Control apparatus of virtual common space using communication line

• US 20010002831A1
• Filed: 11/30/2000
• Published: 06/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kato, Masami, Tadokoro, Yoshihisa, Sakakibara, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 7,116,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/700
• 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 of a user terminal device connected to a server device in a main office through a communication line and a home office system having a display device which is connected to said user terminal device, said method comprising the steps of:

monitoring a state of a user in a place where said user terminal device is located; and

judging whether or not the user has to take a rest on the basis of a monitoring result obtained in said monitoring step,

requesting virtual rest space data for said server device if it is judged that the rest has to be taken by the user in said judging step; and

displaying a virtual rest space on the display device upon receiving the virtual rest space data.

2. A method according to

claim 1

, wherein it is possible to communicate with other users in the virtual rest space displayed on the display device in said displaying step.

3. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program to cause a user terminal device connected to a server device in a main office through a communication line and a home office system having a display device which is connected to said user terminal device, to execute the following steps of:

monitoring a state of a user in a place where said user terminal device is located; and

judging whether or not the user has to take a rest on the basis of a monitoring result obtained in said monitoring step,

requesting virtual rest space data for said server device if it is judged that the rest has to be taken by the user in said judging step; and

displaying a virtual rest space on the display device upon receiving the virtual rest space data.

4. A medium according to

claim 3

, wherein it is possible to communicate with other users in the virtual rest space displayed on the display device in said displaying step.

5. A control apparatus of a virtual system which has plural user terminal devices and a host server device connected to said plural user terminal devices through a communication line and creates a virtual space, comprising:

user information obtaining means for obtaining information of a user in a place where said each user terminal device is located;

user state recognition means for recognizing a state of the user on the basis of information obtained by said user information obtaining means; and

virtual space control means for moving the user in the virtual space in accordance with a recognition result obtained by said user state recognition means.

6. An apparatus according to

claim 5

, wherein said user information obtaining means is imaging means for imaging the user and said user state recognition means recognizes the state of the user on the basis of an image of the user outputted from said imaging means.

7. An apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein said user state recognition means recognizes a face direction of the user and said virtual space control means moves the user to another virtual space in a case where the user looks toward said user terminal device with a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time.

8. An apparatus according to

claim 6

, wherein said user state recognition means recognizes motion of the user and said virtual space control means moves the user to another virtual space in a case where the motion of the user is in a predetermined condition for a period longer than a previously designated time.

9. An apparatus according to

claim 5

, wherein said user information obtaining means is voice sound information obtaining means for obtaining voice sound information, said user state recognition means recognizes emotion of the user on the basis of the voice sound information obtained by said voice sound information obtaining means and said virtual space control means moves the user to another virtual space in case of judging that the user is in a great stress condition in accordance with the recognition result obtained by said user state recognition means.

10. An apparatus according to

claim 7

, wherein the another virtual space is a space used for taking a cooperative rest.

11. An apparatus according to

claim 5

, wherein said user terminal device has means for transmitting information of the user to said host server device and said user state recognition means provided in said server device recognizes a state of the user on the basis of the information transmitted from said user terminal device.

12. A control method of a virtual system which has plural user terminal devices and a host server device connected to said plural user terminal devices through a communication line and creates a virtual space, said method comprising:

a user information obtaining step of obtaining information of a user in a place where said each user terminal device is located;

a user state recognition step of recognizing a state of the user on the basis of information obtained in said user information obtaining step; and

a virtual space control step of moving the user in the virtual space in accordance with a recognition result obtained in said user state recognition step.

13. A method according to

claim 12

, wherein said user information obtaining step is an imaging step of imaging the user and said user state recognition step recognizes the state of the user on the basis of an image obtained by imaging the user.

14. A method according to

claim 13

, wherein said user state recognition step recognizes a face direction of the user and said virtual space control step moves the user to another virtual space in a case where the user looks toward said user terminal device with a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time.

15. A method according to

claim 13

, wherein said user state recognition step recognizes motion of the user and said virtual space control step moves the user to another virtual space in a case where the motion of the user is in a predetermined condition for a period longer than a previously designated time.

16. A method according to

claim 12

, wherein said user information obtaining step is structured by a voice sound information obtaining step of obtaining voice sound information, said user state recognition step recognizes emotion of the user on the basis of the voice sound information obtained in said voice sound information obtaining step and said virtual space control step moves the user to another virtual space in case of judging that the user is in a great stress condition in accordance with the recognition result obtained in said user state recognition step.

17. A method according to

claim 14

, wherein the another virtual space is a space used for taking a cooperative rest.

18. A computer-readable storage medium which stores a program to cause a virtual system which has plural user terminal devices and a host server device connected to said plural user terminal devices through a communication line and creates a virtual space, to execute the following steps of:

a user information obtaining step of obtaining information of a user in a place where said each user terminal device is located;

a user state recognition step of recognizing a state of the user on the basis of information obtained in said user information obtaining step; and

a virtual space control step of moving the user in the virtual space in accordance with a recognition result obtained in said user state recognition step.