Transmission management system, transmission system, and recording medium

A transmission management system includes a destination name data managing unit which manages a plurality of destination name data items which indicate a plurality of names of a destination in communications between transmission terminals, a destination name data reading unit which reads a destination name data item from the plurality of destination name data items managed by the destination name data managing unit, and a destination name data transmitting unit which transmits the destination name data item read by the destination name data reading unit to a transmission terminal capable of communicating with the destination.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a transmission management system which transmits destination name data in communications between transmission terminals to a transmission terminal in the transmission management system.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, with the demand for reducing time and expenses for business trips, a videoconference system is becoming increasingly popular. The videoconference system is an example of a transmission system which communicates over a communication network, and conducts videoconferences via the communication network such as the Internet. In the videoconference system, the videoconference may be implemented by transmitting and receiving content data, such as image data and voice data, between the terminals (each of which is an example of a transmission terminal).

In the related art, a method of establishing a session between terminals for the communication such as the videoconference is known. In this method, a destination name is selected from among various names of destinations (candidates for destinations) contained in a destination list and establishment of the session is requested. See Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2012-050063.

In the known method, a transmission management system which controls the starting of the communication generates a destination list in which the names of the destinations (the candidates) are contained and transmits the destination list to a transmission terminal, and prompting a user on the transmission terminal to select one of the destination names in the designation list.

Generally, geographical names such as “Japan”, office names such as “Tokyo office”, or terminal names such as “AB terminal” have been used as the names of the destinations managed by the transmission management system.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

However, the easy-to-specify names of the destinations may vary depending on the communications. For example, in the videoconference in the same organization, if team names in the organization are used as the destination names, such names may become easy-to-specify ones. Or, in the videoconference between different organizations, if company names are used as the destination names, the company names may become easy-to-specify ones.

In the transmission system according to the related art, the common names which are provided for users have been used as the names of the destinations, and it is impossible to use the easy-to-specify names of the destinations in the communications.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a transmission system and a transmission management system which substantially eliminate one or more problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a transmission management system including: a destination name data managing unit configured to manage a plurality of destination name data items which indicate a plurality of names of a destination in communications between transmission terminals; a destination name data reading unit configured to read at least one destination name data item from among the plurality of destination name data items managed by the destination name data managing unit; and a destination name data transmitting unit configured to transmit the at least one destination name data item read by the destination name data reading unit, to a transmission terminal which is capable of communicating with the destination.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Overall Configuration of Embodiment

In the following, a description will be given of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the whole configuration of a transmission system according to an embodiment will be described with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2.FIG. 1is a schematic diagram showing the transmission system according to the embodiment.FIG. 2is a conceptual diagram showing sessions of transmitting and receiving of image data, voice data and management data in the transmission system according to the embodiment.

There are various types of transmission systems. One example may be a data provision system which transmits content data from a transmission terminal to another transmission terminal via a transmission management system in one way. Another example may be a communication system which mutually communicates information or emotional expressions among two or more transmission terminals via the transmission management system. This communication system is used for mutually exchanging information or emotional expressions among the two or more communication terminals (i.e., the transmission terminals) via a communication management system (i.e., the transmission management system). Examples of the communication system include a videoconference system, a visual telephone system, an audio conference system, a voice-call system, and a personal computer screen sharing system.

The following embodiments describe the transmission system, the transmission management system, and the transmission terminal by conceptualizing the videoconference system as an example of the communication system, the videoconference management system as an example of the communication management system, and the videoconference terminal as an example of the communication terminal, respectively. Namely, the transmission terminal and the transmission management system according to this embodiment may be applied not only to the videoconference system, but may also be applied to the communication system or the transmission system. In the following embodiments, the videoconference may also be called the meeting.

As shown inFIG. 1, the transmission system1includes two or more transmission terminals (10aa,10ab, . . . ), two or more displays (120aa,120ab, . . . ) for the respective transmission terminals (10aa,10ab, . . . ), two or more relay devices (30a,30b,30c,30d), a transmission management system50, a program provision system90, and a maintenance system100.

Note that, in the following, any one of the transmission terminals (10aa,10ab, . . . ) may be called a transmission terminal10, any one of the displays (120aa,120ab, . . . ) may be called a display120, and any one of the relay devices (30a,30b,30c,30d) may be called a relay device30.

The transmission terminal10is configured to transmit and receive image data and voice data as examples of content data. In this embodiment, motion pictures (i.e., video data) are illustrated as an example of the image data. However, the image data may also be still pictures, or the image data may include both motion pictures and still pictures.

Note that, in the following, the transmission terminal may be simply called the “terminal” and the transmission management system may be simply called as the “management system”.

As shown inFIG. 2, in the transmission system1, a management data session “sei” for transmitting and receiving various kinds of management data is established between the terminals10via the management system50, and sessions for transmitting and receiving image data and voice data are established between the terminals10via the relay device30. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 2, the sessions for transmitting and receiving the image data and the voice data are collectively illustrated as a content data session “sed”.

The terminal10shown inFIG. 1transmits and receives content data including image data and voice data in order to communicate with another terminal10. That is, the communications in this embodiment include not only the transmission and reception of voice data but also the transmission and reception of image data. However, the terminal10may be configured to transmit and receive the voice data solely without transmitting or receiving the image data. The relay device30is configured to relay the content data between the terminals10. The management system50is configured to manage the terminals10and the relay device30in an integrated manner.

In the transmission system1shown inFIG. 1, routers (70a,70b,70c,70d,70ab,70cd) are configured to select the optimal paths for the content data. Note that, in the following, any one of the routers (70a,70b,70c,70d,70ab,70cd) may be simply called a router70.

The program provision system90includes a hard disk (HD) configured to store programs for terminals, with which the terminal10may implement various functions or various processes. Therefore, the program provision system90may transmit the programs for terminals to the terminal10. The HD of the program provision system90further stores programs for the relay device, with which the relay device30may implement various functions or various processes. Therefore, the program provision system90may transmit the programs for the relay device to the relay device30. In addition, the HD of the program provision system90further stores programs for the management system, with which the management system50may implement various functions or various processes. Therefore, the program provision system90may transmit the programs for the management system to the management system50.

The maintenance system100is a computer configured to maintain or manage at least one of the terminals10, the relay device30, the management system50, and the program provision system90. For example, if the maintenance system100is installed at a domestic location while the terminal10, the relay device30, the management system50and the program provision system90are installed at overseas locations, the maintenance system100remotely maintains or manages at least one of the terminal10, the relay device30, the management system50, and the program provision system90via a communication network2. In addition, the maintenance system100performs maintenance, such as the management of a model number, a serial number, a sale place, a maintenance inspection, a failure history, etc. on at least one of the terminal10, the relay device30, the management system50, and the program provision systems90without using the communication network2.

In the transmission system1shown inFIG. 1, the terminals (10aa,10ab, . . . ), the relay device30a, and the router70aare connected via a LAN2aso that they may communicate with one another. The terminals (10ba,10bb, . . . ), the relay device30b, and the router70bare connected via a LAN2bso that they may communicate with one another. The LAN2aand the LAN2bare set up in a predetermined company A. In the company A, the LAN2aand the LAN2bare connected via a dedicated communication line2abincluding the router70abso that they may communicate with one another. For example, the company A may be located in Japan, the LAN2amay be set up in the Tokyo office, and the LAN2bis set up in the Osaka office.

