(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electronic conference assistance method and an information terminal device employed in an electronic conference system.
(ii) Related Art
Conventionally, there is available an electronic conference system which has a large-scale readable and writable touch panel display device. Generally, such a touch panel display device is placed so as to be viewed by all participants of the conference and written thereon. Use of the electronic conference system enables a conference of a style, for example, where the participants gather around the touch panel display device, rather than remain seated, to discuss an idea conceived during the conference while writing the idea and so forth on the touch panel display device. The content written on the panel display can be stored intact as a screen image. Also in view of enhancement of conference efficiency, an increasing number of companies are introducing such electronic conference systems.
Moreover, when such a system is employed, presence of all participants in the conference room where the touch panel display device is installed is not mandatory. That is, when another touch panel display device is installed in a conference room in another location and connected via a network to the electronic conference system in the main location, a remote conference can be realized. This allows a person in a remote location to participate in the conference.
Further, when a person who is supposed to participate in the conference but is away from the place where the conference is held as, for example, they are on a business trip connects their own personal computer (PC) to the electronic conference system, they can participate in the electronic conference from any desired place. Still further, when a portable phone is connected to the electronic conference system via a connection line, that person can participate in the conference through audio.
As described above, use of an electronic conference system can realize a conference of a style where participants can participate in a variety of manners, not limited to a conventional general conference style in which participants are kept seated and discuss ideas.
Here, when a remote conference is taking place by connecting the device in the main location to the device used by a conference participant in another location to via a network, basically, data of images captured using a camera or the like in the conference room, in particular data of an image of a person who speaks, is transmitted to other locations. With this arrangement, a participant in the remote location can talk to the person speaking while looking at their image being shown.
Moreover, a moderator who presides over the conference can check a participant in a conference by looking at the images captured in the respective locations when discussion is carried out between distant locations, and ask the checked participant to present their opinion or encourage them to speak.