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Description  |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a virtual conference system and
a terminal apparatus therefor. In particular, the invention relates to a
virtual conference system terminal apparatus used for holding a virtual
conference and a virtual conference system for holding a virtual
conference using a plurality of virtual conference system terminal
apparatuses connected to each other via communication lines such as
telephone lines.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as shown in Japanese Patent Application 4-140990 there
exists a visual telephone conference system in which a conference is
constituted by attendance of a plurality of users at remote locations by
connecting their terminal apparatuses using communication lines. According
to this system, a user terminal apparatus to enable attendance at a visual
telephone conference is equipped with a visual telephone set and a remote
image transmission circuit. A conference can be held by displaying images
of attendants in respective divided areas of a monitor screen of each
terminal apparatus.
However, in the above conference system, to display faces of attendants on
each terminal apparatus, video images obtained by photographing the faces
of attendants are transmitted to the respective user terminal apparatuses.
Since the video images thus taken have an enormous information quantity,
time is required to input and output the video images, which are
irrelevant to the progress of a conference. In addition, it is necessary
to convert the transmitted signals to images. Therefore, this system has
problems in that a conference hardly proceeds on a realtime basis and that
each user terminal apparatus is costly, In each user terminal apparatus,
attendants can be recognized easily by display of their faces in the
respective divided areas of the screen. However, mere display of the faces
cannot reflect an atmosphere of a conference, and cannot express various
states that will occur in an actual conference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention has an object of providing a virtual
conference system and a terminal apparatus therefor which allows a
conference to proceed in an intuitive, clear, and effective manner.
According to the present invention, to attain the above object, a terminal
apparatus for a virtual conference system comprises: a display means for
displaying a virtual conference room used for holding a virtual
conference, and for displaying, in the virtual conference room, animated
characters representing attendants at the virtual conference; an
indication means for indicating an action of an animated character
representing the user; an information output means for outputting action
information for the animated character representing the user indicated by
the indication means; and character control means for actuating the other
animated characters in accordance with input action information for the
other animated characters, and for actuating the animated character
representing the user in accordance with the indicated action.
According to another preferred embodiment, a terminal apparatus for a
virtual conference system comprises: a display means for displaying a
virtual conference room used for holding a virtual conference, and for
displaying, in the virtual conference room, animated characters
representing attendants at the virtual conference; an indication means for
indicating an action of an animated character representing the user; an
information output means for outputting action information for the
animated character representing the user indicated by the indication
means; a management means for determining an animated character to be
actuated based on input action information for the other animated
characters and the indicated action of the animated character representing
the user, and for assigning an action right to the determined animated
character; and a character control means for actuating the right-assigned
animated character in accordance with at least one of the input action
information for the other animated characters and the indicated action of
the animated .character representing the user.
The terminal apparatus for a virtual conference system according to the
invention comprises display means, indication means, information output
means, and character control means. The display means displays a virtual
conference room used for holding a virtual conference together with
furnishings such as a desk, and also displays, in the virtual conference
room, own and the other animated characters representing attendants at the
virtual conference. The indication means indicates an action of an
animated character representing the user, such as raising a hand to
request to talk or a movement. The information output means outputs the
indicated action information for the animated character representing the
user. The character control means controls the other animated characters
displayed on the display means so that they act in accordance with the
input action information for the other animated characters, and controls
the animated character representing the user so that it acts in accordance
with the indicated action.
The virtual conference system is constructed by connecting to each other a
plurality of terminal apparatuses for the virtual conference system
described above so that the action information can be input to each
terminal apparatus. Therefore, the action information of each terminal
apparatus for a virtual conference system is exchanged between the user's
and the other terminal apparatuses of the virtual conference system and
between the other terminal apparatuses of the virtual conference system.