On the other hand, the terminals (10ca,10cb, . . . ), the relay device30c, and the router70care connected via a LAN2cso that they may communicate with one another. The terminals (10da,10db, . . . ), the relay device30d, and the router70dare connected via a LAN2dso that they may communicate with one another. The LAN2cand the LAN2dare set up in a predetermined company B. In the company B, the LAN2cand the LAN2dare connected via a dedicated communication line2cdincluding the router70cdso that they may communicate with one another. For example, the company B may be located in the United States of America, the LAN2cmay be set up in the New York office, and the LAN2dmay be set up in the Washington, D.C. office. The company A and the company B are connected from the respective routers70aband70cdvia the Internet2iso that the company A and the company B may communicate with each other via the Internet2i.

Furthermore, the management system50and the program provision system90are connected to the terminal10and the relay device30via the Internet2iso that they may communicate with one another. The management system50and the program provision system90may be installed in the company A or the company B, or may be installed in a region other than the companies A and B.

Note that in this embodiment, the communication network2is made up of the LAN2a, the LAN2b, the dedicated communication line2ab, the Internet2i, the dedicated communication line2cd, the LAN2c, and the LAN2d. In the communication network2, the communications are typically carried out via the wires, but may be partially carried out using the wireless communication protocols, such as Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) or Bluetooth®.

InFIG. 1, the set of four numerals attached beneath or over each of the terminal10, the relay device30, the management system50, the router70, the program provision system90, and the maintenance system100simply designates the IP address of the typical IPv4. For example, the IP address of the terminal10aais “1.2.1.3”, as shown inFIG. 1. The IP address may be the IPv6; however, in this embodiment, the IPv4 is used for the sake of simplifying the illustration.

The terminal10may be used not only for communication between two or more offices or communication between different rooms in the same office, but may also be used for communication in the same room, communication between the outdoor locations, or communication between the indoor and outdoor locations. When the terminal10is used outdoors, the wireless communication may be conducted via a mobile communication network.

[Hardware Configuration of Embodiment]

Next, the hardware configuration of the embodiment will be described.

First, the hardware configuration of the terminal10will be described with reference toFIGS. 3 and 4.FIG. 3is a perspective view of the terminal10according to the embodiment.FIG. 4is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the terminal10according to the embodiment.

Note that, in the following, an X-axis direction represents a longitudinal direction of the terminal10, a Y-axis direction represents a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction in a horizontal plane, and a Z-axis direction represents a direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (i.e., vertical direction).

As shown inFIG. 3, the terminal10includes a housing1100, an arm1200, and a camera housing1300. A front wall face1110of the housing1100includes a not-illustrated air intake face which is formed with two or more air intake holes, and a rear wall face1120of the housing1100, includes an exhaust face1121which is formed with two or more exhaust holes. Accordingly, by driving a cooling fan arranged in the housing1100, the terminal10can take in external air behind the terminal10via the air intake face and exhaust the air inside the terminal10via the exhaust face1121. A right-side wall face1130of the housing1100is formed with a voice-collecting hole1131, via which a built-in microphone114(FIG. 4) can pick up audio sound, such as voice, sound, or noise.

The right-side wall face1130of the housing1100includes an operation panel1150. This operation panel1150includes operation buttons (108a-108e), a power switch109, an alarm lamp119, and a voice output face1151. The voice output face1151is formed with voice output holes for outputting voice from a built-in speaker115(FIG. 4). Further, a left-side wall face1140of the housing1100includes an accommodation unit1160which is a recessed seating unit for accommodating the arm1200and the camera housing1300. The right-side wall face1130of the housing1100further includes connection ports (1132a-1132c) for electrically connecting a cable to an external device connection interface (IF)118. On the other hand, the left-side wall face1140of the housing1100includes a not-illustrated connection port for electrically connecting a cable120cof the display120to the external device connection interface (IF)118.

Note that, in the following, any one of the operation buttons (108a-108e) may be called an operation button108, and any one of the connection ports (1132a-1132c) may be called a connection port1132.

Next, the arm1200is attached to the housing1100via a torque hinge1210such that the arm1200is movable in upward and downward directions within a range of tilt angle θ1of 135 degrees with respect to the housing1100. The arm1200shown inFIG. 3is in a state where the tilt angle θ1is 90 degrees.

The camera housing1300includes a built-in camera1021, and the camera1021is configured to take images of a user, documents, a room, etc. The camera housing1300further includes a torque hinge1310. The camera housing1300is attached to the arm1200via the torque hinge1310. The camera housing1300is rotationally attached to the arm1200in upward and downward directions via the torque hinge1310such that the camera housing1300is movable in the up, down, right and left directions in a range of pan angle θ2of ±180 degrees and in a range of tilt angle θ3of ±45 degrees when the pan angle and the tilt angle in the state shown inFIG. 3are 0 degrees.

As shown inFIG. 4, the terminal10includes a central processing unit (CPU)101configured to control overall operations of the terminal10, a read-only memory (ROM)102storing programs for the terminal, a random access memory (RAM)103used as a work area of the CPU101, a flash memory104configured to store various data, such as image data and voice data, a solid state drive (SSD)105configured to control retrieval and writing (storing) of the various data in the flash memory104and the like based on the control of the CPU101, a medium drive107configured to control retrieval and writing (storing) of data into a storage medium106such as a flash memory, the operation button108operated by a user for selecting an address of the terminal10, the power switch109for switching ON/OFF of the power of the terminal10, and a network interface (IF)111for transmitting data utilizing the communication network2.

The terminal10further includes a built-in camera112configured to image a subject based on the control of the CPU101, an image sensor interface (IF)113configured to control driving of the camera112, the built-in microphone114configured to pick up audio sound, the built-in speaker115, a voice input/output interface (I/O IF)116, a display interface (IF)117configured to transmit image data to the external display120based on the control of the CPU101, the external device connection interface (IF)118configured to connect various external devices to the connection ports (1132ato1132c) shown inFIG. 3, the alarm lamp119configured to inform the user of various functional problems of the terminal10, and a bus line110such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting the elements and devices with one another as shown inFIG. 4via the bus line110.

The display120is a display unit formed of liquid crystal or an organic EL material configured to display images of the subject or icons for operating the terminal10. Further, the display120is connected to the display IF117via the cable120c(see.FIG. 3). The cable120cmay be an analog RGB (VGA) cable, a component video cable, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable or a digital video interface (DVI) cable.

The camera112includes lenses and a solid-state image sensor configured to convert light into electric charges to produce digital images (videos) of the subject. Examples of the solid-state image sensor include a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or a charge coupled device (CCD).

The external device connection IF118may be connected via a universal serial bus (USB) cable with external devices, such as the external camera, the external microphone, and the external speaker. The USB cable is inserted in the connection port1132of the housing1100shown inFIG. 3. When the external camera is connected to the external device connection IF118via the USB cable, the external camera is driven in priority to the built-in camera112according to control of the CPU101. Similarly, when the external microphone or the external speaker is connected, the external microphone or the external speaker is driven in priority to the built-in microphone114or the built-in speaker115according to control of the CPU101.

