WO2012001919A1

WO2012001919A1 - Communication device, communication system, communication method and communication program

Info

Publication number: WO2012001919A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/003586
Authority: WO
Inventors: 尚志野田
Original assignee: 日本電気株式会社
Priority date: 2010-06-28
Filing date: 2011-06-23
Publication date: 2012-01-05

Abstract

A communication device is provided with: a communication function implementation means that transmits dialogue and/or data between designated communication devices; a status probe transmission means that, in response to a user operation, transmits a status probe, which is a query regarding the status of a user to be communicated with without requiring a compulsory notification and response; a status probe receiving means that receives the status probe to which the communication device is subjected and displays the received status probe information for the user, without requiring a compulsory notification and response; and a status probe response means that responds to the received status probe on the basis of a user operation.

Description

COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION METHOD, AND COMMUNICATION PROGRAM

The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication system, a communication method, and a communication program having a communication function for performing communication with a person such as a telephone, mail, instant message, and chat.

For example, in telephone communication, there is an advantage that detailed information can be exchanged immediately by directly talking with the other party. However, you must be in a state where you and the other party can call at the same time. With regard to telephone communication, a technique for establishing a call as efficiently as possible has been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a communication mediation system that provides a convenience introduction service for consulting the convenience of a recipient for the purpose of providing a detailed service according to the convenience and communication purpose of a transmission side and a reception side. .

Further, for example, in Patent Document 2, for the purpose of reliably establishing a call with high importance on both the calling side and the receiving side, the receiving conditions are set in advance on the receiving side, and the calling conditions on the calling side and the receiving side are set. Describes a method of automatically accepting an incoming call only when the incoming call condition matches.

Also, in order to prevent wasting time until a call is established due to the absence of one of them, a technique for notifying the time when the called party can respond when the called party is absent or when it becomes possible to respond is proposed (See Patent Documents 3 and 4). A technique has been proposed in which a sender side automatically analyzes the electronic mail and makes a call to the sender side by describing that the sender of the email makes a call at a specified time in the text (Patent Document 5). reference).

JP 2002-290563 A JP 2008-288788 A JP 2005-286680 A JP 2007-181133 A JP 2009-246442 A

The inventions described in Patent Documents 2 to 5 are based on the premise that both the caller and the callee are willing to make a call, unless there is a physical reason such as absence. However, in reality, there are many cases where the caller or the callee has a negative intention about the call. For example, on the calling side, “the other party seems busy and it is difficult to contact” “sorry in time”. For example, “there is an incoming call but I do not want to talk busy”, “the progress to report to the caller is not good, and I do not want to respond”.

In other words, when making a call, there is a problem that the difference in the situation between the caller and the callee creates a psychological load, and smooth communication is hindered. The inventions disclosed in Patent Documents 2 to 5 have a problem that such a psychological load cannot be reduced because only the improvement of time efficiency in a call is handled as a problem.

In addition, in the communication mediation system described in Patent Document 1, each terminal device user sends a request item (communication purpose information) for transmission and a request item (communication convenience information) for reception to the management unit. Must be notified. Further, even if it is possible to set whether to permit or reject communication after identifying and confirming the terminal user on the transmitting side, the operation itself may be complicated depending on the situation of the user. In such a system that makes the user feel complicated, both psychological loads are not reduced. As a result, the caller or callee is still reluctant about the call.

The present invention provides a communication device, a communication system, a communication method, and a communication program capable of performing communication with a person such as a telephone, mail, instant message, and chat without applying a psychological load on the calling side and the receiving side. The purpose is to provide.

The communication device according to the present invention is a communication function executing means for executing a call or data communication with a designated communication device, and an inquiry that does not involve a request for a compulsory notification and response according to a user operation. , A situation consultation sending means for sending a situation consultation, which is an inquiry about the situation of the other user, and a situation consultation performed on the communication device, and forcing notification and response of the received situation consultation information It is characterized by comprising situation consultation receiving means for presenting to a user without the request and situation consultation response means for responding to situation consultation received by the situation consultation receiving unit in response to a user operation.

