Conference assisting system and method

• US 20050287998A1
• Filed: 06/28/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Tonouchi, Toshio
• Application Number:
  US11/167,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20050287998A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1813 for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A conference assisting system includes a plurality of conference room servers each disposed for one of conference rooms, and a network including a plurality of VLANs each disposed for one of departments to which participants belong. A user having a mobile terminal connected to a VLAN specifies another mobile terminal to share conference files with the another mobile terminal. The user uses the conference server to project a file in the own mobile terminal for presentation by using an image projector through the conference sever.

Claims

1. A conference assisting system comprising:

a plurality of mobile terminals each related with a conference room and connected to a network;

an AP router accepting a file sharing request from a user through one of said mobile terminals and said network, said file sharing request specifying a file or folder and another of mobile terminals storing therein said file or folder;

a target DHCP server responding to a request from each of said mobile terminals to set an address of said each of said mobile terminals; and

a session server storing said address of said each of said mobile terminals in said AP router, wherein;

said AP router, upon receiving said file sharing request, identifies an address of said another of said mobile terminals, transfers said file sharing request to said another of said mobile terminals, and allows said one of said mobile terminals to download said file or folder transferred from said another of said mobile terminals.

2. The conference assisting system according to claim 1, further comprising a conference room server, and an output device connected to said conference room server and used in said conference room, wherein:

said AP router accepts a file upload request from an originating mobile terminal among said mobile terminals, said file upload request specifying said output device and a file to be uploaded on said conference room server;

said AP router, upon receiving said file upload request, transfers said file upload request to said conference room server; and

said conference room server receives said file or folder from said originating mobile terminal to allow said output device to operate based on said received file or folder.

3. The conference assisting system according to claim 1, further comprising a router for filtering packets, wherein:

said session server connects each of said mobile terminals to a selected one of VLANs in said network, selected based on information of a department to which a user of said each of said mobile terminals belongs; and

said router filters packets depending on VLANs to which said mobile terminals are connected.

4. The conference assisting system according to claim 1, wherein said AP router stores therein correspondences between a plurality of conference rooms and a plurality of conference room servers, and said session server also stores in said AP router a correspondence between said set address of said each of said mobile terminals and said conference room.

5. The conference assisting system according to claim 4, further comprising a project DB server mounting thereon a file space for each of projects corresponding to respective conference rooms, wherein:

said AP router accepts a file mount request and a file mount cancel request specifying one of said projects from each of said mobile terminals, transfers said file mount request and file mount cancel request to said project DB server.

6. The conference assisting system according to claim 1, wherein each of said mobile terminals installs therein a software having a file sharing function.

7. A conference assisting system comprising:

a plurality of mobile terminals each related with a conference room and connected to a network;

a target DHCP server responding to a request from each of said mobile terminals to set an address of said each of said mobile terminals;

an AP router accepting a file upload request from an originating mobile terminal among said mobile terminals;

a session server storing said address of said each of said mobile terminals in said AP router;

a conference room server disposed for said conference room; and

an output device connected to said conference room server and used in said conference room, said file upload request specifying said output device and a file to be uploaded on said conference room server, wherein;

said AP router, upon receiving said file upload request, transfers said file upload request to said conference room server; and

said conference room server receives said file from said originating mobile terminal to allow said output device to operate based on said received file.

8. A method for assisting a conference, comprising:

connecting a plurality mobile terminals to a network, each of said mobile terminals being related with a conference room;

responding to a request from each of said mobile terminals to set an address of said each of said mobile terminals;

storing said address of said each of said mobile terminals in a memory;

accepting a file sharing request from a user through one of said mobile terminals, said file sharing request specifying a file or folder and another of mobile terminals storing therein said file or folder;

transferring said file sharing request to said another of said mobile terminals; and

allowing said one of said mobile terminals to download said file or folder transferred from said another of said mobile terminals.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:

accepting a file upload request from an originating mobile terminal among said mobile terminals, said file upload request specifying an output device and a file to be uploaded in a conference room server;

transferring said file upload request to said conference room server; and

receiving said file or folder from said originating mobile terminal to allow said output device to operate based on said received files or folder.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein:

said connecting step connects each of said mobile terminals to a selected one of VLANs in said network selected based on information of a department to which a user of said each of said mobile terminals belongs; and

packets delivered from said mobile terminals are filtered depending on VLANs to which said mobile terminals are connected.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising storing correspondences between a plurality of conference rooms and respective conference room servers, wherein the step of said storing address stores a correspondence between said set address of said each of said mobile terminals and said conference room.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

mounting on a project DB server a file space for each of projects corresponding to respective conference rooms;

accepting a file mount request and a file mount cancel request specifying one of said projects from each of said mobile terminals; and

transferring said file mount request and file mount cancel request to said project DB server.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein each of said mobile terminals installs therein software having a file sharing function.

14. A method for assisting a conference, comprising:

connecting a plurality of mobile terminals to a network, each of said mobile terminals being related with a conference room;

responding to a request from each of said mobile terminals to set an address of said each of said mobile terminals;

storing said address of said each of said mobile terminals in a memory;

accepting a file upload request from an originating mobile terminal among said mobile terminals, said file upload request specifying an output device and a file to be uploaded on a conference room server;

receiving said file from said originating mobile terminal in said conference room server to allow said output device to operate based on said received file.