Note that the storage medium106is removable from the terminal10. In addition, if the storage medium106is a non-volatile memory configured to retrieve or write data based on the control of the CPU101, the storage medium106is not limited to the flash memory104, and may be an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM).

The above-described programs for the terminal may be recorded in an installable format or in an executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as the storage medium106to distribute the medium. The above-described programs for the terminal may be recorded in the ROM102rather than the flash memory104. The external appearance and the hardware configuration of the terminal shown inFIGS. 3 and 4are to show typical examples and not limited to these examples. For example, the appearance and hardware of the terminal may be a desktop or notebook personal computer. In this case, the built-in camera and the built-in microphone are not necessarily needed, and the external camera and the external microphone may be used.

Next, the hardware configuration of the management system50, the relay device30, the program provision system90, and the maintenance system100will be described with reference toFIG. 5.FIG. 5is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the management system50according to the embodiment. Because the relay device30, the management system50, the program provision system90, and the maintenance system100have the external appearance which is the same as the external appearance of a server computer, a description of the external appearance thereof will be omitted.

As shown inFIG. 5, the management system50includes a central processing unit (CPU)201configured to control overall operations of the management system50, a read-only memory (ROM)202storing programs for the transmission management, a random access memory (RAM)203utilized as a work area of the CPU201, a hard disk (HD)204configured to store various data, a hard disk drive (HDD)205configured to control retrieval and writing (storing) of the various data in the HD204based on the control of the CPU201, a medium drive207configured to control retrieval and writing (storing) of data into a storage medium206such as a flash memory, a display208configured to display various information such as a cursor, menus, windows, characters and images, a network interface (IF)209for transmitting data utilizing the later-described communication network2, a keyboard211including plural keys for inputting the characters, numerals, and various instructions, a mouse212for selecting or executing various instructions, selecting items to be processed, and moving the cursor, a CD-ROM drive214configured to control retrieval or writing of data in a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)213as an example of a removable recording medium, a clock215configured to output date/time data, and a bus line210such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting the elements and devices with one another shown inFIG. 5via the bus line210.

Note that the above-described programs for the management system may be in an installable format or in an executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as the storage medium206or the CD-ROM213to distribute the medium. The above-described programs for the management system may be recorded in the ROM202rather than the HD204.

Further, the relay device30has a hardware configuration similar to that of the management system50, and a description of the hardware configuration of the relay device30will be omitted. Note that the HD204may store programs for controlling the relay device30. In this case, the programs for the relay device may also be recorded in an installable format or in an executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as the storage medium206or the CD-ROM213to distribute the medium. The above-described programs for the relay device may be recorded in the ROM202rather than the HD204.

Further, the program providing system90and the maintenance system100have a hardware configuration similar to that of the management system50, and a description of the hardware configuration of the program providing system90and the maintenance system100will be omitted. Note that the HD204may store programs for controlling the program providing system90or the maintenance system100. In this case, the programs for the program providing system90or the maintenance system100may also be recorded in an installable format or in an executable format on a computer-readable recording medium such as the storage medium206or the CD-ROM213to distribute the medium. The above-described programs for the program providing system90or the maintenance system100may be recorded in the ROM202rather than the HD204.

Note that other examples of the removable recording medium include a compact disc recordable (CD-R), a digital versatile disk (DVD), and a Blu-ray Disc (BD).

[Functional Configuration of Embodiment]

Next, the functional configuration of the embodiment will be explained with reference toFIG. 6.FIG. 6is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the terminal, the relay device, and the management system which constitutes the transmission system according to the embodiment. As shown inFIG. 6, the terminal10, the relay device30, and the management system50are connected via the communication network2so that these devices can communicate with one another. Note that the program provision system90and the maintenance system100as shown inFIG. 1are not directly associated with videoconferencing communications, and therefore the illustrations thereof are omitted fromFIG. 6.

As shown inFIG. 6, the terminal10includes a transmitting/receiving unit11, an operation input receiving unit12, a login request unit13, an imaging unit14, a voice input unit15a, a voice output unit15b, a display control unit16, and a store/read processing unit19. These units of the terminal10represent functions and, units implemented by any of the elements and devices shown inFIG. 4, which are activated by instructions from the CPU101based on the programs read into the RAM103from the flash memory104or the ROM102. Further, the terminal10further includes a storage unit1000which is formed of the RAM103shown inFIG. 4and the flash memory104or the ROM102shown inFIG. 4.

[Functional Units of Terminal]

Next, the functional configuration of the terminal10will be described with reference toFIGS. 4 and 6. The transmitting/receiving unit11is configured to transmit various data (information) to and receive such data from other terminals, relay devices, and systems via the communication network2. The function of the transmitting/receiving unit11may be implemented by the network interface (IF)111shown inFIG. 4and by instructions received from the CPU101shown inFIG. 4. The transmitting/receiving unit11is an example of a receiving unit configured to receive destination name data transmitted by the management system50.

The operation input receiving unit12is configured to receive various inputs from the user, and such a function of the operation input receiving unit12is implemented by the operation button108and the power switch109shown inFIG. 4and the instructions from the CPU101shownFIG. 4. For example, when the user switches ON the power switch109shown inFIG. 4, the operation input receiving unit12shown inFIG. 6receives a power-ON signal to turn ON the power supply of the terminal10.

The login request unit13is configured to automatically transmit a login request message indicating that the user desires to login, and a current IP address of the terminal10as an IP address of a request source terminal from the transmitting/receiving unit11to the management system50via the communication network2when the power-ON signal is received by the operation input receiving unit12as a trigger. Such a function of the login request unit13is implemented by instructions received from the CPU101shown inFIG. 4. On the other hand, when the user switches OFF the power switch109, the transmitting/receiving unit11transmits power-OFF state information to the management system50, and subsequently the operation input receiving unit12turns OFF the power supply completely. Accordingly, the management system50may detect that the power of the terminal10is changed from the power-ON state to the power-OFF state.

The imaging unit14is configured to take an image of a subject and output image data of the subject, and such a function of the imaging unit14is implemented by instructions received from the CPU101shown inFIG. 4and by the camera112and the image sensor IF113shown inFIG. 4.

The voice input unit15ais configured to input voice data of the voice signal obtained by the microphone114that converts voice of the user into the voice signal, and such a function of the voice input unit15ais implemented by instructions received from the CPU101shown inFIG. 4and by the voice input/output IF116shown inFIG. 4.

The voice output unit15bis configured to output a voice signal corresponding to the voice data to the speaker115and cause the speaker115to produce sound or voice according to the voice signal, and such a function of the voice output unit15bis implemented by instructions received from the CPU101shown inFIG. 4and by the voice input/output IF116shown inFIG. 4.

The display control unit16is configured to control transmission of the image data to the display120, and such a function of the display control unit16is implemented by instructions received from the CPU101shown inFIG. 4and by the display IF117shown inFIG. 4. The display control unit16is an example of an outputting unit configured to output the destination name data to the display120by transmitting the destination name data received by the transmitting/receiving unit11to the display120.

The store/read processing unit19is configured to store various data in the storage unit1000or read various data from the storage unit1000, and such a function of the store/read processing unit19is implemented by the SSD105shown inFIG. 4and by instructions received from the CPU101shown inFIG. 4. The storage unit1000stores a terminal ID (identification), a password, etc. for identifying the terminal10. The store/read processing unit19is configured to store and overwrite image data and voice data in the storage unit1000every time the terminal10receives the image data and the voice data from the destination terminal during the communication between the terminal10and the destination terminal. Note that the display120displays previous image data before being overwritten with new image data and the speaker115outputs previous voice data before being overwritten with new voice data.