In addition, a communication system according to the present invention includes a caller communication device used by a caller user and a callee communication device used by a callee user, and the caller communication device communicates with a designated communication device. Communication function execution means for executing a call or data communication, and sending a situation consultation, which is an inquiry without a request for a compulsory notification and response, and an inquiry about the other user's situation, according to a user operation Including a situation consultation sending means,
A communication function execution means for performing a call or data communication with a specified communication device, and a status consultation performed on the communication device, and a user without requesting a forced notification and response And a situation consultation response means for responding to the received situation consultation in response to a user operation.

According to another aspect of the communication apparatus of the present invention, a communication function execution unit that executes a call or data communication with a specified communication apparatus, and a forced notification and response request according to a user operation. It is characterized by comprising situation consultation sending means for sending a situation consultation that is an inquiry that is not accompanied and is an inquiry about the situation of the other user.

In addition, a communication device according to still another aspect of the present invention receives a communication function execution means for performing a call or data communication with a designated communication device, and a situation consultation performed on the communication device. Further, the present invention is characterized by comprising situation consultation receiving means for presenting to a user without requesting forced notification and response, and situation consultation response means for responding to the received situation consultation in response to a user operation.

The communication method according to the present invention is a communication method that is performed before a call or data communication is performed with a designated communication device, and the communication device on the caller side is forcedly notified in response to a user operation. And an inquiry that does not require a response, and sends a situation consultation that is an inquiry about the other user's situation, and the receiving side communication device receives the situation consultation made to the communication device, The received situation consultation information is presented to the user without a forced notification and response request, and the communication device on the receiving side responds to the received situation consultation in response to a user operation.

Further, the communication program according to the present invention does not involve a forced notification and response request in response to a user operation on a computer having a communication function for performing a call or data communication with a designated communication device. A situation consultation transmission process for sending a situation consultation, which is an inquiry about the situation of the other user, receiving a situation consultation performed on the communication device, and forcing the received situation consultation information The present invention is characterized in that a situation consultation incoming process that is presented to the user without requesting a notification and a response, and a situation consultation response process that responds to the received situation consultation are executed in accordance with a user operation.

According to the present invention, communication with a person such as a telephone, mail, instant message, and chat can be performed without applying a psychological load on the calling side and the called side. For example, the caller can make a call without worrying about the convenience of the callee. Although it is not particularly urgent, it is suitable for communications, requests, simple reviews, explanation / understanding of current conditions, and inquiries that require verbal communication. Also, for example, the called party can respond at any time at his convenience. In particular, the present invention is suitable for a case where a call cannot be made immediately without releasing a hand, and a preparation is required for a call.

It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the communication system of 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the condition consultation request | requirement screen which is an example of the user interface for consultation. It is explanatory drawing which shows the situation consultation incoming call screen which is an example of the user interface of the side which received consultation. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display to the user in the transmission side communication apparatus which received the situation consultation response. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the communication system of 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of presence. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the user interface for setting detailed presence. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the display to the user in the transmission side communication apparatus which received detailed presence as a situation consultation response. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the communication system of 3rd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows an example of operation | movement of 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the outline | summary of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, a soft phone having a GUI will be described as a main object of the communication apparatus of the present invention. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to a soft phone having a GUI, and any device (including a program) having a call function such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a POS terminal, a voice chat software, and a fixed phone may be used. It may be. Further, for example, the present invention can be applied to an automatic voice response device (IVR) that does not have a GUI by reading out the contents of the GUI.

Embodiment 1. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication system including an example of a communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. The communication system shown in FIG. 1 includes a communication device (calling side communication device) 100A used by a calling side user and a communication device (calling side communication device) 100B used by a receiving side user. Further, the originating communication device 100A and the receiving communication device 100B are connected via a communication network 200. The communication network 200 may be wired or wireless as long as it is a communication network capable of making a telephone call. The communication network 200 includes various control devices necessary for a communication system such as an exchange to establish a telephone call.

The transmission side communication device 100A includes a situation consultation transmission unit 101 and a communication function unit 104. In addition, incoming communication device 100B includes a situation consultation receiving unit 102, a situation consultation response unit 103, and a communication function unit 104.

