the user ID in the storage portion of the server  11 . After storing the connection information, the server  11  transmits the user information that corresponds to the user ID to the communication device  15 . The CPU  31  stores, in the RAM  33 , the user information that has been received from the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 . The user information may be transmitted from the communication device  15  to the server  11  in advance and may be stored in the storage portion of the server  11  in association with the user ID. 
         [0037]    At Step S 2 , the CPU  31  receives, via the communication I/F  35 , a member list that has been transmitted from the server  11 . The member list is stored in the storage portion of the server  11  and includes a user ID for another user of at least one other communication device  15 , in association with the user ID of the user of the communication device  15  in which the CPU  31  resides. Before Step S 2  is executed, the server  11 , based on the at least one of the user IDs for the other users that is included in the member list, searches for the connection information for the individual user IDs that are included in the member list. The server  11  then transmits to the communication device  15  the at least one of the user IDs for the other users that is included in the member list as well as the connection information for each of the user IDs in the member list. The CPU  31  stores, in the RAM, the received member list that has been received from the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 . Then the CPU  31  outputs to the display portion  37  a command to display the member list that has been received from the server  11  via the communication I/F  35  as well as the connection information for each of the user IDs. By looking at the display content on the display portion  37 , the user of the communication device  15  can determine whether or not the users who correspond to the user IDs that are included in the member list are connected to the server  11 . The member list may be transmitted from the communication device  15  in advance and may be stored in the storage portion of the server  11 . 
         [0038]    At Step S 3 , the CPU  31  determines whether a start request has been received from the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 . In a case where the CPU  31  has received the start request from the server  11  via the communication I/F  35  (YES at Step S 3 ), the CPU  31  stores the start request in the RAM  33 , and the processing advances to Step S 4 . In contrast, in a case where the CPU  31  has not received the start request from the server  11  via the communication I/F  35  (NO at Step S 3 ), the processing advances to Step S 8 . 
         [0039]    At Step S 4 , the CPU  31  performs the start request processing, which is shown in  FIG. 7 . The start request processing will be described in detail below. After the processing at Step S 4  has been completed, the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 5 . 
         [0040]    At Step S 5 , the CPU  31  determines whether the start request that was received from the server  11  at Step S 3  has been accepted. For example, in a case where an input to the Accept button of the selection buttons  3713  in the display image that is displayed on the display portion  37  in accordance with the processing that is performed at one of Steps S 408 , S 409 , and S 410  in  FIG. 7  has been acquired from the operation portion  41  (YES at Step S 5 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 6 . In contrast, in a case where an input to the Accept button of the selection buttons  3713  has not been acquired from the operation portion  41 , and an input to the Refuse button of the selection buttons  3713  has been acquired from the operation portion  41  (NO at Step S 5 ), the CPU  31  returns the processing to Step S 2 . 
         [0041]    At Step S 6 , the CPU  31  starts the remote conference by launching a conference application that is stored in the HDD  34 . In launching the conference application, the CPU  31  defines the conference ID that is included in the start request that was received at Step S 3  as a parameter for the conference application. The CPU  31  starts the remote conference by executing the conference application to transmit to the server  11  a conference connection request that includes the conference ID and the communication device  15  user ID. The CPU  31  then advances the processing to Step S 7 . 
         [0042]    At Step S 7 , the CPU  31  adds “1” to the number of conferences that corresponds to the user ID of the user of the other communication device  15  that is the source of the start request. For example, the CPU  31  may search the table  341  that is stored in the HDD  34 , using as a search key the other communication device  15  user ID that is included in the start request that was received via the communication I/F  35  at Step S 3 . The CPU  31  then may add “1” to the numerical value of the number of conferences that is stored, among the items that are included in the table  341 , in association with the other communication device  15  user ID. Then the CPU  31  returns the processing to Step S 2 . 