Note that the terminal ID and the later-described relay device ID individually indicate identification information formed of language, characters and various kinds of symbols that uniquely identify the terminal10and the relay device30, respectively. The terminal ID and the relay device ID may be the identification information formed of a combination of two or more of the languages, characters, and various kinds of symbols.

[Functional Configuration of Relay Device]

As shown inFIG. 6, the relay device30includes a transmitting/receiving unit31, a relay unit32, and a store/read processing unit39. These units of the relay device30represent functions and units implemented by any of the elements and devices shown inFIG. 5, which are activated by instructions from the CPU201based on the programs for the relay device read into the RAM103from the HD204shown inFIG. 5. The relay device30further includes a storage unit3000which is formed of the RAM203shown inFIG. 5or the HD204shown inFIG. 5.

Next, the functional configuration of the relay device30will be described. Note that, in the following, the functions of the relay device30are explained in association with the main elements and devices for implementing the units of the relay device30shown inFIG. 5.

The transmitting/receiving unit31of the relay device30shown inFIG. 6is configured to transmit various data (information) to and receive-such data from other terminals, relay devices and systems via the communication network2, and such a function of the transmitting/receiving unit31may be implemented by instructions from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5and by the network interface (IF)209shown inFIG. 5.

The relay unit32is configured to relay the content data exchanged between the terminals10in the content data session sed through the transmitting/receiving unit31, and such a function of the relay unit32may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5.

The store/read processing unit39is configured to store various data in the storage unit3000and read the stored data from the storage unit3000, and such a function of the store/read processing unit39may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5and by the HDD205and the clock215shown inFIG. 5.

[Functional Configuration of Management System]

As shown inFIG. 6, the management system50includes a transmitting/receiving unit51, a terminal authentication unit52, a state managing unit53, a terminal reading unit54, a relay device selecting unit56, a session managing unit57, a store/read processing unit59, a reservation reading unit61, and a meeting/destination information generating unit64. These units of the management system50represent functions and units implemented by any of the elements and devices shown inFIG. 5, which are activated by instructions received from the CPU201based on the programs for the management system read into the RAM203from the HD204. The management system50further includes a storage unit5000which is formed of the HD204shown inFIG. 5.

The storage unit5000includes a relay device management database (MGMT DB)5001which is formed on a relay device management table as shown inFIG. 7.FIG. 7is a conceptual diagram showing the relay device management table. In this relay device management table, the relay device IDs of the relay devices30are respectively associated with the IP addresses of the relay devices30. For example, in the relay device management table shown inFIG. 7, the relay device ID “111a” of the relay device30ais associated with the IP address “1.2.1.2”.

The storage unit5000includes a terminal authentication management database (MGMT DB)5002which is formed of a terminal authentication management table as shown inFIG. 8.FIG. 8is a conceptual diagram showing the terminal authentication management table. In this terminal authentication management table, passwords are respectively associated with the terminal IDs of all the terminals10managed by the management system50. For example, in the terminal authentication management table shown inFIG. 8, the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aais associated with the password “aaaa”.

The storage unit5000includes a session management database (MGMT DB)5005which is formed of a session management table as shown inFIG. 9.FIG. 9is a conceptual diagram showing the session management table. In this session management table, session IDs which identify content data sessions “sed” in which the content data are exchanged between the terminals10are associated with reservation IDs which identify reservations for the communication to which the corresponding session is related, relay device IDs which identify the relay devices30used for relaying the content data in the corresponding session, and terminal IDs which identify the terminals10conducting the communication in the corresponding session. For example, in the session management table shown inFIG. 9, the session ID “se03” is associated with the reservation ID “rsv08” and it is shown that the relay device30cwith the relay device ID “111c” relays the content data between the terminals “10ae” and “10dc” in the corresponding session. When the communication which is not related to the reservation is conducted, the item of reservation ID of the session management table remains blank.

The storage unit5000includes a destination list management database (MGMT DB)5004which is formed of a destination list management table as shown inFIG. 10.FIG. 10is a conceptual diagram showing the destination list management table. In this destination list management table, terminal IDs (an example of request source identification data) of the terminals10as request source terminals are associated with terminal IDs of the destination candidate terminals with which the request source terminals10can communicate, and destination name data (first destination name data) which indicate names of the destination candidate terminals. For example, in the destination list management table shown inFIG. 10, it is observed that the destination candidate terminals with which the terminal10aahaving the terminal ID “01aa” as the request source terminal can communicate are the terminals (10ab,10ba, . . . ,10db). Further, in the destination list management table, two or more destination name data items (i.e., “Osaka YY planning team”, “Osaka BO, A Inc.”, etc.) are managed with respect to a single destination (i.e., the destination terminal10bawith the destination terminal ID “01ba”). The destination name data is registered in response to receiving a request of registration of the destination name data in which a destination terminal with which the request source terminal10can communicate is designated. Note that, in this embodiment, appropriate names that are frequently used on the request source side are used as the first destination name data (for example, in a case of destination terminals in their own company, the names such as team names are used, and in a case of destination terminals in other companies, names such as company names are used) such that the request source terminal can easily identify the destination terminal. The destination list management database5004in which the first destination name data is managed constitutes part of a destination name data managing unit5010shown inFIG. 6.

The storage unit5000includes a reservation management database (RSVN MGMT DB)5009which is formed of a reservation management table as shown inFIG. 11Aand a reservation terminal management table as shown inFIG. 11B.FIG. 11Ais a conceptual diagram showing the reservation management table, andFIG. 11Bis a conceptual diagram showing the reservation terminal management table. In the reservation management table, when the meeting communication between the terminals10is reserved, the reservation ID which identifies the reservation is associated with the start date/time of the meeting, the end date/time of the meeting, and the meeting name. For example, in the reservation management table shown inFIG. 11A, the reservation ID “rsv03” which identifies the reservation of a meeting is associated with the start date/time “15:00 on Nov. 10, 2011”, the end date/time “17:00 on Nov. 10, 2011”, and the meeting name “security meeting”.

On the other hand, in the reservation terminal management table, the above-described reservation ID is associated with the terminal ID of the terminal10which conducts the reserved meeting communication, and the destination name data (second destination name data) which indicates the name of the destination when the terminal10is selected as the destination terminal. When two or more reservations are assigned to a single terminal10, two or more destination name data items (i.e., “Tokyo KK sales project team”, “Tokyo”, etc.) may be associated with the single terminal10(i.e., the terminal10aawith the terminal ID “01aa”). Note that, in this embodiment, an appropriate name is used as the second destination name data so that each participant at the meeting can easily identify other participants. The reservation terminal management table of the reservation management database (DB)5009in which the second destination name data is managed constitutes part of the destination name data managing unit5010shown inFIG. 6.

An additional table record containing the reservation ID, the start date/time, the end date/time, the meeting name, the terminal ID, and the destination name data may be registered in the reservation management table and the reservation terminal management table by the store/read processing unit59of the management system50in response to receiving a record registration request from any one of the terminals10.