FIG. 1 shows an example in which two different types of communication devices, that is, a transmission side communication device 100A and a reception side communication device 100B are provided across a network. However, since one communication device usually includes both outgoing and incoming functions, each of the communication device 100A and the communication device 100B is realized by a communication device including both the outgoing side and incoming side functions. Is possible. That is, the

communication devices

100A and 100B may each include a situation consultation sending unit 101, a situation consultation receiving unit 102, a situation consultation response unit 103, and a communication function unit 104.

The situation consultation sending unit 101 makes a consultation as to whether or not it is possible to start communication with a person (for example, communication such as a voice call, hereinafter referred to as “personal communication”). In this specification, “consult” means that the caller makes an inquiry to the called party about the situation regarding whether or not the interpersonal communication can be started with less burden on the callee. More specifically, in order to reduce the burden on the recipient, a message is sent to the recipient of the inquiry with the freedom to reply to the inquiry. In other words, it sends a message that can be queried without a compulsory notification and response request. “No compulsory notification and response request” means that notification can be made without interrupting the work of the called party and the response operation can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to determine in advance that the inquiry (situation consultation) does not need to be answered immediately when an incoming call is received.

The situation consultation receiving unit 102 receives a message indicating the situation consultation from the caller via the network, and presents the information so as not to disturb the user. For example, when a message indicating a situation consultation is received, the situation consultation receiving unit 102 presents the fact and the information to the user by using a balloon display or the like on the GUI.

The situation consultation response unit 103 receives an answer from the user to the situation consultation and returns it to the sender.

The communication function unit 104 performs communication between communication devices. Further, the communication function unit 104 has a personal communication function for performing personal communication such as a voice call. As the interpersonal communication function, for example, various controls for establishing interpersonal communication such as a voice call between the caller communication device and the callee communication device (for example, from the call request to disconnection on the callee side on the callee side) If there is, process from incoming call notification to disconnection). Note that a communication function unit for realizing the interpersonal communication function and a communication function unit for realizing the situation consultation function may be provided separately. By doing in this way, the existing interpersonal communication function can be utilized.

In the present embodiment, the situation consultation transmission unit 101, the consultation reception unit 102, the situation consultation response unit 103, and the communication function unit 104 include, for example, a processor unit that operates according to a program such as a CPU provided in each communication device, and the like. And a communication unit that executes communication. The functions related to the user interface part are realized by a processor unit that operates according to a program such as a CPU, an information output device such as a display, and an information input device such as a mouse. The function for holding data is realized by a storage device such as various memories.

Next, an example of the operation of the

communication devices

100A and 100B will be described step by step. Hereinafter, a consultation operation performed before the caller and the callee start interpersonal communication will be described.

First, the caller performs an operation to consult the status of the callee. Here, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the communication device 100A, the situation consultation sending unit 101 receives the user operation and performs consultation processing.

In this embodiment, an example will be described in which “consultation” is conveyed with an image of knocking (tapping lightly) the door. That is, in this example, a consultation (transmission of a consultation request, an incoming call, a response) is performed with an output of an expression (image, sound, LED, etc.) representing an operation of “knocking the door” to the user. For example, an image representing an operation of knocking a door is used as a button or icon indicating a consultation operation presented to the user. In addition, for example, it is possible to use a door knocking sound or an LED that blinks in response to the door knocking rhythm for the notification of “percussion”. In this way, by performing the “percussion” operation in association with the expression of the “knock the door” operation, the percussion operation can be more easily (intuitively) shown to the user. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a situation consultation request screen which is an example of a user interface for consultation. For example, on the situation consultation request screen 200 shown in FIG. 2, the user selects a partner to be consulted from the user list 202 or the like, and presses a consultation button (a button with a knocked image in the figure) 201. To do. Then, the situation consultation transmission part 101 starts a consultation process.

When starting the consultation process, the situation consultation transmission unit 101 first transmits the situation consultation information indicating the situation consultation to the designated user communication device 100B via the network. In addition, information such as the requesting user information and the purpose of consultation may be added to the situation consultation information. In addition, the status consultation transmission unit 101 may display that the consultation is being performed in the information display of the other user while the consultation is being performed.

