Desktop conference method and desktop conference system for performance of semiconductor device process or semiconductor manufacturing apparatus utilizing communication lines

• US 20030169291A1
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shimizu, Fumio, Inoue, Satomi, Nakata, Kenji, Otani, Koichiro
• Application Number:
  US10/087,764
• Publication Number:
  US 20030169291A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A method of conducting a desktop conference comprises a step in which participants of a conference gain access to a desktop conference system by utilizing communication lines; a step in which authentication is made as to whether or not the participants are permitted to gain access; a step in which a list of conference documents describing an evaluation result about a semiconductor device process or semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performance and so worked out as to correspond to the participants is displayed on a display device used by each of the participants; and a step in which the participants select desired one of the conference documents from the list of the conference documents; wherein the participants conduct the desktop conference by using the conference documents.

Claims

1. A method of conducting a desktop conference comprising:

a step in which participants of a conference gain access to a desktop conference system by utilizing communication lines;

a step in which authentication is made as to whether or not said participants are permitted to gain access;

a step in which a list of conference documents describing an evaluation result about a semiconductor device process or semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performance and so worked out as to correspond to said participants is displayed on a display device used by each of said participants; and

a step in which said participants select desired one of said conference documents from said list of said conference documents;

wherein said participants conduct the desktop conference by using said conference documents.

2. A method of conducting a desktop conference according to claim 1, wherein said list describing the evaluation result about said semiconductor device process or said semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performance is arranged in order of activity steps of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus sales business.

3. A method of conducting a desktop conference according to claim 1, which further comprises a step of displaying a screen for said desktop conference on said display device if booking of the desktop conference has been made, after said step of selecting said conference documents.

4. A method of conducting a desktop conference according to claim 1, which further comprises a step of displaying a desktop conference booking list if booking of the desktop conference has not been made, after said step of selecting said conference documents, and a step of allowing said participants to select the date and the time of the desktop conference from among said desktop conference booking list.

5. A method of conducting a desktop conference according to claim 4, which distributes an electronic mail of a notice of fixture of the desktop conference to said participants when booking of the desktop conference is established.

6. A desktop conference system in which participants of a desktop conference permitted to gain access from an information terminal equipped with a display device and an input device through communication lines hold the conference on a semiconductor device process or semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performance, wherein a screen of said display device includes an area for displaying dynamic images of counter-part participants, an area for displaying conference documents describing an evaluation result of the semiconductor device process or semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performance, and a chat area capable of preserving a text document inputted as data.

7. A desktop conference system according to claim 6, wherein the screen of said display device further includes an area for displaying a conference document list describing an evaluation result of the semiconductor device process or semiconductor manufacturing apparatus performance, and has a hyper-link bonded thereto.

8. A desktop conference system according to claim 6, wherein, when said hyper-link is clicked, said conference document corresponding to said hyper-link is displayed on a screen separate from the screen that has already been displayed.

9. A desktop conference system according to claim 6, which has a function of distributing the text document data inputted to, and preserved in, said chat area through an electronic mail.

10. A desktop conference system according to claim 6, which has a function of marking an arbitrary position of said conference document.

11. A desktop conference system according to claim 6, which inputs speech of said conference participants through a microphone and displays the speech as a text document on said chat area through a speech-character conversion function.

12. A desktop conference system according to claim 6, which has a function of preserving contents of the speech of the participants as speech data of the participants.

13. A desktop conference system according to claim 6, which has a function of recording and reproducing the contents displayed on the screen of said display device.

14. A desktop conference system according to claim 6, which has a function of charging a fee for said desktop conference system in accordance with the utilization time.