The storage unit5000includes a terminal management database (MGMT DB)5003which is formed of a terminal management table as shown inFIG. 12.FIG. 12is a conceptual diagram showing the terminal management table. In this terminal management table, the terminal IDs of the terminals10are associated with the operating states of the terminals10, the IP addresses of the terminals10, and the destination name data items (third destination name data) which indicate the names of the destinations when the corresponding terminal10is selected as the destination. For example, in the terminal management table shown inFIG. 12, the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aais associated with the operating state “online”, the IP address “1.2.1.3” of the terminal10aa, and the destination name data “03-1234-0000” of the terminal10aa.

Note that, in this embodiment, a numeric value such as a telephone number is used as the third destination name data such that the destination name data may be notified to all the other terminals10with which the source terminal can communicate. The terminal management database5003in which the third destination name data is managed constitutes part of the destination name data managing unit5010shown inFIG. 6.

[Functional Configuration of Management System]

Next, the functional configuration of the management system50will be described. Note that, in the following, the functions of the management system50are explained in association with the main elements and devices for implementing the units of the management system50shown inFIG. 5.

The transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50is configured to transmit various data (information) to and receive such data from other terminals, relay devices and systems via the communication network2, and such a function of the transmitting/receiving unit51may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5and by the network IF209shown inFIG. 5. The transmitting/receiving unit51is an example of a destination name data transmitting unit configured to perform a process for transmitting destination name data which transmits destination name data to the terminal10.

The terminal authentication unit52is configured to search for the terminal authentication management table (FIG. 8) of the storage unit5000with the terminal ID and the password contained in the login request message received by the transmitting/receiving unit51used as search keys, and authenticate the corresponding terminal based on whether the terminal ID and the password contained in the login request message are identical to those managed in the terminal authentication management table. The function of the terminal authentication unit52may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5.

The state managing unit53is configured to manage the terminal management table (FIG. 12) by associating the terminal ID, the operating state, and the IP address of the request source terminal which has sent the login request, in order to manage the operating state of the request source terminal. The function of the state managing unit53may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5. Further, the state managing unit53is configured to receive the power-OFF state information sent from the terminal10when the user switches OFF the power switch109of the terminal10, and changes the operating state of the terminal management table from the online state to the off-line state based on the received power-OFF state information.

The terminal reading unit54is configured to search for the terminal ID of the destination candidate terminal10in the destination list management table (FIG. 10) by the terminal. ID of the source terminal having sent the login request used as search keys, and obtain the terminal ID of the destination candidate terminal10. The function of the terminal reading unit54may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5. Further, the terminal reading unit54is an example of a destination name data reading unit configured to perform a destination name data reading process which obtains at least one destination name data item from the plural destination name data items managed in the destination name data managing unit5010formed of the terminal management database5003, the destination list management database5004, and the reservation management database5009.

The relay device selecting unit56is configured to select the relay device30used for relaying the content data between the terminals10in the communication in the content data session sed. The function of the relay device selecting unit56may be implemented by instructions from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5.

The session managing unit57is configured to generate a session ID which identifies a content data session sed every time the content data session sed between the terminals10is newly established. The function of the session managing unit57may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5. Further, the session managing unit57is configured to associate the session ID, the reservation ID, the terminal ID, and the relay device ID, and store and manage them in the session management table (FIG. 9).

The store/read processing unit59is configured to perform a process which stores various data in the storage unit5000and reads the stored data from the storage unit5000. The function of the store/read processing unit59may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5and by the HDD205and the clock215shown inFIG. 5.

The reservation reading unit61is configured to search for the reservation terminal management table (FIG. 11) by the reservation ID used as a search key, and obtain the corresponding terminal ID. The function of the reservation reading unit61may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5. Further, the reservation reading unit61is configured to search for the reservation management table by the reservation ID used as a search key and obtain the corresponding meeting name, the start date/time, and the end date/time.

The meeting/destination information generating unit64is configured to generate, with respect to each reservation ID, meeting information which contains the meeting name, the start date/time, and the end date/time, and destination information which contains the terminal ID, the operating state, and the destination name data. The function of the meeting/destination information generating unit64may be implemented by instructions received from the CPU201shown inFIG. 5. Further, the meeting/destination information generating unit64is configured to generate meeting detailed information which contains the reservation ID, the meeting name, the start date/time, the end date/time, the terminal ID, the operating state and the destination name data.

Next, the processes carried out by the transmission system1according to the embodiment will be described. First, a process for transmitting and receiving the management data in a preparatory step before the terminal10aastarts communication will be described with reference toFIGS. 13 to 16.FIG. 13is a sequence diagram for explaining a preparatory process for starting communication between terminals.FIG. 14is a flowchart for explaining a process for generating the meeting information and the destination information.FIG. 15Ais a conceptual diagram showing an example of the meeting information andFIG. 15Bis a conceptual diagram showing an example of the destination information.FIG. 16is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a meeting list and a destination list. In the process ofFIG. 13, various management data is transmitted and received in the management data session “sei” shown inFIG. 2.

In the process ofFIG. 13, if the user of the terminal10aaswitches ON the power switch109shown inFIG. 4, the operation input receiving unit12shown inFIG. 6receives a power-ON signal from the power switch109and turns ON the power supply of the terminal10aa(step S21). In response to the power-ON signal, the login request unit13transmits automatically a login request message indicating the user's login request from the transmitting/receiving unit11to the management system50via the communication network2(step S22). This login request message contains the terminal ID and the password which identify the terminal10aaas the request source terminal. The terminal ID and the password are read from the storage unit1000through the store/read processing unit19and sent to the transmitting/receiving unit11. Note that when the terminal10aatransmits the login request message to the management system50, the management system50as the receiver station may detect the IP address of the terminal10aaas the transmitter station.

Subsequently, the terminal authentication unit52of the management system50searches for the terminal authentication management table (FIG. 8) of the terminal authentication management database5002of the storage unit5000by using the terminal ID and the password contained in the login request message received at the transmitting/receiving unit51as search keys, and authenticates the terminal10aabased on whether the terminal ID and password contained in the login request message are identical to those managed in the terminal authentication management table (step S23). The terminal ID and the password which are identical to those contained in the login request message are managed by the terminal authentication unit52, and when the terminal authentication unit52determines that the terminal10from which the login request message has been received has the authorized access right, the state managing unit53associates the terminal ID of the terminal10aawith the operating state and the IP address of the terminal10aacontained in the login request message and stores the same in the terminal management database (DB)5003(FIG. 12) (step S24). Accordingly, the terminal ID “01aa” associated with the operating state “online” and the IP address “1.2.1.3” of the terminal10aaare stored in the terminal management table as shown inFIG. 12.

Subsequently, the transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50transmits the authentication result information, indicating the authentication result obtained from the terminal authentication unit52, through the communication network2to the terminal10aafrom which the above login request message has been received (step S25). Note that, in this embodiment, the management system50continuously performs the following process (FIG. 14) in the case where the terminal authentication unit52determines that the terminal has the authorized access right.

The meeting/destination information generating unit64of the management system50generates meeting information that indicates a meeting which contains as a participant the terminal10aafrom which the login request message has been received, and destination information that indicates a candidate for the destination of the terminal10aa(step S26). This process for generating the meeting information and the destination information will be described with reference toFIG. 14.