In the receiving side communication device 100B, the situation consultation receiving unit 102 receives the situation consultation information, and presents information about the consultation to the user based on the received situation consultation information. The situation consultation receiving unit 102 notifies the situation consultation response unit 103 that the situation consultation has been received. The situation consultation receiving unit 102 may display, for example, a situation consultation incoming screen that includes the name of the user who has given a consultation indicated by the received situation consultation information and a button for inputting his / her situation. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a situation consultation incoming call screen which is an example of the user interface on the side receiving the consultation. In the status consultation incoming call screen 300 shown in FIG. 3, “Niden”, which is the name of the user who has consulted, is displayed (see reference numeral 301), and further, interpersonal communication is sufficiently possible as an input item on the incoming side. Button group 302 of “Please wait” indicating a busy state, “Wait a little wait” indicating a busy state, and “Looking to wait” indicating a difficult state of interpersonal communication is displayed. It is supposed to be selected.

Here, when presenting to the user that there has been a situation consultation, it is assumed that the work of the recipient is not hindered, as in the case of a notification operation when an email is received. Examples of the notification method include sound, light such as LED, balloon display on GUI, toaster display, modeless dialog, and the like. The situation consultation receiving unit 102 presents to the user that there has been a situation consultation using such a method. Note that a display for notifying that there has been a situation consultation and a screen for receiving a response may be separated. For example, a balloon display or the like may be used as a display for notifying that there has been a situation consultation, and a consultation response screen for responding to a consultation only when a confirmation operation from the user is performed may be displayed. Is possible. For example, the situation consultation receiving unit 102 may hold the received situation consultation information so that it can be presented to the user at any time during a certain period of time when the situation consultation is valid.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the state can be distinguished by the color as well as the expression by characters. For example, a button indicating a state in which interpersonal communication is sufficiently possible may be displayed with a green lamp display together with a character display “always please”. Further, for example, a button indicating a slightly busy state may be provided with a yellow lamp display together with a character display of “wait for a while”. Further, for example, a button indicating a state in which it is difficult to perform interpersonal communication may be displayed with a red lamp together with a character display “Looking to be waiting”. Note that FIG. 3 is merely an example, and the interface at the time of consultation reception in the present embodiment is not limited to this, and any interface that inputs information indicating the degree of communication is arbitrary. For example, a text box or the like that allows free character input may be provided. Moreover, you may make anonymous about the user name who has consulted.

The user on the receiving side informs the current situation by pressing a button in the situation consultation incoming call screen. Here, it is assumed that “wait a little” is selected and input. The status consultation response unit 103 transmits the input status to the caller side via the network. In this example, the situation consultation response unit 103 receives an input from a user, and as a situation consultation response including information indicating the degree to which the user can communicate, the requesting communication device (here, the communication device 100A on the transmission side) ).

In the communication device 100A on the transmission side, the situation consultation sending unit 101 receives the situation consultation response and presents the other party's situation to the user based on the received situation consultation response.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example to the user in the communication device on the transmission side that has received the situation consultation response. As shown in FIG. 4, in the communication device 100A that has received the situation consultation response, the situation consultation transmission unit 101 includes a message 401 “slightly wait” which is the situation of the other party indicated by the situation consultation response. The reception screen 400 may be displayed to the caller side user. In FIG. 4, as an example of presentation to the user, in addition to the message 401 indicating the other party's situation, the other user information 402 and subsequent operations (for example, voice call start, non-real-time call communication start, A situation reception screen 400 including a command button 403 for instructing a video conference start, instant message transmission, situation consultation request, and the like, and an end button 404 for ending the process is illustrated. “Non-real-time call communication (NRC communication)” is communication based on a new communication method based on the same concept as “consultation” of the present application. “Non-real-time call communication (NRC communication)” is a call request that does not involve a forced call and continues until a response is received from the other user or until a predetermined cancellation condition is met. Refers to communication initiated by.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to inquire whether or not to start interpersonal communication using a method called “consultation” in which a casual interface is promised. Therefore, the psychological load on the sender side can be reduced. In addition, the callee side can reply as needed without being disturbed by the current operation, so that the psychological load can be reduced compared to the case of suddenly coming. In addition, it is possible to select an answer to the consultation from predetermined response options by a single click operation, and it is possible to reply efficiently, thereby further reducing the psychological load.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, there are two stages of presence: normal presence, which is a presence presented to a general user, and detailed presence, which is a more detailed presence. Detailed presence is returned only to users who have been consulted. Presence is information indicating the current state of the user such as being present, leaving, meeting, going out. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the presence includes information indicating the current state regarding whether or not the user can perform interpersonal communication.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication system including an example of the communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. Below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the structure similar to the communication system of 1st Embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, unlike the first embodiment, the receiving communication device 100B further includes a normal presence setting unit 110 and a detailed presence setting unit 111.

