Group communication assistance system

• US 20070016649A1
• Filed: 07/13/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nishiki, Kenya
• Application Number:
  US11/485,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016649A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

It becomes more difficult to correctly display presence by restricting an operation burden of users when the number of communication counter-parts (bodies) increases. An assistance system includes an event notice setting functional unit for conducting prior setting for notifying a change of presence of a buddy to a presence server; a dynamic buddy list management functional unit for acquiring presence information of a buddy list to which the buddy belongs by taking the event notified from the presence server as an opportunity, and displaying the presence information on a display screen in a form suitable for the buddy list; and an interface control functional unit for controlling a user interface.

Claims

1. An assistance system connected to a presence server, comprising:

an event notice setting functional unit for conducting prior setting for notifying a change of presence of a buddy to said presence server;

a dynamic buddy list management functional unit for acquiring presence information of a buddy list to which said buddy belongs by taking the event notified from said presence server as an opportunity, and displaying said presence information on a display screen in a form suitable for said buddy list; and

an interface control functional unit for controlling a user interface.

2. An assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said event notice setting functional unit urges a user to select predetermined information as a condition for notifying the event from said presence server to said assistance system.

3. An assistance system according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined information contains any of a specific buddy list, a specific user, updating of the presence to be notified, a notice frequency and a display form of a notified event.

4. An assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said dynamic buddy list management functional unit displays the presence of the buddy list associated with said event on the display screen.

5. An assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said interface control functional unit executes display on said display screen by either a floor view form that visually displays the presence information on a seat layout for each department of an office or a location view form that visually displays the presence information on a geographical map of project members for each project of tasks.

6. An assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said interface control functional unit displays a list of predetermined data by taking the selection of user icons on said display screen as an opportunity, and switches said display screen by taking the selection of a specific project as an opportunity.

7. An assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said interface control functional unit displays a condition of a tray of said buddy by taking the selection of a document icon on said display screen as an opportunity, activates an application and confirms project content.

8. An assistance system according to claim 1, wherein said interface control functional unit displays a use condition of a conference room when a conference room icon on said display screen is selected, activates an application and urges a user to reserve said conference room.