         [0043]    In a case where, at Step S 3 , the start request has not been received from the server  11  (NO at Step S 3 ), the CPU  31  determines at Step S 8  whether the CPU  31  has acquired from the operation portion  41  a command to transmit a start request. For example, the CPU  31  may acquire from the operation portion  41  a command to select, from the member list that is being displayed on the display portion  37  at Step S 2 , by the user of the communication device  15 , a user ID of a user of another communication device  15  that is connected to the server  11 . At this time, the CPU  31  may also acquire from the operation portion  41  a command to one of approve and reject inclusion in the display image of the user information before the change. In that case, the CPU  31  determines that the CPU  31  has acquired from the operation portion  41  the command to transmit the start request (YES at Step S 8 ), and the processing advances to Step S 9 . In contrast, in a case where the CPU  31  has determined that the CPU  31  has not acquired from the operation portion  41  the command to transmit the start request (NO at Step S 8 ), the processing advances to Step S 10 . The command to transmit the start request is not limited to being a command to select from the member list. For example, the other communication device  15  user ID may be input directly from the operation portion  41 . In that case, the CPU  31  may transmit, to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 , the other communication device  15  user ID that was acquired from the operation portion  41 . In a case where the user ID that the server  11  has received is included in the user management table that is stored in the storage portion of the server  11 , the server  11  may transmit back to the communication device  15  the other communication device  15  user ID and the connection information that corresponds to the other communication device  15  user ID. The user of the communication device  15  may then check display content that is based on the other communication  15  user ID and the connection information that have been transmitted back to the communication device  15  from the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 , and may input to the operation portion  41  a command to transmit a start request. In that case, the CPU  31  may determine that the CPU  31  has acquired from the operation portion  41  the command to transmit the start request. 
         [0044]    At Step S 9 , the CPU  31  transmits the start request to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 , including in the start request the communication device  15  user ID, the conference ID for the remote conference, the user ID of the user of the other communication device  15  that has been selected, and the flag information that indicates whether or not the inclusion in the display image of the user information before the change is permitted. As described above, the server  11  transmits the start request to the other communication device  15 , including in the start request the user ID of the user of the communication device  15  that issued the start request, the conference ID, and the user information that corresponds to the user ID of the user of the communication device  15  that issued the start request. After transmitting the start request to the server  11 , the CPU  31  returns the processing to Step S 2 . 
         [0045]    In a case where, at Step S 8 , the command to transmit the start request has not been acquired (NO at Step S 8 ), the CPU  31  determines, at Step S 10 , whether the user information has been updated. For example, in a case where a command to change to the user information has been acquired from the operation portion  41 , the CPU  31  determines that the user information has been updated. The command to change to the user information may be issued by using the operation portion  41  to make an input on a user information edit screen, for example. In a case where it is determined that the user information has been updated (YES at Step S 10 ), the CPU  31  updates the user information that the CPU  31  received at Step S 1  and stored in the RAM  33 , and the processing advances to Step S 11 . In contrast, in a case where it is determined that the user information has not been updated (NO at Step S 10 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 12 . 
         [0046]    At Step S 11 , the CPU  31  transmits, to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 , the user information item, based on the input to the user information edit screen via the operation portion  41  at Step S 10 , and the communication device  15  user ID. The server  11  updates the user information that corresponds to the received user ID. The server  11  updates the update date and time in the user information that corresponds to the received user ID, updating the update date and time to the time when the server  11  received the user information in response to the processing at Step S 11 . For example, in a case where the nickname has been changed at Step S 10 , the changed nickname and the communication device  15  user ID are transmitted to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35  at Step S 11 . In a case where the user image has been changed at Step S 10 , the image data that correspond to the changed user image and the communication device  15  user ID are transmitted to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35  at Step S 11 . After transmitting the user information, the CPU  31  returns the processing to Step S 2 . 
         [0047]    In a case where, at Step S 10 , the user information has not been updated (NO at Step S 10 ), the CPU  31  determines, at Step S 12 , whether the member list has been updated. The determination as to whether the member list has been updated is made based on an input that is acquired from the operation portion  41 . For example, in a case where the CPU  31  has acquired via the operation portion  41  a command to delete a user ID of a user of another communication device  15  from the member list that was output to the display portion  37  at Step S 2 , the CPU  31  determines that the member list has been updated. To take another example, in a case where a user ID of a user of another communication device  15  has been input directly from the operation portion  41  to be added to the member list, the CPU  31  transmits the input user ID of the user of the other communication device  15  to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 . In a case where the received other communication device  15  user ID is included in the user management table that is stored in the storage portion of the server  11 , the server  11  transmits back to the communication device  15  the other communication device  15  user ID, along with the connection information that corresponds to the other communication device  15  user ID. The user of the communication device  15  then may check the display content that is based on the user ID and the connection information that have been received from the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 , and may input to the operation portion  41  a command to register the member list. In that case, the CPU  31  may determine that the member list has been updated. In a case where it is determined that the member list has been updated (YES at Step S 12 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 13 . In contrast, in a case where it is determined that the member list has not been updated (NO at Step S 12 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 14 . 
