Conference display control method and apparatus for an electronic conference for displaying either shared or local data and transferring local data

• US 5,995,096 A
• Filed: 12/18/1997
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Tomomi, Mori, Kenjiro, Ishizaki, Takeshi, Hayashi, Toshimitsu, Kinoshita, Shigeaki, Kitahara, Chiho, Kameda, Masami, Nakayama, Yoshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US08/993,151
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• Field of Search: 345/330-332, 345/340, 345/343, 345/93.17, 379/93.21, 379/202
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

In a conferencing system comprising telephones and workstations to assist a cooperative work, a conference display control method for a visual user interface is provided. A conference window is displayed on a workstation display during execution of a teleconference. The conference window includes a meeting table area as a shared space and a local area which cannot be seen by the other participants. Document objects corresponding to a document application program which is used in the conference are arranged on those areas. The distribution of the documents, reference of information, and execution of the application program can be executed by direct manipulation of objects using a mouse. In the conference window, the document object can be operated at both the cooperative work place and the local work place. The operations during the conference can be simplified. Further, the conference window is displayed on the workstation display during the teleconference execution, the conference documents are sharingly executed by an OHP object on the conference window, and the documents during the shared execution are displayed in an OHP area, so that the kind of document which is being executed can be grasped.

Claims

1. In an electronic conference system including a plurality of data processing units, each of which includes an input unit and a display unit, and a communication network for inter-connecting said data processing units to each other, wherein said electronic conference system realizes an electronic conference by providing communication between said processing units through said communication network, a method of controlling said display units comprises the steps of:

providing at least one of said data processing units with participation information indicating whether or not respective ones of said data processing units are participating in the electronic conference;

displaying, on a window of a display unit corresponding to a particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference according to the participation information, a participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference; and

defining, on said window, a participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference, a participant area including document objects shared among participants of the electronic conference and a local area including document objects corresponding only to said particular data processing unit and not yet shared with other participants of the electronic conference.

2. In the method of controlling display units in the electronic conference system of claim 1, said participant area includes a community participant area which displays document objects shared by other participants in the electronic conference and a shared area which displays document objects originating from said particular data processing units for sharing with the other participants in the electronic conference.

3. A method of controlling display units in an electronic conference system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said document objects correspond to document application programs which can be simultaneously activated.

4. A method of controlling display units in an electronic conference system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said document objects correspond to document application programs which can be simultaneously activated.

5. In an electronic conference system including a plurality of data processing units, each of which includes an input unit and a display unit, and a communication network for inter-connecting said data processing units to each other, wherein said electronic conference system realizes an electronic conference by providing communication between said processing units through said communication network, a method of controlling said display units comprises the steps of:

providing at least one of said data processing units with participation information indicating whether or not respective ones of said data processing units are participating in the electronic conference;

displaying, on a window of a display unit corresponding to a particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference according to the participation information, a participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference, a participant area including document objects shared among participants of the electronic conference and a local area including document objects corresponding only to said particular data processing unit and not yet shared with other participants of the electronic conference;

displaying a data object representing data associated with said participant object on said participant area;

displaying a data object representing data associated with said particular data processing unit on said local area; and

moving said data object between said participant area and said local area in response to an input from said input unit to transfer a copy of said data associated with said data object between respective memory storages of said data processing unit corresponding to said participant area and said local area.

6. The method of controlling said display units of claim 5, wherein said data object is moved to said participant area in response to an input from said input unit to distribute said data objects to the other participants of the electronic conference.

7. The method of controlling said display units of claim 5, wherein said data object is moved to said participant area in response to an input from said input unit to distribute said data objects to selected ones of the other participants of the electronic conference.

8. An electronic conference system, comprising:

a plurality of data processing units, each of which includes an input unit and a display unit; and

a communication network for inter-connecting said data processing units to each other, said communication network providing communication between said data processing units to realize an electronic conference;

wherein at least one of said data processing units is provided with participation information indicating whether or not respective ones of said data processing units are participating in the electronic conference,

a participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference is displayed on a window of a display unit corresponding to said particular data processing unit,

said window includes said participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference, and further defines a participant area including document objects shared among participants of the electronic conference and a local area including document objects corresponding only to said particular data processing unit and not yet shared with other participants of the electronic conference,

a data object representing data associated with said participant object is displayed on said participant area, a data object representing data associated with said particular data processing unit is displayed on said local area, and

said data object is moved between said participant area and said local area in response to an input from said input unit to transfer a copy of said data associated with said data object between respective memory storages of said data processing unit corresponding to said participant area and said local area.