FIG. 14is a flowchart for explaining the process for generating the meeting information and the destination information. In the process ofFIG. 14, the reservation reading unit61of the management system50first searches for the reservation terminal management table (FIG. 11B) by using the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aafrom which the login request message has been received as a search key, and reads the corresponding reservation IDs (“rsv01”, “rsv02”) from the reservation terminal management table (step S26-1). Hence, the reservation IDs which identify the reservation of the meeting in which the terminal10aais scheduled to participate are read and obtained.

Further, the reservation reading unit61searches for the reservation management table (FIG. 11A) by using the read reservation IDs (“rsv01”, “rsv02”) as search keys, and reads a start date/time, an end date/time, and a meeting name of the meeting indicated by each reservation ID from the reservation management table (step S26-2). The meeting/destination information generating unit64generates the meeting information that indicates the start date/time, the end date/time, and the meeting name for each of the reservation IDs read by the reservation reading unit61(step S26-3). An example of the generated meeting information is shown inFIG. 15A.

Subsequently, the terminal reading unit54of the management system50searches for the destination list management table (FIG. 10) by using the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aafrom which the login request message has been received as a search key, and reads the destination name data that indicates the terminal ID of the destination candidate terminal10with which the terminal10aacan communicate, and the destination candidate terminal name (step S26-4). For example, at this time, a terminal ID (“01ab”, . . . ) and a destination name data (“XX sales project team”, . . . ) of the destination candidate terminal (10ab, . . . ) corresponding to the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aamay be read and obtained.

Subsequently, the terminal reading unit54searches for the terminal management table (FIG. 12) by using the read terminal ID (“01ab”, . . . ) of the destination candidate terminal10as a search key, and reads an operating state (“during meeting”, . . . ) (step S26-5). Accordingly, the meeting/destination information generating unit64generates the destination information that contains the terminal ID, the destination name data, and the operating state of the destination candidate terminal10(step S26-6). An example of the generated destination information is shown inFIG. 15B.

Subsequently, as shown inFIG. 13, the transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50transmits the meeting information and the destination information generated by the meeting/destination information generating unit64to the terminal10aa(step S27). In the terminal10aa, the transmitting/receiving unit11receives the meeting information and the destination information, and the store/read processing unit19stores the meeting information and the destination information in the storage unit1000(step S28).

When predetermined timing is reached, the management system50repeatedly performs the processing of the step S26, and manages updates of the meeting information and the destination information (step S29). When one of the meeting information and the destination information is updated, the transmitting/receiving unit51transmits the meeting information (the reservation ID, the start date/time, the end date/time, and the meeting name) and the destination information (the terminal ID, the operating state, and the destination name data) to the terminal10aa(step S30). The store/read processing unit19of the terminal10aasequentially performs updates by storing the meeting information and the destination information received from the management system50into the storage unit1000(step S31).

The display control unit16of the terminal10aadisplays a meeting list and a destination list on display120aabased on the meeting information and destination information stored in the storage unit1000(step S32). An example of the meeting list and the destination list displayed is shown inFIG. 16.

As shown inFIG. 16, in a meeting and destination list box311-1, the meeting list and the destination list are displayed. The destination list includes a plurality of destination name data items311-2, such as “XX sales project team”, and a plurality of icons (311-3a,311-3b,311-3c) which indicate the operating states of the destination candidate terminals10of the destination name data items. For example, the icon311-3aas one of the plurality of icons indicates that this terminal10is one of the destination candidate terminals which is in an on-line state, ready for operation, and capable of communicating with the terminal10aa. The icon311-3bindicates that this terminal10is one of the destination candidate terminals which is in an off-line state and not capable of communicating with the terminal10aa. The icon311-3cindicates that this terminal10is one of the destination candidate terminals which is conducting the videoconference.

Further, in the meeting and destination list box311-1, the meeting list includes a plurality of meeting data items311-4, such as “2011/11/10 10:00-11:30 Sales Meeting”, and a plurality of icons311-4afor requesting the meeting detailed information for each meeting name. Each of the meeting data items311-4includes the start date/time, the end date/time, and the meeting name of the corresponding meeting.

Next, the process for receiving the reservation of the meeting communication between the terminals10will be described with reference toFIGS. 17 and 18.FIG. 17is a sequence diagram for explaining the process for receiving the reservation.FIG. 18is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a reservation acceptance screen. Note that in the process ofFIG. 17, various management data is transmitted and received in the management data session “sei” shown inFIG. 2.

After the destination information from the management system50is received at the terminal10aain step S27inFIG. 13, in the process ofFIG. 17, the operation input receiving part12of the terminal10aareceives the reservation of the meeting communication between the terminals (step S41). In this case, the display control unit16of the terminal10aadisplays on a display120aathe reservation acceptance screen shown inFIG. 18. The operation input receiving unit12receives the meeting name, the start date/time, the end date/time, and the terminal10scheduled to participate in the meeting, which are input from the user. In this embodiment, the terminal10scheduled to participate in the meeting may be selected from among the terminals10identified by the terminal IDs contained in the destination information received from the management system50. The destination name data items contained in the destination information are initially set as the names of the terminals10scheduled to participate in the meeting. Such initial terminal name is updated by selecting the corresponding one of the icons320present in the reservation acceptance screen and editing the same. After these data items are received by the operation input receiving unit12, the transmitting/receiving unit11of the terminal10aatransmits to the management system50a reservation request message which indicates the reservation request and contains the meeting name, the start date/time, the end date/time, the terminal ID of the terminal10scheduled to participate in the meeting, and the updated destination name data (step S42).

After the reservation request message is received by the transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50, the store/read processing unit59associates the reservation ID with the meeting name, the start date/time, and the end date/time contained in the reservation request message, and stores the same in the reservation management table (FIG. 11A) (step S43). Note that the above reservation ID may be generated by the management system50, or may be generated by the terminal10aaif the reservation ID uniquely identifies the meeting reservation. Further, the store/read processing unit59associates the reservation ID with the terminal ID and the updated destination name data and stores the same in the reservation terminal management table (FIG. 11B) (step S43).

Next, the process for requesting the management system50to provide the meeting detailed information of the reserved meeting before the terminal10aastarts conducting the reserved meeting will be described with reference toFIGS. 19 to 22. The meeting detailed information includes the destination name data of the destination terminal10which is capable of communicating with the terminal10aa.FIG. 19is a sequence diagram for explaining the process for reading the meeting detailed information.FIG. 20is a flowchart for explaining the process for generating the meeting detailed information.FIG. 21is a conceptual diagram showing an example of the meeting detailed information.FIG. 22is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a meeting detailed list. Note that in the process ofFIG. 19, various management data is transmitted and received in the management data session “sei” shown inFIG. 2.

In the process ofFIG. 19, if the user of the terminal10aapresses the operation button108shown inFIG. 4and selects the icon311-4acorresponding to the meeting from among the icons contained in the meeting list (refer toFIG. 16), the operation input receiving unit12receives the request of the meeting detailed information (step S51). The transmitting/receiving unit11of the terminal10aatransmits a meeting detailed request message which indicates the meeting detailed information request and contains the terminal ID of the terminal10aaand the reservation ID (at step S27inFIG. 13) corresponding to the selected meeting, to the management system50(step S52). The transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50accepts the request of the meeting detailed information by receiving the meeting detail request message from the terminal10aa.