The normal presence setting unit 110 sets a normal presence to be presented to a general user based on a user operation or a predetermined standard. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of presence in the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, as normal presence, “busy” indicating a busy state, “online” indicating that the user is logged in but in a normal busy state, and “away” indicating that the user is logged in but is away. The four states of “offline” indicating the state of being out of the office without logging in are illustrated. Note that the type of normal presence is not limited to this example. The normal presence may be anything that corresponds to an outline of presence with respect to detailed presence, for example.

The detailed presence setting unit 111 sets a more detailed presence to be presented only to a user who has received a situation consultation. The detailed presence setting unit 111 sets the detailed presence based on, for example, a user operation or a predetermined standard. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, in order to represent a more detailed state than the state indicated by the normal presence, a color that changes in stages can be set as the detailed presence. It is also possible to use continuous values as detailed presence information and colors as expressions.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, red is busy and it is difficult to perform interpersonal communication. Yellow indicates a slightly busy situation. That is, yellow indicates a situation in which a response is made when urgent is required, but a little wait is required when urgent is not needed. Green indicates normal busyness and possible handling. In the example shown in FIG. 6, in addition to such a situation, a state that changes continuously between them is provided. For example, a yellow-green color between yellow and green indicates a situation that is less busy than a yellow situation but is more busy than a green situation. Note that the detailed presence shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example. The detailed presence is not limited to the example shown in FIG. The detailed presence may be a numerical value, a symbol, an emoticon or the like, and is arbitrary as long as the degree of busyness (or possibility of correspondence to interpersonal communication) is transmitted.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a user interface for changing (setting) the detailed presence. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, “online”, “busy”, “away”, and “meeting” are set as the normal presence in descending order of the degree to which interpersonal communication is possible. A track bar control (also called a slider control) is provided. When the track bar control is used, it is possible to set a continuous value as a detailed presence by moving each slider 701 between the normal presence states as a scale. In the detailed presence setting screen 700 shown in FIG. 7, a portion where the current slider 701 can be located (between two normal presence states) is displayed as an area that can be adjusted in stages. An item for adding a new presence is also provided. When such a screen is displayed and the user moves the slider 701 on the bar, the detailed presence may be changed according to the position of the slider 701. For example, the user can explicitly set the detailed presence in a state indicating that he / she is busy by moving the position of the slider from “online” toward “busy”.

The detailed presence may be set in advance or may be extracted each time using a keyboard keystroke interval or the like. The extraction method is arbitrary. Further, for example, the user interface for responding to the situation consultation includes a menu for setting the detailed presence, and the user can be set for each response. In such a case, the situation consultation response unit 103 may respond to the situation consultation after receiving a response operation from the user. Depending on the setting, it may be possible to select whether to respond automatically or wait for a response operation from the user.

The normal presence setting unit 110 and the detailed presence setting unit 111 are realized by, for example, a processor unit that operates according to a program such as a CPU provided in the communication device, and a storage device such as various memories.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that only the normal presence set by the normal presence setting unit 110 is displayed to other users in the normal state. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that “online” indicating a logged-in state is set as the normal presence of Mr. Yamada in the communication device 100B possessed by Mr. Yamada who is the receiving user. In such a case, for example, “online” is displayed as Mr. Yamada's normal presence in the communication device 100A possessed by Mr. Nichiden, who is the sender user, in the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, when the user on the caller side wants to start interpersonal communication, he / she consults the user on the callee side with more detailed presence information.