As a result, the action information for the user's character that is
indicated by the user so as to effect, for instance, raising a hand for
requesting to talk concerning a subject of discussion, or movement of the
animated character in the conference room is sent to the other terminal
apparatuses for a virtual conference system connected to the user
terminal. The action information for the animated character associated
with another terminal apparatus for the virtual conference system that is
indicated by the operator of that terminal apparatus is sent to the other
terminal apparatuses for the virtual conference system, including the user
terminal apparatus. As a result, the animated characters are displayed in
the same manner in the user terminal apparatus for the virtual conference
system and the other terminal apparatuses for the virtual conference so as
to act in accordance with the conference state collectively intended by
the operators, the state of which includes the raising of hands for
requesting to talk about a subject under discussion and movement in the
conference room. Thus, the respective operators can actuate the
corresponding animated characters in the conference room displayed on the
display means in accordance with a conference state by using their
terminal apparatuses for a virtual conference system, so that the virtual
conference can proceed so as to reflect the conference state intended by
the operators.
The invention further comprises a management means and a character control
means. The management means determines an animated character to be
actuated based on input action information for the other animated
characters and the indicated action of the animated character representing
the user, and assigns the right of action to the user associated with the
determined animated character. The character control means actuates the
right-assigned animated character in accordance with the input action
information for the other animated characters and the indicated action of
the animated character representing the user.
The virtual conference system is constructed by connecting a plurality of
terminal apparatuses for a virtual conference system with each other so
that the action information can be input to each terminal apparatus. In
each terminal apparatus for a virtual conference system, the animated
character is actuated which has been assigned the right of action with a
judgment based on the priorities such as predetermined order of the
attendants, etc., that must be actuated. Therefore, for example, even when
more than one user request to speak at the same time, only one user is
allowed to speak, and the conference can proceed smoothly.
In another preferred embodiment, the virtual conference system is
constructed by connecting a plurality of terminal apparatuses for a
virtual conference system to a central control apparatus. The central
control apparatus receives action information such as information of a
speech concerning a subject of discussion from one or a plurality of
terminal apparatuses for a virtual conference system. The central control
apparatus determines an animated character to be actuated based on the
priorities such as predetermined orders of the attendants, and sends
permission information to the terminal apparatus for a virtual conference
system corresponding to the determined animated character. Upon receiving
the permission information corresponding to the output action information
from the central control apparatus, the terminal apparatus for a virtual
conference system actuates the animated character representing the user in
accordance with the indicated action. Furthermore, the other terminal
apparatus actuates the corresponding animated characters in accordance
with the input action information. In this manner, the action rights
requested by the respective terminal apparatuses for a virtual conference
system are managed by the central control apparatus.
In a conference, the attendants are allowed to make a speech, and sometimes
allowed to discuss only within a subgroup. To deal with the above
situations, the terminal apparatus for a virtual conference system
according to the invention comprises the information output means which
converts an input voice to voice information for the animated character
representing the user, and outputs the voice information together with
action information such as the current speaker or the speech subgroup for
the animated character representing the user indicated by the indication
means. The voice output means determines whether or not to output a sound
based on input action information such as the current speaker speech or
the speech subgroup for the other animated characters, and outputs the
voice based on the voice information when it is required. The character
control means actuates the other animated characters in accordance with
the input action information such as the current speaker or the speech
subgroup for the other animated characters, and actuates the animated
character representing the user in accordance with the indicated action.
The actions of an animated character include change of the mouth pattern.