         [0048]    At Step S 13 , the CPU  31 , based on the input that was acquired via the operation portion  41  at Step S 12 , transmits a member list update request to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 . The member list update request includes the other communication device  15  user ID, input content information, and the user ID of the user of the communication device  15  that is transmitting the request. The input content information is information that indicates whether the other communication device  15  user ID is to be deleted from the member list or added to the member list. The server  11  updates the member list that corresponds to the received user ID of the user of the communication device  15  that transmitted the member list update request. After transmitting the member list update request, the CPU  31  returns the processing to Step S 2 . 
         [0049]    In a case where, at Step S 12 , the member list has not been updated (NO at Step S 12 ), the CPU  31 , at Step S 14 , based on an input that has been acquired from the operation portion  41 , determines whether a terminate command has been input. For example, in a case where an input to terminate the main processing has been made via the operation portion  41 , the CPU  31  determines that the terminate command has been input. In a case where it is determined that the terminate command has been input (YES at Step S 14 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 15 . In contrast, in a case where it is determined that the terminate command has not been input (NO at Step S 14 ), the CPU  31  returns the processing to Step S 2 . 
         [0050]    At Step S 15 , the CPU  31  disconnects from the server  11 . For example, the CPU  31  may transmit a command to delete the connection information to the server  11  via the communication I/F  35 , with the command includes the communication device  15  user ID. The server  11  may delete from the storage portion of the server  11  the connection information that corresponds to the received communication device  15  user ID. After deleting the connection information, the server  11  may transmit to the communication device  15  information that indicates that the session with the server  11  has been terminated. By receiving via the communication I/F  35  the information that indicates that the session with the server  11  has been terminated, the CPU  31  completes disconnection from the server  11 . The CPU  31  then may terminate the main processing. 
         [0051]    The start request processing that is performed at Step S 4  of the main processing in  FIG. 6  will be explained with reference to  FIG. 7 . At Step S 400 , the CPU  31  acquires, from the start request that is stored in the RAM  33 , the user information (hereinafter referred to as the first user information) and the flag information that are included in the start request. The CPU  31  stores the first user information and the flag information that the CPU  31  has acquired in the RAM  33 . 
         [0052]    The CPU  31  determines whether the user ID (hereinafter referred to as the acquired user ID) that is included in the user information that was acquired at Step S 400  is stored in the table  341  (Step S 401 ). For example, the CPU  31  may search the user IDs in the table  341  that is stored in the HDD  34  to see if the acquired user ID is among the user IDs in the table  341 . In a case where the acquired user ID is stored in the table  341  (YES at Step S 401 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 402 . In contrast, in a case where the acquired user ID is not stored in the table  341  (NO at Step S 401 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 410 . 
         [0053]    At Step S 402 , the CPU  31  reads the user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID (hereinafter referred to as the second user information) from the table  341  that is stored in the HDD  34 , then stores the second user information in the RAM  33 . Then, the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 403 . The second user information is the user information that was included in the start request that was received from the server  11  at Step S 3  in the main processing (refer to  FIG. 6 ) during a session that was conducted in the past, and the second user information has been stored in the table  341  at Step S 412 , which will be described below. 
         [0054]    At Step S 403 , the CPU  31  determines whether the first user information and the second user information differ from one another. A case where the first user information and the second user information differ from one another is a case where the first user information was updated after the second user information was stored in the table  341 . The CPU  31  compares the update date and time for the first user information that was stored in the RAM  33  at Step S 400  with the update date and time for the second user information that was stored in the RAM  33  at Step S 402  (Step S 403 ). In a case where the update dates and times match, the first user information is the same as the second user information. In that case, the CPU  31  determines that the first user information and the second user information do not differ from one another (NO at Step S 403 ), the processing advances to Step S 410 . 