9. The electronic conference system of claim 8, wherein said data object is moved to said participant area in response to an input from said input unit to distribute said data objects to the other participants of the electronic conference.

10. The electronic conference system of claim 8, wherein said data object is moved to said participant area in response to an input from said input unit to distribute said data objects to selected ones of the other participants of the electronic conference.

11. An electronic conference system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said document objects correspond to document application programs which can be simultaneously activated.

12. In an electronic conference system, each of a plurality of data processing units comprises:

an input unit; and

a display unit;

wherein said electronic conference system includes a communication network for inter-connecting said data processing units to each other, said communication network providing communication between said data processing units to realize an electronic conference,

the input unit of a data processing unit participating in the electronic conference is provided with participation information indicating whether or not respective ones of said data processing units are participating in the electronic conference,

a participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference is displayed on a window of a display unit corresponding to said particular data processing unit,

said window includes said participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference, and further defines a participant area including document objects shared among participants of the electronic conference and a local area including document objects corresponding only to said particular data processing unit and not yet shared with other participants of the electronic conference,

a data object representing data associated with said participant object is displayed on said participant area, a data object representing data associated with said particular data processing unit is displayed on said local area, and

said data object is moved between said participant area and said local area in response to an input from said input unit to transfer a copy of said data associated with said data object between respective memory storages of said data processing unit corresponding to said participant area and said local area.

13. The electronic conference system of claim 12, wherein said data object is moved to said participant area in response to an input from said input unit to distribute said data objects to the other participants of the electronic conference.

14. The electronic conference system of claim 12, wherein said data object is moved to said participant area in response to an input from said input unit to distribute said data objects to selected ones of the other participants of the electronic conference.

15. An electronic conference system as claimed in claim 12, wherein said document objects correspond to document application programs which can be simultaneously activated.

16. An electronic conference system, comprising:

a plurality of data processing units, each of which includes an input unit and a display unit; and

a communication network for inter-connecting said data processing units to each other, said communication network providing communication between said data processing units to realize an electronic conference;

wherein at least one of said data processing units is provided with participation information indicating whether or not respective ones of said data processing units are participating in the electronic conference,

a participant object representing a particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference is displayed on a window of a display unit corresponding to said particular data processing unit, and

said window includes said participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference, and further defines a participant area including document objects shared among participants of the electronic conference and a local area including document objects corresponding only to said particular data processing unit and not yet shared with other participants of the electronic conference.

17. In the electronic conference system of claim 16, said participant area includes a community participant area which displays document objects shared by other participants in the electronic conference and a shared area which displays document objects originating from said particular data processing units for sharing with the other participants in the electronic conference.

18. An electronic conference system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said document objects correspond to document application programs which can be simultaneously activated.

19. An electronic conference system as claimed in claim 16, wherein said document objects correspond to document application programs which can be simultaneously activated.

20. In an electronic conference system, each of a plurality of data processing units comprises:

an input unit; and

a display unit;

wherein said electronic conference system includes a communication network for inter-connecting said data processing units to each other, to provide communication between said data processing units for realizing an electronic conference,

the input unit of a data processing unit participating in the electronic conference is provided with participation information indicating whether or not respective other ones of said data processing units are participating in the electronic conference,

a participant object representing said data processing unit is displayed on a window of a display unit corresponding to said particular data processing unit, and

said window includes said participant object representing said particular data processing unit participating in the electronic conference, and further defines a participant area including document objects shared among participants of the electronic conference and a local area including document objects corresponding only to said particular data processing unit and not yet shared with other participants of the electronic conference.

21. In the data processing units of the electronic conference system of claim 20, said participant area includes a community participant area which displays document objects shared by other participants in the electronic conference and a shared area which displays document objects originating from said particular data processing units for sharing with the other participants in the electronic conference.

22. An electronic conference system as claimed in claim 20, wherein said document objects correspond to document application programs which can be simultaneously activated.