When the user speaks, the animated character in the user's own terminal
apparatus for a virtual conference system, for instance, moves its mouth
to indicate speech, and the same animated character in the other terminal
apparatuses for a virtual conference system acts in the same way. The
voice information is sent to the respective terminal apparatuses for a
virtual conference system so as to be heard, for instance, only by the
related attendants only, or by all the attendants, in accordance with the
indicated action information such as the current speaker or the speech
subgroup. Therefore, in the case of speech subgroup, the users in the
subgroup can communicate with each other and the corresponding animated
characters can be actuated. For the users outside the subgroup, the mouths
of the animated characters in the subgroup move but they can not hear the
voice. With this constitution, the user can actuate the associated
animated character according to the voice input, and the content of the
voice can be transmitted only to the intended users. Therefore, the voice
status in the conference, such as who is speaking and who is making a
speech to a subgroup, is expressed by both the display information and the
voice information so that a conference can proceed in accordance with the
atmosphere of a conference room.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent in, the following detailed written
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth
in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a
preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will best
be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an
illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of a virtual
conference system according to a first embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of one user terminal
apparatus of the first embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing the internal constitution
of a computer of the user terminal apparatus of the first embodiment;
FIG. 4 is an image of a display screen displayed on a display of the user
terminal apparatus;
FIG. 5 is an image of a virtual conference room window displayed on the
display of the user terminal apparatus;
FIG. 6 is an image illustrating patterns indicating actions of agents in
the virtual conference room window;
FIG. 7 is an image of another virtual conference room window in the first
embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of a virtual
conference system according to a second embodiment;
FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically showing the constitution of one
user terminal apparatus of the second embodiment;
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of an central
control section of the second embodiment;
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of a virtual
conference system according to a third embodiment;
FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing the constitution of one
user terminal apparatus of the third embodiment;
FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of an central
control apparatus of the third embodiment;
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of a virtual
conference system according to a fourth embodiment;
FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of one user
terminal apparatus of the fourth embodiment;
FIG. 16 is a block diagram schematically showing the constitution of one
user terminal apparatus of the fourth embodiment; and
FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the constitution of an central
control apparatus of the fourth embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIG. 1, a virtual conference system 10 according to a first
embodiment consists of a ring-like network 12 capable of transmitting and
receiving a digital signal and K (natural number) user terminal
apparatuses 16.sub.1 -16.sub.K connected to the network 12. In the virtual
conference system 10, transmission data (see Table 1 below) is transmitted
through the network 12. The user terminal apparatuses 16.sub.1 -16.sub.K
are operated by respective operators 18.sub.1 -18.sub.K. The network 12 is
not limited to the above network (Ethernet, a token-ring network, etc.)
but may be configured in such networks as a public telephone network or an
ISDN, or a combination of these networks.
As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal apparatus 16.sub.i
(1.ltoreq.i.ltoreq.K) consists of a personal computer (hereinafter
abbreviated as PC) 22.sub.i, a display 24.sub.i, a keyboard 26.sub.i, a
mouse 28.sub.i, a microphone 30.sub.i, and a pair of speakers 32.sub.i.
The microphone 30.sub.i and the pair of speakers 32.sub.i can be replaced
with a headset of a telephone etc. or a handset. The pair of speakers
32.sub.i may be used with a both-side arrangement so as to provide a
stereo effect. Three or more speakers may be used for multichannel
reproduction, and one speaker may be used for monaural reproduction. In
addition to the above constitution, input/output devices such as a
digitizer, printer, and scanner may be employed.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the general internal
constitution of the PC 22.sub.i. The PC 22.sub.i includes a communication
control section 40.sub.i for mutually communicating data etc., with the
other PCs 22.sub.j (1.ltoreq.j.ltoreq.K, i.noteq.j), a conference control
section 42.sub.i for controlling generation and termination of the virtual
conference room (hereinafter simply called "conference room") on the
plurality of user terminal apparatuses and conference operation such as
entrance and exit of attendants, and an agent control section 44.sub.i for
controlling a virtual conference room window 62 (see FIG. 5) in which an
overall view of the conference room and display etc., of animated
characters (hereinafter called "agents") representing operators in the
virtual conference room window 62. The PC 22.sub.i also includes an audio
input processing section 46.sub.i for converting sound received by the
microphone 30.sub.i to a digital signal, and an audio output processing
section 48.sub.i for converting digital audio signals sent from the other
PCs 22.sub.i to analog signals. The PC 22.sub.i further has a shared
application section 50.sub.i for storing programs such as shared
chalkboard, where attendants of the conference type in text and draw
pictures.