The situation consultation sending unit 101 transmits consultation information to the situation consultation receiving unit 102 of the receiving-side communication device 100B via the network in response to a consultation request operation from the user.

In the receiving communication device 100B, the situation consultation receiving unit 102 receives the consultation information and presents the information to the user so as not to get in the way. Then, the situation consultation response unit 103 acquires more detailed presence information (detailed presence) than the normal presence from the detailed presence setting unit 111 in accordance with a user operation. The situation consultation response unit 103 transmits the situation consultation response via the communication function unit 104 to the originating communication device 100A that has received the consultation.

In the communication device 100A on the transmission side, the situation consultation sending unit 101 receives the situation consultation response, and presents the other party's situation to the user based on the received situation consultation response.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of display to the user in the calling communication device that has received the detailed presence as the situation consultation response. In the present embodiment, the status of the partner who performed the consultation is represented by a normal presence and a detailed presence. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, “online” is displayed as the normal presence, and detailed presence information is displayed in a color (in this example, an orange color between red and yellow). The normal presence and detailed presence indicate that the callee is a little busy. In addition, as in the example shown in FIG. 8, monitoring is performed when an ambiguous expression such as brightness or color of light is used instead of a clear numerical value (monitoring is performed on the transmission side). ) Psychological burden such as feeling can be reduced. Note that the example shown in FIG. 8 may be expressed, for example, in a humanoid mark on the status notification screen 400 shown in FIG.

As described above, in this embodiment, a two-stage presence of normal presence and detailed presence is provided, and the called party returns a detailed presence only to a user who is permitted to be a communication partner. Therefore, it is not necessary to disclose his detailed information to an unspecified number of users. Further, by returning the presence in detail to a user who is allowed to be a communication partner, interpersonal communication can be started in a situation where the caller and the callee are convenient. Therefore, both the caller and the callee can reduce the psychological load, and more efficiently perform interpersonal communication.

Embodiment 3. FIG.
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, an automatic response time setting unit is provided. Since there is an automatic response time setting unit, a time difference can be set in advance in response to the situation consultation, so that it is not possible to know whether the presence setting was originally changed or whether the presence was changed by the caller's consultation.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication system including an example of the communication apparatus according to the present embodiment. Below, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the structure similar to the communication system of 2nd Embodiment shown in FIG. 5, and description is abbreviate | omitted.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, unlike the second embodiment, the incoming communication device 100B further includes an automatic response time setting unit 120.

The automatic response time setting unit 120 responds to the situation consultation after the time set by the user has elapsed.

Note that the automatic response time setting unit 120 is realized by, for example, a processor unit that operates according to a program such as a CPU provided in the communication device, and a storage device such as various memories.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that “online” indicating a logged-in state is set as the normal presence of Mr. Yamada in the communication device 100B possessed by Mr. Yamada who is the receiving user. In the normal state, it is assumed that only the normal presence set by the normal presence setting unit 110 is displayed to other users.

The caller who has confirmed that it is “online” does not know whether it is possible to make a detailed meeting, and therefore performs an operation for requesting a situation consultation on the communication apparatus 100A (S101 in FIG. 10). In the communication device 100A, the situation consultation transmitting unit 101 transmits consultation information to the situation consultation receiving unit 102 of the receiving communication device 100B via the network in response to a consultation request operation from the user (S102). Similar to the first and second embodiments, the situation consultation receiving unit 102 presents to the receiver side that there has been a situation consultation (S103).

Here, for example, if the user on the called party side cannot release his hand, the detailed presence setting unit 110 may be used to change the detailed presence setting to a more busy state. For example, the user may explicitly set the detailed presence indicating that he / she is busy by moving the position of the slider 71 from the “online” side toward the “busy” direction on the detailed presence setting screen 700 described above. . Thereafter, if necessary, an operation for responding to the situation consultation is performed (S104).

The status consultation response unit 103 acquires detailed presence information (in this example, changed detailed presence information) from the detailed presence setting unit 110. The situation consultation response unit 103 outputs the detailed presence information to the automatic response time setting unit 120 as a situation consultation response (S105).

