SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING COMMUNICATION AMONG USERS

• US 20090112993A1
• Filed: 10/16/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Kohtaroh, Shimizu, Shuichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,280,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for supporting communication among users. The system includes a storage device for storing, a search unit for searching, and a selection unit for reading and then selecting a communication means to be used in the communication between the first and second users. The method and computer program product for supporting communication among users includes the steps of searching, reading and then selecting a communication means to be used in the communication between the first and second users.

Claims

1. A system for supporting communication among users, comprising:

a storage device for storing each of at least one communication means used by each user, in association with a score indicating a skill level of the user in using the communication means;

a search unit for searching out, from the storage device, at least one first communication means used by a first user and at least one second communication means used by a second user, wherein each communication means can be used in common by both the first and second user; and

a selection unit for reading, from the storage device, the scores of the first and second users for each of the searched-out communication means, and then selecting a communication means to be used in the communication between the first and second users, on the basis of the read scores.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the storage device stores a conversion accuracy of each conversion means that converts one communication means into another communication means;

the search unit searches out, from the first communication means, any of the first communication means that can be matched with any of the second communication means through conversion using any of the conversion means; and

the selection unit reads, from the storage device, the score corresponding to the searched-out first communication means, the conversion accuracy corresponding to the conversion means that causes the first communication means to match the second communication means, and the score corresponding to the second communication means, and then selects a communication means to be used in the communication between the first and second users on the basis of the read scores and also the conversion accuracy.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein:

the search unit searches out a plurality of conversion paths each allowing at least one of the conversion means to convert the first communication means into any one of the second communication means; and

the selection unit determines a communication establishment possibility between the first and second users on at least one searched-out conversion path, on the basis of the score corresponding to the first communication means before conversion, the conversion accuracy corresponding to each of the conversion means on the conversion path, and the score corresponding to the second communication means after conversion, and then selects the path having the highest communication establishment possibility.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein:

each of the scores and the conversion accuracy takes a value between zero and a predetermined constant value; and

the selection unit calculates, for each of the searched-out conversion paths, a product of the score corresponding to the first communication means before conversion, the conversion accuracy corresponding to each of the conversion means on the conversion paths, and the score corresponding to the second communication means after conversion, and then determines the communication establishment possibility between the first and second users on each of the searched-out conversion paths on the basis of the calculated product.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein

each of the communication means indicates a language for communication, and the conversion means is a machine translation system.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein:

each of the communication means indicates that the type of data to be transmitted and received is text data or speech data; and

the conversion means includes a text-to-speech synthesis system and a speech recognition system.

7. The system according to claim 4, wherein:

the storage device stores a transmission score and a reception score of each user, the transmission score indicating a skill level in using each communication means for transmission of information, the reception score indicating a skill level in using each communication means for reception of information;

the selection unit calculates, for each of the searched-out communication means, a set of first possibilities and a set of second possibilities, the first possibilities each indicating a communication establishment possibility based on a product of the transmission score of the first user and the reception score of the second user, the second possibilities each indicating a communication establishment possibility based on a product of the reception score of the first user and the transmission score of the second user; and

the selection unit determines a smaller one of the maximum values respectively of the first and second possibilities, as the communication establishment possibility using the communication means.

8. The system according to claim 4, wherein

the selection unit evaluates a higher communication establishment possibility in a case where the product of the scores respectively corresponding to the searched-out first and second communication means is higher, than the possibility in a case where the product is lower, as well as evaluating a higher communication establishment possibility in a case where a difference between the scores is smaller, than the possibility in a case where a difference between the scores is larger.

9. The system according to claim 4, wherein:

the storage device stores a priority level for each user of preferentially using each communication means in association with the communication means; and

the selection unit determines a communication establishment possibility using the searched-out first and second communication means, on a basis of the scores corresponding to the first and second communication means respectively weighted with the priority levels corresponding to the first and second communication means.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying an avatar representing each of the users in a virtual world, wherein

if the avatar of the second user is included within a visible range of the avatar of the first user, the display displays, on a screen showing the visible range of the first avatar, the avatar of the second user distinguishably in terms of the communication establishment possibility.

11. A method for supporting communication among users by use of a computer, the computer including a storage device for storing each of at least one communication means used by each user, in association with a score indicating a skill level of the user in using the communication means, the method comprising the steps of:

searching out, from the storage device, at least one communication means that first and second users can use in common;

reading, from the storage device, the scores of the first and second users for the searched-out communication means; and

selecting a communication means to be used in the communication between the first and second users, on the basis of the read scores.

12. A computer program product having a computer usable program code configured to carry out instructions for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

searching out, from the storage device, at least one communication means that first and second users can use in common;

reading, from the storage device, the scores of the first and second users for the searched-out communication means; and

selecting a communication means to be used in the communication between the first and second users, on the basis of the read scores.