The communication control section 40.sub.i is connected to the network 12
and to the conference control section 42.sub.i, agent control section
44.sub.i, shared application section 50.sub.i, audio input processing
section 46.sub.i, and audio output processing section 48.sub.i. The
conference control section 42.sub.i is connected to the shared application
section 50.sub.i, agent control section 44.sub.i, audio input processing
section 46.sub.i, and audio output processing section 48.sub.i. The shared
application section 50.sub.i is connected to the display 24.sub.i,
keyboard 26.sub.i, and mouse 28.sub.i, all of which are connected to the
agent control section 44.sub.i. The agent control section 44.sub.i is
connected to the audio input processing section 46.sub.i and audio output
processing section 48.sub.i. The microphone 30.sub.i is connected to the
audio input processing section 46.sub.i, and the speakers 32.sub.i are
connected to the audio output processing section 48.sub.i.
The transmission data of a format shown in Table 1 below is exchanged
between the respective control sections of the PC described above and
between the respective user terminal apparatuses 16.sub.j
(1.ltoreq.j.ltoreq.K, i.noteq.j).
TABLE 1
______________________________________
Sender
Receiver Control Data specific to each control
ID ID section ID section
______________________________________
As described below, the transmission data consists of an ID portion
(identification portion) and a data portion. The ID portion consists, in
the following order, of a sender ID indicating a user terminal apparatus
of the sender of the transmission data, a receiver ID indicating a user
terminal apparatus of the receiver of the transmission data, and a control
section ID indicating a control section of the user terminal apparatus to
which the transmission data is applied. The data portion contains data
specific to each control section, i.e., specific data generated by each
control section of the PC 22.sub.i.
Examples of the data specific to each control section are data transmitted
from the agent control section 44.sub.i, which data indicates such states
as a position of the associated agent, a direction of his/her face,
opening and closing of his/her mouth, and hand raising. The agent control
section 44.sub.i receives a signal necessary to perform control of opening
and closing the agent's mouth in accordance with the magnitude of voice
that is input from the audio input processing section 46.sub.i.
The data specific to the transmission data output from the conference
control section 42.sub.i includes data respectively indicating attendance
at the conference, withdrawal from the conference, a request for operation
rights, and permission for operation rights. The data specific to the
transmission data output from the audio input processing section 46.sub.i
includes audio data produced by digitizing and compressing sound that is
through the microphone 30.sub.i.
The conference control section 42.sub.i performs such operations as
processing a request for generating or terminating a conference, and
receiving a request for speaking rights (described later) from the agent
control section 44.sub.i and performing an operation of accepting that
request while communicating with the conference control sections 42.sub.i
of the other user terminal apparatuses. Furthermore, the conference
control section 42.sub.i sends such data as new attendance at the
conference and replacement of an operator having the operation right of
application to the agent control section 44.sub.i and the shared
application section 50.sub.i so that the contents of those sections are
updated in a synchronized manner.
Next, a description will be made of how this embodiment operates. When the
operator 18.sub.i of the user terminal apparatus 16.sub.i selects a
processing menu item (not shown:) to perform a conference, a virtual
conference room window 62 showing the overall view of a conference room
pops up on the display screen 60 of the display 24.sub.i of the user
terminal apparatus 16.sub.i as shown in FIG. 4. A conference room list
window 64 showing a list of conferences currently going on and a
conference attendants window 66, in which animated characters representing
attendants allowed to attend those conferences are arranged, are also
displayed on the display screen 60.
Pattern images (representing the operator etc.) displayed in each window
and its neighborhood also serve as an indication input portion to be
indicated by the mouse 28.sub.i in, for instance, selecting a subject for
processing. These pattern images are hereinafter called "icons." These
icons are subjected to selection indication by the clicking of the mouse
28.sub.i, indication execution by its double clicking, and movement
(hereinafter called "dragging") of a selected icon.
The operators of all the user terminal apparatuses etc., connected to the
network 12 may be displayed in the conference attendants window 66 as
persons allowed to attend the conferences. Alternatively, only the
selected operators may be displayed as allowable persons in accordance
with the kind of conference or the application. The icons may be given a
statement indicating the above fact.
