Communication system, transmission terminal, communication method, and medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10420011-B2
Application number	US-201615063740-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 8, 2016
Priority date	Mar 12, 2015
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

A communication system includes a first device at a first site and a second device at a second site communicating with each other. The first device includes a communication start unit to start communication with the second device, a connection information obtainment unit to obtain connection information from another device at the first site connected with the first device by wire or wirelessly, for another device at the second site to connect with the other device at the first site, and a transmitter unit to transmit the connection information to the second device. The second device includes a receiver unit to receive the connection information from the first device, and another device communication unit to transmit the connection information received by the receiver unit, to the other device at the second site connected with the second device by wire or wirelessly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication system, in which a videoconference can be established between a first device at a first site and a second device at a second site via a network, comprising:
the first device, including
a first camera;
first processing circuitry configured to
execute authentication with the second device and establish a communication session for the video conference between the first device using the first camera and the second device using a second camera, and start communication with the second device over the network, wherein the video conference is executed using the first and second cameras of the first and second devices, respectively, and
obtain connection information from a first electronic blackboard at the first site connected with the first device by wire or wirelessly, the connection information being required for a second electronic blackboard at the second site to connect with the first electronic blackboard at the first site over the network, and obtain first type information representing a type of the first electronic blackboard at the first site, and

a transmitter configured to transmit, after the communication session is established, the obtained connection information and the obtained first type information to the second device by using the established communication session for the video conference; and

the second device, including
the second camera;
a receiver configured to receive the connection information and the first type information transmitted from the first device, and
second processing circuitry configured to
obtain the received connection information, the received first type information, and second type information representing a type of the second electronic blackboard at the second site,
determine whether the received first type information and the obtained second type information are a same type so that communication between the first and second electronic blackboards is possible, and
when determining that the first and second type information is the same type, transmit the received connection information to the second electronic blackboard at the second site connected with the second device by wire or wirelessly so that the second electronic blackboard can establish a separate connection to the first electronic blackboard via the network by transmitting a request and the connection information to the first electronic blackboard.

2. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the second processing circuitry of the second device does not detect the second electronic blackboard at the second site connected by wire or wirelessly, the receiver indicates to the first device that the second electronic blackboard at the second site does not exist.

3. The communication system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein in response to receiving the indication from the second device that the second electronic blackboard at the second site does not exist, the first device displays, on a display, an indication that the second electronic blackboard at the second site does not exist.

4. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first device displays, on a display, an indication that the connection information is to be transmitted before the transmitter transmits the connection information to the second device.

5. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein when the first processing circuitry transmits identification information of the first device to the first electronic blackboard at the first site, and receives an indication from the first electronic blackboard at the first site that the first device is a device to communicate with the second electronic blackboard at the second site, the transmitter transmits the connection information to the second device.

6. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first processing circuitry is configured to exchange identification information with the first electronic blackboard at the first site,
the first device transmits the identification information of the first device and the first electronic blackboard at the first site to an external device, and the first electronic blackboard at the first site transmits the identification information of the first electronic blackboard at the first site and the first device to the external device,
the external device determines the first device as a device to transmit the connection information to the second site, depending on devices existing at the first site and the second site, and
when the first device receives an indication about the determination from the external device, the transmitter transmits the connection information to the second device.

7. The communication system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the first device obtains a list of the devices existing at the second site from the external device, and displays the list on a display.

8. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
the first electronic blackboard existing at the first site; and
the second electronic blackboard existing at the second site,
wherein the second electronic blackboard at the second site includes a connection interface configured to connect with the first electronic blackboard at the first site, by using the connection information transmitted from the second processing circuitry.

9. The communication system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first device communicates with the first electronic blackboard at the first site via an HDMI cable or Bluetooth (trademark).

10. A transmission terminal at a first site to communicate in a videoconference over a network with a second transmission terminal at a second site, wherein the second transmission terminal at the second site includes
a second camera;
a receiver configured to receive connection information and first type information from the transmission terminal at the first site, required for a second electronic blackboard at the second site to connect over the network with a first electronic blackboard at the first site connected with the transmission terminal at the first site by wire or wirelessly, and
second processing circuitry configured to obtain the received connection information, the received first type information, and second type information representing a type of the second electronic blackboard at the second site, determine whether the received first type information and the obtained second type information are a same type so that communication between the first and second electronic blackboards is possible, and when determining that the first and second type information is the same type, transmit the received connection information to the second electronic blackboard at the second site connected with the second transmission terminal at the second site by wire or wirelessly so that the second electronic blackboard can establish a separate connection to the first electronic blackboard via the network by transmitting a request and the connection information to the first electronic blackboard,
the transmission terminal at the first site, comprising:
a first camera;
first processing circuitry configured to
execute authentication with the second transmission terminal and establish a communication session for the video conference between the transmission terminal using the first camera and the second transmission terminal using the second camera, and start communication with the second transmission terminal at the second site over the network, wherein the video conference is executed using the first and second cameras of the first and second transmission terminals, respectively; and
obtain the connection information from the first electronic blackboard

Assignees

• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Miyamoto Atsushi
• Asai Takahiro
• Horiuchi Takeshi

Classifications

• H04L65/1096 Primary

  Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding (systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42) · CPC title

• H04L65/4015

  where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference · CPC title

• H04L65/403

  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 title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W40/246 Primary

  Connectivity information discovery · CPC title