         [0055]    In a case where the update date and time for the first user information is more recent than the update date and time for the second user information, the first user information has been updated more recently than the second user information. In this case, the CPU  31  determines whether, within the first user information, display user information that is included in the display image that is displayed on the display portion  37  has been updated. The display user information is information that includes at least one of the items in the user information, that is, at least one of the nickname, the self-introduction, the user&#39;s department, and the user image, for example. The CPU  31  determines which of the items have been updated by taking the display user information from the first user information and the display user information from the second user information and comparing the two. 
         [0056]    For example, in a case where one of the display image  372  (refer to  FIG. 4 ) and the display image  373  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) is displayed, the display user information includes the user image and the nickname. The user image and the nickname that are included in the first user information are compared to the user image and the nickname that are included in the second user information. Specifically, in a case where the user images are compared, for example, the CPU  31  may determine whether the user image has been updated by computing hash values for both of the user images and comparing the computed hash values. For example, in a case where the nicknames are compared, the determination as to whether the nickname has been updated may be made by comparing the code information (ASCII code or the like) for the individual characters of the nicknames. In a case where both the user images and the nicknames match, it may be determined that the display user information has not been updated. In a case where a difference is found at least one of between the two user images and between the two nicknames, it may be determined that the display user information has been updated. In a case where it is determined that the display user information has not been updated, that is, that the first user information and the second user information do not differ from one another (NO at Step S 403 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 410 . 
         [0057]    In contrast, in a case where it is determined that the display user information has been updated, that is, that the first user information and the second user information differ from one another (YES at Step S 403 ), the CPU  31  determines whether the flag information that was acquired at Step S 400  indicates that the inclusion in the display image of the user information that is included in the second user information (that is, the user information before the update) is permitted (Step S 404 ). The CPU  31  makes the determination by referencing the flag information that was stored in the RAM  33  at Step S 400 . In a case where the flag information that is stored in the RAM  33  does not permit the user information before the update to be included in the display image (NO at Step S 404 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 409 . In contrast, in a case where the flag information that is stored in the RAM  33  permits the user information before the update to be included in the display image (YES at Step S 404 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 405 . 
         [0058]    At Step S 405 , the CPU  31  determines whether the acquired user ID that is included in the first user information is included in the member list that was acquired at Step S 2  of the main processing that is shown in  FIG. 6 . For example, the CPU  31  may make the determination at Step S 405  by comparing the acquired user ID that was acquired at Step S 401  with the user IDs that are included in the member list that is stored in the RAM  33 . In a case where the acquired user ID is included in the member list, it is conceivable that the user of the communication device  15  has frequently made contacts, including remote conferences, with the user who corresponds to the acquired user ID. In other words, in a case where the acquired user ID is included in the member list, it is conceivable that the user of the communication device  15  has frequently checked the second user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID. Therefore, presenting to the user of the communication device  15  the second user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID shows to the user of the communication device  15  that the second user information and the first user information correspond to the same acquired user ID, thereby increasing the convenience to the user. In a case where the acquired user ID that is included in the first user information is included in the member list (YES at Step S 405 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 408 . In contrast, in a case where the acquired user ID that is included in the first user information is not included in the member list (NO at Step S 405 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 406 . 
         [0059]    At Step S 408 , the CPU  31  creates a display image (for example, one of the display image  372  and the display image  373 ) that includes the display user information (the display user information before the update) that is included in the second user information and the display user information (the updated display user information) that is included in the first user information. The CPU  31  transmits to the display portion  37  a command to display the created display image. Then the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 411 . 
         [0060]    In a case where the determination at Step S 405  is NO, the CPU  31 , at Step S 406 , determines whether the user&#39;s department that is included in the second user information is the same as the user&#39;s department that is included in the user information that corresponds to the communication device  15  user ID. For example, the CPU  31  may make the determination at Step S 406  by comparing the user&#39;s department that is included in the second user information with the user&#39;s department that is included in the user information that corresponds to the communication device  15  user ID and that was stored in the RAM  33  at one of Steps S 1  and S 10  of the main processing that is shown in  FIG. 6 . In a case where the user&#39;s department that is included in the second user information is the same as the user&#39;s department that is included in the user information that corresponds to the communication device  15  user ID, it is conceivable that the user of the communication device  15  is directly acquainted with the user who corresponds to the acquired user ID. Therefore, presenting to the user of the communication device  15  the second user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID shows to the user of the communication device  15  that the second user information and the first user information correspond to the same acquired user ID, thereby increasing the convenience to the user. In a case where it is determined that the user&#39;s department that is included in the second user information is the same as the user&#39;s department that is included in the user information that corresponds to the communication device  15  user ID (YES at Step S 406 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 408 . In contrast, in a case where it is determined that the user&#39;s department that is included in the second user information is not the same as the user&#39;s department that is included in the user information that corresponds to the communication device  15  user ID (NO at Step S 406 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 407 . 