To have another operator 18.sub.j attend the ongoing conference, the icon
representing the operator 18.sub.j requesting the attendance is moved from
the conference attendants window 66 to the virtual conference room window
62 by dragging it with the mouse 28.sub.i. In response to this drag, the
agent control section 44.sub.i sends transmission data including the
attendance request to the agent control section 44.sub.j of the
corresponding user terminal apparatus 16.sub.j via the communication
control section 40.sub.i and the network 12. In the attendance-requested
user terminal apparatus 16.sub.j, the agent control section 44.sub.j has
an attendance request window (not shown) which asks for a judgment as to
whether to attend the conference displayed on the display 24.sub.j of the
user terminal apparatus 16.sub.j.
The user terminal apparatus 16.sub.i, which requests the attendance of
another operator 18.sub.j, finishes the attendance request procedure if
the agent control section 44.sub.i receives data indicating the refusal of
attendance of another operator 18.sub.j or receives no response from the
user terminal apparatus 16.sub.j because of no operation on it or the
absence of the operator (after a lapse of a predetermined period that is
found by use of a timer etc.).
When another operator 18.sub.j accepts the attendance, transmission data,
including data indicating the acceptance of attendance, is returned to the
agent control section 44.sub.i of the attendance requesting user terminal
apparatus 16.sub.i. In this case, the agent control section 44.sub.i on
the requesting side sends transmission data, including data indicating the
attendance of the new operator at the conference, to the conference
control section 42.sub.i. In response, the conference control section
42.sub.i forwards the transmission data to the agent control section
44.sub.i and the application section 50.sub.i. The application section
50.sub.i performs an operation to transmit data etc., necessary to build
up the application section 50.sub.j in the user terminal apparatus
16.sub.j of the newly attending operator 18.sub.j with the same contents
as the application section 50.sub.i. Furthermore, the conference control
section 42.sub.i sends transmission data to the agent control section
44.sub.i so that the agent 20.sub.j representing the new operator is added
to the conference room.
As shown in FIG. 5, there are displayed in the virtual conference room
window 62 objects representing furnishings for a conference operation such
as a desk, a shared chalkboard 98, a piece of chalk 99, a microphone and a
platform, and all the agents 20.sub.1 -20.sub.K representing the operators
(attendants) 18.sub.1 -18.sub.K operating the respective user terminal
apparatuses 16.sub.1 -16.sub.K connected to the network 12 and currently
attending the conference. Details of those will be described later.
To actually hold a conference, the icon of the new conference room in the
conference room list window 64 is double clicked or an appropriate
selection is made from a menu (not shown) through the keyboard 26.sub.i.
In response, the agent control section 44.sub.i sends transmission data,
including data indicating a conference holding request, to the conference
control section 42.sub.i. Furthermore, the agent control section 44.sub.i
controls the display of the virtual conference room window 62 in the
display screen 60 of the display 24.sub.i and the furnishings such as the
agents, desk, and microphone used in the conference that are displayed in
the virtual conference room window 62. This display includes the movement
(described later) of the agents and the furnishings.
Upon reception of transmission data from the agent control section
44.sub.i, the conference control section 42.sub.i generates a new
conference and registers it in the user terminal apparatus 16.sub.i.
Furthermore, the conference control section 42.sub.i sets the operator
18.sub.i as an attendant of the conference and sends transmission data
including data indicating a conference attendance request to the agent
control section 44.sub.i. As a result, the virtual conference room window
62 showing a conference room is poped up, and the agent 20.sub.i
representing the operator 18.sub.i herself is displayed in the virtual
conference room window 62.
When her attendance is permitted and operator 18.sub.i intends to attend
the currently ongoing conference, she doubly clicks the icon representing
that conference displayed in the conference room list window 64 (see FIG.
4). In response, the procedure similar to that in the above-described case
of the acceptance of attendance is initiated, so that the agent 20.sub.i
of the operator 18.sub.i is added to the currently ongoing conference
room.
