Control apparatus of virtual common space using communication line

• US 7,116,284 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Issued: 10/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kato, Masami, Sakakibara, Ken, Tadokoro, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US09/726,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20010002831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,133 Days
• Field of Search: 345/753, 345/757, 345/758, 345/326, 345/1.1, 345/2.1, 345/2.3, 709/106, 709/100, 709/203, 709/204, 715/700, 715/706, 715/719, 715/750, 715/751, 715/753, 715/755, 715/757, 463/30, 463/31, 463/34, 700/65
• US Class Current: 345/2.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

A user terminal device has a computer, a software for the user terminal device, a telephone, a video camera and a virtual office display device. Generally, working state, condition or the like of another user is displayed on a screen of the virtual office display device. A user'"'"'s state is recognized on the basis of an image of the user taken by the video camera. In a case where the user continuously looks toward the virtual office display device for a period longer than a time previously determined by the user, the screen of the virtual office display device is switched to a rest room screen, and the user is moved to a rest room in a virtual space. In that rest room, the user can communicate with another user utilizing a cooperative rest tool. The cooperative rest tool includes a voice meeting tool, a character meeting tool and a multiuser game tool.

Claims

1. A control method for a home office system that includes user terminal devices each of which includes a display device, said method comprising:

a monitoring step, of monitoring whether or not a period when a concentration of a user is continuously toward the display device is longer than a predetermined time, based on an image of the user picked up by a camera; and

a control step, of automatically changing a display on the display device to a display of a common virtual space for rest by informally communicating with other users when it is determined that the user should take a rest, based on a result obtained in said monitoring step that the concentration of the user is continuously toward the display device for longer than the predetermined time set by the user in advance, so that the user may informally communicate with other users present in the common virtual space for rest.

2. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for a user terminal device of a home office system including a display device, the program comprising:

code for a monitoring step, of monitoring whether or not a period when a concentration of a user is continuously toward the display device is longer than a predetermined time, based on an image of the user picked up by a camera; and

code for a control step, of automatically changing a display on the display device to a display of a common virtual space for rest by informally communicating with other users when it is determined that the user should take a rest, based on a result obtained in said monitoring step that the concentration of the user is continuously toward the display device for longer than the predetermined time set by the user in advance, so that the user may informally communicate with other users present in the common virtual space for rest.

3. A control apparatus for a virtual system, which includes plural user terminal devices and a host server device connected to the plural user terminal devices through a communication network, said control apparatus comprising:

a monitoring unit arranged to monitor whether or not a period when a concentration of a user is continuously toward the display device is longer than a predetermined time, based on an image of the user picked up by a camera; and

a control unit arranged to automatically change a display on the display device to a display of a common virtual space for rest by informally communicating with other users when it is determined that the user should take a rest, based on a result obtained by said monitoring unit that the concentration of the user is continuously toward the display device for longer than the predetermined time set by the user in advance.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an imaging unit arranged to image the user, wherein said monitoring unit monitors a state of the user based on an image of the user outputted from said imaging unit.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said monitoring unit monitors a face direction of the user, and said control unit moves the user to another virtual space in a case in which the user looks toward the user'"'"'s user terminal device a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the other virtual space is a space used for taking a cooperative rest.

7. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an imaging unit arranged to image the user, wherein

said imaging unit includes a voice sound information obtaining unit for obtaining voice sound information,

said monitoring unit monitors an emotion of the user based on the voice sound information obtained by the voice sound information obtaining unit, and

said control unit moves the user to another virtual space if it is judged that the user is in a stress condition, in accordance with a recognition result obtained by said monitoring unit.

8. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the user'"'"'s user terminal device includes a transmission unit arranged to transmit information of the user to the host server device, and

said monitoring unit, which is provided in the host server device, monitors a state of the user based on the information transmitted from the user'"'"'s user terminal device.