Transmission management system, program, computer readable information recording medium, program providing system, and maintenance system

• US 9,264,247 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2014
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Okuyama, Taro, Asai, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wei, Siren
• Application Number:
  US14/470,752
• Publication Number:
  US 20140362741A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• Field of Search: 370/247, 370/241.1, 370/244, 370/251, 370/252
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems

Abstract

A transmission management system receives, from a request source terminal which is an addition request source requesting to add a certain transmission terminal as a destination candidate, an addition request for the destination candidate, identification information of the request source terminal and identification information of a request target terminal which is an addition request target of the destination candidate; and informs the request target terminal of an approval request for requesting the request target terminal to approve the addition request, and the identification of the request source terminal. The system receives an addition request response from the request target terminal in response to the addition request. When the addition request response indicates to approve the addition request, the system additionally associates the identification information of the request target terminal with the identification information of the request source terminal as the identification information of the destination terminal.

Claims

1. A system for use with a first transmission terminal storing first identification information and a second transmission terminal storing second identification information connected via a network, the system comprising:

a memory;

a user interface; and

circuitry, wherein

the memory is to store destination information of the first transmission terminal in which the first identification information is associated with at least one item of identification information stored by a transmission terminal to communicate with the first transmission terminal based on the first identification information,

the user interface is configured to display, based on an addition request transmitted by a PC terminal which has logged in to the system using the first identification information and including the second identification information designated by a user of the PC terminal, whether to approve the addition request in a display screen page of a terminal associated with the second identification information,

the circuitry is configured to permit, when a response result that is input to the terminal associated with the second identification information indicates approval, the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information by newly additionally storing the second identification information in the destination information of the first transmission terminal stored by the memory, and

the circuitry is configured to prohibit the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information, when the response result does not indicate approval.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver to receive the addition request from the PC terminal; and

a transmitter to transmit an approval request querying whether to approve the received addition request to the terminal associated with the second identification information.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein:

the addition request received by the receiver includes the first identification information and the second identification information.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein:

the memory is to store respective items of operating state information indicating operating states of the first and second transmission terminals, and

the transmitter transmits, when the operating state indicated by the operating state information of the second transmission terminal stored by the memory indicates an on-line state but indicates not to start communication yet, the approval request to the second transmission terminal having the on-line operating state, and also transmit the first identification information stored by the first transmission terminal that is a request source of the addition request.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the user interface further displays a screen page for a user to select whether to defer responding to the addition request.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the user interface displays the first identification information stored by the first transmission terminal that is a request source of the addition request or a name of the first transmission terminal.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first transmission terminal is to establish a session for communicating image data or voice data with at least one transmission terminal based on at least one item of identification information associated with the first identification information managed by the memory.

8. The system according to claim 2, wherein:

the circuitry is configured to authenticate the first transmission terminal based on a login request received from the first transmission terminal, and

the transmitter is configured to transmit the destination information of the first transmission terminal associated with the first identification information managed by the memory to the first transmission terminal authenticated by the circuitry.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first and second transmission terminals are a cellular phone or an automotive navigation system mountable in an automobile.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

the terminal associated with the second identification information is configured to have the user interface, and

the terminal associated with the second identification information is the second transmission terminal or a PC terminal which logs in to the system using the second identification information.

11. A transmission system, comprising:

a PC terminal;

a first transmission terminal storing first identification information;

a second transmission terminal storing second identification information;

a memory;

a user interface; and

circuitry, wherein

the memory is to store destination information of the first transmission terminal in which the first identification information is associated with at least one item of identification information stored by a transmission terminal to communicate with the first transmission terminal based on the first identification information,

the user interface is configured to display, based on an addition request transmitted by a PC terminal which has logged in to the system using the first identification information and including the second identification information designated by a user of the PC terminal, whether to approve the addition request in a display screen page of a terminal associated with the second identification information,

the circuitry is configured to permit, when a response result that is input to the terminal associated with the second identification information indicates approval, the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information by newly additionally storing the second identification information in the destination information of the first transmission terminal stored by the memory, and

the circuitry is configured to prohibit the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information, when the response result does not indicate approval.

12. A transmission management apparatus for connection via a network to a system including a first transmission terminal storing first identification information and a second transmission terminal storing second identification information, the transmission management apparatus comprising:

a memory to store destination information of the first transmission terminal in which the first identification information is associated with at least one item of identification information stored by a transmission terminal to communicate with the first transmission terminal based on the first identification information; and

circuitry configured to

receive an addition request transmitted by a PC terminal which has logged in to the system using the first identification information and including the second identification information designated by a user of the PC terminal,

transmit an approval request querying whether to approve the addition request to a terminal associated with the second identification information, and

permit, when a response result to the approval request that is input to a user interface that the terminal associated with the second identification information has indicated approval, the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information by newly additionally storing the second identification information in the destination information of the first transmission terminal stored by the memory, and prohibiting the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information, when the response result does not indicate approval.

13. A method for controlling communication in a system including a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal, comprising:

storing destination information of the first transmission terminal in which first identification information of the first transmission terminal is associated with at least one item of identification information stored by a transmission terminal to communicate with the first transmission terminal based on the first identification information;

displaying on a user interface, based on an addition request transmitted by a PC terminal which has logged in to the system using the first identification information and second identification of the second transmission terminal, information designated by a user of the PC terminal, whether to approve the addition request in a display screen page of a terminal associated with the second identification information;

permitting, when a response result that is input to the terminal associated with the second identification information indicates approval, the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information by newly additionally storing the second identification information in the destination information of the first transmission terminal stored by the memory; and

prohibiting the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information, when the response result does not indicate approval.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

receiving the addition request from the PC terminal; and

transmitting an approval request querying whether to approve the received addition request to the terminal associated with the second identification information.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

the user interface is to further display a screen page for a user to select whether to defer responding to the addition request.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

the user interface is to display the first identification information stored by the first transmission terminal that is a request source of the addition request or a name of the first transmission terminal.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions which cause performing the steps of:

storing destination information of a first transmission terminal and associated first identification information which is associated with at least one item of identification information stored by a transmission terminal to communicate with the first transmission terminal based on the first identification information, the first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal being part of a system;

receiving an addition request transmitted by a PC terminal which has logged in to the system using the first identification information and including second identification information designated by a user of the PC terminal;

transmitting an approval request querying whether to approve the addition request to a terminal associated with second identification information, and

permitting, when a response result to the approval request that is input to a user interface that the terminal associated with the second identification information has indicated approval, the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information by newly additionally storing the second identification information in the destination information of the first transmission terminal which has been stored, and prohibiting the first transmission terminal to communicate with the second transmission terminal based on the second identification information, when the response result does not indicate approval.