In the automatic response time setting unit 120, a waiting time when a situation consultation response is sent to the caller side is set in advance. The automatic response time setting unit 120, regardless of whether or not the detailed presence has been changed, receives the response content and receives the status consultation received from the status consultation response unit 103 after a set waiting time (for example, 1 minute) has elapsed. A response is transmitted (S106). It should be noted that the automatic response time setting unit 120 may send a situation consultation response after waiting for a waiting time set from an incoming situation consultation only when a preset situation is automatically answered. . In any case, it is possible to prevent the caller from knowing the original setting or whether the callee has changed the setting after consulting due to a predetermined time difference.

In this way, the calling-side user consults the situation of the other party in advance and confirms the response, and if he / she wants to start a call, for example, he / she may make a call to start the call (S107). In the example shown in FIG. 10, as an example of a sequence for starting a call, an example is shown in which the called-side user responds with a call start (S110) in response to a call for starting the call. S107 to S112) are optional. That is, it should just be mounted according to the target interpersonal communication.

As described above, in this embodiment, by setting a time difference in the reply of the situation consultation, it is not possible to know whether the presence on the receiving side was originally set or whether the presence was changed by the consultation on the calling side. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the psychological load on the called party.

Next, the outline of the present invention will be described. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an outline of the present invention. The communication system shown in FIG. 11 includes a communication device 10 on the transmission side and a communication device 20 on the reception side. The communication device 10 on the transmission side and the communication device 20 on the reception side are connected via a communication network 30. The communication device 10 on the transmission side includes communication function execution means 11 and status consultation transmission means 12. The communication device 20 on the receiving side includes communication function executing means 21, situation consultation receiving means 22, and situation consultation response means 23.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration example when the present invention is applied to a communication apparatus. The example illustrated in FIG. 12 is an example in which each unit of the transmission-side communication device and each unit of the reception-side communication device illustrated in FIG. 10 are implemented by one communication device. That is, the communication apparatus shown in FIG. 12 includes communication function executing means 41, situation consultation sending means 42, situation consultation receiving means 43, and situation consultation response means 44.

The communication function execution means 11, 21, 41 execute a call or data communication with a designated communication device. Note that the communication function execution means is shown as the communication function unit 104 in the above embodiment, for example.

The situation consultation sending means 12 and 42 sends a situation consultation, which is an inquiry not accompanied by a request for forcible notification and response, and is an inquiry about the situation of the other user, in response to a user operation. For example, the situation consultation sending means 12 and 42 sends situation consultation by sending situation consultation information which is a message indicating situation consultation. In addition, the situation consultation transmission means is shown as the situation consultation transmission unit 101 in the above embodiment, for example.

The situation consultation receiving means 22 and 43 receive the situation consultation performed on the communication device, and present the received situation consultation information to the user without forcible notification and response request. For example, the situation consultation receiving means 22 and 43 receive situation consultation information, present the fact that there was a situation consultation based on the received situation consultation information, and provide a user interface for accepting a response operation from the user. Present. In addition, the situation consultation receiving means is shown as the situation consultation receiving unit 102 in the above embodiment, for example.

The situation consultation response means 23 and 44 respond to the received situation consultation in response to a user operation for the received situation consultation. In the above embodiment, the situation consultation response means is shown as the situation consultation response unit 103, for example.

The

communication devices

20 and 40 further set normal presence, which is information indicating whether or not the user of the communication device can make a call or data communication, and allows other users to view in a normal state. Normal presence setting means, detailed presence setting means for setting detailed presence information that is returned only to the caller user who is the origin of the situation consultation, and is more detailed information regarding whether or not a call or data communication is possible than normal presence; May be provided.

Further, the

communication devices

20 and 40 may further include an automatic response time setting unit that performs a response after waiting for a preset time when responding to the situation consultation.

In addition, as the detailed presence, information expressing the communication device or a state in which the user of the communication device can communicate in stages may be used. When the detailed presence is expressed by a numerical value, a method other than displaying the numerical value as it is may be used as the detailed presence display method.