To move the agent 20.sub.i of the operator 18.sub.i to simulate an event in
which she speaks at the top seat, the agent 20.sub.i is dragged to that
position in the virtual conference room window 62. While depression of the
drag continues until the agent 20.sub.i reaches the destination, an
animation is effected such that the leg patterns of the agent 20.sub.i
move alternately to simulate walking. Data indicating the state, position,
etc., of this action is sent to the user terminal apparatuses of all the
conference attendants via the communication control section 40.sub.i, from
the agent control section 44.sub.i, so that the position and the leg
patterns of the agent 20.sub.i change in the same manner on the display of
each user terminal apparatus.
Data indicating the new position (destination) of the agent 20.sub.i is
sent to the audio output processing section 48.sub.i, which performs a
voice-related operation so that voices from the other agents displayed in
the virtual conference room window 62 are heard in a manner (magnitude and
balance of voices) in accordance with the new positional relationships
between (i.e., distances from) them. The voice-related operation is not
limited to the one in accordance with the positional (i.e., physical)
relationships. For example, when the agents 20.sub.4 and 20.sub.5 are
overlapped with each other as shown in FIG. 6, the privacy mode can be
established in which a voice exchange is effective only between the two
agents 20.sub.4 and 20.sub.5 irrespective of the positional relationships
between the respective agents. In this case, the attendants other than the
two corresponding to the agents 20.sub.4 and 20.sub.5 can realize from the
mouth movements of the agents 20.sub.4 and 20.sub.5 that the two
attendants are on privacy to each other though they cannot know the
content of the conversation.
When the operator 18.sub.i speaks, the state of his speech is detected by
the audio input processing section 46.sub.i. For example, the audio input
processing section 46.sub.i detects the magnitude of this voice and
sequentially sends detection results to the agent control section
44.sub.i. The audio output processing section 48.sub.i performs a
synthesizing operation on audio data transmitted from the user terminal
apparatus 16.sub.j of another operator 18.sub.j in accordance with the
positional relationships with the respective agents and
occurrence/non-occurrence of the privacy state in the agent control
section 44.sub.i so that the magnitudes and right/left directions of the
voices of the other operators 18.sub.i are appropriate to the operator
18.sub.i. Then, the result is output from the speaker 32.sub.i.
The agent control section 44.sub.i changes the shape of the mouth of the
agent 20.sub.i in accordance with the voice input, for instance, opening
the mouth widely for a loud voice (see the agent 20.sub.7 shown in FIG.
6). This change is sent to the user terminal apparatuses of the other
attendants. As a result, an animation is displayed in which the mouth of
the agent 20.sub.i of the speaking operator 18.sub.i opens and closes so
as to indicate his speech.
During the conference, the pattern of the agent 20.sub.i can be changed to
express hand raising (see FIG. 5) by an operation of the keyboard 26.sub.i
or mouse 28.sub.i. By the hand raising, the operator 18.sub.i can request
to talk and express his agreement with a subject of the discussion. Data
indicating hand raising is sent to the audio output processing section
48.sub.i. As a result, the voice of the hand-raising attendant is
processed so that the other attendants uniformly hear his voice as a loud
one.
By changing the pattern of the agent 20.sub.i, in the progress of the
conference, various indications of intention and actions of entrance/exit,
a nod, a change of direction, etc., as well as the above-described
movement, hand raising, and privacy can be expressed.
Next, an example of processing by the shared application section 50.sub.i
will be described. Operation rights of elements of the shared application
section 50.sub.i, such as the shared chalkboard 98 and a shared spread
sheet, can be expressed by preregistered expression methods. For example,
operation rights for the shared chalkboard 98 are associated in advance
with the chalk piece 99 in the conference room (see FIG. 5). The operator
18.sub.i requests operation rights for the shared chalkboard 98 by
selecting the chalk piece 99 by doubly clicking the mouse 28.sub.i.