         [0061]    In a case where the determination at Step S 406  is NO, the CPU  31 , at Step S 407 , determines whether the frequency with which remote conferences are held with the user of the other communication device  15  who corresponds to the acquired user ID is greater than a reference frequency. For example, in a case where the number of conferences that is included in the second user information is greater than a specified number (for example, 5), the CPU  31  may determine that the frequency with which remote conferences are held is greater than the reference frequency. In a case where the number of conferences is greater than the specified number, there is a strong possibility that the user of the communication device  15  may remember the user who corresponds to the acquired user ID. Therefore, presenting to the user of the communication device  15  the second user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID shows to the user of the communication device  15  that the second user information and the first user information correspond to the same acquired user ID, thereby increasing the convenience to the user. In a case where it is determined that the frequency of the remote conferences is greater than the reference frequency (YES at Step S 407 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 408 . In contrast, in a case where it is determined that the frequency of the remote conferences is not greater than the reference frequency (NO at Step S 407 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 409 . The reference frequency may be either one of a fixed value that is set in advance and a variable value that can be set by the user. 
         [0062]    At Step S 409 , the CPU  31  creates a display image that includes the display user information (the updated display user information) that is included in the first user information and text information (for example, “User image has been updated” or the like) that indicates that the display user information has been updated. The CPU  31  transmits to the display portion  37  a command to display the created display image. Then the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 411 . 
         [0063]    In a case where the determination at Step S 401  is NO, as well as in a case where the determination at Step S 403  is NO, the CPU  31  performs the processing at Step S 410 . At Step S 410 , the CPU  31  creates a display image (for example, the display image  371 ) that includes the display user information that is included in the first user information. The CPU  31  transmits to the display portion  37  a command to display the created display image. Then the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 411 . 
         [0064]    In a case where the determination at Step S 403  is NO, the CPU  31 , at Step S 410 , may create and display on the display portion  37  a display image that includes the display user information that is included in the second user information, instead of the display user information that is included in the first user information. In this case, the first user information and the second user information are the same. Therefore, even in a case where a display image has been created that includes the display user information that is included in the second user information, instead of the display user information that is included in the first user information, the same display image is created and displayed on the display portion  37 . In a case where the determination at Step S 401  is NO, the second user information does not exist. In this case, at Step S 410 , the CPU  31  may create the display image that includes the display user information that is included in the first user information, as described above. 
         [0065]    At Step S 411 , the CPU  31  determines whether to store the first user information in the table  341 . For example, in a case where it was determined at Step S 401  that the user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID is not stored in the table  341  (NO at Step S 401 ), the CPU  31  determines to store the first user information in the table  341  (YES at S 411 ). The CPU  31  also determines to store the first user information in the table  341  (YES at S 411 ) in a case where it was determined at Step S 403  that the update date and time for the first user information is more recent than the update date and time for the second user information (YES at Step S 403 ). In contrast, in a case where it was determined at Step S 401  that the user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID is stored in the table  341  (YES at Step S 401 ), and it was determined at Step S 403  that the display user information has not been updated (NO at Step S 403 ), the CPU  31  determines not to store the first user information in the table  341  (NO at S 411 ). In this case, the second user information that is the same as the first user information has already been stored in the table  341 , so there is no need to newly store the first user information in the table  341 . In a case where the CPU  31  has determined to store the first user information in the table  341  (YES at S 411 ), the CPU  31  advances the processing to Step S 412 . In contrast, in a case where the CPU  31  has determined not to store the first user information in the table  341  (NO at S 411 ), the CPU  31  terminates the start request processing and advances the processing to Step S 5  of the main processing that is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0066]    At Step S 412 , the CPU  31  stores the first user information in the table  341  in association with the acquired user ID. In a case where the user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID has already been stored in the table  341 , the CPU  31  uses the first user information to update the user information that corresponds to the acquired user ID. Then the CPU  31  terminates the start request processing and advances the processing to Step S 5  of the main processing that is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0067]    As has been explained above, in a case where the second user information and the first user information differ from one another at the time when the communication device  15  starts the session, the determination is made that the user information has been updated. In that case, the communication device  15  can notify the user of the communication device  15 , associating the first user information and the second user information with one another. The user of the communication device  15  can thus easily be made aware that the first user information is information that pertains to the other user who corresponds to the second user information. Therefore, the user can determine appropriately whether or not to start the session with the other communication device  15 . 