Subsequently, the meeting/destination information generating unit64of the management system50generates the meeting detailed information which contains the detailed information of the destination terminal scheduled to participate in the meeting and selected by the terminal10aa(step S53). The process for generating the meeting detailed information will be described with reference toFIG. 20.

In the process ofFIG. 20, the reservation reading unit61searches for the reservation management table (FIG. 11A) by using the reservation ID contained in the meeting detailed request message received from the terminal10aaas a search key, and reads the meeting name, the start date/time, and the end date/time from the reservation management table (step S53-1). Subsequently, the reservation reading unit61searches for the reservation terminal management table (FIG. 11B) by using the reservation ID contained in the meeting detail request message received from the terminal10aaas a search key, and reads the terminal ID from the reservation terminal management table (step S53-2).

The terminal reading unit54determines whether the destination name data (second destination name data) associated with the terminal ID obtained at step S53-2is managed in the reservation terminal management table (FIG. 11B) (step S53-3). When the destination name data is determined as being managed in the reservation terminal management table (YES of step S53-3), the terminal reading unit54reads the destination name data (second destination name data), associated with the reservation ID received from the terminal10aaand the terminal ID obtained at step S53-2, from the reservation terminal management table (step S53-4).

On the other hand, when the destination name data (second destination name data) is determined as not being managed in the reservation terminal management table (NO of step S53-3); the terminal reading unit54determines whether the destination name data (first destination name data) associated with both the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aaas the request source terminal and the terminal ID of the destination terminal obtained at step S53-2is managed in the destination list management table (FIG. 10) (step S53-5).

When the destination name data is determined as being managed in the destination list management table (YES of step S53-5), the terminal reading unit54reads the destination name data (first destination name data) associated with both the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aaas the request source terminal and the terminal ID obtained at step S53-2from the destination list management table (step S53-6).

On the other hand, when the destination name data is determined as not being managed in the destination list management table (NO of step S53-5), the terminal reading unit54reads the destination name data (third destination name data) associated with the terminal ID obtained at step S53-2from the terminal management table (FIG. 12) (step S53-7).

Subsequently, the terminal reading unit54searches for the terminal management table (FIG. 12) by using the terminal ID obtained at step S53-2as a search key, and reads the operating state from the terminal management table (step S53-8).

Note that, if two or more terminal IDs associated with the reservation ID are read at step S53-2, the terminal reading unit54may read the destination name data associated with each of such terminal IDs by repeating the processing of the steps S53-3to S53-8.

After the reading of the destination name data is completed, the meeting/destination information generating unit64generates the meeting detailed information which contains: the reservation ID; the terminal ID, the start date/time, the end date/time, the meeting name (which are obtained by the reservation reading unit61); and the destination name data and the operating state (which are obtained by the terminal reading unit54) (step S53-9). An example of the generated meeting detailed information is shown inFIG. 21.

Subsequently, in the process ofFIG. 19, the transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50transmits the meeting detailed information generated by the meeting/destination information generating unit64to the terminal10aa(step S54). In the terminal10aa, the transmitting/receiving unit11receives the meeting detailed information from the management system50. The display control unit16of the terminal10aagenerates a meeting detailed list including the destination name data based on the meeting detailed information received by the transmitting/receiving unit11, and displays the meeting detailed list on the display120aa(step S55). An example of the displayed meeting detailed list is shown inFIG. 22.

As shown inFIG. 22, a meeting detailed list311-6including a list of attendant terminals (the destination name data items) is displayed. The meeting detailed list includes the start date/time, the end date/time, and the meeting name311-7of the corresponding meeting. The list of attendant terminals includes a plurality of destination name data items311-2, such as “Tokyo”, and a plurality of icons (311-3a, . . . ,311-3c) which indicate the operating states of the attendant terminals (the destination name data items). An entry button311-5used for receiving a reserved meeting communication start request from the user is displayed in the meeting detailed list311-6. Accordingly, the terminal10aamay receive the reserved meeting communication start request from the user when viewing the screen in which the meeting detailed list is displayed.

Next, the process for starting the reserved meeting communication on the terminal10aawill be described with reference toFIG. 23.FIG. 23is a sequence diagram for explaining the process for starting the communication. In the process ofFIG. 23, various management data is transmitted and received in the management data session “sei” shown inFIG. 2.

It is assumed that when the terminal10aarequests the start of the reserved meeting communication, the terminal10baand the terminal10dbare in a state in which the reserved meeting communication is carried out through the relay device30ain the content data session “sed” shown inFIG. 2.

In the process ofFIG. 23, if the user of the terminal10aapresses the entry button311-5of the meeting detailed list (FIG. 22), the operation input receiving unit12receives the reserved meeting communication start request (step S61).

Subsequently, the transmitting/receiving unit11of the terminal10aatransmits a start request message which indicates the communication start request and contains the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aa, and the reservation ID “rsv02” received at step S54, to the management system50(step S62). The transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50receives the communication start request from the terminal10aaby the received start request message, and detects the IP address “1.2.1.3” of the terminal10aaas the transmitter station. The state managing unit53of the management system50changes the data item in the “operating state” field of the record of the terminal management table (FIG. 12) including the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aain the start request message to “during meeting” (step S63).

The session managing unit57of the management system50writes the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal10aato the “terminal ID” field of the record of the session management table (FIG. 9) including the reservation ID “rsv02” received from the terminal10aa(step S64). The session managing unit57searches for the session management table by using the reservation ID “rsv02” received from the terminal10aaas a search key, and reads the corresponding session ID “se01” and the corresponding relay device ID “111a” from the session management data (step S65). Note that the session ID “se01” is generated by the session managing unit57when one of the terminals (10ba,10db) first starts the reserved meeting communication, and such session ID is stored in the session management table. Further, note that the relay device ID “111a” is selected by the relay device selecting unit56when one of the terminals (10ba,10db) first starts the reserved meeting communication, and such relay device ID is stored in the session management table by the session managing unit57.

Subsequently, the transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50transmits the session ID “se01” obtained at step S65and the relay device connection message used for connecting the terminal with the relay device30ato the terminal10aavia the communication network2(step S66). The IP address of the relay device30a, the certification information, and the port number may be included in the relay device connection message. The terminal10aais connected to the relay device30aby using the relay device connection message, and transmits the content data to the relay device30a.

Subsequently, the transmitting/receiving unit51of the management system50transmits a relay start request message indicating the relay start request to the relay device30a(step S67). The IP address of the terminal10aawhich newly starts communication in the content data session sed, and the session ID “se01” obtained at step S65are contained in the relay start request message. The store/read processing unit39of the relay device30astores the IP address of the terminal10abwhich newly participates in the content data session sed indicated by the session ID “se01” in the storage unit3000. The relay unit32relays the content data received from the terminal10aato the terminals (10ba,10db) via the transmitting/receiving unit31based on the IP address stored in the storage unit3000, and relays the content data received from the terminals (10ba,10db) to the terminal10aa. Accordingly, the content data session sed is established between the terminals (10aa,10ba,10db) for transmitting and receiving the content data between the terminals (10aa,10ba,10db). The terminal10aastarts the reserved meeting communication between the terminals (10ba,10db) by the content data session.