Transmission data indicating this request is sent from the agent control
section 44.sub.i to the conference control section 42.sub.i, which sends
data requesting acceptance to the conference control sections 42.sub.j of
the user terminal apparatuses 16.sub.j of the other attendants. The
conference control section 42.sub.i determines whether the request for the
operation right has been accepted based on acceptance judgment data sent
from the other conference control sections 42.sub.j according to a
standard of decision by majority, unanimity, etc. The other conference
control sections 42.sub.j also perform processing of this determination.
When the determination of permitting the request for operation rights has
been made, the conference control section 42.sub.i sends data indicating
the permission for operation rights for the shared chalkboard 98 to the
agent control section 44.sub.i and the application of the shared
chalkboard 98.
It should be considered that there may exist contending requests for
operation rights for a shared application. In the above example of the
shared chalkboard 98, contention may occur when a plurality of operators
simultaneously request operation rights of the shared chalkboard 98. To
cope with this problem, a turns-taking scheme is introduced in permitting
the operation right by properly allocating priorities of permission (for
instance, on a first-come-first-served basis). Data indicating permission
for operation rights and the turn of waiting for permission is sent to the
shared chalkboard 98 and the agent control sections of the operators
requesting permission and waiting their turns. Based on this data, the
agent control sections change the pattern of the agent representing the
permitted operator so that it takes the chalk piece 99, and changes the
pattern of the waiting agents so that they move to the side of the chalk
piece 99 and wait their turns. To prevent erroneous input, an application
program of the shared chalkboard 98 sends data which enables input through
the keyboard and mouse of the permitted operator and disables input from
the non-permitted operators.
In addition to the above, there are control operations for the chairperson
seat, the speaker seat, the microphone location, etc. In any case, one, or
a predetermined number of persons, can occupy that location. The operation
right corresponds to a right of occupying that location, which is assigned
in the mechanism described above. The voice of an operator occupying the
chairperson seat, speaker seat, or microphone location is transmitted as
data for producing a loud voice to be heard by all the attendants, as in
the above-described case of a speech with a hand raised.
Another example of resolving contending requests for an operation right is
described below with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a conference room
window 63 representing a typical conference such as a morning gathering
having only one speaker. A platform 36, which can be occupied by only one
person, is provided in this conference room, and setting is so made that
the voice of only the operator corresponding to an agent 20.sub.1
occupying the platform 36 is transmitted to all the other attendants at
the gathering. In this manner, the contention of requests for speaking
rights can be avoided in the progress of a conference. Furthermore, with
respect to the above-mentioned order of speeches of a plurality of
operators, data indicating the order is produced as a queue (representing
agents 20.sub.2 and 20.sub.3 in this example) and transmitted. As a
result, the agents representing the speaker and the waiting attendants are
displayed in the virtual conference window 63 so as to visually express
the situation.
As described above, according to this embodiment, since the attendants of a
conference as well as its environment, such as furnishings, are displayed
in the form of the agents representing the operators and the display data
in the respective user terminal apparatuses connected to each other
through the network, the data amount does not become enormous unlike the
case of transmitting image data, and thus the communication load can be
reduced. Since indications of intentions and actions occurring in the
progress of a conference can be expressed by changes of agent patterns, a
conference can proceed while the same situation as in the case of holding
an actual conference by calling attendants is realized by the data
input/output corresponding to the changes of the patterns. Furthermore,
the reduction of the data amount enables the realtime progress of a
conference.
A second embodiment will be hereinafter described. Since the second
embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, only the different portions
will be described below. The parts in the second embodiment that are the
same as the corresponding parts in the first embodiment are given the same
reference symbols and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. As
shown in FIG. 8, a virtual conference system 10 according to the second
embodiment consists of an central control apparatus 17 and L (natural
number) user terminal apparatuses 16.sub.1 -16.sub.L all of which are
connected to a network 12.
As shown in FIG. 9, a PC 22.sub.i of the user terminal apparatus 16.sub.i
(1.ltoreq.i.ltoreq.L) consists of a communication control section
40.sub.i, an agent control section 45.sub.i, an audio input processing
section 47.sub.i, an audio output processing section 49.sub.i, and a
shared application section 50.sub.i. The communication contro | | |