         [0068]    Furthermore, by displaying one of the display image  372  (refer to  FIG. 4 ) and the display image  373  (refer to  FIG. 5 ) on the display portion  37 , for example, the communication device  15  can make the user aware of the first user information and the second user information at the same time. The communication device  15  can therefore more easily make the user aware that the first user information is information that indicates the other user who corresponds to the second user information. 
         [0069]    By displaying the display image  372  (refer to  FIG. 4 ), for example, on the display portion  37 , the communication device  15  can make the user aware of the user image. The communication device  15  can therefore easily make the user aware, at a glance, that the first user information is information that indicates the other user who corresponds to the second user information. 
         [0070]    The communication device  15  can store, as the second user information in the table  341 , the first user information that is included in the start request that was received from the other communication device  15 . Therefore, the communication device  15  can acquire the second user information appropriately and reliably by referencing the table  341 . 
         [0071]    Furthermore, by referencing the user ID of the user of the other communication device  15  that transmitted the start request, the communication device  15  can extract from the table  341  the second user information that is associated with the user ID. The communication device  15  can therefore acquire the second user information accurately. 
         [0072]    Moreover, even in a case where the display user information has been updated (YES at Step S 403 ), in a case where the flag information that does not permit the user information before the update to be included in the display image has been stored in the RAM  33  (NO at Step S 404 ), the communication device  15  displays on the display portion  37  the display user information that is included in the first user information and the text information that indicates that the display user information has been updated (Step S 409 ). The communication device  15  can thus to prevent the providing of the second user information to the user. Moreover, the communication device  15  can notify the user that the second user information has been updated, without providing the second user information itself. 
         [0073]    The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment that has been described above, and various types of modifications can be made. The table  341  may be stored in the server  11 . The communication device  15  may store the user information in the table  341  by performing communication with the server  11 . The communication device  15  may store the user information in the HDD  34 . The user does not have to always use a specific communication device  15 . The user may use any communication device  15 . 
         [0074]    The determination as to whether or not the second user information has been updated may be made by directly comparing the items that are included in the second user information (for example, the nickname, the self-introduction) right from the start, without referencing the update date and time. 
         [0075]    The providing of the user information to the user is not limited to displaying on the display portion  37 . For example, the communication device  15  may also provide the user information to the user by outputting to the speaker  38  audio that indicates the user information (for example, the nickname). 
         [0076]    At Step S 407  of the start request processing (refer to  FIG. 7 ) in the embodiment that is described above, the number of conferences is used as an indicator of the frequency of the remote conferences. However, the length of time that has elapsed since the last remote conference that was conducted with the communication device  15  of the user who corresponds to the acquired user ID may be used as the indicator of the frequency of the remote conferences. In that case, the date and time of the last remote conference that was conducted with the communication device  15  of the user who corresponds to the acquired user ID may be stored in the table  341  instead of or in addition to the number of conferences. Then, at Step S 7  of the main processing that is shown in  FIG. 6 , the time when the conference application was launched at Step S 6  may be stored in the table  341  instead of or in addition to the adding of 1 to the number of conferences in the table  341 . 
         [0077]    In the start request processing that is shown in  FIG. 7 , it is acceptable for the processing of at least one of Steps S 404 , S 405 , S 406 , and S 407  not to be performed. 
         [0078]    The apparatus and methods described above with reference to the various embodiments are merely examples. It goes without saying that they are not confined to the depicted embodiments. While various features have been described in conjunction with the examples outlined above, various alternatives, modifications, variations, and/or improvements of those features and/or examples may be possible. Accordingly, the examples, as set forth above, are intended to be illustrative. Various changes may be made without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the underlying principles.