[Supplementary Information of Embodiment]

According to the embodiment, the destination name data items may not be limited if the destination name data items indicate names of a destination. The destination name data items may contain information representing names relevant to the terminals10, such as serial numbers, addresses, and phone numbers of the terminals10, and names of regions in which the terminals10are arranged, or information representing names relevant to the users of the terminals10, such as project names, team names, and user names of the terminal users.

Further, according to the embodiment, the management system50and the program provision system90may be integrated in a single computer, or various functions and units of the management system50and the program provision system90may be separately arranged in two or more computers. Moreover, if the program provision system90is formed in a single computer, programs transmitted by the program provision system90may be grouped into two or more modules or may not be grouped. Further, if the program provision system90is formed of two or more computers, the programs grouped into modules may be transmitted from the separate computers.

Moreover, according to the embodiment, recording media storing a terminal program, a relay device program and a transmission management system program, and the program provision system90including the HD204storing such programs may be distributed to users domestically and abroad as a program product.

Moreover, according to the embodiment, the IP addresses of the relay devices are managed by the relay device management table shown inFIG. 7and the IP addresses of the terminals are managed by the terminal management table shown inFIG. 12. However, alternatively, respective fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) of the relay devices30and the terminals10may be managed instead of the respective IP addresses as relay device specifying information for specifying the relay devices30over the communication network2and terminal specifying information for specifying the terminals10over the communication network2. In this case, a known domain name system (DNS) server may acquire the IP address corresponding to the FQDN. Note that the “relay device specifying information for specifying the relay devices30over the communication network2” may be also expressed as “relay device destination information indicating destinations of the relay devices30over the communication network2” or “relay device access point information indicating access points of the relay devices30over the communication network2”. Similarly, the “terminal specifying information for specifying the terminals10over the communication network2” may also be expressed as “terminal access point information indicating access points of the terminals10over the communication network2” or “terminal destination information indicating destinations of the terminals10over the communication network2”.

In this embodiment, the term “videoconference” and the term “teleconference” may be interchangeably used.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the videoconference system is described as an example of the transmission system1. However, the transmission system1may not be limited to the videoconference system if the transmission system1is a system capable of conducting the communications with a specified destination. The transmission system1may be phone systems, such as Internet protocol (IP) phones or Internet phones, and other systems, such as facsimile devices, social networking service (SNS) devices, online game devices or e-mail devices. Further, the transmission system1may be utilized for an audio-conference system or a personal computer (PC) screen sharing system.

The transmission system1may be a mobile phone communication system. In this case, the transmission terminal may be a mobile phone terminal.FIG. 24shows an example of a destination list displayed on the mobile phone terminal.FIG. 24is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a destination list displayed on the transmission terminal according to another embodiment. Specifically, the mobile phone terminal as the terminal310includes a main body310-1, a menu screen display button310-2arranged in the main body310-1, a display unit310-3arranged in the main body310-1, a microphone310-4provided in a lower part of the main body310-1, and a speaker310-5provided in a surface of the main body310-1. Among these, the “menu screen display button”310-2is utilized for displaying a menu screen on which icons of various applications are displayed. The display unit310-3is formed of a touch panel on which the user touches with a finger or hand to select a desired destination name data item in order to communicate with a person of another mobile phone terminal of the selected destination name data item.

Further, according to the embodiment, the videoconference is implemented by the transmission system1. However, the transmission system1may not be limited to the videoconference system. The transmission system1may be utilized for a preliminary meeting, a general conversation between family members or friends, or one-way presentation of information.

[Major Effects of Embodiment]

As described above, in the transmission system according to the embodiment, the destination name data managing unit5010is configured to manage two or more destination name data items indicating names of a destination in the communications between the terminals10. The terminal reading unit54is configured to read at least one destination name data item from among the destination name data items. The transmitting/receiving unit51is configured to transmit the read destination name data item to a terminal10which is capable of communicating with the destination. In this case, the destination name data managing unit5010is able to manage the plural destination name data items according to the communications with respect to the single destination, and it is possible to provide an appropriate destination name data item for the communications.

Further, according to the embodiment, the plurality of first destination name data items are associated with the terminal IDs of the terminals10as the request source terminals and such data items associated with the terminal IDs are managed in the destination list management table (FIG. 10). The terminal reading unit54is configured to read from the destination list management table a first destination name data item (e.g., “Company B, Washington D.C.”) associated with a terminal ID (e.g., “01aa”) of a request source terminal. The transmitting/receiving unit51is configured to transmit the first destination name data item to the terminal10(e.g., the terminal10aa) which is the request source terminal. Accordingly, a plurality of easy-to-specify destination name data items of one destination on the request source terminal may be managed in the destination list management table per request source terminal, and the management system50may provide one of the plurality of easy-to-specify destination name data items for the request source terminal.

Moreover, according to the embodiment, the plurality of second destination name data items are associated with the reservation IDs and such data items associated with the reservation IDs are managed in the reservation terminal management table (FIG. 11B). The terminal reading unit54is configured to read from the reservation terminal management table a second destination name data item (e.g., “Tokyo”) associated with a reservation ID (e.g., “rsv02”). The transmitting/receiving unit51is configured to transmit the second destination name data item to the terminal10(e.g., the terminal10db) which starts the communications relevant to the reservation. Accordingly, a plurality of easy-to-specify destination name data items of one destination on the terminal10which participates in the communications relevant to the reservation may be managed in the reservation terminal management table per reservation, and the management system50may provide one of the plurality of easy-to-specify destination name data items for the request source terminal.

Further, according to the embodiment, the terminal reading unit54is configured to read, when a second destination name data item is not managed in the reservation terminal management table (FIG. 11B), a first destination name data item from the destination list management table (FIG. 10). The transmitting/receiving unit51is configured to transmit the first destination name data item to the terminal10which is the request source terminal which starts the communications relevant to the reservation. Accordingly, even when the second destination name data item associated with the reservation ID is not managed, the management system50may read the first destination name data item and transmit the first destination name data item to the terminal10as the request source terminal.

In addition, according to the embodiment, the third destination name data items are managed in the terminal management table (FIG. 12). Accordingly, even when the destination name data item relevant to the request source terminal or the destination name data item relevant to the reservation is not managed, the management system50may read the third destination name data item and transmit the third destination name data item to the terminal10as the request source terminal.

Further, according to the embodiment, the plurality of destination name data items may contain information representing names relevant to the terminals10, such as serial numbers, addresses, and phone numbers of the terminals10, and names of regions in which the terminals10are arranged, or information representing names relevant to the users of the terminals10, such as project names, team names, and user names of the terminal users. Accordingly, the flexibility of selection of the destination name data items when specifying the name of the destination may be increased.

As described above, in the transmission system according to the embodiment, the transmission management system manages a plurality of destination name data items which indicate a plurality of names of a single destination in the communications between the transmission terminals, reads at least one destination name data item from among the plurality of destination name data items, and transmits the destination name data item to a transmission terminal capable of communicating with the destination. In this case, the transmission management system is able to manage the plural destination name data items according to the communications with respect to the single destination, and it is possible to provide an appropriate destination name data item for the communications.

The transmission management system according to the invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present application is based on and claims the benefit of priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-171192, filed on Aug. 1, 2012, the entire content of which are hereby incorporated by reference.