The communication device (more specifically, situation consultation sending means, situation consultation receiving means, situation consultation response means) sends situation consultation with an image, sound or light output representing the operation of knocking the door. An output means for receiving or responding may be provided.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated with reference to embodiment and an Example, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment and Example. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application 2010-146679 filed on June 28, 2010, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein.

The present invention is applicable as long as it has a basic call or data communication function. For example, the present invention can be applied to a soft phone, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a POS terminal, voice chat software, a landline phone, and the like.

100A, 100B communication device (outgoing side / incoming side)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Situation consultation transmission part 102 Situation consultation receiving part 103 Situation consultation response part 104 Communication function part 110 Normal presence setting part 111 Detailed presence setting part 120 Automatic response

time setting part

10, 20, 40

Communication apparatus

11, 21, 41 Communication function execution Means 12, 42 Situation consultation sending means 22, 43 Situation consultation receiving means 23, 44 Situation consultation response means

Claims

A communication function executing means for performing a call or data communication with a specified communication device;
In response to a user operation, a situation consultation sending means for sending a situation consultation that is an inquiry without a request for a compulsory notification and response, and that is an inquiry about the situation of the other user,
A situation consultation receiving means for receiving a situation consultation performed on the communication device and presenting the received situation consultation information to the user without requiring a forced notification and response; and
A communication apparatus comprising: a situation consultation response unit that responds to a situation consultation received by the situation consultation receiving unit in response to a user operation.
Normal presence setting means for setting a normal presence, which is information indicating whether or not the communication or data communication of the user of the communication device is possible, and is information that allows other users to view in a normal state;
A detailed presence setting means for setting a detailed presence which is information returned only to a caller user who is a sender of a situation consultation and which is more detailed information regarding whether or not a call or data communication is possible than the normal presence. The communication apparatus according to 1.
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an automatic response time setting unit that responds after a preset time has elapsed when responding to the situation consultation.
The communication apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein information indicating a state in which the communication apparatus or a user of the communication apparatus can communicate in stages is used as the detailed presence.
The communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising output means for transmitting, receiving, or responding to a situation consultation with an output of an image, sound, or light representing an operation of knocking the door. .
A caller communication device used by the caller user and a callee communication device used by the callee user,
The calling communication device
A communication function executing means for performing a call or data communication with a specified communication device;
A situation consultation sending means for sending a situation consultation that is an inquiry about a situation of the other user, which is an inquiry without a request for a compulsory notification and response according to a user operation,
The called communication device
A communication function executing means for performing a call or data communication with a specified communication device;
A situation consultation receiving means for receiving a situation consultation performed on the communication device and presenting it to the user without a request for a compulsory notification and response; and
And a situation consultation response means for responding to the received situation consultation in response to a user operation.
A communication function executing means for performing a call or data communication with a specified communication device;
Communication comprising a situation consultation sending means for sending a situation consultation that is an inquiry about the situation of the other-side user in response to a user operation, which is not accompanied by a request for forced notification and response. apparatus.
A communication function executing means for performing a call or data communication with a specified communication device;
A situation consultation receiving means for receiving a situation consultation performed on the communication device and presenting it to the user without a request for a compulsory notification and response; and
A communication apparatus comprising: a situation consultation response unit that responds to a situation consultation received by the situation consultation receiving unit in response to a user operation.
A communication method for performing communication or data communication with a designated communication device,
In response to user operation, the communication device on the calling side is a query that does not involve a forced notification and response request, and sends a status consultation that is a query related to the status of the other user,
The communication device on the receiving side receives the situation consultation performed on the communication device, and presents the received situation consultation information to the user without a forced notification and response request,
A communication method, wherein the communication device on the receiving side responds to the received status consultation in response to a user operation.
To a computer equipped with a communication function to make a call or data communication with a specified communication device,
In response to a user operation, an inquiry that does not require a forced notification and response, and a situation consultation sending process that sends a situation consultation that is an inquiry about the situation of the other user,
In response to a situation consultation incoming process that receives a situation consultation performed on the communication device and presents the received situation consultation information to the user without a forced notification and response request, and according to a user operation, A communication program for executing a situation consultation response process for responding to the received situation consultation.